"One!"
"Wait! I'll talk!"
Tang San gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and said in a low voice—
"Yu Xiaogang is a fraud!"
Tsk!
Still said it in the end.
Diyi Hong glanced at the livestream chat.
[「Phoenix God」: Ah! That felt so good!]
[User 「Phoenix God」 gifted: 「Phoenix Divine Consciousness」 ×10]
[「God of Emotion」: So this is the so-called God King Tang San? Deep down, he's still selfish to the bone!]
[「Emotion Divine Consciousness」 ×10]
[「God of Speed」: He held out for so long. I actually thought he'd resist the temptation.]
[「Acacia Heartbroken Red」 ×1]
[「Nine-Colored Goddess」: Resist temptation? You stripped the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well bald. Nothing left behind.]
[「Immortal Herb · Enoki Mushroom」 ×5000]
[「God King of Destruction 001」: This is my rival? Asura really had terrible taste.]
[「God King of Destruction 002」: And that Sea God fool—actually agreed to that "dual god coexistence" nonsense. Otherwise, I wouldn't have rushed to expand the Divine Realm so recklessly.]
Judging by the flood of gifts, everyone was thoroughly satisfied.
Big harvest!
Once he clears out his stock later, it's time for a little retail therapy.
But not now—the Tang San roast continues.
Diyi Hong weighed the Eight Spider Lances in his hand, then tossed them to Tang San.
Tang San was pleasantly surprised!
He's actually giving this to me?
"Since you've admitted your teacher's not that great, I'll give you two choices," Diyi Hong said with a smile—
"First, you can absorb these Eight Spider Lances right now—but it's highly likely you'll fail, since they're not compatible with your attributes."
Tang San immediately cut in.
"Incompatible? That can't be right!"
"My teacher always said that even though my Blue Silver Grass is weak, it's highly versatile—capable of integrating with nearly any attribute soul ring."
"For example, my first soul ring, the Mandala Snake, gave me paralytic poison."
"This Man-Faced Demon Spider is also a poison-type. Why wouldn't I be able to absorb it?"
Diyi Hong let out a mocking chuckle.
"Quoting that fraud's theory again?"
"If I say it's incompatible, then it is."
—After all, I embedded a sliver of divine consciousness in there. If you can absorb that, I'll eat my wings.
But Tang San was clearly not convinced.
He argued back:
"My teacher only made a mistake when it came to external spirit bones. That doesn't mean the rest of his theories are wrong!"
"Blue Silver Grass is recognized as a trash martial spirit, yet my teacher helped me reach this level—proof enough, isn't it?"
Oh?
Still got some backbone, huh?
Diyi Hong lay back, wings of flame lifting him mid-air.
Debate time.
"Let's talk theory then, shall we?"
"Yes, Blue Silver Grass is a recognized trash spirit. But if that's the case, why didn't Yu Xiaogang take in any other Blue Silver Grass users? Why only you?"
Tang San thought back to his apprenticeship—it was because his twin spirits were discovered at first glance. He admired that insight and thus…
Wait—it was probably more about talent, wasn't it?
"Figured it out? Because you had innate full soul power."
Diyi Hong teased—
"Even if you reached that through practicing Xuan Tian Gong, making it a kind of 'acquired innate full soul power'…"
"The fact that you got there at all means your spirit quality wasn't ordinary."
"The prerequisite for coexisting twin spirits—is balance in quality."
"Even the weakest Clear Sky Hammer far surpasses ordinary Blue Silver Grass."
"So your Blue Silver Grass must be different—at least partially infused with your mother's Blue Silver Emperor bloodline."
"Any objections so far?"
Tang San nodded. That logic was airtight.
"Good. Now let's get to the point."
Diyi Hong continued:
"The Blue Silver Emperor is known for its incredible vitality, which gives it superior tenacity, regeneration, resistance, and a natural style of combat based on entanglement and control."
"But you went and absorbed a Mandala Snake to get poison?"
"That's like Ma Hongjun with his Evil Fire Phoenix—now Nine Heavens Radiant Phoenix—choosing an earth-attribute soul ring to increase defense, when fire-type soul rings would give him way more firepower."
"Sure, defense went up. But was it stronger than fire amplification?"
His words were sharp, logical, and irrefutable.
Tang San began to rethink—was I… wrong?
"And why must you absorb beast-type soul rings?" Diyi Hong asked again.
Tang San instinctively replied:
"Because according to Martial Spirit Mimicry Theory, plant-type spirits can absorb beast-type rings."
"Oh really?" Diyi Hong challenged. "Then let me ask—why can you refine Hundred Forged Steel faster than other blacksmiths?"
"Because I know the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique!" Tang San said proudly. "That's a secret art from my father—it greatly increases forging efficiency and quality!"
"Exactly—efficiency."
Diyi Hong nodded.
"So if we think of Hundred Forged Steel as your plant spirit, then your hammer technique is like a plant-based soul ring, while standard forging techniques are like beast-type soul rings."
"The hammer technique is more compatible—better results, less waste."
"Beast-type rings work, sure. But they're slower and lower quality."
"Got the picture?"
"And you wanted poison? Just find a poisonous plant-type soul beast, no?"
At that moment, it felt like a lightning bolt shot through Tang San's brain.
Right!
Just because you can absorb it doesn't mean it's the best choice!
He had been blinded all this time… How had he never seen it?
"And now the real question," Diyi Hong mused aloud:
"Did Yu Xiaogang know that beast-type rings were inefficient for plant spirits?"
"Whether he did or not, he got what he wanted—validation of his theory."
"Who cares about the rest?"
Tang San jerked his head up!
That's it!
His teacher, limited by rank, could never prove his theories on his own.
He needed an experimental subject to test each one.
That's why the first soul ring was the Mandala Snake—to prove mimicry theory.
But knowing full well that plant spirits work best with plant rings—
He still did it.
Second soul skill: Ghost Vine. A cover-up to patch the logic.
It all made sense now.
All of it.
Tang San clenched his fists so tightly his nails dug into flesh.
He, Tang Sect's elite assassin—
Had been used as a test subject, and didn't even realize it.
You've chosen—
Hm.
He still has some use. Not enough to warrant death.
But when combined with his external spirit bone screw-up—
Tang San's faith in the so-called "Grandmaster" Yu Xiaogang completely collapsed.
"I understand now." Tang San said quietly. "What's the second choice?"
Diyi Hong smirked.
'This Tang San's surprisingly easy to manipulate. How'd you all lose to him again?'
[「God of Emotion」: He was already a God King when I was born—how could I win?]
[「Phoenix God」: Dude's got cheat skills, soul inheritance, a dad who's a Title Douluo, and half of a hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor bloodline. His hidden weapons are literal hacks. How do you beat that?]
[「God of Speed」: Plus the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. He chugged three immortal herbs, and got a golden body cleanse. Talk about unfair!]
[「Nine-Colored Goddess」: I thought I was born privileged—but next to him? I might as well be mortal.]
Such deep resentment.
Can't blame them though—
An OP player stomping newbies is bound to piss people off.
No worries—leave it to me to settle the score.
Watch me work!
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