After telling Yang Long those things, Tang San didn't wait for a response. He simply said a few words to Boss Li before turning to leave. He didn't have time to waste chatting.
It wasn't until Tang San's figure disappeared down the street that Yang Long came back to his senses and asked Boss Li,"Where is the Spirit Hall? And where is the City Lord's Mansion?"
"Guest, the Spirit Hall is in the center of Nuoding City, near Nuoding Academy. The City Lord's Mansion is toward the east—it's the most prosperous part of the city," Boss Li replied respectfully.
Hearing this, Yang Long turned and left.
On the other side, Tang San returned to the Spirit Hall and went straight to the backyard, where he saw Xiao Wu practicing.
"An uninvited guest came to Nuoding City. Be careful when you go out," he said.
"Uninvited guest?"Xiao Wu stopped climbing the tree and asked curiously,"What does he look like?"
"He's a little more handsome than most, has short hair, wears a white robe—good quality, clearly born into a big family," Tang San replied."He may come to the Spirit Hall later. I'll take you out to see him."
"Oh~"
Xiao Wu mentally noted these characteristics. She didn't have a good impression of large clans. Aside from the risk of someone recognizing her true identity, she had learned through her dealings with noble students at Nuoding Academy that the greater the family status, the more ridiculous and indulgent their behavior tended to be.
It was a simple way of thinking, but to Tang San, in this era, such caution was a means of self-protection—useful for avoiding deceit and exploitation.
When Yang Long arrived at the Spirit Hall, he was a little surprised to see Tang San and Xiao Wu there, but still walked over and greeted,"Little brother Tang San, you're also at the Spirit Hall?"
"So the guest really did come for the Spirit Hall's seal?" Tang San nodded, then asked,"You want to become a Spirit Master? Why would someone like you come to a small place like Nuoding City?"
Yang Long's eyes briefly landed on Xiao Wu. Although he quickly looked away, Xiao Wu—already alerted by Tang San—noticed. Her eyes narrowed slightly."That look wasn't because I'm cute," she thought.
"Cough!" Yang Long cleared his throat awkwardly and said,"Of course, I came to strengthen myself. Traveling the continent and adventuring is the best way to temper one's abilities."
Adventure? Travel?You didn't even know spears couldn't be forged here.
Tang San quietly scoffed, but still smiled and replied,"Adventure? That's not bad. I plan to explore overseas in the future."
"Mm, sounds good," Yang Long replied halfheartedly, before asking,"Are you two also Spirit Masters?"
"Yes," Tang San nodded."Both of us are Great Spirit Masters."
Great Spirit Masters?
Yang Long was shocked. He secretly marveled at the power of the Mysterious Heaven Skill and the extraordinary talent of a hundred-thousand-year transformed spirit beast.
If it weren't for the presence of the Spirit Hall here, he would have been tempted to capture Xiao Wu and threaten Tang San into surrendering the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
As for Tang Hao, Yang Long wasn't worried. From what he knew, Tang Hao might monitor Tang San during spirit hunts, but he wouldn't shadow him constantly in daily life. Most of the time, he should be guarding the Blue Silver Emperor.
After chatting for a bit, Tang San took Xiao Wu and left the Spirit Hall.
"It's him? Sure enough, he looks like a human," Xiao Wu muttered, feeling uneasy.She sensed greed in his gaze—he likely wanted to abduct her.
"His martial soul is the Dragon Pattern Spear. I don't know his exact abilities, but he's definitely a strong melee-type Spirit Master. Although spears can be thrown and offer some range, his spirit power shouldn't be very high. I estimate it's below the Soul Sect level. His effective throwing distance shouldn't exceed 100 meters," Tang San analyzed.
"And his spirit abilities must be offensive."
"Why?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.
"A spear-type martial soul mainly gains spirit rings to enhance its piercing power," Tang San explained."So all its spirit abilities are offensive in nature. His spear has a dragon pattern—my guess is, when hunting spirit beasts, he'll look for ones with dragon blood."
That was a common assumption on the continent.
But as a transmigrator, Yang Long would likely suspect his dragon-patterned martial soul was connected to a true dragon and, nine times out of ten, would seek out dragon-blooded spirit beasts.
And spirit abilities granted by dragon-type beasts—unless the martial soul was something like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, which had preset ability types—tended to fall into two categories: primarily attack-type, and secondarily enhancement-type. It was exceedingly rare for dragon-blooded beasts to yield control or auxiliary spirit abilities.
Of course, powerful attack skills could still offer control effects—such as disrupting terrain, creating smokescreens, blocking vision, or impeding movement.
That was a different category altogether.
"Between his spear martial soul and my scorpion tail braid, which is stronger?" Xiao Wu asked as she pulled her braid to the front, swinging the wooden knife tied at its end.
"Each has its strengths. Spears are suited for battlefield combat, while yours excels in one-on-one fights. Once your soul power increases and your movements become more fluid, you can swap the wooden knife for a thousand-forged short sword—with double-edged blades, it'll unleash even greater power."Tang San gave an objective evaluation.
"Then I'm invincible in one-on-one duels!" Xiao Wu declared proudly.
"Not necessarily," Tang San warned."In a duel, others might not play by the rules. Outside of the arena, opponents might fight dirty. You must always stay alert."
"Hmph, they're no match for me anyway."Xiao Wu was full of confidence.
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.
Tang San published another article, this time criticizing the limitations of previous Spirit Master Competitions. He argued that the competition formats favored certain spirit types while suppressing others.
He specifically pointed out that the competition venues and Soul Fighting Arenas restricted agility-type Spirit Masters.
In such confined arenas, reconnaissance-focused or assassination-based agility Spirit Masters couldn't make full use of their strengths.
To address this, Tang San proposed to the Spirit Hall that large-scale Spirit Master Competitions should adopt multiple venue types. Before each match, participants would draw lots or spin a wheel to determine the battleground.
This way, Spirit Masters would sometimes fight on terrain ideal for their abilities—and other times on terrain that was disadvantageous—creating a more balanced and fair environment for all spirit types.
Moreover, this system would allow martial souls to gain experience in various environments. Whether hunting spirit beasts or traveling across the continent in the future, this kind of exposure would cultivate practical survival instincts in unfamiliar and extreme conditions.