Little San Kowtows in Apprenticeship, Gangzi Beams with Joy

Tang San swallowed. The wariness in his eyes as he looked at Yu Xiaogang instantly turned to awe and shock.

Cai Kun, standing behind him, had long since seen through everything. He rolled his eyes at Gangzi.

He knew this trick all too well.

Yu Xiaogang had taken information from Spirit Hall's public collection of books and rearranged it to fool country bumpkins who had just stepped out into the world.

Tang San had fallen for it because he hadn't seen enough of the world. That was why he thought Yu Xiaogang was a Grandmaster.

Seeing the light in Tang San's eyes grow brighter, Cai Kun couldn't resist stepping half a pace forward. He quietly tugged at the hem of Tang San's clothes, trying to bring him to his senses.

"San'er, take my advice."

Cai Kun lowered his voice and earnestly urged him:

"Taking a teacher is a major decision in life. Impulse is the devil; you have to think three times before you act. You can know a man's face but not his heart. This is only your first meeting-how could you know what he's really after?"

"These days, plenty of people can talk a good game, but how many actually succeed when they put it into practice? Don't let your head get hot and jump into a fire pit."

Tang San's head was already too hot for him to listen to anything. He turned and glanced at Cai Kun with a slight frown.

He even felt a trace of displeasure.

Cai Kun, you already had a mysterious Titled Douluo senior looking after you last night, someone who could casually take you to hunt a Hundred-Year Soul Ring.

But what did he, Tang San, have?

At home, he had only a drunkard father who spent all day dead drunk and made a living by hammering iron!

In the ruthless Soul Master World, without a renowned teacher to point him through the maze, his road to growth would surely be difficult, even with Twin Martial Souls.

The Grandmaster before him had seen through the secret at a glance. That was proof enough that the hills and valleys within his chest lay far beyond those of ordinary men!

"Kunzi, I appreciate your kindness."

Tang San took a deep breath, his tone firm and resolute:

"But I, Tang San, have never misjudged a person."

"Besides, we still need to thank him for helping us resolve the trouble we ran into on our way here."

Before he finished speaking, Tang San dropped heavily to his knees on the floor with a muffled thud.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

He kowtowed three solid times, his forehead striking the floor with a resounding thud each time.

"Teacher, please accept your disciple's bow!"

Tang San raised his head, his eyes burning, and declared in a ringing voice:

"Teacher for a day, father for life!"

Cai Kun watched the scene and shook his head helplessly. He had already done all he could.

Yu Xiaogang, who had still been forcing himself to maintain the bearing of an expert, suddenly froze. The wild joy in his heart was as unstoppable as a mountain torrent.

Twin Martial Souls!

The third person in the world with Twin Martial Souls, a personal disciple who truly belonged to him, Yu Xiaogang!

With this child, his Ten Core Competencies would surely shake the entire Douluo Continent and completely wash away his reputation as trash!

But he had spent many years in the Soul Master World, after all. Forcibly suppressing the smile that was about to twist across his face, he put on a look of flattered surprise.

"Silly child, get up!"

Yu Xiaogang hurried forward, took Tang San by the arms, and helped him to his feet.

"To acknowledge a teacher, you need only bow. Why go to the lengths of kneeling and kowtowing?"

Tang San shook his head repeatedly, his expression solemn:

"In our hometown, those who impart the Way and teach us are like parents who gave us a second life. Kneeling and bowing to them is only right, as dictated by the bonds of human society!"

Watching this touching picture of a kind teacher and a devoted disciple, Cai Kun helplessly rubbed his brow and let out a long sigh.

Fine. Good advice can't save a ghost determined to die. Tang San, you're on your own from here on.

Respect others' destinies, and let go of the urge to help.

"Good! Well said-teacher for a day, father for life!"

Yu Xiaogang patted Tang San's thin shoulder with satisfaction. The despondency on his face vanished, and his whole being seemed to blossom with the vigor of a second spring.

He turned, pulled a stack of files from his desk drawer, and looked at the two children with a gentle gaze:

"Let's go. We have to clean up this morning's mess sooner or later. I'll take you to see the dean and get your enrollment formalities done quickly."

Yu Xiaogang pushed open the office door and led the two of them down the corridor, straight to the dean's office on the top floor.

In the end, Yu Xiaogang agreed to give up a year's allowance and hand it all over to the victim as compensation, asking only that the matter be dropped. For his sake, the dean readily agreed.

Meanwhile...

Nuoding City Spirit Hall Branch, second-floor records room.

Afternoon sunlight slanted across the long table, and the air carried the scent of dry paper.

Su Yuntao held a black goose-quill pen worn bald at the tip in his right hand, but he had no idea how to begin.

Two blank files lay spread out on the table, each bearing a neatly written name:

Tang San, Cai Kun.

Ink had congealed into a little black lump on the nib, but Su Yuntao still hadn't figured out what to write.

He ruffled his short hair in frustration, feeling as though a great stone slab were pressing down on his chest.

Two with Innate Full Soul Power!

Under normal circumstances, discovering even one commoner with full Soul Power and potential would have been enough to earn him two promotions and a transfer to the main hall for easier work.

He had to be the first to report this heaven-sent achievement. If word got out and someone else took the top credit, he would cough up three liters of blood.

But when the time came to put pen to paper, Su Yuntao found himself stuck.

Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was simple enough. He only had to write down in black and white that it was a Trash Martial Soul with full Soul Power.

But Cai Kun's Martial Soul... how was he supposed to describe it in the file?

Write "mutated iron box"?

Her Holiness Bibi Dong in Pope Hall was deeply imposing and ruthless in her methods. If she saw a report saying, "A supreme-grade iron box was awakened in Holy Soul Village, and full Soul Power was found only after three tests," she would probably conclude on the spot that the Nuoding City branch was making sport of Pope Hall.

When that happened, forget promotion and riches-one decree of holy judgment, and his head would part ways with his body.

But if he made it sound too mysterious and glorified it as a peerless divine object, the Pope might not believe him. She might think he had made it all up and blown a small matter out of proportion to claim credit, and he would be punished all the same.

If those above sent people to investigate whether it was true, knowing how those fellows operated, they might well take the credit for themselves, leaving him with nothing.

"Smack."

Furious, Su Yuntao slapped the quill onto the table and vigorously rubbed his stiff cheeks with both hands.

"What happened? Who upset our Deacon Su so much that he's throwing such a fit in the middle of the day?"

The crisp tapping of high heels approached from afar.

Slender fingers pushed the door open, and a tall woman in a pale pink, fitted long dress walked in.

Her curled hair fell over her shoulders, and she wore delicate, light makeup. She was Sisi, the female Soul Master who worked as a receptionist at the branch.

Sisi walked over to the desk, her lips slightly pursed, and spoke with a hint of playful reproach:

"Yesterday, there wasn't a trace of you to be found all day. You promised to go with me to pick out fabric for a new dress. Did it all go in one ear and out the other?"

Su Yuntao hurried to his feet and took Sisi's soft, warm hand, sighing with a woeful expression:

"My dear Sisi, how would I dare string you along? I really was too busy yesterday. People from more than a dozen villages were waiting for me to awaken their Martial Souls, and I truly couldn't spare the time!"

"Next time, I promise! Next time!"

Sisi raised her lovely eyes, pulled her hand free, and snatched up the parchment on the table for a glance.

"Cai Kun? Tang San? They're both six. Are these two children special?"

"Of course they're special. They both have Innate Full Soul Power!"

"That's exactly what's troubling me now."