"Then let me be your opponent."
Just then, however, an unexpected turn occurred. Su Mo suddenly issued a challenge and walked over to Tang San with Xiao Wu.
"Brother Mo?" Tang San froze.
"Strictly speaking, I count as a work-study student too."
Su Mo offered a brief explanation, then patted Tang San on the shoulder to reassure him. "Don't blame Wang Sheng and the others. If I hadn't trusted you to break free, I probably wouldn't have been able to resist stepping in either."
Although his words excused Wang Sheng and the others, he was actually explaining, in a roundabout way, why he hadn't offered any help earlier.
However much he hated Tang San deep down, he still had to put on a show of brotherly affection.
Otherwise, how would he build a good relationship with Tang San later?
And without a good relationship, how could he smoothly screw Tang San over?
"Who are you?" Seeing that something unexpected really had happened, Boss Xiao felt utterly miserable.
All he wanted was to lose to Tang San and avoid retaliation from the forces behind him. That was all. Why was it so difficult?
"My name is Su Mo. I'm Tang San's brother, and I'm also a first-year work-study student this year."
Su Mo briefly introduced himself.
"First-year?"
Boss Xiao looked skeptically at Su Mo, who stood half a head taller than Tang San.
You don't look like a six-year-old no matter how I look at you!
And you carry yourself even more impressively than Tang San. Who would believe you're a work-study student? Aren't you some young master from a great clan, here to sample ordinary life?
"I'm in a hurry. Come at me together." Su Mo borrowed Tang San's earlier line, then announced his Martial Soul and level.
"Su Mo, first-year. Martial Soul: gloves. Level eleven, One-Ring Tool Soul Master."
Boss Xiao looked stunned. "Another One-Ring Soul Master?"
You big shots came to the beginner village as a group to blow up the fishpond, huh?
He grew increasingly certain that Su Mo had a powerful background.
Yet when Boss Xiao watched Su Mo summon his Martial Soul and reveal a purple Soul Ring, he was completely dumbfounded.
His mouth hung open, and he couldn't get a single word out for a long while.
A th-thousand-year Soul Ring?
White meant a ten-year Soul Ring, yellow meant a hundred-year Soul Ring, and purple meant a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. But did this make any sense?
Wasn't that a color you could only absorb for your third Soul Ring?
Yet this was only Su Mo's first ring!
Gasp!
Everyone sucked in a sharp breath, equally shocked and bewildered. They couldn't help wondering whether their eyes were playing tricks on them or they were hallucinating.
But no matter how many times they rubbed their eyes or pinched their thighs...
That Soul Ring remained purple.
"How is this possible?"
"A six-year-old Soul Master! A purple first ring! What kind of godlike setup is that?"
"I must be dreaming..."
Many students at Nuoding Academy might never have seen a purple Soul Ring in their lives. Now they were seeing one as the first ring of a first-year work-study student. How could they not find it unbelievable?
Everyone looked at Su Mo as though he were a monster.
The color of Su Mo's Soul Ring completely overturned these students' understanding of Martial Souls.
If Tang San having a hundred-year first ring at six was unprecedented in Nuoding Academy's history, then Su Mo having a thousand-year first ring at six was absolutely unprecedented in the history of the entire Douluo Continent.
They had undoubtedly witnessed history!
Perhaps they had even witnessed the future!
Tang San felt rather helpless at the sight. You've hogged all the limelight.
Tang Hao's expression was equally complicated. He had seen it once before in the Soul Hunting Forest, making this the second time, yet it shocked him every time.
It also filled him with immense regret.
Had he known, he would have found some whale rubber for his son to consume much earlier.
If he had paid more attention to the theory of strengthening the body with whale rubber, found someone to test it first, and let his son absorb it once its effectiveness was confirmed, things wouldn't have come to this.
But Grandmaster was also to blame.
It was understandable that a blacksmith like him didn't understand these theories, but Grandmaster researched Martial Souls. His complete disregard for the whale rubber body-strengthening theory bordered on dereliction of duty.
I'll go beat up Grandmaster in a bit.
"I concede."
Boss Xiao gave a bitter chuckle and immediately released his Martial Soul Possession.
Against a hundred-year first ring, he still had the courage to fight. Against a thousand-year first ring, he couldn't muster even a shred of fighting spirit.
Strength was one factor.
But the background behind it was what frightened him most.
After all, a level-ten Soul Scholar couldn't hunt down a thousand-year Soul Beast. Someone must have helped him. Perhaps Su Mo's background was even more terrifying than Tang San's.
The other lackeys had no objections to their boss conceding.
They would even raise both hands and both feet in agreement.
They might mock Blue Silver Grass with a hundred-year first ring, but facing a thousand-year first ring, all they felt was awe.
"Huh? You're conceding just like that?"
Su Mo was taken aback. He hadn't even made a move yet.
Xiao Chenyu, however, lowered his gaze submissively. "Yes, we concede. From now on, you're my boss, and the boss of the entire academy."
"Then what about washing socks?"
Xiao Chenyu hurriedly replied, "That's canceled! If you need someone to do that, Boss, I can wash your socks myself."
"That won't be necessary." Su Mo waved a hand.
"But no more bullying the work-study students."
"No problem, Boss."
Xiao Chenyu hastily agreed. "We guarantee we won't bully work-study students ever again. We're even willing to apologize for our past mistakes and compensate the students we've hurt."
Seeing that Xiao Chenyu knew which way the wind was blowing, Su Mo had no further objections.
After a moment's hesitation, Xiao Chenyu ventured cautiously, "By the way, Boss, how did you absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring while you were still a Soul Scholar? Of course, if that's too presumptuous, pretend I never asked. I don't mean anything by it. I just wanted to admire your brilliance."
Su Mo smiled. "There's nothing I can't tell you."
He then explained the three great laws of Martial Souls once again.
After hearing them, Xiao Chenyu was astonished.
He had heard some adults mention whale rubber before, but he had never expected it to improve one's physique and increase the age limit of the Soul Rings one could absorb.
Some in the crowd remained skeptical, however.
They believed Su Mo himself was special, rather than the whale rubber.
Hearing this, Su Mo offered no explanation and gave Xiao Wu a meaningful look.
"Xiao Wu, first-year. Martial Soul: rabbit. Level eleven, One-Ring Battle Soul Master." Understanding his cue, Xiao Wu revealed her Martial Soul as she announced her information.
Everyone watched another purple Soul Ring emerge.
"Gasp! Another thousand-year ring!"
Everyone was numb. Had thousand-year first rings become so common that they littered the streets?
No one present questioned it again.
"Thank you for sharing your teachings, Boss. The Xiao family will certainly reward you generously." Xiao Chenyu offered his thanks, then hurried out of the academy.
Clearly, he planned to go home and have his father, the city lord, buy whale rubber in bulk.
Some students from well-off families followed his example.
With the matter settled, Su Mo said goodbye to Tang San and returned to the dormitory with Xiao Wu.
But just as he entered the dormitory, his Spiritual Detection picked up Tang Hao sneaking into the dormitory building as well, heading to the top floor and quietly slipping into Grandmaster's room.
Sneaking around like that-he must be up to something shady.
Su Mo's interest was instantly piqued.