Yu Xiaogang's Setback

"That's right!"

Tang San even puffed out his chest.

In his previous life, he had secretly learned the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record. He told himself it had been to prove his worth, that he had been forced into it, that it was understandable... But in this life, he could stand tall and act openly.

How should one put it?

At that moment, Tang San's mindset resembled that of a prostitute buying her freedom or a gangster going clean, wanting to mentally separate his present self from what his past self had done.

In truth, he could indeed do so to some extent. After all, the Tang San of his previous life was already dead, having paid for his theft of the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record with his life.

If Tang San knew that the elders of the Tang Sect in his previous life had already forgiven him and had even intended to name him the sole candidate for the next sect master, he probably would not know whether to laugh or cry...

Zhou Qing and Tang San's resolute attitude left Yu Xiaogang somewhat at a loss.

Still, after all these years, he had cultivated a thick enough skin. With a sigh, he said, "I didn't think this through, but I've already brought these things here. It wouldn't be appropriate to take them back, would it?"

Without question, Yu Xiaogang was determined to make Zhou Qing and Tang San accept the two sets of bedding.

The reason was simple!

Once children with such stubborn temperaments accepted his favor, they would surely remember it. As long as he continued offering small kindnesses in the future, they would gradually grow closer to him.

He had also realized that suddenly bringing over two sets of bedding had likely made these two children from the countryside wary of him.

And Tang San, who no longer had to worry about food or clothing, really did think that way:

Unsolicited kindness hides either treachery or theft!

"That really is a problem."

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Qing looked at the bedding of Wang Sheng and the others. "Teacher, why not give the bedding to the other Work-Study Students here? Some of their bedding is torn, while others' is too thin. Summer is giving way to Autumn, and the weather will only grow colder. It would be better to give it to them."

Wang Sheng and the others widened their eyes.

They had thought it had nothing to do with them and had merely been watching the show quietly. Who would have thought these two new sets of bedding would be given to them?

"This...?"

Yu Xiaogang had not expected things to turn out this way either. Still, he did not think Zhou Qing had done it deliberately. He merely felt that this child was overly wary of him, so he said, "All right."

The bedding could only be left behind. He could not possibly carry it back, could he?

That would be beneath his dignity!

Wang Sheng, the former boss of Dormitory Seven, truly had the bearing of a boss. Rather than keeping the good bedding for himself, he gave the two sets to the two Work-Study Students whose bedding was the thinnest.

"Thank you, Boss Wang Sheng!"

The two were deeply moved.

Although Dormitory Seven had changed bosses, Wang Sheng was still the boss in the hearts of these Work-Study Students. It was just that they could no longer call Wang Sheng "Boss" in front of Xiao Wu.

"Thank you, Grandmaster!"

The two also thanked Yu Xiaogang. After all, he had been the one to bring the bedding over.

"Mm."

Yu Xiaogang's expression was indifferent. His attitude toward them was completely different from his attitude toward Zhou Qing and Tang San. After thinking for a while, he decided to lay his cards on the table. "Zhou Qing, Tang San, I'll be direct. I want to take you as my disciples. Martial Soul cultivation is extremely difficult, and having a good teacher will save you a great deal of effort. If you are interested, come find me in the building in the woods south of the academy."

With that, Yu Xiaogang left Dormitory Seven.

Although Yu Xiaogang knew his reputation at Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy was poor, his brief encounter with Zhou Qing and Tang San had shown him that the two were mature for their age. They likely would not readily believe other people's gossip about him and might come investigate for themselves.

Even if they did not come, he could spend more time around the students over the next two years and occasionally leave behind a few remarks about Martial Soul cultivation. Perhaps that would draw their attention.

Why was he so fixated on Zhou Qing and Tang San?

There was only one most direct reason: both possessed Innate Full Soul Power. If he kept waiting, Yu Xiaogang did not know how many years it would take before he encountered another one.

Yet now, there were two right in front of him!

If that Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul was included, there were three!

If possible, he wanted to take all three as disciples and use them as test subjects to verify his theories. The more there were, the greater his chances of eventually achieving fame and success...

"Zhou Qing, Tang San, Grandmaster... he, he..."

Halfway through his words, Wang Sheng did not know how to continue.

Although Yu Xiaogang's reputation in the academy was terrible, he had just brought over two sets of bedding. Even if Zhou Qing and Tang San had been his initial targets, the Work-Study Students had ultimately received the benefit. Wang Sheng felt embarrassed to speak ill of him.

"Does he have a bad reputation in the academy?"

Zhou Qing was the one who asked. Naturally, he knew Yu Xiaogang's circumstances. He was merely planting a fixed impression of Yu Xiaogang in Tang San's mind.

Perhaps Yu Xiaogang was trying to play hard to get, but Tang San, as a Transmigrator, did not have much desire to investigate things that did not interest him.

Especially when someone left him with a poor first impression, he basically would not interact with them much afterward.

Yu Xiaogang's sudden gift of bedding, as well as his starkly different attitudes toward Zhou Qing and himself compared with Wang Sheng and the other Work-Study Students, had all been noticed by Tang San.

Ordinary children might overlook such details, but Tang San, who came from the Tang Sect, would not.

That Yu Xiaogang definitely had another purpose beyond taking disciples!

"His reputation really isn't very good. He only gets to stay because he has connections with the dean of this academy, mooching off their food and lodging. Although he bears the title of Grandmaster of Martial Soul Cultivation Theory, he's a joke in the Soul Master World... He has never taught the students at the academy a single class. I heard the dean tried to persuade him once, but he apparently said that the academy's students were all too mediocre and unworthy of his instruction."

Wang Sheng tried his best to describe Yu Xiaogang's affairs objectively.

"An arrogant fool with no real ability."

Having already formed a preconceived opinion, Tang San's slight favorable impression of Yu Xiaogang immediately turned into disgust.

"He's never given you bedding before?" Zhou Qing asked despite knowing the answer.

"No. He looks down on students like us, so why would he try to curry favor with us?" Wang Sheng shook his head, then brought up another matter. "Come to think of it, your Martial Souls must be quite good, right? Your innate soul power must be high too?"

"My Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass, but I have Innate Full Soul Power." Tang San extended his right hand and released his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.

"Blue Silver Grass can actually be cultivated? And it has Innate Full Soul Power?" Wang Sheng looked as if he had lived long enough to see anything, then turned toward Zhou Qing.

"My Martial Soul is a heart." Zhou Qing took out his Martial Soul certificate for Wang Sheng to see. "I also have Innate Full Soul Power."

"A heart?"

Wang Sheng was even more dumbfounded.

Though the heart was indeed vital to people, having a heart as one's Martial Soul was not exactly a wonderful thing. Could such a Martial Soul be used for attack, defense, or Support?

Apparently not.

At any rate, Wang Sheng could not imagine what a Heart Martial Soul could be used for. It could not possibly replace one's actual heart if it developed a problem, could it?

"I'm back!"

Tang San secretly learning the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record in the original work is indeed something people criticize, but I am not trying to whitewash that.

Because the original work clearly states in black and white that the people involved in the Tang Sect all chose to forgive him.

Of course, the reason was also that Tang San had created the Buddha Fury Tang Lotus, which had been lost to the Tang Sect, allowing the sect elders to see his talent.

Unless one is determined to maliciously smear him or forcibly alter the setting, there is not much to criticize him for on this point.

The setting is something I am changing as well, but broadly speaking, it is based on the original novel, manga, and anime, altered into something I find logically plausible.