The Grandmaster's Little Schemes

The old man clutched Cai Kun's trouser leg with trembling hands, tears welling up at once.

Cai Kun himself was at a complete loss, frantic with panic.

The thought of being thrown into jail at such a young age and spending the rest of his life behind bars sent his emotions surging.

"I'm done for! My life is over!"

"I told you I couldn't stop! Why did you have to stand in the way? Even people staging accidents for compensation aren't this dedicated! Couldn't you see headlights that big?"

Tang San reacted fastest. With a flicker of movement, he darted to the flower bed and reached out to check the gatekeeper's breathing and carotid pulse.

"Grandpa Jack, Cai Kun, don't panic. He's still breathing."

Tang San withdrew his hand and said objectively, "The iron gate absorbed most of the impact. He's only unconscious, though he may have broken some bones. Luckily, he's still alive."

Only then did Old Jack let out a long breath. He promptly raised his walking stick and smacked Cai Kun hard on the backside.

"You little brat! I said we should take a carriage, but you insisted on running!"

"Running that fast-were you in a hurry to get reincarnated? If you'd killed someone, could I have taken responsibility? Who'd have looked after me in my old age?"

The old man bristled and glared, pointing at Cai Kun as he gave him a thorough scolding.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Cai Kun hunched his shoulders and nodded repeatedly. "My fault, my fault. I'll definitely practice braking next time."

As he was being scolded, a system notification suddenly sounded in his mind.

[Ding!]

[Important special mission detected: Nuoding Academy's legendary gatekeeper A (I stopped a god edition).]

[System big data statistics: on average, one in every three transmigrators who arrive in Douluo has suffered unreasonable harassment from this NPC. He is one of Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy's major attractions.]

[Check-in mission generated: take a photo with the legendary gatekeeper lying on the ground.]

The corner of Cai Kun's eye twitched. Well, damn.

They do this sort of thing too?

He deftly pulled a camera from inside his clothes and hurried over to the unconscious gatekeeper.

Cai Kun crouched, flashed a V sign with one hand, and aimed the lens at himself and the gatekeeper, who was foaming at the mouth in the flower bed.

"Say cheese."

"Click!"

A white flash went off, and a photograph slid out.

Cai Kun shook the photo, tucked it into his pocket, then dusted himself off and stood up as if nothing had happened.

It had the absurdity of killing someone and crushing their heart afterward.

"What are you doing?"

A voice full of wisdom and philosophy came from behind them.

The newcomer wore a black robe and held his hands behind his back. He had a short buzz cut and a full beard around his chin.

His eyes held the melancholy of one who had seen through the mortal world. His whole person was three parts world-weariness, six parts pride, and one part mystery.

That was right, he was-

The rumored ex-boyfriend of Bibi Dong, the current Pope of Spirit Hall.

The male lead of "My Second Girlfriend Is My Cousin."

The super genius who was about to turn fifty before even reaching level thirty.

The man known throughout the jianghu as the pirated Martial Soul encyclopedia, theoretical Grandmaster Gangzi-Yu Xiaogang (about to raise a god edition).

At the sight of a neatly dressed person in charge coming out, Old Jack was scared out of his wits. Leaning on his walking stick, he hurried forward and bowed with cupped hands.

"Sir! I'm sorry, terribly sorry!"

"The child didn't know any better. He ran too fast and crashed into your school's gate, and we were the ones who knocked the man unconscious!"

"The medical bills and the cost of fixing the gate—we in Holy Soul Village will sell our pots and pans if we have to, but we'll pay you back. Please don't report the child to the authorities and have him arrested!"

Yu Xiaogang's gaze swept over the iron gate, which had been smashed to pieces. A strange look flashed in his eyes.

Nuoding Academy's iron gate weighed several hundred jin at the very least. Never mind a six-year-old child-even a level-twenty Soul Grandmaster would have had trouble smashing it without using his Martial Soul.

Ignoring Old Jack's apology, he turned to stare at Cai Kun instead. His tone was calm, but his gaze was scrutinizing and condescending.

"Did you do this to the iron gate?"

Cai Kun made no attempt to hide it. He spread his hands frankly. "Yes. I was pulling the two of them along and running a little too fast. I couldn't stop, and I accidentally..."

"What is your Martial Soul?" A sharp gleam flashed in Yu Xiaogang's eyes as he pressed the question.

"A Mutated Tool Martial Soul. It's a lump of iron," Cai Kun answered casually.

Afraid the man would take them to task, Old Jack hurriedly took out the certificates Su Yuntao had issued and offered them with both hands.

"Teacher, look, these certificates were issued by Grandmaster Su Yuntao of Spirit Hall. Both children have Innate Full Soul Power! Could you make an allowance and let this big matter become a small one?"

"Innate Full Soul Power? Both of them?!"

Hearing that there were two, Yu Xiaogang looked shocked, and his hand trembled almost imperceptibly.

He took the two certificates and quickly scanned the writing.

One had the Trash Martial Soul Blue Silver Grass and Innate Full Soul Power.

The other had an unknown Mutated Tool Martial Soul and Innate Full Soul Power as well!

Yu Xiaogang's breathing quickened at once.

According to his Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass could not possibly possess full Soul Power. This child must have the rare Twin Martial Souls!

And the other... had smashed an iron gate flying just by running into it with his body, without suffering a single injury. His foundation was exceptionally good, and his Mutated Tool Martial Soul was definitely no ordinary thing!

Two peerless talents had been delivered to him at the same time!

Heaven had not forsaken him, Yu Xiaogang; Martial Soul Theory would otherwise have remained in an endless night.

His Ten Core Competencies theory had finally found the most perfect test subjects!

Once he had raised the two of them into Titled Douluo, he would see who dared mock his theory as useless.

Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the wild joy in his heart, and resumed the manner of a Grandmaster.

He closed the certificates and stood with his hands behind his back, speaking evenly.

"Elder, there's no need to panic."

"I am a specially appointed Grandmaster at this academy. I will explain these mundane matters to the academy authorities myself."

"I'll take proper care of the gate's repair costs and the gatekeeper's medical expenses. You won't need to pay a single coin."

Old Jack stood rooted to the spot, scarcely able to believe his ears. "Really... we really don't have to pay?"

"We have no intention of letting such talent go to waste either."

Yu Xiaogang smiled faintly, confidence in his eyes. "Leave these two children to me. I'll guide them onto the right path."

Relieved, Old Jack felt most of the strength drain from his body. He bowed with cupped hands and thanked him repeatedly.

Before leaving, the old man grabbed Cai Kun by the ear and gave him a fierce warning through gritted teeth.

"You little brat, study hard!"

"If you dare slack off and play tricks at the academy, and fail to become a Soul Saint someday, I'll go back to the village and use village law to whip your backside raw!"

With that, the old man wiped the sweat from his face and turned, trembling, to head back the way he had come.

Yu Xiaogang watched Old Jack walk away. The composure on his face vanished at once, and he turned to the two children.

"You two, come with me to my office."

Without a word along the way, the three of them arrived at a private office on the top floor of the academy's main building.

The room was piled high with dusty books and yellowed scrolls.

Yu Xiaogang shut the door tightly and even locked it from the inside. The desire in his eyes could no longer be concealed.

He pulled over two chairs and sat down behind the desk himself, staring intently at Cai Kun.

"Child, release your Martial Soul and let me see its true form."

Cai Kun didn't mind. He held out his right hand, palm flat.

"Hum-"

A low sound of interlocking machinery rippled through the air.

A miniature train nose in matte platinum appeared out of thin air, hovering two inches above Cai Kun's palm. Its entire body gleamed with a cold metallic sheen.

Its streamlined body was smooth as a mirror, and the glowing guide-rail patterns along its sides flickered.

Yu Xiaogang sprang from his chair, walked around to the front of the desk, and stared fixedly at the train nose.

His brow furrowed deeper and deeper, and the confidence in his eyes gradually gave way to bewilderment and a sense of absurdity.

He had read through Spirit Hall's collection and knew tens of thousands of Martial Souls in the world, but the thing before him...

It was neither metal, stone, nor wood, and had nothing in common with the vast majority of Martial Souls he knew.

Even the seams on the carriage's surface were so precise that they surpassed the limits of this era's craftsmanship.

"This... what kind of object is this? A miniature core of some siege engine? Or a mechanical puppet from ancient ruins? The surface is so smooth, and the things inside are clearly visible. Isn't this workmanship a bit too good?"

Fine beads of sweat formed on Yu Xiaogang's forehead as he muttered to himself.

Faced with this piece of industrial manufacture, his store of theoretical knowledge was like an ancient person trying to imagine how a steam train ran—it was sheer fantasy.

Cai Kun grinned. "Grandmaster, this thing is called a High-Speed Train. It was born to travel, and its impact force is just a hundred million times greater than a carriage's. If a few more carriages are added to the back, it can also take other people on a trip whenever they feel like it."

Yu Xiaogang rubbed his temples, forcibly maintaining his dignity as a Grandmaster. Putting on a profound air, he nodded.

"I see. In that case, it can't be considered a Mutated Martial Soul. This High-Speed Train should be classified as an entirely new Martial Soul... Although it defies common sense, Innate Full Soul Power is enough to prove that this Martial Soul has enormous potential."

"Put your Martial Soul away for now. Once you've accepted me as your master, I'll devise a training plan for you as an agility-attack-type Tool Soul Master..."

Before he finished speaking, the Soul Power inside Cai Kun's body gave a gentle tremor.

"Whoosh-"

A dazzling, bright yellow ring of light slowly rose beneath the High-Speed Train's nose!

"A Soul Ring?! And a Hundred-Year Soul Ring at that!" Yu Xiaogang exclaimed. He picked up a magnifying glass hidden beneath a pile of papers on the desk and stepped forward to examine it closely.

"It really is a Hundred-Year Soul Ring, but I've never seen these patterns before. Who took you to hunt the Soul Beast?"

"I imagine the Soul Beast you hunted wasn't an ordinary one either?"

Tang San, who had looked composed until then, suddenly had his pupils contract. He took half a step back, staring fixedly at the yellow ring of light.

They had clearly come from the same village, and their Martial Souls had only awakened yesterday. When had Cai Kun hunted a Soul Beast?!

"You're right, Grandmaster. My Soul Ring came from a special kind of Soul Beast."