Old Jack had gone through countless hardships to reach his position. Even if he were only a servant, he could still enter the Tang Sect's inner rooms, so the little village chief had clearly explained that he wanted Luo Mo to accept Tang San as his disciple.
The boy's appearance was not bad, but he did not want to offend the village chief for no reason.
Besides, he did not want to see the village chief bullied.
Suddenly, Luo Mo's eyes flashed. Taking advantage of the village chief's brief lapse in attention, he unleashed a mental illusion that magnified Tang San's contempt and mockery.
Using illusion and emotional manipulation to control a mere ordinary person was child's play.
As for Tang San's sudden appearance at the entrance of the Tang Sect's residence, Old Jack reacted as if nothing had happened. This year, the child he had brought back had actually possessed innate full spirit power.
Once a person had a solid foundation, his words naturally carried more weight.
As he was mocked for being a servant, Old Jack felt that he had to show some backbone.
He thought to himself, Ah, little Tang, little Tang. You possess three grades of innate full spirit power.
Old Jack knocked on the three children's room door. With a smile, he said, "Little brat, I brought back a child from the Spirit Village. This Tang San is the apprentice I sent to you this year."
The door opened. The village chief's eyes swept over him, and he was stunned when he saw the three children.
"Are you kidding me? A child with three grades of innate full spirit power?"
The village chief's expression showed that he did not believe it, but he could not hold back his anger any longer.
He did not dare offend the person in front of him.
"Gloves and rabbits—I can manage those. But an Immortal Herb can possess innate full spirit power? Where did you find this Tang San?"
"I am."
Tang San raised his eyes and answered.
"Ha!"
The village chief sized him up. Tang San wore coarse hemp clothes patched with several pieces of cloth, and the contempt in his eyes deepened.
"Your appearance is obviously fake. You look like some sour scholar. Could someone dressed in patched clothes really possess innate full spirit power? I say, which poor village did you come from? Get out of here!"
"You..."
Old Jack could not stand it any longer and was about to step forward and argue.
The village chief ignored him completely and walked straight toward Tang San.
"You want to become a worker at the academy and eat and drink for free? I already said! This is not a charity hall. Get lost!"
Tang San narrowed his eyes. A cold glint flashed in their depths.
The Tang Sect's profound heaven technique circulated through the third cycle—
Once the opponent had made up his mind to harm someone and shown no mercy, Tang San would not hold back either. Otherwise, he might as well seek death himself.
As the village chief rushed forward, Tang San quickly unleashed a grappling technique, grabbed the man's leg, and pulled him backward.
"Ah!"
"Ow!"
The village chief's shout turned into a shriek. He fell hard, and at the same time, his waist struck the edge of the table, making him cry out in pain.
Tang San's eyes flashed with a ruthless light. His body twisted, and he kicked straight toward the village chief's lower abdomen.
Only a sharp crack could be heard. It was the sound of bones breaking.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
The village chief let out a miserable scream unlike any human voice. He rolled on the ground, clutching himself in agony, his pain so intense that tears streamed from his eyes.
"Damn it!" Luo Mo sucked in a breath of cold air.
The village chief was vicious. He wanted to take someone's life over a disagreement.
Xiao Wu rolled her eyes. It was the first time she had seen Tang San being bullied like this. Thinking about how he had teased Tang San earlier, she suddenly felt a little guilty and decided to help him vent his anger.
"Brat... I'll kill you..."
Unable to bear the pain, the village chief cursed viciously.
The curse rang in Tang San's ears, causing the killing intent in his heart to surge. His left hand slowly rose, while the sleeve of his robe began to tremble.
"Enough. Put your hands down."
Just then, a somewhat hoarse voice rang out, stopping the scene from escalating.
"Dean," the village chief said in alarm.
Old Jack and the others turned around. A thin, hunched middle-aged man stood there, though no one knew when he had arrived.
He was about forty or fifty years old, with short black hair and an ordinary appearance. He wore a simple gray robe, his hands behind his back, looking exactly like an ordinary village school principal.
The man's name was Yu Xiaogang.
"Dean, why have you come to this remote place?" the village chief asked, sucking in a breath.
Ever since Luo Mo had passed his beliefs to him and helped him comprehend the Heavenly Mandates, Yu Xiaogang had devoted himself to studying the ten great principles of martial souls. At the same time, he had prepared himself for the major breakthrough he would need in order to propose the core theory of martial souls.
"Ah, he probably wanted to send charcoal in the snow."
Luo Mo's lips curled into a faint smile. He had long since seen through Yu Xiaogang's spirit.
A figure crouched nearby, secretly peering toward the academy's entrance. He had probably come to investigate the new students and see whether there were any good seedlings.
"Dean, please stand up for me!"
The village chief spoke first. "That damn little brat is vicious! He actually broke my two ribs..."
Yu Xiaogang glanced at the village chief, ignored him, and picked up the three martial soul certificates that had fallen to the ground. He then took out a pair of pince-nez.
"Gloves, rabbits, Immortal Herbs... all possess innate full spirit power..."
His gaze shifted between the certificates and the three children. He carefully measured Tang San once, then turned to the village chief with a kind smile.
"Old sir, Dean Yu has been rude. On behalf of the academy, I apologize to you for what just happened."
Old Jack hurriedly reached out to stop him. "There's no need to apologize. This old fellow did nothing important. It was mainly because little San was treated unfairly."
As he spoke, Yu Xiaogang lightly glanced at the village chief.
"I'll report your conduct to the academy master. You needn't come again tomorrow."
The village chief noticed the cold look in Xiao Wu's eyes. His heart trembled, and cold sweat broke out across his body. He did not dare utter another word in protest.
Yet inside, he was filled with resentment.
He did not know what had possessed him to offend such a child.
He had lost both his ribs and his job.
"These three children are all entrusted to me, aren't they? I'll teach them on behalf of the academy."
Yu Xiaogang's face softened when he saw Old Jack. His tone also became much gentler.
"Fine, fine, Dean. These children will trouble you."
Old Jack had no choice but to follow him into the academy.
Luo Mo suddenly pulled Old Jack back. Behind his hand, he added several gold soul coins.
"Little San, you really are..."
"Village chief, it's getting late. Take a carriage back on the road. Don't let anything happen to you." Luo Mo interrupted Old Jack's pursuit.
At the academy entrance, there were already many pedestrians passing by. After hearing that someone had beaten another person, Old Jack was worried that the village chief would be unsafe.
"Fine, fine..."
Old Jack gave a bitter smile, then hurriedly closed the door and left.
Yu Xiaogang glanced at Luo Mo, then looked at Tang San. He revealed a stiff smile.
"Come with me."
Perhaps to comfort Tang San, he deliberately reached out and took Tang San's hand.
After entering the academy, Tang San still wore an awkward expression.
"What's wrong? A gentleman's hand is not to be touched." Yu Xiaogang casually shook his hand.
Suddenly, Luo Mo's eyes flashed. "All three of you possess innate full spirit power. Then do you know what happens to everyone who possesses innate full spirit power?"
The three children were stunned.
Tang San and Xiao Wu were equally confused.
Luo Mo clearly knew the answer, but he had no intention of explaining Tang San's strange martial soul process.
Seeing the three children's identical expressions, Yu Xiaogang's eyes brightened with curiosity. He raised three fingers.
"Based on my research, there are three martial souls that can be linked to innate full spirit power."
"Which three?" Tang San asked, his eyes suddenly filled with interest.
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