Tang San Takes a Master

Yu Xiaogang's stiff old face barely managed to squeeze out a faint smile. "Are you here to enroll too? How about I take you inside?"

These words were directed at Lin Ye.

Seeing that the child looked to be about six years old, he assumed he was also a new student this year, hence the question.

The old man swore he definitely wasn't trying to get close to that unreasonably beautiful woman.

"Heh, no need to trouble yourself. We're waiting for someone." Lin Ye waved a hand, too lazy to even bother with this old man.

Yu Xiaogang choked. The child's tone irritated him greatly—he was the Master, after all. Couldn't he show some respect?

So the old man took his anger out on the gatekeeper standing nearby.

"This is the first and last time. If it happens again, you can pack your things and leave."

With that, he led Tang San toward the interior of the academy.

"Teacher, thank you," Tang San said to Yu Xiaogang.

"Teacher? I'm not a teacher at the academy." Yu Xiaogang glanced down at Tang San and spoke flatly.

"Not a teacher? But didn't you just say you were representing the academy?"

Yu Xiaogang shook his head, his stiff old face squeezing out an ugly smile. "Who said only academy teachers can represent the academy?"

Tang San's face lit up with realization, thinking he'd guessed the truth. "I see. Then you must be the academy's principal or a leader."

Yu Xiaogang chuckled wryly. "Young as you are, you're quite sharp. But you're wrong again."

"Then who are you?" Tang San was puzzled.

Yu Xiaogang sighed wistfully. "I'm just a boarder here, eating and living off the place. You can call me Master. Everyone calls me that—I've even forgotten my own name."

"The Martial Soul Hall certificate says your name is Tang San, right? Tang San, you need to understand that 'Master' and 'Teacher' mean vastly different things. Don't make that mistake in the future."

"Unless—" He paused here, his gaze toward Tang San burning with intensity.

"Unless you truly want me to be your teacher."

"You want to teach me how to cultivate my martial soul?" Tang San couldn't help asking.

Yu Xiaogang stopped, turned to face Tang San, and smiled. "So, are you willing?"

Tang San didn't respond. He just lifted his dark little face and silently stared at Yu Xiaogang.

The meaning was clear: Go ahead, start your pitch, and then I'll decide whether to take you as my master.

"Indeed, you're a clever child." Yu Xiaogang gave an awkward but polite smile. "Outstanding talent, quick-witted and bright.

Not bad. It seems I'll have to be stubborn for once. After all, you're a rare Twin Martial Soul."

At these words, Tang San was greatly shocked. His gaze toward Yu Xiaogang turned wary. His left hand quietly lifted, the Sleeve Sword ready to strike, prepared at any moment to silence this old man permanently.

Yu Xiaogang had no idea he was teetering on the brink of death. Looking as if he held all the answers, he smiled and said, "Strange that I know you have Twin Martial Souls, isn't it? It's because of this certificate."

As he spoke, he waved the certificate the Martial Soul Hall had issued for Tang San.

"Others might miss the flaw in it, but if I couldn't see it, I'd be unworthy of the title Master.

In my past research, among the 647 people who possessed Blue Silver Grass, 16 had soul power.

And of those 16, the highest Innate Soul Power was a mere level 1.

Yet you, with the same Blue Silver Grass martial soul, have Innate Full Soul Power at level 10.

According to my studies, Innate Soul Power is directly proportional to martial soul quality. A martial soul like Blue Silver Grass simply cannot achieve Innate Full Soul Power.

Therefore, I can conclude that you have another martial soul—and an exceptionally powerful one at that."

Tang San slowly lowered his left hand and said calmly, "Every rule has an exception, doesn't it?"

Yu Xiaogang: "But your martial soul is Blue Silver Grass, so you're clearly not that exception.

In the past century across the two empires, only two Twin Martial Souls have appeared, but there have been 19 cases of Innate Full Soul Power.

I've carefully studied each of them. Every one of them inherited a powerful martial soul.

Fourteen of them obtained their strong martial souls through family lineage.

The other five were different. They weren't born into noble clans or sects, yet they still rarely possessed Innate Full Soul Power. That's because they had Mutated Martial Souls.

And based on my years of research into Mutated Martial Souls, no martial soul has ever been known to mutate with Blue Silver Grass. Yet your Blue Silver Grass is ordinary Blue Silver Grass. So I can say with full certainty that my judgment is correct."

"Mutated Martial Soul—what is that?" Tang San noticed this unfamiliar piece of knowledge.

Yu Xiaogang said, "It's when a person possesses..."

Blah blah blah...

Yu Xiaogang rambled on, expounding on the theories he took such pride in.

After hearing all this, Tang San was thoroughly convinced. This uncle was truly a learned scholar.

Then Tang San took a step back, creating some distance between them, bent both knees, and fell to the ground with a thud. He then knocked his head three times in succession—duang, duang, duang.

"What are you doing?" Yu Xiaogang was slightly taken aback.

"I humbly beg the Master to take me as your disciple," Tang San said respectfully.

Yu Xiaogang's old face once again twisted into a stiff smile as he hurriedly bent down to help Tang San up. "Silly child, to take a master, a bow is enough. Kowtowing is the rite for sovereigns and parents."

Clearly, the customs of Douluo Continent differed from those of Tang San's previous life.

But Tang San felt his own etiquette was not wrong. He said earnestly, "One day as master, a lifetime as father. A teaching master is like a second parent—you deserve my kneeling bow."

Yu Xiaogang's expression shifted with emotion. "One day as master, a lifetime as father. Good, good, good. I truly did not choose wrong."

As they say, a single detail reveals the whole; success or failure lies in the small things. Though their time together had been brief, Yu Xiaogang could already see virtue in Tang San—this was a filial child.

From now on, he would treat him like his own son.

It just so happened that he had no children of his own. Taking in this boy meant someone would care for him in his old age and see to his final rites.

Yu Xiaogang looked up at the sky. After so many years, he was finally about to see the light. Heaven truly had eyes—no, rather, gold always shines.

At that moment, Yu Xiaogang felt the sky itself had brightened, and he could not help but want to laugh freely.

And just then, a crow flew overhead. It was an immoral crow, for it relieved itself wherever it pleased.

A lump of bird droppings fell, and its landing spot happened to be right on Yu Xiaogang.

Splat!

Yu Xiaogang felt something warm and slightly runny touch his lips. Subconsciously, he licked it—couldn't tell what it was, but the taste was strange, something he'd never eaten before.

He wiped a bit off his lips with his finger, brought it before his eyes, and only then saw clearly that it was bird droppings. His face instantly changed color, and he began to vomit on the spot.