Chapter 10: First Encounter with Tang San

"Apologies, Your Eminence, I was impolite just now!" the Grandmaster said with a bow before retreating to his disciple's side to protect him. Exploring the martial souls of disciples from other sects was indeed a serious taboo. After all, information was the most powerful weapon. Once the characteristics of one's martial soul were fully understood by others, enemies could easily devise countermeasures, which was highly disadvantageous. "Teacher, what do you think of my strike earlier?" Tian Lin asked Chen Xin to evaluate his soul skill after the Grandmaster had left. Chen Xin nodded in approval. "Very impressive. As expected of a soul skill brought by a 600-year soul ring. Its power is equivalent to a full-force attack from an average Soul Grandmaster. However, such immense power must have consumed considerable energy from you, correct?" "Indeed, that strike just now consumed nearly one-third of my soul power. However, I can feel that if I release it by condensing the cold energy on my sword's edge, the consumption will be much less, allowing me to engage in prolonged battles," Tian Lin replied honestly. He had nothing to hide from Chen Xin. After all, he was his teacher, and the more the teacher understood him, the more accurate the guidance he could provide. "Hmm, that's about what I expected. In the future, you must focus more on swordsmanship. Condensing energy into your sword will become your most standard combat method. As for such all-out soul skill releases, they should only be used as finishing moves. Do you understand?" Chen Xin was already considering which swordsmanship to teach Tian Lin. With the astonishing offensive capability of the Suppressing Demon Sword, learning defensive sword techniques seemed like a waste of its potential. He had already made up his mind. This child was exceptionally suited for his Seven Killing Sword Technique—it was as if the heavens had sent him a successor. After their conversation, the two walked over to Tang San, who was in the process of absorbing his soul ring. When Chen Xin saw the Blue Silver Grass in Tang San's hand, he was astonished. "Is this... Blue Silver Grass?" "This child seems about the same age as Tian Lin, yet he has already reached the tenth level. That means his innate soul power must be at least level nine, or even a full innate soul power. But how can Blue Silver Grass have such high innate soul power?" The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's theoretical knowledge was no less advanced than the Grandmaster's. The concept that innate soul power was proportional to the quality of the martial soul was common knowledge within the sect. Chen Xin was naturally aware of this. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't discern anything special about this Blue Silver Grass, so he ruled out the possibility of martial soul mutation. "I'll ask Feng Zhi about this when we return. In terms of theory, he's the true master," Chen Xin thought. Tian Lin also stared at Tang San. Before the second awakening of the Blue Silver Emperor, Tang San's appearance was quite ordinary and couldn't compare to his own. Regarding this person, Tian Lin had some thoughts. He could befriend him, as there were no conflicts of interest between them. Having read the original story, Tian Lin naturally knew the extent of the Spirit Hall's ambitions. It was only a matter of time before they acted against the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Meanwhile, due to the relationships involving Tang San's parents and Xiao Wu, he was destined to have an irreconcilable conflict with the Spirit Hall. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. As for Tang San's somewhat hypocritical personality, Tian Lin didn't mind at all. After all, Tian Lin was the same way—he only cared about those close to him. In his heart, whether the Spirit Hall was good or evil had nothing to do with him. But the moment the Spirit Hall dared to harm those important to him, they became his enemies. He had never received any favor from the Spirit Hall. His martial soul was awakened by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. His village was built and protected by the sect. His happy childhood and his parents' blissful life in the village were all thanks to the sect. Moreover, now that he had officially joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, it was only natural to protect it. His future cultivation resources would all come from the sect. He didn't need even a single gold soul coin from the Spirit Hall. Even his father had never received any subsidies from them. Therefore, when it came to opposing the Spirit Hall in the future, he felt no moral qualms. For Tian Lin, the most important thing was always his family. The future of the Douluo Continent—whether united or divided—didn't concern him. His worldview might be narrow, but he considered loyalty to those who helped him as his strength. He knew his limitations and had no intention of changing them. Besides, the greatest opportunity on the Douluo Continent might require Tang San's help—the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Although Tian Lin knew its location, the problem was that he couldn't identify the immortal herbs within it. The harvesting methods, preserving, and using these herbs were highly specific. A single mistake could render the effort futile or even cause adverse effects. Of course, Tang San was just a backup plan. The Shu Mountain Treasure Record seemed to contain a section on alchemy, but unfortunately, Tian Lin couldn't access it yet. He speculated that as his soul power increased, he would gradually unlock more content. However, he didn't know the exact level required. If it turned out to be level 60 or 70, it might be too late. So, until then, it was necessary to give Tang San some small favors—like sparing the Mandala Snake's life earlier when saving them. Naturally, this guy couldn't be completely trusted. The 400-year soul ring didn't matter much—it was just a Blue Silver Binding skill. However, for some of Tang San's opportunities, Tian Lin had already planned to subtly disrupt things. Moments later, as a surge of soul power rippled, Tang San awoke. "Master, I succeeded!" "What is your soul skill? How durable is it?" The Grandmaster immediately asked, his primary concern being his theories. The reason his theories had remained theories and not truths was that no one had ever tested them. Today marked the prelude to their validation. Tang San smiled faintly and released his Blue Silver Grass, which transformed into vines that firmly bound a nearby tree. "Master, look. Within fifty meters, I can launch an attack from any position." "This soul skill is called Binding. It's a hallmark of control-type Soul Masters. Its durability is quite solid. If I'm not mistaken, it should also carry some of the Mandala Snake's toxins, correct?" the GrandMaster guessed. Tang San nodded. "Yes, but the toxin is not strong—it only causes paralysis and is not fatal." "That's more than enough. A combination of binding and paralysis means that unless your opponent has at least two more soul rings than you, it'll be nearly impossible to break free from your Binding skill instantly. Xiao San, we've succeeded!" The Grandmaster was ecstatic. "Really?" At that moment, a skeptical voice rang out. Tian Lin summoned his Suppressing Demon Sword and, without even using soul power, slashed the Blue Silver Grass into two. "It's not as amazing as you claim. Even with the Mandala Snake's durability, Blue Silver Grass is still just Blue Silver Grass." Tang San looked at his Master in confusion. Wasn't this the skill that was supposed to be nearly unbreakable unless the opponent had more soul rings? Yet in front of this boy, it was as fragile as tofu. Was his teacher playing tricks on him? "Ahem!" The Grandmaster coughed awkwardly to cover his embarrassment. "Well, what I meant was that this applies in most cases. It doesn't include those with top-tier martial souls." After saying that, the Grandmaster hurriedly bid farewell to Chen Xin. This kid Tian Lin was too good at undermining him—he couldn't stay any longer. Chen Xin nodded and, after bidding the Grandmaster farewell, said, "Xiao Tian, let's go as well. Time is of the essence. I'll teach you swordsmanship along the way." PS: After encountering a top-tier martial soul, Tang San found his Blue Silver Grass to be useless during the Soul Tournament and he only won becuase of his Tang Sect skills. He considered abandoning Blue Silver Grass and focusing on cultivating the Clear Sky Hammer instead. Fortunately, the Blue Silver Emperor's awakening occurred. Trash is Trash. In Douluo Continent Talent is the most important. Grandmaster is a delusion.