Tang San continued asking, "Teacher, do you know what's going on with his Martial Soul?"
Yu Xiaogang coughed a few times. He naturally couldn't admit that he'd misjudged the situation, so he feigned a sigh and said, "Alas, it seems he's still ended up on this path after all."
"Teacher, you know?" Tang San's eyes lit up. He was both eager to learn and fiercely competitive. There was no doubt that Lan Si's defeat of Xiao Wu today had put some pressure on him. That was why he was so eager to learn everything about Lan Si. As the saying went, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
Yu Xiaogang's eyes glimmered with wisdom. "The path Lan Si has taken reminds me of a certain Soul Master. He also had a flower Martial Soul, one countless times more powerful than Lan Si's lotus."
"What happened to him?" Tang San pressed after hearing this.
Yu Xiaogang said regretfully, "Relying on his high-quality Martial Soul and powerful talent, he managed to cultivate to the Titled Douluo level. But because he chose the wrong path, he ended up at the bottom among those of the same rank, wasting his talent for nothing. He couldn't even defeat some Soul Masters with lower Soul Power than his, let alone Titled Douluos of the same rank."
Hearing this, Tang San asked hesitantly, "Teacher, do you mean that Titled Douluo also chose the same path as Lan Si?"
Yu Xiaogang nodded. "That's right. Lan Si's situation is very similar to that Titled Douluo's. He may seem powerful in the early stages, but he'll start to falter later on. The gap will become especially obvious once he reaches the Soul Saint stage, and in the end, he'll be lost among the crowd."
"Of course, all of this assumes that Lan Si can even cultivate to the Soul Saint stage. After all, though that Titled Douluo's talent couldn't compare, he was still blessed with extraordinary gifts. Even he found cultivation so difficult, let alone Lan Si, who had only a mere five levels of Innate Soul Power."
Tang San understood, and felt much more at ease. Yes, so what if Lan Si is strong now?
Without a professional theoretical mentor to guide him, and with only five levels of Innate Soul Power, the gap between them would only grow wider in the future.
Thinking of this, Tang San's lips curled into a faint, barely perceptible smile. He realized he might have been worrying too much.
Tang San bowed slightly. "Teacher, I understand. Please rest here for now. I'll come see you again when I bring you dinner tonight."
Yu Xiaogang smiled warmly. "Go on. Don't let it interfere with your cultivation."
Tang San nodded slightly and turned to leave the room.
Watching Tang San disappear from view, Yu Xiaogang's eyes flickered with contemplation. To be honest, he was already beginning to regret his decision. Lan Si's talent seemed to have exceeded his expectations.
He had awakened his Martial Soul three months ago with five levels of Innate Soul Power, and now he was already a One-Ring Soul Master.
To increase his Soul Power by five levels in such a short time might well have broken the record in the history of the Douluo Continent.
"Alas, it seems I'll have to spend more time with him from now on. A promising talent like this mustn't go to waste."
Meanwhile, after spending an hour reading Soul Master theory books in the academy library, Lan Si left Nuoding Academy.
Judging by the time, Tang San should be heading to the blacksmith shop to work part-time around now.
The biggest blacksmith shop in Nuoding City was the Otto Blacksmith Shop. The other shops had only a handful of blacksmiths and very little business. Tang San couldn't possibly go to one of them, and they wouldn't take on an apprentice like him anyway.
Without further ado, Lan Si headed straight to the Otto Blacksmith Shop.
Before he even entered, Lan Si felt a familiar wave of heat wash over him.
At the same time, a booming voice came from inside. "Little friend, what are you doing here? If you want something made, bring your grown-up along. Hurry on out of here—this place is dangerous."
"Has Tang San already arrived?" Lan Si smiled faintly and strode inside.
Inside the blacksmith shop, Tang San stood harmlessly in front of a brawny man with dark skin. The man's attention had been drawn to Tang San, and he'd stopped working to look at him curiously.
"Hello, sir. I'm here to apply for an apprentice position," Tang San said politely.
"Little friend, don't fool around. Go on home. With a little body like yours, you probably can't even lift a hammer." The burly man blinked, looked Tang San up and down, and shook his head.
"Uncle, just let me try!" Tang San pleaded with a determined look in his eyes.
"I—" The man was just about to refuse when a clear voice suddenly rang through the hall. "Uncle Tom, he's my classmate. Let him give it a try."
At the familiar voice, nearly all the blacksmiths—including the burly man—stopped working. Their eyes lit up at once, and they turned toward Lan Si with friendly smiles.
"A-Si, what brings you here? The boss just went out. When he heard you'd become a Soul Master, he was over the moon. He's out celebrating with a few friends over drinks," said the burly man, called Tom, smiling warmly at Lan Si.
Lan Si smiled without answering, then turned to Tang San and asked with a smile, "Tang San, what made you think of becoming an apprentice at the blacksmith shop?"
Seeing that Lan Si wasn't mocking him, Tang San explained, "I'm a work-study student, so I need to earn money to help support my family. My father is a blacksmith, and I learned from him for a while, so I came here."
Lan Si nodded as if he understood, then said to Tom, "Uncle Tom, let him try. If he can't do it, you can refuse him afterward."
"But A-Si, what if the boss asks about it..." Tom said, looking troubled.
"I'll talk to Uncle Otto about it later," Lan Si said.
Since Lan Si had spoken, Tom couldn't very well refuse. He handed Tang San a thick, heavy forging hammer and said solemnly, "All right, give it a try. But let me make this clear: you're only getting this chance because of A-Si. If you can't do it, I'll refuse you without hesitation."
"Thank you." Tang San thanked him and took the forging hammer, which was half a foot taller than he was. Tom and the blacksmiths around them immediately widened their eyes and praised him. "What strength!"
Tang San's eyes fixed on the glowing red iron on the furnace. He exhaled, gave a low shout, and swung the forging hammer up with all his might.
"Ha!"
His feet planted firmly against the ground, his calves tensed, and the force surged upward as his body turned halfway. The enormous forging hammer swept through a slanted half-circle in the air, then came crashing down on the piece of iron.
With a loud clang, the hammer bounced back. Tang San used the momentum to spin around quickly, raised the hammer again, and brought it down on the iron with another loud clang, hitting even harder than before.
Lan Si watched from the side, his eyes gleaming. He didn't blink once, intent on catching every one of Tang San's movements.
One hammer, two hammers, three hammers... He repeated the same motion over and over.
He continued until the eighteenth strike. After hitting the iron eighteen times in a row, Tang San finally stopped, panting, his forehead beaded with sweat.
The piece of iron had not changed much in shape, but it had shrunk all over.
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