Conflict

"Boss, isn't that way too much luggage?"

The roommates of the Seventh Dormitory gathered around Lin Xuan's bundle, all staring in shock.

Only after opening it did they realize that the clothes and bedding were merely decorations. What truly took up space were piles upon piles of Dried Meat. By rough estimate, there were at least over a hundred and twenty pounds.

"I have a big appetite. Before leaving, I slaughtered all the chickens and pigs at home and dried the meat." Lin Xuan rubbed his stomach. He had only just put down his bundle, yet he was already hungry again.

"Uh, it's almost mealtime anyway. Boss, how about I treat you to a meal?" Wang Sheng knew how to read the room and hurriedly offered.

"No need. You can't afford it." Lin Xuan casually grabbed a small handful of the hard Dried Meat strips and handed them to Wang Sheng.

"Share these among yourselves. Consider it thanks for helping me make the bed. The rest is my ration for training, so I can't give you too much."

"Thank you, Boss!" Though Wang Sheng did not understand what Lin Xuan meant by "can't afford it," he still accepted the meat and distributed it among the other roommates. For Work-Study Students who had little meat year-round, even tough dried meat was a rare delicacy. Everyone thanked Lin Xuan in turn.

Lin Xuan waved it off, wrapped up the remaining dried meat, and under Wang Sheng's lead, the group marched grandly toward the cafeteria.

Along the way, the roommates struggled to chew the dried meat. It smelled wonderfully fragrant, but it was hard enough to serve as a chew toy. Even Wang Sheng had difficulty chewing it.

Yet when they turned and saw Lin Xuan eating it as easily as if he were chewing spicy snack strips, all they could do was marvel. This was the gap in strength—even the food they ate was on a completely different level.

The moment he stepped into the cafeteria, a familiar voice called out. There was little joy in its tone; instead, it was filled with pride and showmanship.

"Lin Xuan!"

Without even thinking, Lin Xuan knew it was Tang San. He could not help wondering who had won this "battle to snatch a disciple." Turning his head, he saw Tang San and a flat-haired, gloomy-looking middle-aged man walking down from the second floor—it was Yu Xiaogang.

As expected, Tang San had still ended up taking Yu Xiaogang as his master. Lin Xuan sighed inwardly. The world line's corrective force was indeed powerful.

He had clearly avoided their encounter at the entrance, yet Yu Xiaogang had still stood out from among more than a dozen teachers and secured Tang San as a disciple. All he could say was that the Douluo Succubus truly lived up to the name. He really had some tricks.

Just as Lin Xuan had guessed, Yu Xiaogang had not been particularly outstanding among the teachers. However, he had ultimately proposed speaking with Tang San alone, and with his silver tongue, he had talked Tang San into willingly becoming his disciple.

Only, compared to the Original Work, where Yu Xiaogang had spent only a set of bedding, this time he had bled heavily. Not only had he personally paid Tang San's enrollment fee, turning him from a Work-Study Student into a Self-Funded Student, but he had also taken care of all three of Tang San's daily meals. He had practically paid money to buy a disciple.

Though the result of the apprenticeship had not changed, Lin Xuan had already achieved his goal—Tang San had successfully left the Seventh Dormitory and would no longer have the chance to befriend Xiao Wu at the earliest opportunity.

Without that connection, Xiao Wu's life path was Destined to be completely rewritten. This was merely a small step in his overall plan.

"Tang San, do you need something?" Lin Xuan looked at the undisguised pride in Tang San's eyes and felt somewhat speechless. He was already in his thirties—why was he still so childish?

"This is my teacher, known as Master." Tang San wore an expression as if Lin Xuan had struck gold, his tone carrying a condescending sense of charity.

"After learning of your situation, Teacher is willing to take you in as a registered disciple and teach you Martial Soul theory, seeing as we come from the same village. What do you think?"

What he did not know was that Yu Xiaogang had no intention of kindly taking Lin Xuan as a disciple. He wanted a control group—he intended to study the differences after Blue Silver Grass with Innate Full Soul Power and Blue Silver Grass with Innate Level 3 absorbed Soul Rings of the same quality. Taking Lin Xuan as a disciple was a pretense; using him as an experimental reference for Tang San was the real purpose.

Yu Xiaogang also raised his chin slightly, looking arrogant and self-important, as though becoming his disciple would be Lin Xuan's greatest honor.

"Boss, don't agree!"

Before Lin Xuan could speak, Wang Sheng hurriedly tried to stop him, his voice full of urgency.

"This Master is just a useless freeloader at the academy. He'll never break through Level 30 in his life. He's a fraud who only knows how to theorize on paper. Don't let him fool you!"

In the eyes of Nuoding Academy's teachers and students, Yu Xiaogang was a joke: he had no strength, yet strutted around all day as though he were above everyone else and looked down on everybody. Wang Sheng did not want the Boss he had just acknowledged to be taught blindly by such "trash" and end up wasting his talent. Even if Lin Xuan's Soul Power talent was average, with that Brute Strength of his, he might still have a future.

"What did you say?!" Hearing Wang Sheng insult the teacher he had just acknowledged, Tang San instantly flew into a rage.

In his eyes, Yu Xiaogang was not only deeply learned, but also one of the few people who had ever shown him warmth. When they had eaten on the second floor earlier, Yu Xiaogang had even gently placed food on his plate. Not even Tang Hao had given him such care.

Burning with rage, Tang San lifted his foot and kicked at Wang Sheng, fast and vicious. Wang Sheng had not expected him to attack without warning. By the time he reacted, it was too late to dodge, and he could only watch helplessly as the kick was about to hit him.

At that critical moment, Lin Xuan suddenly reached out and firmly caught Tang San by the ankle, forcibly stopping the sudden kick.

"You!" Tang San's pupils shrank sharply. He knew Lin Xuan was strong, but he had not expected his reaction speed to be so fast as well.

"Lin Xuan, what do you mean?" Tang San glared at him, his voice cold.

"Nothing." Lin Xuan lightly raised Tang San's leg, forcing him to stagger backward again and again.

"I have no interest in becoming your teacher's disciple. If my underling said something wrong, I'll discipline him myself. I won't trouble you to do it for me."

"Boss!" Seeing Lin Xuan defend him without hesitation, Wang Sheng was deeply moved.

"Oh, right." Lin Xuan turned to Wang Sheng and spoke calmly.

"Apologize to Master. He is an elder, after all. Respecting the old and caring for the young is only proper. Even if you don't respect his age, he's still a Soul Grandmaster. Even if he can't break through to Soul Elder, he isn't someone a Level 9 Soul Master like you can casually insult—you're not qualified."

Wang Sheng fell silent for a moment, then walked over to Yu Xiaogang and bowed. "Sorry, Master. I shouldn't have said that about you."

He felt that his Boss was right. No matter how incompetent Yu Xiaogang was, he was still a Soul Grandmaster. Wang Sheng truly had no right to insult him.

Only then did Yu Xiaogang lower his gaze toward Lin Xuan. He could not even be bothered to lower his head, as though Lin Xuan were nothing more than an insignificant ant.

"Are you sure you want to refuse? You probably have no idea what you're missing."

What sat atop his head was not a crown, but the last shred of dignity he possessed as the "number one theorist."

"No." Lin Xuan's tone was calm, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Master should focus on teaching Tang San properly. His talent is far greater than mine, so I won't join in and make a spectacle of myself, lest I suffer a blow."

For the time being, he did not want to offend anyone stronger than himself, even if that person was Yu Xiaogang.

"Hmph!" Seeing that even his personal invitation had been refused, Yu Xiaogang snorted coldly and left with a sweep of his sleeve. A worthless Innate Level 3 trash actually dared reject his and Tang San's goodwill. He truly did not know what was good for him!

Seeing this, Tang San hurriedly followed Yu Xiaogang. Before leaving, he did not forget to turn back and threaten them. "This isn't over! My teacher hasn't forgiven you yet!"