Douluo Continent: Disciple Tang San, righteous yet evil

Chapter 21 Xiao Wu: Brother, do soul beasts deserve to die?
Inside the dean's office, Yu Xiaogang stood by the window, his hands behind his back, looking out the window, always maintaining the demeanor of a master.

"Xiaogang, what exactly do you plan to do about Hongjun's evil fire problem?"

Flander pushed up his crystal glasses and looked at Yu Xiaogang's back as he asked.

He had considered ways to resolve Ma Hongjun's inner turmoil, but he was always at a loss. If there was anyone in the world who could solve this problem, it would be Yu Xiaogang, the theoretical master.

At least that's what Flanders thought.

Yu Xiaogang didn't turn around. He cleared his throat and spoke in his characteristically calm tone:

"Boss Fu, after my in-depth research and observation these past few days, I've found that the root of Hong Jun's Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul lies in its incomplete mutation. In other words, the mutation has generated powerful strength, but it has also brought uncontrollable side effects."

"If this extremely yang and hot evil fire is not guided, it will not only affect his temperament and hinder his cultivation, but in the long run, it may even backfire on him."

Upon hearing this, Flander's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, and he thought to himself, "Nonsense! She was once my disciple, how could I not know?"

Despite inwardly complaining, Flander put on a smile and flattered, "Xiao Gang, you truly are a master of theory. You saw right through to the essence. So, in your opinion, what is the solution?"

Yu Xiaogang was quite pleased with Flander's flattery, nodded slightly, and continued to explain: "As the saying goes, things will turn into their opposites when they reach their extremes, and yin and yang must complement each other. Hong Jun's evil fire is too intense, so it is necessary to introduce a force that counters it to harmonize it."

At this point, Yu Xiaogang paused, turned to look at Flander, and seeing the surprise on his face, the corners of his mouth slightly turned up:

"Therefore, my plan is that when his soul power reaches level 30 and he obtains his third soul ring, I will no longer look for a fire-attribute soul beast, but instead choose a powerful ice-attribute soul beast!"

"An ice-attribute soul beast?"

Flander almost thought he had misheard, his eyes widening instantly: "Xiao Gang, this... once the soul power attributes clash, at best the third soul ring will be ruined, at worst the foundation will be severed!"

"Brother Fu, you don't understand."

Yu Xiaogang seemed to have anticipated Flander's response, and instead revealed a confident and smug smile as he explained:

“Ordinary fire-attribute soul masters would not suffice, but Hongjun’s martial soul is the Fire Phoenix, a top-tier beast martial soul with extremely strong inclusiveness and malleability.”

"This evil fire is a mutated product, not a pure fire element. The extreme cold power of the ice attribute soul ring is not meant to extinguish his phoenix flames, but to remove the uncontrolled evil fire and leave behind the purest phoenix fire."

"This move may seem risky, but it is actually a do-or-die situation. If successful, it will be like a phoenix rising from the ashes!"

Flander listened in disbelief, thinking to himself, "Is this really possible? A fire-attribute soul master absorbing an ice-attribute soul ring? Isn't that nonsense?"

But seeing Yu Xiaogang's confident demeanor as a theoretical master, Flander could only suppress his doubts and mentally hypnotize himself: "Xiaogang is a master, he must have his reasons for saying this. Besides, Hongjun is his disciple now, he shouldn't do anything reckless."

If Lin Mu heard Yu Xiaogang's theory, he would definitely exclaim that Yu Xiaogang truly deserves to be called a master.

First, there was the addition of a poison-attribute soul ring to Blue Silver Grass, and then there was the addition of an ice-attribute soul ring to Evil Fire Phoenix. Anyone with a sane brain wouldn't do such a thing.

Seeing that Flander no longer objected, Yu Xiaogang assumed he was convinced by his theory. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and he made the final decision:

"Don't worry, Boss Fu, once Hongjun absorbs the third spirit ring I chose for him, you will see a true Fire Phoenix Spirit Master! A true Fire Phoenix Martial Soul should not be trapped by mere evil flames!"

Flander opened his mouth, but then swallowed the words back, saying with a hint of helplessness, "Alright, Gang, then... I'll leave it to you."

He rubbed his temples. Although it felt a bit risky, at this point, he could only trust Xiao Gang. After all, Xiao Gang was a renowned theoretical expert; surely he wouldn't be a problem?
Meanwhile, Lin Mu and his two companions entered the Star Dou Great Forest and spent the entire morning without finding a suitable soul beast.

"Roar!"

A deep roar resounded, accompanied by the tremors of the ground, and a soul beast over five meters long, covered in dark red scales and resembling a giant lizard, burst out of the dense forest.

Without any exchange, he opened his mouth and unleashed a scorching breath. Fortunately, Lin Mu and the other two reacted quickly and dodged the attack.

"The Earth Flame Lizard, which is about 30,000 years old, has both fire and earth attributes, and is good at both attack and defense, but its speed is slightly inferior."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Mu's figure vanished from Tang San and Xiao Wu's sight.

When he reappeared, he was already above the Earth Flame Lizard's head, and had completed the armor fusion, with his fourth soul ring of ten thousand years lighting up.

A giant lava axe appeared in his right hand, and his fiery soul power surged instantly. He then raised the lava axe high, and countless flames gathered on the Qilin Lava Axe, instantly forming a giant flame blade over ten meters long.

"Boom!"

With a loud crackling sound, the blow slammed into the back of the Earth Flame Lizard, easily slicing through its scales. With its defenses gone, the scorching flames began to burn its flesh.

Under the blazing flames, the Earth Flame Lizard convulsed violently a few times before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.

Immediately afterwards, a deep black spirit ring slowly condensed and appeared.

"Master's strength is becoming increasingly unfathomable."

Tang San exclaimed in amazement, his eyes filled with awe.

Xiao Wu, standing to the side, had a complicated expression, completely devoid of the joy and excitement she felt upon returning to the Star Dou Great Forest, perhaps because she had remembered her identity as a soul beast.

"Brother, do soul beasts deserve to die?"

Upon hearing this, Tang San looked slightly surprised. He touched Xiao Wu's forehead to make sure she didn't have a fever, and then said seriously, "Xiao Wu, if soul beasts shouldn't die, does that mean we should?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu immediately fell silent.

While the two were talking, Lin Mu had already returned to the ground, looking at the charred corpse of the Earth Flame Lizard with a calm expression.

Since the age limit of the fourth spirit ring was increased to ten thousand years, its power has increased significantly, even surpassing the sixth spirit rings of other spirit saints.

Lin Mu had considered adding it to the fifth or sixth spirit ring, but doing so wouldn't have a significant improvement.

Therefore, even though having a fourth spirit ring for ten thousand years was too high-profile, Lin Mu still chose the most rational option: improving his strength was the most important thing, and everything else was secondary.

"The Earth Flame Lizard's attributes are a good match, but its age is a bit low, and its quality isn't as high as the Hellfire Dragon Soul Ring."

Lin Mu sighed; this level of spirit ring was definitely not one of his choices.

(End of this chapter)