Battle to Claim Tang San

Only then did the guard realize what was happening.

It was one thing to bully Ordinary People on a normal day, but today was Nuoding Academy's opening day. Who else would arrive carrying bags and bundles if not newly enrolled students?

And among those who could enter a Soul Master Academy, which one had not awakened Soul Power?

They might still be young and lack Soul Rings, but once they obtained Soul Rings and became true Soul Masters, crushing him would be as easy as crushing an ant!

At that thought, cold sweat instantly soaked the guard's back, and his face turned pale as paper.

"Get lost!"

Lin Xuan could not be bothered to waste any more words on him. He shoved him aside, grabbed Old Jack, who was still stunned, and quickly entered the academy.

He knew they had to leave quickly. If they delayed, Yu Xiaogang might stop them.

He was still waiting to deliver a "clean" Tang San to the office. He could not let Yu Xiaogang swoop in and ruin his plans.

Seeing Lin Xuan scare the guard into limpness with just a few words, Tang San could not help but feel a trace of admiration.

Still, he did not agree with this approach of leaving trouble unfinished—if it had been him, he would have dealt with the hidden danger directly, lest the man go mad and seek revenge someday.

But it was only a thought. Seeing the two about to leave, he hurried after them.

After Tang San stepped through the academy gates, a middle-aged man with a crew cut and melancholy eyes finally strolled over from afar. It was Yu Xiaogang.

Lin Xuan dragged Old Jack along at a brisk pace, only letting out a sigh of relief when he did not hear a cry of "Wait!" from behind them.

He truly did not want anything to do with Yu Xiaogang. If the man discovered that he also possessed the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, or wanted to use him as Tang San's foil, that would be troublesome.

Fortunately, he had handled things quickly and left in a hurry, so Yu Xiaogang had not noticed him.

"You little rascal, you really scared Grandpa just now!" Old Jack said with a smile after recovering from his shock.

"You mustn't be so impulsive in the future. You need to be reasonable in everything. If you run into a real Lord Soul Master, they might not be so easy to talk to."

"I understand, Village Chief Grandpa. I won't do it again." Lin Xuan could not be bothered to explain Old Jack's misunderstanding and simply went along with him.

A misunderstanding was a misunderstanding. It saved him the trouble.

Then, led by Old Jack, the two headed toward the teachers' office.

Old Jack had brought Work-Study Students here a few times before. Though many years had passed, he still remembered the general route, and their journey went fairly smoothly.

The teachers in the office had far more manners than the Guard at the entrance. They were reasonably polite to Old Jack, who had brought talent to them, and did not look down on him too much.

Lin Xuan's enrollment procedures went smoothly—Innate Level 3 Soul Power already made him something of a prodigy at Nuoding Academy.

Most students in the academy had Innate Level 1 or 2 Soul Power. In a backwater city like Nuoding City, talented children had long since been taken by Spirit Hall, leaving the academy to teach only students with ordinary talent.

But when it came to Tang San, everything changed completely.

The words "Innate Full Soul Power" instantly stunned every teacher present.

Even though his Martial Soul was the universally acknowledged Waste Spirit, Blue Silver Grass, the potential of Innate Full Soul Power was still impossible to ignore!

After learning that Tang San did not yet have a Martial Soul Teacher, a fierce battle to take him as a disciple instantly erupted in the office.

None of the teachers present was willing to give way—so what if his Martial Soul was useless? As long as his Soul Power was high enough, he could still overpower others through sheer strength!

Moreover, it was precisely because Tang San's Martial Soul was a Waste Spirit that they dared to compete for him without concern. If it had been a top-tier Martial Soul, they would not have had the nerve.

"Village Chief Grandpa, should we slip away first?"

Seeing the office on the verge of erupting into an argument, Lin Xuan feared getting caught in the crossfire and hurriedly pulled Old Jack toward the door.

"Tang San should be safe enough here. The teachers are all fighting to take him as a disciple."

"Yes, yes, yes. Xiao San, take your time choosing. Grandpa will take Xiao Xuan to the dormitory first!"

Old Jack was also startled by the heated scene in the office. He quickly nodded in agreement, turned, and followed Lin Xuan outside.

"Alright, Village Chief Grandpa. You can go ahead."

Though Tang San felt somewhat helpless, he also secretly felt pleased. When Lin Xuan handled his enrollment, the teachers had not even bothered to raise their heads. But when it came to him, countless teachers fought to claim him. This was the difference in talent! He could not help feeling smug.

But as soon as Lin Xuan and Old Jack stepped out of the office, they ran into someone head-on.

There was no need to ask. With that distinctive crew cut and the melancholy aura radiating from him, it could be no one but Yu Xiaogang.

"Excuse me, sir, what is happening in the office? Why is it so noisy?"

Yu Xiaogang stopped them, curiosity in his tone as his gaze swept over Lin Xuan. Information on various Power Type Martial Souls instantly surfaced in his mind as he tried to match Lin Xuan with Martial Souls related to oxen and horses.

"Oh, oh, oh, Lord Soul Master!" Seeing that the man carried an extraordinary air, Old Jack quickly responded respectfully.

"The teachers are fighting to take Xiao San as a disciple. We were afraid of being caught up in it, so we ran out first."

"Xiao San?" Yu Xiaogang frowned, clasping his hands behind his back as a hint of arrogance entered his voice.

"How talented is he, to make so many teachers fight over him? It is simply disgraceful."

The way he looked toward the office was full of disdain. In his view, these provincial teachers had simply never seen a genius before, which was why they were red-faced over a single child.

"Ah..." Old Jack sighed, his tone filled with regret. "Xiao San's Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass, a Waste Spirit. What a pity about his Innate Full Soul Power. If only..."

Before he could finish, Old Jack looked up and found that Yu Xiaogang had already vanished.

Turning his head, he saw Yu Xiaogang charging into the office in great strides like a starving wolf pouncing on food. The lofty composure he had displayed moments ago had been tossed Beyond The Clouds.

"This..." Old Jack watched the scene, unsure whether to laugh or cry. Then he said with a touch of bitterness.

"Innate Full Soul Power really is different. Even with a Waste Spirit, people are still fighting to take him as a disciple."

"Village Chief Grandpa, so what if they take him as a disciple?"

Lin Xuan hurriedly comforted him. "The people who can teach at Nuoding Academy cannot be all that powerful anyway. They are more or less the same."

"You child..." Seeing that Lin Xuan was not disappointed and was instead comforting him, Old Jack smiled with relief.

This child had a good mindset. He would definitely amount to something great in the future.

"Village Chief Grandpa, it is getting late. You should head back first." Lin Xuan looked up at the sky and spoke seriously.

"I won't feel at ease if you travel alone at night."

Hearing that, Old Jack came to his senses as well. He was old, and traveling at night with his aging limbs really was unsafe. "Alright, then. Once you get to the dormitory, remember to get along well with your roommates. Don't get into conflicts."

"Mm, I understand." Lin Xuan nodded, then added, "When the holidays come, I'll go back myself. You won't need to come pick me up then."

"Alright! Grandpa will kill a chicken and wait for you to come eat it!" Old Jack agreed with a smile.

After exchanging a few simple pleasantries, the two parted ways in the academy square. Watching Old Jack's receding back, Lin Xuan turned and headed toward the Work-Study Student Dormitory. There was another reason he had Old Jack leave first—something unpleasant might happen in the dormitory shortly, and he was afraid of frightening the old man.