103: Chapter 103 You were the one who joked first.

Qin Bing's brow furrowed deeply.

He understood that the golden horn was likely the only thing of value on Tang Long's person.

Although they had some income today, it was ultimately Tang Long who made this sacrifice to clean up everyone else's mess.

He gnashed his teeth. "Tang Long, say no more. This loss shouldn't be borne by you alone. Whatever the golden horn is worth, I'll cover half."

Tang Long waved him off directly. "Do you have that much money? A yuan spirit stone costs over two hundred thousand a piece; aren't you trying to break through to the fourth rank? This plan ran into issues, and I'm afraid we can't use the same method again. What will you do then?"

Qin Bing sighed. "We can think of another way, but I can't be so lacking in loyalty."

Tang Long smiled and patted his shoulder. "Old Qin, those words are enough. If you ask me, not only do you not need to pay for this, but we also need to redistribute this income."

As he spoke, he picked up a yuan spirit stone. "This one is enough for me this time. The rest belongs to you."

Qin Bing jumped up immediately. "What! That's absolutely out of the question!"

"Sit down, sit down. Let me finish."

Tang Long toyed with the yuan spirit stone and said, "What are we lacking most right now? Saying money is correct, but not accurate. If you ask me, it's one thing: strength."

"With strength, we can earn more money, and faster."

"So what we should do is turn money into strength at the fastest possible speed."

"Old Qin, you're just one step away from the fourth rank. Why are you being so indecisive and polite at a time like this? If you really feel bad about it, then work hard to climb higher. Once you have the capability, come back and look after us."

Qin Bing was completely stunned by Tang Long's righteousness.

The key wasn't the money, but the fact that they weren't relatives and had only known each other for a day or two. How could Tang Long trust him so much?

"What you said... does make sense, but I still can't agree. At most, consider it a loan, otherwise I absolutely cannot accept it."

"Fine, call it a loan then. I don't have time to bicker with you anymore. I'm going to sleep!"

Qin Bing was still a bit narrow-minded, or perhaps his vision and perspective were slightly lacking; he didn't dare to shoulder a favor worth over a million.

If it were Mad Dog, there probably wouldn't have been any need for nonsense.

In terms of value, Qin Bing certainly couldn't compare to a transitional protagonist like Lu Xiaohu, but the fact that he could grasp Tai Chi to such an extent in just one afternoon meant his comprehension was quite good, enough to be considered a talent.

Most importantly, this kid was a lone wolf.

If he really wanted to become the President of the White Clothing Society this year, this chess piece should be useful.

So... it was time to investigate exactly who Mad Dog was.

He returned to his bedroom and took out his phone to message Lv Yang.

"Bishop Lu, I've gathered some intel. Fei Shan and Shang Yuqing are actually siblings who were separated for many years."

After a moment, Lv Yang replied.

"Your Excellency, please don't make such jokes. Shang Yuqing is Bishop Shang's younger sister, and she's two years older than Fei Shan."

"You started the joke first. Now I'm being targeted by her. What do you think I should do?"

"Haha, I knew you would find out eventually. She is definitely no match for Your Excellency, and I believe you will have a way. The agreed-upon reward has been placed under your bed. Please check it, Your Excellency."

[Mission Complete!]

Tang Long rolled over and looked under the bed. Sure enough, he saw a small box. After opening it, a burst of dazzling light merged into his body, leaving only a book behind.

[Rewards Obtained: 5000 Experience, 10000 blue sea coins, Open-Ring Forbidden Method.]

[Inventory is full, please expand it promptly.]

Looking at the notification, Tang Long sighed, picked up the book, and messaged Lv Yang again.

"If I make that Bishop Shang angry and he wants to move against me, what should I do?"

"He won't. Today, the High Priest clearly ordered the other three Bishops that regarding you, there is to be no investigation, no questioning, and no touching. If there are any problems, as long as you are within Song City, notify me immediately and they can be resolved."

Seeing this reply, Tang Long nodded inwardly. This was the treatment the 'Reincarnation of the Saint' deserved.

However, he quickly sent another message.

"Who exactly is Mad Dog?"

"Why are you asking about him?"

"He approached me suddenly today and nearly ruined my business."

"Did a conflict break out?"

"Not really, especially since you mentioned him before. But if I'm to deal with him, I have to know who he is, right?"

"This... this person is very troublesome and dangerous. I don't suggest you have contact with him."

"Can't you just say it directly?"

"Ugh... I can only tell you one thing: he is Ye Baiqiao's disciple."

Tang Long was greatly shocked. "Ye Baiqiao? That legend?"

"Yes. This matter isn't actually much of a secret; quite a few people know. But this kid's identity is complex, and he is also a taboo explicitly ordered by the High Priest. His confidentiality level is basically the same as yours. Coincidentally, the Open-Ring Forbidden Method you wanted was also created by Ye Baiqiao."

Tang Long flipped open the book, and sure enough, written on the second page was: Authored by Ye Baiqiao.

To touch upon two threads connected to this legend in a single day was indeed a great coincidence.

Furthermore, Tang Long couldn't understand how a disciple of Ye Baiqiao could end up in such a state, becoming a petty thug.

He immediately asked again, "What if he's the one who insists on contacting me?"

This question seemed quite difficult, as Lv Yang took a while to reply.

"Presumably, as long as the High Priest hasn't forbidden it, it is permissible."

Tang Long fell into deep thought.

This Mad Dog... was indeed not simple, but what kind of benefits could he squeeze out of him?

At this time, Lv Yang sent another message. "Your Excellency, I must remind you again that the Open-Ring Forbidden Method is extremely dangerous. It cannot be practiced without exceptionally powerful vitality. Even with it, one is very likely to die from a Spirit Blast. Unless you have the ability to return from the dead."

Looking at this message, the corners of Tang Long's mouth couldn't help but curl up.

He immediately began to study the forbidden method and was deeply attracted by its theories, won over by its bold concepts and innovations.

When ordinary people condensed a Spirit Ring, they strove for smoothness, sturdiness, and tightness.

Such a Spirit Ring was stable enough, but it also had to be forged from a single attribute of spiritual energy.

The so-called Open-Ring Method, however, was nothing like that; it could be considered heterodox.

Its theory was that after forging part of a Spirit Ring, one should immediately lower the forging intensity, keeping the next part of the Spirit Ring in a virtual state, and then change the spiritual energy attribute to forge the next section.

This kind of chain-link Spirit Ring could not possibly be stable and would even snap during spiritual energy conflicts upon final completion.

The Open-Ring Forbidden Method was about joining the broken segments of the same spiritual energy attribute before these Spirit Ring segments completely dissipated, forcibly condensing two Spirit Rings simultaneously.

However, even if the condensation was successful, the Spirit Rings would not be as complete as before.

Due to the influence of foreign spiritual energy, all Spirit Rings condensed by this method would have a natural gap.

The book didn't say what kind of impact this gap would have, but the name 'Open-Ring Forbidden Method' was truly fitting.

When practicing this technique, the body would suffer damage from spiritual energy conflicts while forging each section of the Spirit Ring. In the final completion stage, there was a high probability of triggering a high-intensity Spirit Blast.

So Lv Yang's warning was not wrong at all; to practice this technique, one either had to be tough enough with a long health bar, or be able to return from the dead.

Closing the book, Tang Long couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"What a coincidence. I just happen to meet the criteria."