manynovel Chapter 99 Grab it and refine it in an instant
Chapter 99 Grab it and refine it in an instant
Notting Junior Soul Master Academy, Academic Affairs Office.
"Tang San, it's not that the academy is heartless."
The head of student affairs pushed up his glasses, the reflection in the lenses revealing not the brilliance of knowledge, but the cold indifference of capital. He flipped through the files on the table, each page turning as if he were counting banknotes.
"According to Article 47 of the Notting City Credit System Management Measures, you have been included in the list of 'dishonest persons subject to enforcement'. If the debt of 659 gold soul coins is not settled, we can only temporarily confiscate your graduation certificate and soul master file."
"Without a graduation certificate, you can't enroll in the intermediate Soul Master Academy. You should know the process."
When Tang San walked out of the Academic Affairs Office, he felt that the black pot called "poverty" on his back was heavier than his Clear Sky Hammer.
Six hundred and fifty-nine gold soul coins.
In an era where a single carrot cost only one copper soul coin, this was an astronomical sum. If he didn't repay the money, he would be stuck repeating a grade at this junior academy until he died, or forced to work on a construction site to pay off his debt. He would never be able to go to Shrek Academy or avenge his mother.
With heavy steps, he inexplicably walked towards the dormitory of the master Yu Xiaogang.
Pushing open the creaking wooden door, a strong smell of medicine wafted out.
The curtains in the room were tightly drawn, with only a faint sliver of sunlight squeezing through the gaps, casting a thin band of light on the floor. The air was filled with the bitter scent of herbs, mixed with a barely perceptible whiff of blood.
There was a person lying on the bed.
Yu Xiaogang.
His face was as pale as paper, his lips bloodless, and his chest was wrapped in thick bandages, with faint traces of blood seeping through them. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was weak and long, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.
Three days ago, Grandmaster was severely injured by a hundred-year-old spirit beast that suddenly went berserk while protecting Tang San. That spirit beast was originally the subject of Grandmaster's research, but for some unknown reason, it suddenly went out of control. If Grandmaster hadn't risked his life to shield Tang San, it would be Tang San lying in bed right now.
Tang San walked to the bedside and slowly sat down.
He looked at Yu Xiaogang's pale face, his lips moved, but he didn't know what to say.
"master……"
His voice was hoarse, as if it were being squeezed out of his throat.
"You're still not awake?"
There was no response. Only Yu Xiaogang's faint breathing and the occasional chirping of birds outside the window could be heard.
Tang San lowered his head, staring at his hands. Those hands had once forged countless exquisite hidden weapons and endured countless pains during his cultivation, yet now they trembled uncontrollably.
"Master, I went to the registrar's office today."
He spoke softly, as if talking to himself.
"They said my graduation certificate was withheld because I owe the Spirit Hall 659 gold soul coins. Now I'm a defaulter and don't even qualify to go to the intermediate academy."
Yu Xiaogang remained unresponsive in his sleep.
Tang San gave a wry smile.
"You're probably going to call me stupid. I really didn't read the terms and conditions carefully when I bought those pills. Who would have thought that guy named Li Fulan would set up such a huge trap?"
He paused, his eyes slightly reddening.
"Do you know, Master? I'm only now realizing that this world is far more cruel than I imagined. Without money, without power, even dignity is a luxury."
He looked up at the closed window.
"I always thought that as long as I trained hard, I could become stronger. As long as I became stronger, I could avenge my mother and protect the people I wanted to protect. But now..."
His hands clenched into fists.
"If you can't even get your diploma, if you can't even pay off your debts, what future are you talking about? What revenge are you talking about?"
The room fell silent.
Tang San sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Yu Xiaogang's bloodless face, feeling a tightness in his heart.
"Master, you were injured so badly to save me..."
His voice choked up.
"I don't even have the money to buy you good medicine. Those cheap herbs won't even wake you up in a day."
He lowered his head, dug his hands into his hair, and pulled hard.
"If I hadn't owed that money, if I had the money to buy good soul power enhancement drugs, my strength wouldn't be so weak. If I weren't so weak, you wouldn't have had to take that blow for me..."
"It's all my fault."
His voice grew softer and softer until it was almost a murmur.
Silence spread through the room.
Tang San sat there for an unknown amount of time.
Until his gaze inadvertently swept over the bookshelf by the bedside—it was piled high with various classics and manuscripts collected by Yu Xiaogang, most of which were covered in dust.
He stood up and paced aimlessly in front of the bookshelves. His fingers traced the spines of the books, raising a cloud of fine dust.
A worn-out book caught his attention.
"Supplement to the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul".
Tang San casually pulled it out. The pages were yellowed and brittle, clearly indicating that it had been around for quite some time. He opened it carelessly, and a yellowed tattered page slipped lightly from the seam of the spine.
The paper floated gently to the ground.
Tang San bent down to pick it up, and after just one glance, his Purple Demon Eye suddenly contracted.
The tattered page had no title, only densely packed small characters and a few diagrams of Qi circulation. The routes of soul power circulation were surprisingly similar to his Xuan Tian Gong, and even more aggressive and domineering in the circulation of certain meridians.
If one masters this skill, the speed of soul power circulation can be increased by at least three times.
three times.
What does that mean? It means he can achieve in one year what others take three years to cultivate. It means he can become stronger faster, pay off his debts faster, and avenge his mother faster.
His heart started racing involuntarily.
However, his gaze followed the text downwards and at the very bottom of the first page, he saw eight large characters that were enough to send chills down any man's spine.
"To practice this skill, one must first castrate oneself."
Tang San's hand trembled slightly.
That thin piece of paper seemed to weigh a ton at that moment.
Self-castration?
That's something only eunuchs do. Tang San is a dignified seven-foot-tall man, though he's only six feet tall now, but in the future he'll be revitalizing the Tang Clan and marrying...
Xiao Wu's adorable smiling face flashed through his mind.
Those big, bright eyes, that long, smooth black hair, and that sweet voice calling out "Brother Tang San"...
But then, Matthew's mercenary face, etched with the idea of "paying back debts," appeared.
The dean of students had that "get out if you don't have money" attitude.
And then there's the arrogant attitude of the Spirit Hall, the enemy we've never met.
These images flooded in like a tide, shattering Xiao Wu's smiling face.
Tang San turned his head and looked at Yu Xiaogang, who was lying unconscious on the bed.
"master……"
His voice was very soft.
"You said, if... if there were a way to quickly become stronger, but the price was... losing something, what should I choose?"
Yu Xiaogang, who was still asleep, did not respond.
Tang San gave a wry smile.
"You're probably thinking, 'Don't take shortcuts.' But cultivation is a matter of taking one step at a time; there are no shortcuts."
He lowered his head and looked at the tattered page in his hand.
"But Master, I don't have time."
"The debt is snowballing, the interest is rising. You're still lying here, needing good medicine. Mother's revenge is still unavenged, and the Spirit Hall people are still at large..."
His voice grew increasingly agitated.
"I have no way out."
He stood up and paced back and forth in the room. With each step, the scales in his heart tipped a little more.
On one side is Xiao Wu, on the other is a happy future, and on the other is the dignity of being a man.
On the other side are debt, revenge, and his beloved mentor lying in bed, his fate unknown.
Without strength, even dignity is a luxury in this world.
If you can't even get a diploma, if you can't even pay off your debts, what future are you talking about? What are you talking about protecting?
Moreover...
Tang San looked down at his lower body.
An absurd idea suddenly popped into my head.
This thing, besides waking him up on time every morning, seemed to have no other use. On the contrary, he was often distracted during his cultivation by certain indescribable distracting thoughts.
Women will only slow down my speed in drawing my hidden weapon.
He was stunned.
Why did I even have this thought?
But once this thought arises, it grows wildly like weeds, and there's no way to suppress it.
Yes, Xiao Wu is so cute, so kind, so...
So what?
They were just strangers who met by chance in Nottingham. What can a few encounters and a few words really mean?
Perhaps she has long forgotten herself.
Maybe she's with another man...
Tang San shook his head violently, trying to shake off these chaotic thoughts.
But the tattered page was still in his hands, and those eight large characters were still impacting his nerves.
"To practice this skill, one must first castrate oneself."
His gaze swept across the room, finally settling on Yu Xiaogang on the bed.
His mentor remains in a coma to this day, having tried to save him.
If he can't become stronger quickly and earn money to buy good medicinal herbs, the master might just fall asleep and die.
If he can't pay off his debts, he'll be stuck in this small city for the rest of his life, with no chance to get revenge or even go out and see the world.
What are you waiting for?
Tang San took a deep breath, and the hesitation in his eyes was gradually replaced by an almost frantic calmness.
"Master, I'm sorry."
He walked to the bedside and looked at Yu Xiaogang's pale face.
"I know you definitely won't agree with me doing this. But... I have no other choice."
He turned around, his back to the bed.
He believed it! He believed it!
He circulated the Mysterious Heaven Technique wildly, his soul power surging through his meridians like boiling magma. He slowly raised his right hand, and a jade-white light emanated from his palm—the power of the Mysterious Jade Hand.
Soul power condensed into a blade, exuding a chilling aura.
Tang San grabbed the Demon Orb and refined it in an instant.