Nuoding Academy, the Master

Along the way, the three of them barely spoke.

Old Jack was getting on in years and had little in common with youngsters like Chen Yumo and Tang San. He only occasionally asked them a few questions out of concern.

As for Chen Yumo and Tang San, they simply could not stand each other.

Because of the bias he carried over from the original story, Chen Yumo instinctively felt that Tang San was not someone worth getting close to. He had no interest in becoming friends with him. Who knew how many times he might cut Tang San off or oppose him in the future?

Why bother building such a good relationship?

Tang San, meanwhile, simply looked down on Chen Yumo. In particular, he, someone with Innate Full Soul Power, had actually been labeled by Su Yuntao as having the same useless Martial Soul as Chen Yumo.

That left him deeply dissatisfied.

Especially when he asked Tang Hao what kind of soul beast an Ice Silkworm was while carrying those feelings, Tang Hao's answer made Tang San dismiss Chen Yumo completely.

"What is an Ice Silkworm? The weakest soul beast in the Extreme North. Food in the mouths of every soul beast there, a soul beast at the very bottom of the food chain." Tang Hao spoke indifferently. "You don't need to worry about that kid whose Martial Soul is an Ice Silkworm. The height he can reach in this life probably won't even be as high as yours was the moment you awakened."

What Tang Hao meant was that Chen Yumo would most likely never reach level ten in his life and would not even qualify to obtain a Spirit Ring.

They were not even on the same level, so why would Tang San waste his energy trying to befriend Chen Yumo?

Amid the stifling atmosphere, the three finally reached Nuoding City just before the sun set.

Old Jack had probably visited Nuoding City many times and knew the way to Nuoding Academy well. After turning through several winding streets, he led Chen Yumo and Tang San to Nuoding Academy.

As expected, they were stopped by the gatekeeper again. But this time, the first divergence from the original story appeared.

When the gatekeeper saw the Ice Silkworm Martial Soul and Innate Level One Soul Power on Chen Yumo's Martial Soul certificate, he let him in. Level-one Soul Power was still Soul Power; it was not something an ordinary gatekeeper without any Soul Power could afford to offend.

But when he saw Tang San's Martial Soul certificate, he stopped him. Naturally, he suspected that Old Jack had forged the certificate. The useless Blue Silver Grass could not possibly possess Innate Full Soul Power.

As he spoke, the gatekeeper moved to shove Old Jack and drive him away.

"His Martial Soul certificate is genuine. Spirit Hall's Master Su Yuntao can vouch for it." Chen Yumo would have been happy enough if the gatekeeper had only made things difficult for Tang San, but if he dared lay hands on Old Jack, Chen Yumo could not tolerate it.

"You're just a lowly gatekeeper. How dare you question a Martial Soul certificate issued by Master Su Yuntao?"

At Chen Yumo's words, the gatekeeper's arrogant expression froze. He stood there hesitantly, his lips trembling, unable to utter a word for a long while.

Question Su Yuntao?

Sure, Brother Tao was just a weak Soul Grandmaster with one white and one yellow Spirit Ring, but in the eyes of ordinary people, Brother Tao was an unquestionable master of battle souls!

If Su Yuntao found out that a mere gatekeeper had dared question a Martial Soul certificate he had issued, then even if the man did not die, he would lose a layer of skin.

Spirit Hall merely forbade the senseless slaughter of commoners. If commoners offended the dignity of Soul Masters and paid the price, Spirit Hall would not interfere.

Especially in a case like this, where he had questioned a Martial Soul certificate issued by a Spirit Hall deacon, it already counted as disrespect toward Spirit Hall. If Su Yuntao truly killed him, the people of Spirit Hall would only turn a blind eye.

At its core, Douluo Continent was still a transcendent world that devoured people. Ordinary people occupied the very bottom rung.

Chen Yumo's single sentence frightened the gatekeeper until his face went pale.

Tang San's expression was not very pleasant either.

First, he had been provoked by a gatekeeper. Then, just as he was about to mark the man with the Way of Death, Chen Yumo had interrupted his casting. It left him with the suffocating frustration of a breath trapped in his chest.

"Enough. Let's leave it at that."

At that moment, a hoarse voice sounded from the side. The sleazy little flat-top who had been secretly watching Tang San for ages finally stepped out of a dark corner.

Yu Xiaogang glanced at the gatekeeper, took the Martial Soul certificate from Old Jack's hand, and lowered his head to examine it carefully.

When he saw the line reading Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, Innate Full Soul Power, an almost imperceptible heat flashed in Yu Xiaogang's eyes. According to his theory, Martial Soul strength was directly proportional to Innate Soul Power. Blue Silver Grass did not meet that condition, which meant Tang San definitely possessed another, more powerful Martial Soul!

Twin Martial Souls!

The third Twin Martial Soul in a hundred years, and he had actually encountered one here!

This was simply the finest disciple Heaven had bestowed upon Yu Xiaogang. With Tang San's help, he would surely prove that he was the greatest theoretical master in the Soul Master world!

It took Yu Xiaogang quite some time to barely calm his excitement. On the surface, however, he still wore that icy, deadpan face, doing his utmost to maintain the bearing of a reclusive expert.

"The Martial Soul certificate is genuine. You need not concern yourself with this matter. I'll take them into the academy." Yu Xiaogang glanced at the gatekeeper and spoke calmly.

"Yes, yes! Master, I'll leave right away!" Overjoyed, the gatekeeper nodded and bowed as he smoothly made his exit.

"Come with me!" Yu Xiaogang turned around, squeezing a rare, stiff smile onto his deadpan face. Taking Tang San's hand, he led him into Nuoding Academy.

The moment Chen Yumo saw Yu Xiaogang approaching, he had already entered the academy ahead of them.

He simply did not want to see Old Jack being bullied by a watchdog. He did not care what happened to Tang San. Since Yu Xiaogang had arrived, Old Jack would be fine, so he naturally left first.

After all, Chen Yumo had no interest in listening to Yu Xiaogang's theories. Nor did he want to be marked with the Way of Death just because he knew Tang San's secret of possessing Twin Martial Souls.

If he had not possessed a system, perhaps he would have tried to pick up some soul beast knowledge from Yu Xiaogang. No matter where Gangzi had stolen his learning from, there was no denying that his knowledge in that area had some substance.

But Chen Yumo came with his own Four-in-One Encyclopedia. Yu Xiaogang no longer held any value to him, so naturally, the farther away he stayed, the better.

Don't mess around on a fresh account.

He was still in the growth phase. Steady was the way to go.

While Tang San was taking Yu Xiaogang as his master, Chen Yumo had already arrived at the Academic Affairs Office and found the guide for his second beginner village—Director Su of Nuoding Academy.

"Hello, Director Su. This is my Martial Soul certificate." Chen Yumo bent over and handed him the certificate.

"Chen Yumo, this year's Work-Study Student from Radish Village, correct?" After taking the certificate and giving it a brief look, Director Su began writing on the forms before him.

"Yes, Director Su." Chen Yumo nodded obediently.

"Work-Study Students do not need to pay tuition, but the academy will assign you certain tasks so that you can earn some living expenses and support yourselves." Director Su continued writing without raising his head.

"Director Su, can I enroll normally and pay the tuition instead of becoming a Work-Study Student?"