Chapter 60: Teacher Lin Gong?

Yang Xiong himself didn't wait for anyone to speak, and simply vanished on the spot; the others were taken aback, especially Zhao Wuji, while Tang San ate Oscar's Restorative Sausage to heal quickly.

After Yang Xiong chased along the direction of the Titan Giant Ape for several kilometers, he arrived at a relatively open spot and said directly, "People of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, please come out."

After those words, there was no response in the area; Yang Xiong, helpless, took out the Sect Leader Token given by Ning Fengzhi and said, "People of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, seeing the token is like seeing the Sect Leader; please come out quickly."

At that moment, a helpless sigh came from the shadows, and then a figure stepped out.

Upon seeing the figure, Yang Xiong was again surprised: "Teacher Lin Gong, how could it be you? Could it be that the one protecting me from the shadows has always been you?"

Lin Gong seemed a bit speechless: "I've been teaching you for six years; what's wrong with protecting you from the shadows?"

Yang Xiong was somewhat stunned: "Teacher Lin, aren't you just a Soul King? Can you protect me well in the Star Dou Great Forest?"

Yang Xiong had expected the hidden protector to be at least a Soul Emperor or Soul Saint, but now it turned out to be only a Soul King; one must know that in the Star Dou Great Forest a Soul King counts for nothing, even Zhao Wuji the Soul Saint is somewhat dangerous, especially since opposite there could be a Titan Giant Ape, a hundred‑thousand‑year Soul Beast.

Lin Gong immediately twitched his beard and glared: "What kind of look is that, kid? Who told you that I am a Soul King?"

Yang Xiong was a bit stunned: "If I recall correctly, when you were my homeroom teacher you said you were a Soul King; have you made any breakthroughs over the years?"

A hint of mockery appeared on Lin Gong's face, and a massive Purple Emperor Bamboo materialized in his hand, together with two yellow, three purple, and three black Soul Rings.

Seeing Lin Gong's Soul Rings, Yang Xiong looked extremely surprised: "How is this possible? It's a Soul Douluo; how could the sect send a Soul Douluo strongman to protect me?"

Yang Xiong still had some self‑awareness; Soul Douluos are basically Inner Sect Elders, how could they protect a Great Soul Master like me?

Lin Gong showed a trace of pride: "I am the Ninth Elder in the sect; it's beyond what a mere child like you can imagine. If I hadn't seen you as a promising talent, I wouldn't have voluntarily thought of protecting you."

"It's a pity that you, kid, have gone off the right path; you used to love studying, and I thought you were a promising talent for research, but now you're single‑mindedly training your body—it's completely backwards."

Yang Xiong showed a hint of doubt: "That shouldn't be; you're a sect Elder, how can you have the Fifth Soul Ring of the Thousand-Year? Otherwise, with a top‑grade Plant Martial Soul like Purple Emperor Bamboo, you could cultivate to a Soul Douluo, and with the optimal Soul Ring configuration, a Title Douluo should be no problem."

Lin Gong's complexion froze at those words: "What do you know, kid? I'm not originally from a sect; I only joined the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect in the past few decades because of certain events. Though I'm called an Elder now, I'm actually a Guest Elder of the sect. If I weren't bored and Ning Fengzhi kept inviting me repeatedly, how could I possibly teach you bunch of kids?"

Yang Xiong hurriedly said: "Teacher Lin, did you also follow me to Sunset Forest back then? No wonder I heard a classmate say you hadn't taught students for a while."

Lin Gong's face turned cold: "A so‑called Great Soul Master has quite the nerve, running alone to Sunset Forest; if I hadn't been following you from the shadows, you would have been killed countless times by now."

Yang Xiong quickly asked: "Teacher Lin, can you sense any Title Douluo‑level presence? Or is there a Title Douluo nearby right now?"

Lin Gong, hearing that, gave Yang Xiong a look: "Do you think Title Douluo is a big cabbage? Besides, I'm only a Soul Douluo; how could I sense a Title Douluo? You've read many books; you should know there's a qualitative difference between a Soul Douluo and a Title Douluo."

Yang Xiong said: "Teacher Lin, can you sense whether the Title Douluo that disciplined Teacher Zhao Wuji a few days ago is present here?"

Lin Gong's face grew a bit serious: "How do you know the one who taught Zhao Wuji a lesson was a Title Douluo? With your strength, you shouldn't have felt that night's fight."

Yang Xiong laughed: "To beat a powerful Soul Saint like Zhao Wuji like that without him actually being injured must have relied on sheer bodily strength; a Soul Douluo probably couldn't do that."

Lin Gong finally nodded: "That day indeed a Title Douluo appeared, and its strength and aura were extremely formidable, probably not weaker than a Sword Douluo or Bone Douluo. Why are you asking about this?"

After thinking carefully, Yang Xiong spoke: "Teacher Lin, please accompany me to chase the Titan Giant Ape."

【07】 (Note: line number corrected) Actually 【27】 is next.

Lin Gong's face turned serious: "Although I'm a Soul Douluo, I still can't defeat that Titan Giant Ape, let alone rescue anyone from its grasp."

Yang Xiong also looked serious: "Who said I need to rescue anyone? Since I'm here in the Star Dou Great Forest, I need some Body Tempering toxins; if we encounter any thousand‑year spider or venomous snake along the way, I'd like to catch some for extracting toxin, so please keep an eye out, Teacher Lin."

Lin Gong showed a hint of confusion: "Kid, what are you thinking? There are plenty of sects that want toxins; why do you have to come to the Star Dou Great Forest yourself?"

Yang Xiong quickly said: "Let's follow the trail first; perhaps we'll get an unexpected gain."

Lin Gong was also at a loss for words, and directly led Yang Xiong toward the center of the Star Dou Great Forest, moving far faster than Yang Xiong himself.

As a school teacher, Lin Gong indeed had extremely broad knowledge and speed; he could essentially sense a Soul Beast's trace instantly, even discern its age at a glance.

The Titan Giant Ape barreled forward, and its formidable aura scared away many Soul Beasts; those that remained on the path were all quite impressive Soul Beasts.

After helping Yang Xiong capture two thousand‑year Soul Beasts, Lin Gong suddenly expressed surprise: "Huh, that's odd—there's even a Human‑Faced Demon Spider over two thousand years old; do you need the toxin from this kind of Soul Beast?"

Yang Xiong instantly rejoiced, even seeming a bit excited: "Teacher Lin, the spider toxin is exactly what I need; let's go catch it right away."

Indeed, after about eight hundred meters, they saw a massive spider; its whole body was jet‑black, the torso over one and a half meters, its eight long legs each over three meters and extremely sharp, and its abdomen bore white markings forming a human face—the Human‑Faced Demon Pearl.

However, this Human‑Faced Demon Pearl was clearly badly injured, its body a mess of blood and flesh, and even the carapace on its abdomen was broken.

(End of Chapter)