Taking a Master

"You passed, you passed." The square-faced teacher waved a hand and made another mark on the assessment form, muttering inwardly, What kind of monsters are these two kids this year?

The two left the assessment area with their forms. Jiang Nannan was waiting at the entrance. She took both forms, glanced at them, and nodded in satisfaction. "You both passed. Come on, I'll take you to complete your enrollment."

The three headed for the academic affairs building, but they had just turned a corner when a girl came walking toward them.

The girl was tall and slender, with neat, short hair in shades of pale cyan that gleamed coldly in the sunlight. It ended at her ears, and a gust of wind lifted the tips to reveal the clean lines of her jaw.

She had clear, ice-blue eyes, sharp, striking brows and features, a high nose bridge, and well-defined lips. When she wasn't smiling, she had an air of cool competence that warned strangers to keep their distance.

She wore a small gray-green dean's cap with gold trim, its brim pulled low, making her ice-blue eyes look even sharper.

She was dressed in a long, dark uniform with a thick black fur collar over her shoulders and a neatly fitted waist. Her long legs were straight, and she wore knee-high black boots.

Jiang Nannan stopped short. Recognizing the girl, she bowed slightly. "Dean Xian."

The girl nodded, her gaze passing over Jiang Nannan and settling directly on Jiang Wu. She looked him up and down. "You're the three-ring fighter who fought a four-ring opponent in the Soul Fighting Arena just now?"

Jiang Wu nodded. "Yes."

When he learned she was Xian Lin'er, he was a little surprised.

He hadn't expected this Xian Lin'er to be the manhua version.

Just thinking of the novel version of Xian Lin'er made Jiang Wu's scalp tingle.

No impression of what the novel version of Xian Lin'er looked like?

Just take a look at the donghua version, and you'll know what Xian Lin'er looked like.

He had first encountered Peerless Tang Sect through the manhua, and back then, he had quite liked the manhua version of Xian Lin'er.

Later, he read the novel and had no real idea what Xian Lin'er looked like, until the donghua came out...

After seeing the donghua version of Xian Lin'er, Jiang Wu rather admired Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo. Those two heroes could actually bring themselves to make a move on her.

"Martial Soul: Soft Bone Rabbit. Your Third Soul Ring grants Teleportation and lightning-attribute attacks. Your right arm can undergo Dragon Transformation, and you tore through a four-ring Iron Arm Bear's defenses with one claw." The girl rattled it all off like a list of dishes, her tone barely changing. "My name is Xian Lin'er, dean of Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department."

Xian Lin'er stared at Jiang Wu for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, "Would you be willing to take me as your master?"

When Jiang Wu fought that teacher, she had felt suppression from his Martial Soul.

That had greatly surprised her and piqued her interest in Jiang Wu.

Although she didn't know whether Jiang Wu had any talent for Soul Tools, she felt that taking him as her disciple would be no loss, no matter what.

Jiang Wu froze for a moment.

Beside him, Wang Dong'er also froze, then immediately grew wary and stepped half a pace forward. "Who are you to ask him to take you as his master?"

Even with someone to introduce her, Wang Dong'er was still somewhat skeptical.

After all, how could he take someone he had just met as his master?

How could there be anyone in this world who would take someone as their master after exchanging only a few words?

Jiang Wu thought it over.

Having the dean of the Soul Tool Department personally offer to take him as a disciple was like a meat pie falling from the sky at Shrek Academy.

Besides, from reading the novel before he transmigrated, he knew that Soul Tools had enormous potential in the Douluo II era.

Jiang Wu actually had a little idea that had something to do with Soul Tools.

Didn't Invincible Golden Body have an invincibility effect? Although it couldn't block god-level attacks, it could block attacks below god level.

That left plenty of room to develop it. He could go for a teleport-and-self-destruct build.

The initial teleportation range was two hundred meters, and as his strength increased, so would the distance he could teleport.

Jiang Wu could hardly imagine the looks on those Evil Soul Masters' faces, as if their mothers had died, if he became a Titled Douluo and charged into the Holy Spirit Cult carrying a dozen or more rank-nine Soul Tool bombs.

At that point, even Ye Xishui would have to suffer considerable injuries to escape, and might even be blown to death.

"Sure."

When Wang Dong'er heard Jiang Wu agree so readily, her eyes went round, and her grip on his arm tightened sharply. "Xiao Wu! You're taking her as your master without even asking who she is? What if she's a swindler? What if she lures you into the Soul Tool Department and makes you tighten screws every day?"

Xian Lin'er didn't even raise an eyelid. Her tone was flat. "I'm the dean. Why would I swindle a three-ring student like you? The part about tightening screws is true, though. The Soul Tool Department does have quite a few screws to tighten."

Wang Dong'er said, "...See? She admitted it herself!"

Jiang Wu patted the back of Wang Dong'er's hand. "Dong'er, having the dean of the Soul Tool Department take me as a disciple is no losing deal. Besides, have you ever seen a swindler dressed so much like a military instructor?"

Wang Dong'er looked Xian Lin'er's dark uniform and fur collar up and down. She opened her mouth, but for a moment couldn't find anything to say in rebuttal.

Only then did Xian Lin'er spare Wang Dong'er a little of her attention, sweeping her ice-blue eyes over her. "Who are you to him?"

Wang Dong'er straightened her back and declared with perfect confidence, "He's my mother."

Xian Lin'er said, "?"

A crack finally appeared in her unapproachable expression. Her gaze moved back and forth between Jiang Wu and Wang Dong'er twice before settling on Jiang Wu's face.

Wait, no matter how she looked at him, Jiang Wu was a boy, wasn't he?

Although the boy was very good-looking, he wasn't so much so that she couldn't tell whether he was male or female.

"How old are you?"

Jiang Wu's face was expressionless. "Eleven."

"How old is she?"

"Eleven."

Xian Lin'er fell silent for two seconds, then nodded, her tone returning to its usual briskness. "All right. Then it's settled. Come find me on the first floor of the Soul Tool Department's teaching building tomorrow afternoon. I'll show you what Soul Tools look like."

With that, she turned and left, her boots clicking against the stone-paved road.

Beside them, Jiang Nannan came back to her senses and looked at Jiang Wu, delighted.

Whether or not Jiang Wu had talent for Soul Tools, it was no loss for him.

After all, Xian Lin'er was a Titled Douluo. Her status as one alone could resolve many matters, to say nothing of the rest.

Wang Dong'er was still reeling from the shock of Xiao Wu being snatched away. She clung to Jiang Wu's arm and refused to let go, muttering, "So you're taking her as your master, fine, but why did she have to ask for you alone? And you have to go to the Soul Tool Department's teaching building tomorrow. What's there to see in the Soul Tool Department? Just a bunch of hunks of iron..."

Her nagging made Jiang Wu's head ache. "Wang Dong'er, are you my mother or my mother? Why do you have to meddle in everything?"

Wang Dong'er blurted out, "I'm your mother."

Jiang Wu said, "..."

Jiang Nannan said, "..."

Wang Dong'er froze after saying it. Then her face turned scarlet, red from the tips of her ears to the base of her neck. She released Jiang Wu's arm, retreated two steps, and covered her face with both hands. "I-I didn't mean it like that!"

Jiang Wu took a deep breath and showed her a thoroughly "nuclear-friendly" smile. "I know. You don't have to explain. The more you explain, the more it sounds like what you meant."

Wang Dong'er peered through her fingers and glared at him, embarrassed and annoyed. Finally, she gave up trying to salvage it and dropped her hands. "Anyway, you're not allowed to let her lure you away."

Jiang Wu couldn't be bothered with her. He turned to Jiang Nannan. "Sis, come on. Let's complete the enrollment first."