The Great Stage of Douluo, My Name is Qian Xunji

Old Jack responded to each of their questions, telling the two children everything he knew.

In the midst of this, Tang San mentioned that Tang Hao had told him to go to the blacksmith shop to work.

Old Jack couldn't help but say indignantly, "You? Going to work at a blacksmith shop? Are you kidding me? I think Tang Hao has truly lost his mind."

"How old are you? You're probably not even as tall as a forging hammer yet. What kind of blacksmith shop would take an apprentice like you? Besides, blacksmithing is a profession that isn't valued at all; you won't earn much money working there. It's enough for you to just study hard at the academy."

These were Old Jack's heartfelt words. He didn't know about Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer martial soul, nor did he know about the self-created soul skills of the Clear Sky Hammer. In his understanding, becoming a soul master and cultivating diligently was the only proper path; running off to forge iron was a complete waste of time and a neglect of one's true duties.

However, Tang San clearly didn't take it to heart, keeping his head lowered without responding to Old Jack's words.

Old Jack calmed his breathing, looked at Tang San's obedient appearance, and sighed. Remembering the strange family situation that allowed them to afford the tuition, he ultimately decided not to dwell on the topic any further.

The three of them continued to chat about the benefits of the soul master academy and being a soul master, most of which Old Jack had heard from others.

Old Jack only had a simple understanding of soul masters, and what he said wasn't detailed. Tang San understood that he would have to explore such knowledge slowly within the academy, especially regarding things like soul beasts and soul rings.

It wasn't far from Holy Soul Village to Nuoding City. The two of them walked for half a day, eating some dry rations along the way. By the afternoon, they could already see the city walls in the distance.

After passing the inspection at the city gate, the three of them successfully entered the city.

Old Jack hadn't been to Nuoding City much, nor did he know the way to the Nuoding Academy.

He could only lead the two children through the streets, asking for directions here and there.

This was Tang San's first time in Nuoding City. He looked around to observe the city, but with the memories of his past life, he appeared very calm, lacking the curiosity and inferiority complex of an ordinary country child entering the city for the first time.

Kai had been here a few times, but only to sell prey at the market. He hadn't stayed long; after all, the journey was long, and wasting even a little time meant he wouldn't be able to make it back in time, so he didn't know the location of the Nuoding Academy either.

After stumbling along, the three of them finally arrived at the entrance of the Nuoding Academy.

From afar, they could already see a tall archway. The arch was twenty meters wide and over ten meters high, all built from solid rock. Below it were two iron-grille gates, dark and heavy; Tang San could tell at a glance that they were forged from high-quality refined iron.

Through the gaps in the iron gate, one could clearly see the wide, clean road inside and the tall trees on both sides.

Naturally, there were guards stationed at the main gate.

The guards at the Nuoding Academy were used to seeing soul masters and prospective soul masters coming and going, so their standards were naturally high. Seeing the three of them dressed in simple, shabby clothing, they frowned.

"What are you doing here? Is this a place for you country bumpkins to come?" They blocked the three of them before they could even reach the guardhouse.

Chapter 19: Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang

The guard was able to work at a soul master academy and receive visiting soul masters, so he naturally had some background; at the very least, he was someone ordinary people couldn't afford to offend.

He looked at the two children beside the man and, connecting it to the fact that it was currently the enrollment period for the Nuoding Academy, he naturally knew why the three of them were there.

But how to put it—some people just love to exploit their small amount of power to the extreme. In previous years, the ordinary people who brought their children to the academy would always offer some kind of tribute.

However, Old Jack, who was penniless and couldn't even afford to stay in an inn, didn't understand this, nor did he have the money to give.

The old man, who had spent his whole life farming honestly, immediately began to explain: "Little brother, we are from Holy Soul Village. This child is the work-study student sent by our village this year. The other child is enrolling at his own expense. Could you tell us what procedures we need to handle?" As he spoke, he pointed to Kai and Tang San respectively.

Seeing that Old Jack didn't understand his meaning, the guard naturally made things difficult again. "Can a grass nest really produce a golden phoenix? A small village actually has someone with soul power? The academy hasn't had a work-study student in many years. You aren't fakes, are you?"

Old Jack suppressed his anger and handed over the certificate issued by the Martial Soul Hall. The guard took it.

He scanned it critically, his tone skeptical. "Blue Silver Grass? And Innate Full Soul Power? It's possible for the other one with a blade martial soul to have full innate soul power, but this Blue Silver Grass is truly the biggest joke in the world."

"I've been a guard at this academy for four years, and I've never heard of a student with Innate Full Soul Power. This kid's martial soul is Blue Silver Grass, and he has full soul power? I think this Martial Soul Hall certificate must be forged by you." It was no wonder the guard was so adamant; Blue Silver Grass was recognized as a trash martial soul and basically had no innate soul power. Occasionally, there were exceptions, but most only had half a level or one level of innate soul power. Even reaching level ten to obtain a soul ring and graduating as a low-level soul master was a problem, let alone having Innate Full Soul Power.

While his verbal mockery was at its peak, the guard knew in his heart that a Martial Soul Hall certificate could not be faked.

Kai watched this farce unfold and, seeing Old Jack standing in front of him, stepped forward.

At the same time, a blade appeared out of thin air in Kai's hand.

The blade was wide and black, the edge incredibly sharp and shimmering with a cold blue light. The hilt was a mix of black and gold; one look was enough to tell it was a weapon of slaughter.

Just looking at it made one's spine chill. This was a demonic blade—the Demonic Blade!

Kai didn't say a word, but as he walked forward dragging this demonic blade that was almost taller than he was, the guard couldn't help but retreat involuntarily.

"You, what are you doing? This is the Nuoding Academy, not a place for you to run wild!" The guard's voice trembled uncontrollably.

"Little Kai, don't be impulsive! Listen to Grandpa, put your martial soul away. It's not worth it for someone like this; Grandpa will handle this matter." Old Jack was also trembling a bit, but he still stood out to persuade him.

"Alright, stop." Just then, a somewhat hoarse voice rang out, stopping both sides.

Everyone turned their heads toward the direction the voice came from.

They saw a man of medium height and slightly thin build walking toward them. He looked to be about forty or fifty years old, with short black hair parted in a three-to-seven split. His appearance was very ordinary, and he walked with his hands behind his back, yet he possessed a unique temperament. His eyes, as they opened and closed, carried a hint of laziness and decadence.

In summary: ordinary looks, good temperament, great posture, a bit pretentious, and a noble specialty.

When the guard saw who it was, his demeanor changed instantly. He ran over respectfully, his voice sycophantic, nodding and bowing as he cleared the way. "Grandmaster, you're back!"

"Old gentleman, could you let me see the Martial Soul Hall certificate?" However, the Grandmaster only glanced at the guard dismissively, walked past him, and asked the three of them.

Compared to the "small conflict" between a mere guard who wasn't even a soul master and these ordinary people, the Grandmaster—Yu Xiaogang—was more concerned with whether what they had just said was true.

Innate Full Soul Power! Even the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, to which Yu Xiaogang belonged, hadn't produced many geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power.

Ordinary people didn't understand the importance of Innate Full Soul Power, but as a member of a great clan, Yu Xiaogang knew exactly what it represented.

Innate soul power was a reflection of a soul master's talent and potential.

Just like Yu Xiaogang himself, his innate soul power was only half a level. Even after consuming so many precious herbs and spending so many resources, he had barely reached level 29 before he was unable to break through any further.

A genius with Innate Full Soul Power, provided they have sufficient resources, train diligently, and survive, will surely become a Soul Douluo in the future, and most likely a Titled Douluo.

The mere thought that two such top-tier geniuses might fall into his hands, become his disciples, and prove his theories, made Yu Xiaogang feel uncontrollably excited.

Old Jack was a village chief by trade, so he knew how to read a room. He could tell from the gatekeeper's expression that this middle-aged man definitely held a high status in the academy, not to mention the title of Grandmaster. He hurriedly handed over the proof in his hand.

"The proof is indeed genuine. Sir, I apologize to you on behalf of the academy for what just happened. Please, leave this child to me."

After reading the Martial Soul Hall proof handed over by Old Jack, Yu Xiaogang looked toward Tang San and Kai.

Old Jack immediately realized that this Grandmaster didn't know the two children, so he quickly introduced them, "This is Tang San, his martial soul is Blue Silver Grass, and this is little Kai, his martial soul is a blade."

Su Yuntao hadn't recognized the martial soul, so he had simply written "blade" in the martial soul name column on the proof.

Kai hadn't stopped him; the name of his martial soul was Demonic Blade, which sounded a bit sinister. It was better to keep a low profile until he had the strength to back it up.

Chapter 20: Each with Their Own Thoughts

Yu Xiaogang glanced at the extraordinary martial soul in Kai's hand—one that made people feel a bone-chilling cold just by looking at it—and then looked back at the martial soul name column on the Martial Soul Hall proof. It was just a simple word: "blade."

He couldn't help but feel that the Martial Soul Hall staff member responsible for recording the awakening was incredibly incompetent. For a martial soul of this caliber, even if they didn't recognize it, they should have at least recorded it with care!

If one only looked at the paperwork, who knows how many people would underestimate or even overlook this genius.

Thinking this, Yu Xiaogang turned to Old Jack, who was waiting for the result on the side, and said, "The proof is indeed genuine. Sir, I apologize to you on behalf of the academy for what just happened. Please, leave these two children to me."

Having a person who was at least a Soul Master apologize to him greatly satisfied Old Jack's vanity. He hurriedly waved his hands and said, "No need to apologize, no need at all. We were also in the wrong just now. Grandmaster, I'll leave these two children in your care. Little San, little Kai, follow the Grandmaster inside, and be sure to listen to him."

The silver-haired Kai nodded obediently. If one ignored the vicious blade in his hand and looked only at his appearance, Kai was a well-behaved and beautiful child, the kind of "other people's child" that adults always talked about.

Tang San nodded without speaking.

After Jack gave Tang San a few more instructions, he finally departed.

Watching the old man's retreating back, Yu Xiaogang glanced at the cautious gatekeeper beside him. "This is the first and last time. If it happens again, you won't need to stay."

Cold sweat broke out on the gatekeeper's back, and he hurriedly agreed repeatedly before scurrying to the side.

Yu Xiaogang was also feeling a bit of displaced anger; if he hadn't happened to run into them, this dog-eyed, unreasonable gatekeeper might have caused him to miss out on two genius disciples.

That's right, Yu Xiaogang had already made up his mind to take these two Innate Full Soul Power geniuses as his disciples.

He couldn't help but fantasize in his heart: he might not be able to become a powerhouse himself, but he could become the master of powerhouses! He could still wash away his shame and become the pride of his family.

He would spread the name of Grandmaster far and wide and become the true, undisputed number one theoretical master of the Douluo Continent.

Yu Xiaogang wanted to win the two children over and reached out to hold their hands, but to his disappointment, the child named Kai took a step back to avoid him, his eyes and posture guarded, appearing difficult to approach.

On the contrary, the child named Tang San accepted Yu Xiaogang's approach quite naturally, allowing Yu Xiaogang to take his hand, appearing very well-behaved and trusting.

The three of them finally stepped into Nuoding Academy.

"Teacher, thank you." Tang San expressed his gratitude to Yu Xiaogang.

"Teacher? I am not a teacher at the academy." Yu Xiaogang looked down at Tang San and said indifferently.

He looked detached and confident, like a true expert with profound knowledge.

Of course, this was merely a facade. As a Soul Grand Master whose soul power could not break through level 30 and whose combat strength was low, no middle or high-level academy would hire him as a teacher, except for low-level ones like Nuoding Academy.

He had come to Nuoding Academy as a teacher with a sense of grievance, yet he looked down on the children here who didn't have high innate soul power, refusing to teach classes and only wanting to focus on his own theories, to the point where he didn't even want to admit he was a teacher at this academy.

He was the type to eat from the bowl and then curse the cook, a trait he displayed to the fullest.

If it weren't for the fact that the token Bibi Dong gave him was gone, he might have even gone to the Martial Soul Hall's branch in Nuoding City to fleece them, using the data of the children whose martial souls had been awakened by the Martial Soul Hall over the years for his own research.

The dirty work would be done by others, and he would only need to take a look and summarize it.

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Sure enough, upon hearing the Grandmaster's pretentious remarks, Tang San, who was usually quiet, isolated, and cold back in the village, became eager.

Tang San had guessed that Yu Xiaogang could represent the academy and was a teacher or leader, but Yu Xiaogang had denied it.

Tang San became even more excited instead.

Yu Xiaogang was very susceptible to Tang San's reaction; both of them had their own hidden agendas.

"I am just a guest here, sponging off their food and drink. Like everyone else, just call me Grandmaster. Everyone addresses me that way. I have even forgotten my own name. The Martial Soul Hall proof says your name is Tang San, right? Tang San, you must understand that the meaning of 'Grandmaster' and 'teacher' are worlds apart. Don't call me wrong in the future. Unless..."

He paused here, but his eyes flashed with a burning light. "Unless you are truly willing to let me be your teacher."

Yu Xiaogang finally couldn't help but reveal his true purpose.

As he said this, his peripheral vision flickered toward Kai, who was standing to the side.

"Are you going to teach me how to cultivate my martial soul?" Tang San didn't agree immediately, but instead asked cautiously.

The Grandmaster stopped in his tracks. Without answering Tang San's question directly, he stood facing him and asked in return, "Are you willing?"

Watching the two of them perform, Kai finally couldn't help but interrupt.

"May I ask where I should go to register?"

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