Rejected Again

To everyone's surprise, the one kneeling on the ground wasn't Lin Ming, as they'd imagined, but Xiao Chenyu, who had been acting so arrogantly just moments ago.

"Impossible! Ah!!"

Xiao Chenyu raised his head, his fierce gaze like that of a wounded wolf. The moment he refused Lin Ming's suggestion, he felt as if his arm were about to snap.

The wounded wolf instantly turned into a docile husky.

"I'll talk, I'll talk! Wang Sheng, take it easy."

Wang Sheng was strong, and he showed Xiao Chenyu no mercy.

Watching Xiao Chenyu look as though he was about to cry, Wang Sheng was overjoyed.

He'd never imagined he'd get to bully Xiao Chenyu one day.

He even wanted to take a dump on Xiao Chenyu's head.

"I'll never bother the Work-Study Students again."

"I'll never bother the Work-Study Students again."

"I'll never bother the Work-Study Students again."

After repeating it three times, Xiao Chenyu seemed to have exhausted all his strength. He panted as he glared at Lin Ming.

"Are you satisfied now?"

Though the words had been forced through gritted teeth, Lin Ming nodded in satisfaction.

This was the best possible outcome. It would give him time to grow stronger, and it meant Wang Sheng and the others hadn't come all this way for nothing.

"If you don't keep your word, I hope you won't sleep too soundly at night."

Lin Ming grinned, but his words sent a chill through Xiao Chenyu.

The meaning was obvious.

If he bothered the Work-Study Students again, he wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully.

Xiao Chenyu could only nod resentfully.

Lin Ming was satisfied. Give him a few months, and even if Xiao Chenyu broke his word, he'd be able to beat him again.

The main reason he'd won this time was that Xiao Chenyu had underestimated him.

Lin Ming's identity was no secret. Almost everyone at the school knew about him.

A new student, with a Detached Martial Soul, no less.

And his Innate Soul Power was only rank one.

In everyone's eyes, Lin Ming was the easiest Work-Study Student to pick on.

Unfortunately, things hadn't gone as they expected.

Lin Ming glanced around at the people nearby. He was still weak and needed time to grow, so he didn't dare go too far.

Even a rabbit would kick an eagle if pushed to the limit, let alone a Soul Master.

"Let's go back."

After calling to Wang Sheng and the others, Lin Ming turned and left the cafeteria.

He planned to devote all his time outside of daily necessities to cultivation.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Lin Ming was the only one in Dorm Seven, sitting cross-legged on his bed as he cultivated.

Wang Sheng and the others had gone home for the break two days earlier. They wouldn't return until the start of the school term.

Most of the students at Nuoding Academy had done the same.

Only a few had stayed at the academy.

"I'm almost at level three. At this rate, I'll only need half a year to break through level ten."

Lin Ming opened his eyes and stopped cultivating. He patted Little Lei Yi, who was fast asleep beside him, then drew it back into his body. After stretching, he headed to the cafeteria for a meal.

Only two serving windows were still open in the cafeteria.

They were reserved for the students and teachers who had stayed at Nuoding Academy.

He got his food and sat down wherever he could.

As he ate, a shadow blocked the sunlight.

"Lin Ming..."

Lin Ming didn't look up, and he didn't even slow down as he ate.

"What is it, Grandmaster?"

"I'd like... to see your Martial Soul."

Yu Xiaogang sat across from Lin Ming, both fists clenched tightly on his knees. His eyes were filled with frustration.

He knew the boy before him had only one rank of Soul Power.

He'd known that for a long time.

But when he heard that Lin Ming had defeated Xiao Chenyu, who was level eleven, his first reaction had been disbelief.

How could a Detached Martial Soul defeat Xiao Chenyu, who had a Beast Martial Soul?

No one understood the disadvantages of a Detached Martial Soul better than he did.

Whether it was Lin Ming's Little Lei Yi or his own Luo Sanpao, both were forms of Martial Soul with a certain degree of offensive power.

But the Soul Master's own body was as frail as that of an auxiliary-type Soul Master. It couldn't compare to the strength of someone possessed by a Beast Martial Soul.

"Grandmaster, have you ever heard this saying?"

Lin Ming swallowed his steamed bun, looked up at Yu Xiaogang, and sighed.

If he didn't deal with him now, Yu Xiaogang would probably keep pestering him for the next six years.

Lin Ming wasn't afraid of Yu Xiaogang. It was just that Tang San was about to enroll, and Tang San had Tang Hao backing him.

Neither father nor son was easy to deal with.

One of them could condemn you to death with a single gesture or glance.

Who knew when he might use a Hidden Weapon to attack you from the shadows?

And if you tried to get revenge on him,

Tang Hao would only laugh.

Who knew whether that thickheaded Titled Douluo might attack a child like him?

So he truly didn't want to get involved with Yu Xiaogang.

"What saying?"

Yu Xiaogang's body trembled slightly, and his eyes held a trace of bewilderment.

He really wanted to study the differences between Little Lei Yi and Luo Sanpao.

If he could figure it out, he might be able to break through level thirty.

He'd been stuck at level twenty-nine for decades, not just a year or two.

"Rule one of the cultivation handbook."

Lin Ming calmly took a small handbook from his robe, set it on the table, and opened it to the first page.

It was the little booklet Nuoding Academy gave to every student.

"A Martial Soul is part of a Soul Master."

Yu Xiaogang frowned as he looked at the line. What did that have to do with his wanting to study Lin Ming's Martial Soul?

"A Detached Martial Soul is still a Martial Soul. In fact, I think a Detached Martial Soul is better than an ordinary one."

"Compared to ordinary Beast Martial Souls and Tool Martial Souls, the innate advantages of a Detached Martial Soul are beyond their reach."

Lin Ming continued.

"If a Detached Martial Soul is injured, the damage is reflected back onto its owner."

"Besides, based on my many years of research, if your awakened Martial Soul hadn't been a Detached Martial Soul, your Innate Soul Power should have been higher."

Yu Xiaogang reflexively argued back. His own Luo Sanpao was just that: a defective mutation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.

If he'd awakened any other mutated form of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, he couldn't possibly have had only half a rank of Soul Power.

All these years, he'd blamed everything on Luo Sanpao.

For a moment, he'd simply projected his own experience onto Lin Ming.

"See? You're focused on blaming your Martial Soul for everything instead of reflecting on yourself."

Lin Ming smiled.

It was only natural for Yu Xiaogang to think that way. He wasn't a commoner and didn't understand how precious even a little Soul Power was to one.

Yu Xiaogang was the son of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's sect master. In other words, he was the clan's young master.

The stark contrast between his life before and after he turned six had already shattered his resolve. He could only pin the blame on Luo Sanpao, who couldn't speak and obeyed his every command.

But after all these decades, he still hadn't changed his way of thinking. That showed how foolish he was.

At the root of it, he'd never blamed himself.

"I'm not like you, so don't bother me again. I still need to cultivate."

Lin Ming quietly finished his last bite, stood up, and left after speaking softly.