Chapter 36: Eating and a Chance Encounter
After seeing Su Yuntao, Tang Shan stepped into the restaurant. Before entering, he looked up at the sign.
"Forest Roasted Lamb"
At this moment, Su Yuntao's head was slightly lowered, his eyes vacant, clearly lost in thought. Tang Shan didn't stand on ceremony and pulled out the chair opposite him to sit down.
The movement from outside startled Su Yuntao out of his deep thought. He looked up, about to frown and scold, only to find that the person sitting across from him was actually Tang Shan.
"Little brother, why are you here? Finished learning blacksmithing?"
Tang Shan nodded. "I've learned the gist of it; I've mainly mastered the basics. The rest depends on whether my own practice is sufficient."
As he spoke, Tang Shan's gaze fell on the grill in front of him. On the crisscrossed roasting net, slices of lamb were being licked by flames, emitting a rich aroma from some unknown seasoning.
"Does forging really have that much potential?"
While waiting for the meat to cook, Su Yuntao was still a bit skeptical that a mere blacksmithing technique could truly turn something ordinary into something miraculous in Tang Shan's hands.
"It has the potential, but I might not necessarily be able to develop it."
Tang Shan's reply was very cautious. After all, he hadn't even truly mastered normal forging yet, so it was hard to say what the final outcome would be.
"Big brother, how have your gains been these past few days?"
Tang Shan stopped talking about his own affairs and instead asked Su Yuntao about his gains from participating in Spirit Fights over the past few days.
Hearing the inquiry about Spirit Fights, Su Yuntao immediately became interested, his eyes lighting up.
"Little brother, you were right. Aside from the first opponent I met that day, the other opponents have much richer combat experience. Defeating them is far more troublesome than dealing with that guy called 'Blade Dragon'. Fortunately, your big brother has been winning one battle after another and remains undefeated so far."
Tang Shan wasn't surprised at all by Su Yuntao's winning streak. After all, a thousand-year second spirit ring was no joke. Even without it, Su Yuntao could basically crush opponents of the same level in terms of both will and physical fitness.
A bit stronger physical coordination, a bit faster neural reaction speed, a bit more power than others—the accumulation of these small factors merged into an incomparable advantage.
"What about self-created Spirit abilities?"
Tang Shan followed up curiously.
"Some gains."
Su Yuntao's tone carried a hint of helplessness.
"Under the pressure of my opponents, I've gained some understanding of the offensive and defensive techniques of wolf-type Spirit Beasts. But as my practical experience increases, soon few people can put pressure on me anymore. The last one who almost made me lose was a control system Beast Spirit Master."
"A control system Beast Spirit Master?"
Tang Shan became somewhat interested. One must know that the vast majority of control system Spirit Masters are Tool Spirit Masters, whether they control ropes and vines or use staves to channel elements; they all fall under the tool category.
"That's right, a control system Beast Spirit Master. Her Spirit is a venomous snake. The two spirit rings she releases are both poisonous mists under her control. The first spirit ring can slow people down, and the second can obscure vision; inhaling too much also leads to dizziness."
A trace of lingering fear flashed across Su Yuntao's face.
"Those two control-type Spirit abilities of hers were one thing, but her close-combat ability was also extremely strong. If I hadn't caught her off guard and unleashed a burst of power, I might have actually lost."
Listening to Su Yuntao recount his combat experiences, Tang Shan couldn't help but sigh in his heart. The Douluo Continent was truly marvelous. The original work only described a relatively core part; what he was seeing now was the brilliance untouched by the pen.
"What about the battles after that? Did no one want to fight you anymore?"
Su Yuntao nodded helplessly. "Afterward, my reputation spread completely. Many Spirit Grandmasters know there's a two-ring Spirit Master with a thousand-year second spirit ring hanging around the Spirit Arena all day. Now, I basically only encounter an opponent every few hours. You know, before this, aside from recovering spirit power, I was basically always in combat."
"Then big brother, you can try signing up for two-on-two Spirit Fights."
Tang Shan offered a suggestion.
"I've thought about it too, but I don't have a teammate. I can't just find anyone."
Su Yuntao clearly had this idea as well, but hadn't been able to fulfill it.
"Then big brother, you can choose to fight one-against-two. Didn't you complain about the lack of pressure? Now, the pressure of one-against-two is definitely enough. If you even sweep through one-against-two, you can try challenging a Spirit Elder."
This time, facing Tang Shan's idea, Su Yuntao fell into deep thought.
Just three days of combat had given him a clear understanding of his own strength. It wasn't that having low Innate Soul Power meant one was definitely weak; true strength, in the end, had to be determined through fighting.
At the Spirit Grandmaster stage, unless he encountered a control system Spirit Grandmaster who countered him extremely well, other opponents were like rotting fish and prawns—ordinary control system Spirit Masters were no exception.
As the saying goes, looking at the sky from the bottom of a well; as long as he didn't encounter an enemy truly above his level, he, Su Yuntao, was the'sky' of the Spirit Grandmaster stage.
"Fine! Tomorrow? No, I'll go sign up for Two-person Spirit Fights in a bit. I'll take on two of them by myself!"
Battle Intent reignited fiercely in Su Yuntao's eyes, and a vigorous fighting Spirit surged from him.
Chomp, chomp!
Tang Shan picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of rich-smelling lamb from the grill, and put it into his mouth. He chewed slowly as the mellow fat and meat aroma exploded in his mouth, sweeping over his taste buds.
Su Yuntao looked at Tang Shan speechlessly. He was full of enthusiasm, yet his little brother was already devouring the food like a whirlwind.
"A person cannot be shameless to this extent."
Su Yuntao complained, but his hands didn't hesitate as his chopsticks flew. He knew Tang Shan's appetite; any slower, and he'd probably have to wait for the next batch to be roasted before he could eat.
"Why is this shop called Forest Roasted Lamb?"
Tang Shan asked Su Yuntao while chewing on the roasted meat.
Su Yuntao clearly wasn't here for the first time; he knew much more about the shop than Tang Shan.
"Rumor has it that the lamb here all comes from sheep-type Spirit Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest, though the breeds vary. Which kind you get to eat depends entirely on luck."
"In that case, this shop's strength is definitely not weak. Otherwise, even if the breeds vary, being able to continuously obtain sheep-type Spirit Beasts from the Star Dou Great Forest is by no means an easy feat."
After a brief thought, Tang Shan made his judgment.
Su Yuntao nodded. "I heard the owner of this shop is somewhat related to a collateral branch of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."
At this moment, two more customers walked into the shop.
"Boss, four catties of lamb."
A gentle voice sounded. Tang Shan turned toward the source and saw two figures, one tall and one short.
Actually, the shorter person was about 1.8 meters tall, but the person beside him was simply too huge.
That was an old man, over two meters tall. His frame was large but had little flesh, almost skin and bones. His face looked somewhat terrifying. He was enveloped in a large black robe, yet his distinct ribs and shoulder blades protruded through it.
The boss was clearly startled by the other's frightening appearance. Fortunately, the middle-aged man beside him was very patient. Only after the boss regained his composure did he slowly state his request.
The middle-aged man's attire gave the first impression of being luxurious and clean. He carried a natural noble temperament of someone in a high position for a long time; his every move was like a noble on an outing.
He had a face like polished jade and a soft gaze, revealing a bit of refined elegance.
Seeing this attire, Tang Shan's pupils contracted slightly before quickly returning to calm. He continued eating as if nothing had happened, chatting casually with Su Yuntao, while a wisp of spirit power quietly circulated around his ears to amplify his hearing.
Fortunately, Tang Shan had a Body Martial Soul. The circulation of spirit power within his body usually didn't produce any fluctuations. Otherwise, if his guess about the other's identity was correct, using spirit power to boost his hearing would likely be detected by that old man. After all, one shouldn't underestimate the perception of a Titled Douluo.
"Fengzhi, let's sit in the back."
The withered old man looked at the refined middle-aged man.
The man called Fengzhi nodded slightly. The two passed by Tang Shan and Su Yuntao and sat at a table at the end of the shop.
At this time, including Tang Shan's group and the two who just entered, the Forest Roasted Lamb shop was full. This showed that the taste of the roasted lamb here was indeed extraordinary.
"Uncle Gu, sorry to trouble you to accompany me on this trip specifically."
The middle-aged man's voice reached Tang Shan's ears, further confirming the suspicion in his heart.
"It's fine. I'm idle in the Sect anyway. Now that my cultivation has hit a Bottleneck, it probably won't be easy to make a Breakthrough in this lifetime. Coming out for a walk is quite pleasant. It's just that 'Old Scoundrel' must be bored now."
The old man's voice carried a bit of schadenfreude. Clearly, making the "Old Scoundrel" he spoke of bored was enough to make him happy.
"Uncle Gu, you and Uncle Jian have been arguing for so many years. Why continue competing?"
"Hehe, who told that guy to say my defensive power is fragile? If it weren't for his profound cultivation, let's see if he could beat me if our spirit power were at the same level!"
The two didn't use the technique of transmitting sound directly, clearly not feeling that their words revealed any secrets.
"Fengzhi, Shuyu's child is about to be born. Have you thought about what to name it?"
"If it's a boy, he'll be named Jiu; hopefully, his Spirit will be like his name. As for a girl, Shuyu and I have discussed it—she'll be called Rongrong."
"Ning Rongrong. A good name, truly a good name."
Sure enough, it was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School Sect Master Ning Fengzhi, and the defense-type Titled Douluo, Bone Douluo Gu Rong. He hadn't expected to encounter the two of them in Stark City.
Tang Shan temporarily lost his appetite for the delicacies and instead pondered the purpose of their visit to Stark City.
He had suspected it as soon as they stepped into the shop. After all, there were many refined and gentle people on the Douluo Continent, and perhaps some who looked like Bone Douluo, but a combination with such distinct characteristics together was likely unique in the whole Douluo Continent.
The subsequent conversation between the two also completely confirmed his guess.
The "Old Scoundrel" Bone Douluo spoke of was likely Sword Douluo Chen Xin, and Ning Fengzhi's unborn child should be the future "Witch," Ning Rongrong.
They probably aren't here for Grandmaster, Tang Shan first ruled out that possibility. Up until now, only three people in the entire Douluo Continent knew Grandmaster's identity: Su Haichao, Su Yuntao, and himself as Grandmaster. There was no one else.
Could it be for Big Brother?
Thinking of Su Yuntao's thousand-year second spirit ring, Tang Shan quickly dismissed that idea. If Su Yuntao were the only person currently on the Douluo Continent with a thousand-year second spirit ring, it would make sense for them to value him so much. But now, he wasn't the only one with a thousand-year second spirit ring. With the strength of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, creating such a Genius wouldn't be easy, but it certainly wouldn't be extremely difficult either.
Fortunately, the other party didn't leave Tang Shan in doubt for long and soon revealed the truth.
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