The Master, regaining his senses, let out a breath and looked at Tang Sui earnestly. "So, it truly has a special effect on the mind?"
Tang Sui nodded. The Master looked at the ape mask again. He wasn't pulled into fear as before, but merely made normal eye contact with the ape mask's round red pupils for a few seconds before hesitantly saying, "Honestly, after researching martial souls for so many years, even though there are evolved martial souls, I've never seen one like yours that spontaneously undergoes different changes as your strength increases. If I'm not mistaken, the two masks you have now are likely not the final forms of your martial soul."
Tang San was startled, and then inwardly praised his teacher for guessing so accurately.
Tang Sui also paused slightly, then frankly stated, "Yes. I can also feel that my current martial soul is not its final form. It may continue to gain more masks."
The Master's eyes sparkled. "I'll assume that each of your masks grants a different effect, or perhaps a future mask will have a special effect. Then these masks, which change with your strength, might ultimately perfectly compensate for your lack of attack power!"
Tang San: "....." Lack of attack power?
A subtle and peculiar expression appeared on his clear, handsome face.
To be honest, he hadn't seen any lack of attack power in his sister at all. Rather, her physical stamina was her biggest deficit and weakness.
Although Xiao Wu said his sister could fly on her own, stamina was always an insurmountable hard flaw.
Tang Sui pondered thoughtfully.
According to the original game settings, the mask descriptions of Shikigami like Menreiki only explained their origins and didn't mention special effects.
However, combining this with her personal status panel, specifically the note behind the mask in the Mask Awakening section, the Ape Mask represented fear and also had the effect of drawing people into nightmares. The Fox Mask's effect was still unknown, and the other masks hadn't awakened yet. Perhaps, as the Master guessed, the subsequent five masks would bring her other special effects.
After all, she was now a living Menreiki and couldn't be viewed with rigid frameworks. Different effects might arise due to her being this 'butterfly'.
Seeing Tang Sui lost in her thoughts, the Master turned to Tang San. "Xiao San, don't just stand there. Show me the results of your recent impulsive endeavor."
After years as master and disciple, Tang San understood without needing further explanation. He channeled his soul power and released his martial soul.
A blue-purple light rippled, transforming from a seedling into a vine of Blue Silver Grass that hovered in Tang San's palm.
Two yellow and one purple spirit rings pulsed quietly around Tang San's body. The Master carefully observed the Blue Silver Grass martial soul Tang San released and nodded. "Not bad. The Blue Silver Grass has become finer, but it's more lustrous than before."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and gently fanned the air. A faint scent, a mix of sweetish blood and grass, entered his nostrils. The Master's eyes immediately lit up, and a smile involuntarily curved his stiff lips. "Besides the original tea fragrance, there's a hint of sweetish blood. This should be the added toxin from the Human-Faced Demon Spider spirit ring!"
With that, the Master pointed to the trees behind them and asked Tang San to test the increased resilience of the Blue Silver Grass after absorbing the spirit ring from the Human-Faced Demon Spider.
Tang San did not disappoint. A tree that would normally require two or three people to embrace appeared slender in comparison to the vine, which pulled it. The tree trunk bent, yet the Blue Silver Grass vine showed no signs of breaking.
Tang Sui, returning to her senses, let out an "Wow" with shining eyes.
Such sturdy vines could be used to make a hammock for lounging and being lazy.
After testing the resilience of the Blue Silver Grass, the Master had Tang San release his third spirit skill, Spider Web Restraint, which was very much in line with the Human-Faced Demon Spider's characteristics.
The Master was very satisfied.
As for the newly acquired external spirit bone, the Eight Spider Spirit Bone, the Master had already explained it to Tang San in the wooden house where Ma Hongjun had been lying, and they had seen it.
The rest...
"Xiao San, what is your current soul power level?"
Tang San replied truthfully, "Teacher, I am level 31."
The Master glanced at Tang Sui. "And Sui Sui?"
"Hmm... level 38."
The Master's pupils constricted. "Level 38? How many days have you been at the academy? In just a few days, you've actually leveled up twice?"
Tang Sui turned her head and looked at the ape mask. "It's my martial soul undergoing a secondary mutation. After the Ape Mask appeared, my soul power level automatically increased."
"While I was already astounded by your growth talent, now, I've underestimated you..." The Master looked at Tang Sui with shock and admiration. "At this rate, you're very likely to become the youngest Soul Elder in the history of the Douluo Continent!"
A Soul Elder under the age of thirteen...
Tang Sui slightly raised her chin. "Of course. After all, I'm attending a monster academy."
The Master and Tang San chuckled. However, the latter hadn't forgotten that he had something to tell the Master. He subtly signaled to him from an angle where Tang Sui couldn't see.
Understanding the hint, the Master began to dismiss Tang Sui. "Sui Sui, you just woke up. I think you haven't eaten yet. Go find Xiao Wu and the others. Xiao San and I still want to conduct some experiments on his newly acquired Eight Spider Spirit Bone."
Tang Sui nodded obediently, not asking what the Eight Spider Spirit Bone was. With a step, she turned and left.
Watching Tang Sui's retreating back, and only when she was almost at the village entrance, did Tang San turn to look at the Master with hesitation. "Teacher, about Sui Sui... there's one more thing... I think I should tell you."
The Master blinked, thinking to himself, 'Here it comes,' and assumed a listening posture.