Yu Xiaogang was overjoyed.
Without another thought, he rushed out of the shadows and spread his arms to block the boy's path.
"Xiao San!!"
The cry brimmed with anguish, grievance, and a touch of deliberate affection.
Tang San stopped.
He looked at the disheveled, stubble-faced middle-aged man before him and frowned slightly.
A sour stench hit his nose, making him instinctively step back half a pace.
By the light of the lantern at the gate, he recognized the face.
"You?"
Tang San's voice was cold, as though he were looking at a stranger.
Yu Xiaogang failed to notice the change in Tang San's tone—or chose to ignore it.
He put on a grief-stricken expression and said, his eyes reddening:
"Xiao San! Your teacher finally found you!"
"Do you have any idea how worried I've been about you?"
"That Blue Silver King is using you! He's with the Imperial Family. A man with schemes that deep could never genuinely care about you!"
"Just look at yourself, decked out in gold and silver, reeking of money. Where's even a shred of a Soul Master left in you?"
Growing more agitated with every word, Yu Xiaogang reached for Tang San's shoulder.
"Come on, leave with me!"
"Get out of this dye vat!"
"Only I truly want what's best for you. Only my theories can raise you into a real powerhouse!"
"I'll pour every resource I have into you. Even if it costs me my life, I'll lift you to the pinnacle!"
Tang San slipped to the side, avoiding Yu Xiaogang's filthy hand.
The sight of Yu Xiaogang's self-satisfied, self-sacrificing act made him sick.
Back in the Soul Hunting Forest, when this man chose the Ten-Year Lone Bamboo for me, why hadn't he said anything about lifting me up?
Now that he'd seen me with the Blue Silver King, he'd come running to put on this tearjerker of a show?
"Yu Xiaogang."
Tang San spat out the three syllables coldly.
He called him neither teacher nor Grandmaster.
He used his name outright.
Yu Xiaogang froze. The fatherly expression on his face stiffened.
"What... what did you call me?"
"I said, Yu Xiaogang."
Tang San's gaze cut like a blade, his voice devoid of warmth.
"You still have the nerve to show your face to me?"
"Was that slap in the forest not enough for you?"
"Do you want another taste of being beaten?"
Yu Xiaogang's face turned the color of pig liver.
Shame, fury, and disbelief tangled together.
He had always thought Tang San was an honest child who respected his teacher and honored tradition. He had never imagined the boy would become so disrespectful toward his elders.
"You little bastard!"
Beside himself with rage, Yu Xiaogang pointed at Tang San's nose.
"A teacher for a day is a father for life! I'm your teacher, and you dare call me by name?"
"That Blue Silver King has taught you to chase luxury, but not how to behave!"
"Today, I'll teach you a lesson on your father's behalf, you ungrateful disciple!"
With that, Yu Xiaogang stepped back and rapidly formed seals with his hands.
His strength might have been poor, but he was still a level twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster.
Tang San, as far as he knew, was only a level ten Soul Warrior whose Martial Soul had awakened a few days ago. He did not even have his First Soul Ring.
Teaching a child a lesson would be as easy as reaching out and grabbing him.
"Come out, Luo Sanpao!"
Pfft—
With a sound like a fart, a round creature that looked part pig and part dog appeared on the ground.
"Luoluo!"
Luo Sanpao cried twice. Ridiculous as he looked, his size still carried some menace before low-level Soul Masters.
"Farts like thunder—Earth-Shattering Luo Sanpao!"
Yu Xiaogang shouted, and two yellow rings lit up around him.
He would show Tang San what he was capable of and teach him the rules of respecting his teacher.
But then—
In the next instant—
Tang San merely sneered and slowly raised his right hand.
Deep-blue light surged in his palm.
Then—
Hum—
A dazzling, eerie purple ring rose without warning from beneath Tang San's feet.
The purple light instantly illuminated Yu Xiaogang's stunned face.
"Pur... purple?!"
"A Thousand-Year Soul Ring?!"
"That's impossible!!!"
Yu Xiaogang's eyes nearly popped out. His shrill cry cracked with shock.
But Tang San gave him no time to think.
"..."
Tang San barked a low command.
This time, he did not use ordinary restraint.
Dozens of dark-green vines shot out like snakes emerging from their holes, crossing several meters in an instant.
Rather than merely binding their targets, they pierced the surface of Luo Sanpao's and Yu Xiaogang's skin.
"Aah—!!"
Yu Xiaogang screamed.
To his horror, the vines were not only incredibly tough. Like countless greedy little mouths, they were ravenously devouring the Soul Power inside him!
It felt as though the blood were being drained from his body.
"Luoluo..."
Luo Sanpao did not even manage to fart. Like a punctured balloon, he instantly shriveled and dissolved into specks of light.
With his Martial Soul broken, Yu Xiaogang suffered the backlash and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Thud!
The vines pinned him flat against the ground. Unable to move, he watched his face turn deathly pale.
A level twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster could not even withstand one move from a child who had only just obtained his First Soul Ring!
That was the power of a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
That was the gulf created by top-tier resources.
Tang San walked up to Yu Xiaogang and looked down at him as though he were a dead dog.
"So these are the rules you wanted to teach me?"
"This is your so-called theory of strength?"
"You can't even withstand one strike from me, and you think you're fit to teach me?"
Bang!
Tang San raised his foot and kicked Yu Xiaogang in the stomach without mercy.
Yu Xiaogang slid several meters across the ground before striking the stone steps. He curled up like a shrimp, writhing in pain.
He raised his head and watched Tang San approach, step by step. At last, fear appeared in his eyes.
This child... he really would kill me!
The killing intent in Tang San's eyes was no act.
Just as a cold glint flashed in Tang San's eyes and he prepared to deliver another kick—
Yu Xiaogang snatched a black object from inside his robe and smashed it against the ground.
Boom!
A dense cloud of yellow smoke burst forth, carrying a nauseating stench.
It was his life-saving measure: a specially made smoke bomb containing concentrated "essence" from Luo Sanpao.
Tang San frowned, instinctively held his breath, and retreated.
By the time the smoke cleared—
Yu Xiaogang had vanished from where he had lain. Only a pool of blood and that lingering stench remained.
"He can run fast, I'll give him that."
Tang San waved a hand in disgust and snorted as he looked toward the end of the dark street.
"If he dares show his face to me again, he won't get away with just one kick."
He straightened his slightly rumpled clothes, turned back into the King's Mansion, and slammed the gate shut.
Sparing another glance for a homeless cur like that would be a waste of time.
He still had to go back and make tea for his master.
Before you continue