Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 103: Teaming Up!

He was being cleansed by the river of time that washed everything away.

As the sensations of distortion and sluggishness gradually faded, Tang San suddenly felt as if his body had become much lighter.

Indeed, it was a feeling of lightness. Even his previously somewhat emaciated physique seemed to have filled out a bit. His spirit, energy, and soul felt completely transformed.

His cultivation level had not increased, nor had the strength of his body. Yet, the feeling was unmistakably different.

After quietly contemplating his condition for a while, Tang San's gaze revealed a hint of unusual surprise. He now understood what had happened to him.

As he merged with the Chrono Croc Transformation imprint, the gentle cleansing of the river of time had cleansed him of the aura of his past life.

Due to that bit of his divine consciousness, he had kept his memories after reincarnating on this plane. Yet, it was this precise method that led to the plane rejecting him as an outsider. Now, thanks to the level of his divine consciousness, the river of time had not erased his memories, but it had changed his aura. As a result, this plane automatically acknowledged his existence.

His body felt lighter because the suppression of this plane had almost disappeared. The plane no longer wanted to expel him.

It wasn’t that the plane no longer rejected outsiders or that he was no longer an outsider. Rather, the Chrono Croc Transformation, in a sense, had concealed him from this plane. It made the plane unable to sense that he was different from the other beings here.

The effectiveness of this concealment would gradually diminish as his cultivation level increased. However, as long as the Chrono Croc Transformation could keep up with his progression, it would continue to conceal him.

Now that he was freed from the suppression of the plane, the most significant benefit for Tang San was that he could better absorb the spiritual energy of this world for his use, allowing him to cultivate and improve himself more efficiently.

Undoubtedly, the benefits are immense, Tang San thought. Just as he had anticipated, the fusion of the Chrono Croc Transformation had brought about a qualitative change in him.

If one were to ask which of the five major Demonic God Transformation imprints within him would remain untouched in the future, it would be the Chrono Croc Transformation. He naturally wouldn’t swap it with something else, and it also couldn't be merged with other bloodline powers to produce mutations. A mutation could improve the imprint’s effects, but it could also cause whatever was masking his aura from the plane to disappear, and he could not take that chance.

A smile formed at the corner of his mouth. Yes, this was definitely the right choice, he mused.

He exhaled a long breath. Then he returned to a meditative state, absorbing the increasingly rich spiritual energy from the air, continuing his cultivation of the Mysterious Heaven Technique.

Mu Enqing's efficiency was commendable. The following day, he called Tang San and Wu Bingji to his office, informing them that the academy had approved their proposal. They were allowed to form a group for real combat. The specifics of the arrangement were left to them, with instructions to keep it confidential from other students. They did not know that a teacher would secretly follow and protect them during the mission.

As they left Mu Enqing's office, Wu Bingji's gaze toward Tang San changed once more.

This kid is too damn capable, he thought. He managed to make the academy make an exception overnight.

"Are we choosing that one?" Wu Bingji asked Tang San in a low voice.

"Yeah, let's go with that one. It's good; high risk, high reward," Tang San nodded without hesitation.

"How did you convince Teacher Mu?" Wu Bingji asked.

Tang San smiled and replied, "I just told him the academy's practical classes aren't enough. Without a life-or-death test, it's hard to get everyone to reach their potential. By the way, why didn't you come to see me last night?"

"Yesterday, I meditated and entered the state alone. I feel like my understanding of the ice element has deepened further. I should thank you. Since our talk that day, my cultivation has felt particularly good, as if I'm gaining new insights daily."

Tang San gave a thumbs-up."Well, senior brother, that’s just because your comprehension is great!"

"Let's not talk about this now. Who do you plan to bring if we’re going to hunt a Winged Tiger? How many people should we organize for our team?"

"We don't need a large group. You and I, senior brother Gu Li, senior sister Cheng Zicheng...oh, and let’s also bring Du Bai. The five of us should be enough."

"W-What?" Wu Bingji looked at him, dumbfounded. "Just the five of us? Do you think we can defeat a seventh-order Winged Tiger?"

Tang San shrugged. "You can't just look at the order of the Winged Tiger. Besides, I've already told Teacher Mu we are taking this mission to get experience. Should we bring everyone and gang up on it? Having more people isn't really better. I mean, the more people we have, the more chaotic things will get. It’s going to be difficult to command them and if more people have to be rescued, the teacher might not make it. I’d say fewer people make for better training. As long as we cooperate well and our abilities work well together, we can deal with a higher-order demonic beast.

“Also, I really told the truth to Teacher Mu. The reason I want to try fighting a Winged Tiger isn't just for the money, but also because it can really help us get stronger. Don't you want to advance to the seventh order? How can you do that without pressure? You’ll be the main attacker in our group, so you’ll also get the best experience and insights. Senior brother Gu Li can control the battlefield and senior sister Cheng Zicheng can do the scouting and fly in to rescue people if necessary. They will both be really useful."

Wu Bingji said, "That’s fine, but what's the deal with Du Bai? Why bring him along? With his little strength, a Winged Tiger could kill him with a single slap."

With a hint of mischief in his eyes, Tang San said, "Heh, but don't forget the power of the Celestial Fox. He is our academy's mascot. To hunt a Winged Tiger, we first have to find one. Luck is also crucial! Having him as our lucky charm is not a bad idea, don’t you agree?"

Wu Bingji's mouth twitched slightly. In the end, he said, "But there's one issue I don't know if you've considered. Leaving Zicheng and me aside, Du Bai and Gu Li are the two with the top-tier bloodline talents in the academy. Even though their cultivation progresses slowly, the academy's focus on them has never changed. Would the teachers agree to let the two of them go out with us?"

Tang San said, "It should be fine. We have teachers secretly protecting us, after all."

Wu Bingji was helpless "You're quite something, aren’t you? But they have to be willing to go, too."

Tang San said confidently, "Leave it to me. I'll convince them."

Tang San's method of persuasion was not difficult; he first approached Du Bai.

"Eldest senior brother and I are going on a hunting mission. The academy has approved it, and we are taking you with us."

"You’re taking me? What for? I don’t think I can help you with anything" Du Bai looked in surprise at Tang San, who—to his shock—seemed quite serious. For some reason, he found Tang San more agreeable today, as if he had grown taller.

Tang San earnestly said, "No, no, no, you can do it! Your Celestial Fox Vision will be of great help to us. We need you."

Du Bai was momentarily stunned, feeling a rush of excitement. They need me. They...need me!

As the academy's weakest, the feeling of being required for the first time was... just fantastic.

"Alright! I'm in!"

"Okay. We'll notify you when we leave."

Then, Tang San went to find Cheng Zicheng.

"Sister Zicheng, big brother Bingji and I are preparing for a hunting mission. He hopes you can join us but he’s too shy to ask. So, I'm asking on his behalf...will you join us?"

"I'm in!" Cheng Zicheng's eyes sparkled.

Finally, Tang San approached Gu Li.

"Brother Gu Li, I have something to discuss with you."

Gu Li looked at Tang San with a puzzled expression. He noticed something different about his junior brother, as if the latter was suddenly more pleasing to the eye. "What is it? We have a class soon. Make it quick."

He was still a bit down from his defeat to Tang San yesterday.

Tang San said, "Here!"

He extended his hand toward Gu Li, showing an aetherhorn coin in his palm.

"What’s this?" Gu Li didn't accept it, looking at him in confusion.

Tang San explained, "Brother Gu, eldest senior brother and I are planning a hunting mission. We'd like to invite you."

"Is this payment?" Gu Li asked, puzzled. An aetherhorn coin wasn't that precious, but it was still not something people would just randomly hand out.

Tang San shook his head, "It's not a payment, but a deposit. If you agree to join us on this mission, I'll teach you how to defeat brother Zhang Zebin when we return. If my method fails, you can take this aetherhorn coin as compensation; if it works, you can give it back to me. Obviously, you'll have a share in the mission's rewards."

"You can teach me how to beat Zhang Zebin? How is that possible?" Gu Li said incredulously. Zhang Zebin was tough and resilient. Although Gu Li could gain the upper hand in the early stages of a fight, he found it impossible to maintain that advantage. Aside from Wu Bingji, Zhang Zebin was his most challenging opponent. As long as Gu Li was unable to break through his defense, all efforts were futile!

Tang San shrugged and replied, "The day I first came here, did you think I could fight eldest senior brother to a draw? Also, I put my money where my mouth is, no? I’m giving you a deposit."

"Alright! Let's give it a try."

Gu Li finally accepted the aetherhorn coin.

With this, the five-person team was, theoretically, ready to set off.