At Last, They Met!

At the same time, he recalled the girl who had appeared in the simulation. "Xiao Wu... a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, a Soft Bone Rabbit..." The information filled him with both unease and curiosity.

Accompanied by Old Jack, Tang San arrived at the gates of Nuoding Academy.

Sure enough, just as in the simulation, the snobbish gatekeeper stopped them, his words dripping with humiliation.

But this time, Tang San did not respond as "mildly" as he had in the simulation.

His gaze turned cold as the inner strength of the Mysterious Heaven Skill silently began to circulate within him. When the gatekeeper reached out to shove Old Jack, Tang San casually pressed a certain acupoint on the man's waist.

"Aaaah!!"

The gatekeeper immediately felt a piercing pain shoot through him. He bent over with a scream, cold sweat pouring down his face.

Tang San watched him suffer without a trace of emotion. His voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable chill:

"Have you considered the consequences of making things difficult for me today?

If I report this to Spirit Hall--

A gatekeeper who is not even a Soul Master, wantonly humiliating a genius Soul Master with Innate Full Soul Power.

What do you think Spirit Hall will do to you?"

Those words were like a bucket of ice water over his head, instantly extinguishing the gatekeeper's arrogance.

Enduring the agony, he stared fearfully at the six-year-old child before him, whose eyes were terrifyingly cold. At last, he realized that this was someone he absolutely could not afford to provoke.

He no longer cared about his pride. With a thud, he dropped to his knees and repeatedly kowtowed, apologizing to Tang San and Old Jack.

Tang San did not even spare him a glance. Taking the still-dazed Old Jack by the hand, he headed inside, wanting only to finish the enrollment process as soon as possible and avoid further complications.

Yet, as the saying went, speak of the devil and he appeared.

A middle-aged man in worn robes, with a crew cut and a haggard, gloomy face, happened to be walking out of the academy. His gaze fell upon Tang San.

Yu Xiaogang!

The instant Tang San saw the man, his entire body stiffened, as though his blood had frozen solid!

An uncontrollable killing intent surged up like a venomous snake, making him tremble faintly. The poisoned silver needle that had silently slipped into his hand from his sleeve nearly flew free!

It was him!

This mediocre teacher had ruined the potential of his Blue Silver Emperor! He had indirectly caused his father's death!

To Tang San, the ending in the simulation was no different from reality!

Rule Six of the Mysterious Heaven Manual: Remain unflustered even if Mount Tai collapses before you; show no alarm even if the Yellow River bursts over your head.

A true master of hidden weapons had to keep a calm mind at all times!

A rational voice screamed frantically in his mind, forcibly suppressing the killing intent that was about to break through his reason.

Attack? Here?

What if Spirit Hall truly had Shadow Guards protecting him? Tang San would be doomed beyond redemption, and he might even drag his father into it!

With great difficulty, he slowly pressed the Sleeve Arrow back into its mechanism. Yet the hair-thin silver needle coated in deadly poison remained clamped tightly between his fingers, his knuckles already white from the excessive force.

Let Yu Xiaogang go just like that?

Absolutely not!

Rule Three of the Mysterious Heaven Manual clearly warned:

Once you determine that someone is an enemy, so long as they deserve death, show no mercy. Otherwise, you will only bring yourself unnecessary trouble!

Everything in the simulation was enough to condemn Yu Xiaogang to death!

It had not happened in reality yet? That was nothing more than luck!

Tang San would never entrust his fate to an enemy's stupidity or good fortune!

Just as Yu Xiaogang, exactly as he had in the simulation, approached with that pretentious air of profundity, preparing to "expose" Tang San's Twin Martial Souls and launch into his spiel about taking a disciple--

Tang San moved!

At the instant everyone's attention was drawn to Yu Xiaogang, Tang San turned sideways as if preparing to listen, then flicked a finger almost imperceptibly!

The tiny poisoned silver needle silently became a glint of light, shooting straight toward the blood vessel at the side of Yu Xiaogang's neck!

It was so fast that it surpassed the limits of ordinary human vision!

Yet, at the very instant the needle was about to pierce his skin--

"Ssh!"

A faint whistle of air sounded. A thinner, nearly invisible metal thread arrived after yet struck first, wrapping precisely around the needle when it was only a hair's breadth from Yu Xiaogang's skin and freezing it in midair!

A figure like a ghost, whose aura had almost completely blended into the surroundings, silently appeared not far from Yu Xiaogang's side. His eyes were sharp as a hawk's as he coldly looked toward Tang San, a thread of killing intent already locking onto him!

There really was a Shadow Guard!

Tang San's heart jolted, but before he could make his next move, another clear voice rang out:

"Heh, has Spirit Hall become so unconcerned with propriety these days?

Is it really necessary to send a Shadow Guard against a six-year-old child?"

Before the words had finished ringing out, a figure appeared between Tang San and the Shadow Guard as though teleporting.

The newcomer wore dark black brocade robes, his posture tall and straight. A cascade of silver-white hair gleamed brilliantly beneath the sunlight. His face was exceptionally handsome, and he possessed an otherworldly bearing. It was Fu Shiyan, who had completed his manifestation and rushed here from Balaque City!

With a casual wave of his hand, the frozen poisoned needle and the metal thread wrapped around it both crumbled into dust and vanished.

"Master!"

Though this familiar figure was somewhat different in age, his face and bearing were identical to the Fu Shiyan Tang San had seen in the simulation. Overwhelmed by surprise and joy, Tang San could not help blurting it out.

Hearing this, Fu Shiyan slightly tilted his head and glanced at Tang San from the corner of his eye. One brow lifted, his tone carrying a touch of distance and confusion.

"Whose child are you? Why are you randomly calling someone Master?"

After saying that, he ignored Tang San and turned toward the Spirit Hall Shadow Guard, an invisible pressure beginning to spread from him.

Where no one could see, however, the corner of Fu Shiyan's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly as he grumbled inwardly:

Good heavens, the con worked a little too well, didn't it?

He's already calling me Master?

His original plan had merely been to use the Simulator to continuously squeeze Faith Power out of Tang San. He had never intended to actually take a disciple.

Before his manifestation, his own theoretical knowledge of Martial Souls had been laughably scant. What could he possibly teach someone else?

Forget teaching Tang San; if he pulled out any lower-year student from a Spirit Academy, that student's theoretical knowledge would probably be more solid than his.

But he had never expected that a manifestation with one hundred percent character completion would grant him even the knowledge system of a "Martial Soul theory Grandmaster," something he had not possessed before!

What left him even more torn between laughter and tears was that, because of his experiences in the simulation, Tang San had clearly formed the preconceived notion that Fu Shiyan was far more worthy than Yu Xiaogang of the title "theory Grandmaster."

This accidental trust had directly placed him in a position where he had no choice but to act like an "expert."

Well, this is just great...

Fu Shiyan felt a little uneasy inside.

Looks like I'll have to take this disciple whether I want to or not? But what do I know about teaching disciples?