Chapter 100: Stronger Spiritual Training

It took quite a while before Xiao Lin could finally break free from the mental control. He would take a few steps every time he managed to escape the control, only to be controlled again shortly after. Step by step, breaking free and getting caught again, he finally escaped to a safe distance where he could rest.

"This control is way too powerful."

Of course, Xiao Lin understood why.

The mutated Evil-Eyed Demon Tree had used its soul bone technique — Soul Cry, a direct spiritual attack, so its power was naturally much greater.

If it had only used the mental paralysis from its eye, Xiao Lin wouldn't have been affected for so long.

Still, Xiao Lin was very satisfied with the effect of the Blood-Red Honey Loquat Fruit.

No wonder it could increase a soul master's innate soul power by one level.

If it had no side effects, this would absolutely qualify as a top-tier treasure.

When Tang San and Xiao Wu returned, they hadn't even gotten close to Xiao Lin before they were also caught in the Soul Cry control from the Evil-Eyed Demon Tree.

A while later, Tang San barely managed to break free from the control.

As for Xiao Wu, she was still completely motionless — like a baby, she had fallen into a deep, peaceful sleep.

"Brother Lin, what's going on?"

Tang San knew Xiao Lin planned to use the Blood-Red Honey Loquat Fruit to strengthen the Evil-Eyed Demon Tree, but he hadn't expected the result to be this intense.

"I'm not sure either. Maybe the tree is just really compatible with the fruit, so it powered up more than expected."

Xiao Lin shook his head and gave Tang San a vague explanation.

He hadn't even used the inferior external soul bone — Blood-Red Agate, so compatibility was the only logical explanation.

After all, the Evil-Eyed Demon Tree was a spirit-type soul beast.

If it could break through the illusions caused by the Blood-Red Honey Loquat Fruit on its own, maybe its potential would grow even further.

"If only we had a soul master good at mental techniques who could keep it trapped in a perpetual illusion… Then we'd have non-stop spiritual training."

Xiao Lin sighed. He still felt it was a missed opportunity.

If they could continuously torture the tree using illusions, it would keep using its Soul Cry, providing endless training for them.

"Then why not try it?"

Tang San's eyes lit up at the idea. He licked his lips, clearly ready to experiment.

"Wait, you know illusion techniques?"

Xiao Lin didn't remember Tang San having that skill.

"I don't, but that cheap external soul bone does. We can use it to trap the tree in illusions."

"No way! Absolutely not!"

Xiao Lin instantly rejected the idea.

No way would he let Tang San absorb a soul bone with such intense side effects.

"I never said I'd absorb it. I can use a soul tool."

Tang San smiled slightly and pulled out a horn-shaped soul tool from his storage.

"I plan to use this to see if I can enhance the Blood-Red Agate's power."

He shared his plan with Xiao Lin.

Since the Blood-Red Agate's ability was illusion-based — or could weaken enemy soul skills — then using it to control the Evil-Eyed Demon Tree with illusions or weaken themselves to make the tree's control stronger might actually work.

"It's a good idea… But how do you use the Blood-Red Agate without absorbing it?"

Xiao Lin was skeptical. Could you really use a soul bone's power just through a tool?

"I'll give it a shot. If I don't try, it'll never be possible."

Tang San quickly sat on the ground and began to tinker with the horn-shaped soul tool.

During this time, both Xiao Lin and Tang San inched closer to the Evil-Eyed Demon Tree.

Step by step, they worked on adapting to the stronger mental control.

Only Xiao Wu was still sleeping like a baby in her original spot.

Meanwhile, at Shrek Academy—

Yu Xiaogang was furious in his room, shattering several porcelain items.

"Damn it, damn it! Why was my paper rejected again?!"

He couldn't understand it. This time, his paper was about the optimal configuration of soul rings for food-type soul masters — surely that was valuable research?

No power would neglect food-type soul masters, right?

Why would a paper like this be rejected?

Was it because he based too much of it on conjecture using Oscar's talent, without enough real data?

Yu Xiaogang was completely lost.

He had been rejected multiple times, and was now starting to doubt his own intelligence.

But wasn't the title "Master" something soul masters across the land had given him?

What Yu Xiaogang didn't know was that his past Ten Core Competence Theories, although copied from Spirit Hall's knowledge, had been genuinely helpful to some commoner soul masters.

But now, with Lin Dong Master's theories becoming widespread, Yu Xiaogang's papers were no longer worth reading.

Why wait for Yu Xiaogang to slowly squeeze out outdated ideas from his brain, when Lin Dong kept releasing new, useful research?

Still, Yu Xiaogang had long since gotten used to being mocked by the public. He no longer cared about Spirit Hall's editors.

In his mind, Spirit Hall wasn't impressive either. So far, only Xiao Yan, Lin Dong, and Yao Lao had published hit soul master reports.

If Spirit Hall is so great, let them publish their own soul master reports!

I, Yu Xiaogang, still possess intelligence beyond that of ordinary people.

After this self-consolation and psychological victory, his mood improved a little.

What made him most satisfied at present were the cultivation results of Ma Hongjun and Oscar.

One was at level 17, the other at 18 — even in powerful sects, that was a crazy-fast pace.

Especially Ma Hongjun, Yu Xiaogang's pride and joy among his personal disciples.

Ever since discovering that Ma Hongjun's cultivation improved faster after he relieved his fire from time to time, Yu Xiaogang became even more confident in his own genius.

His success rate had even made Flender and Zhao Wuji, who used to disagree with him constantly, start acknowledging his brilliance.

"I really am at a level of wisdom others will never reach."

Thinking of Ma Hongjun made him grin smugly. Beneath his messy hair, his weathered face became even more… creepy.

He figured Xiao Lin and Tang San in Notting City were only at level 15 or 16 now.

Leveling five to six levels a year wasn't bad — but their progress would slow even more soon.

Just thinking about Xiao Lin, whom he hated, sparked another flame of rage in Yu Xiaogang's chest.

"Just wait. Seven years from now… you'll see."

Now that he had found an even better method for Ma Hongjun to cultivate, Yu Xiaogang believed no one understood training better than him.

Ever since realizing that normal ice couldn't fully suppress Ma Hongjun's evil fire, Yu Xiaogang started studying new types of ice cultivation methods.

These included meat from ice-elemental soul beasts, ice-elemental heavenly materials, or even dual cultivation with ice-elemental soul masters.

During his experiments, he also discovered that soul master elements could reach 'extreme attributes.'

To him, Ma Hongjun's fire was approaching the extreme of fire.

This discovery gave Yu Xiaogang even more confidence in taking revenge one day.

The only issue was — in order to speed up Ma Hongjun's cultivation, Flender's money was running dry.

If they didn't scam poor students with outrageous tuition, Shrek Academy might shut down.

This left Yu Xiaogang in a bind. In the end, he wrote a letter — asking for money.

That letter was addressed to Liu Erlong.

(End of Chapter)