Xiao Wu actually had a clear plan of her own.
She had not given up being a perfectly good Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, risked near-certain death to take human form, and infiltrated human society just to play house and make friends at an academy.
What she wanted was to find truly promising human geniuses, groom them into her own helpers, and eventually storm Spirit Hall together to take revenge on that evil woman!
And while she was at it... she could experience what that supposedly sweet love her mother once had actually felt like.
As things stood, Tang San, this human cub, was undoubtedly the most perfect candidate for cultivation.
After finally sending off the two disciples, each with their own schemes, Yu Xiaogang dragged his exhausted body back to his desk and gnawed on his pen as he continued obsessing over the future Soul Ring path of his precious disciple.
Ever since losing an arm, whether he was flipping through documents or writing, he looked especially clumsy and ridiculous. He could only endure through sheer obsession.
Just then, the night wind outside abruptly picked up.
A pungent smell of cheap ale, mixed with suffocatingly heavy pressure, blanketed the entire office without warning.
A tall yet utterly disheveled black figure appeared out of thin air before Yu Xiaogang.
"Master Yu, I already know about what happened during the day. I have my own plans."
A deep, hoarse voice slowly rang out. "Xiao San needs a whetstone hard enough.
"That boy named Lin Nuo is just qualified enough."
Feeling that almost tangible pressure, Yu Xiaogang's old face suddenly went pale, and his pupils shrank.
But after his brief shock, relying on his keen eye, he quickly guessed the visitor's identity from his attire and distinctive aura. Deep reverence instantly surged into his eyes.
"Clear Sky Douluo... I never expected Xiao San's father to truly be you!"
Facing one of the Clear Sky Twin Stars, the peerless powerhouse who had once beaten the previous Pope, Qian Xunji, to death with a hammer, Yu Xiaogang genuinely worshiped him.
As for those rotten affairs involving Spirit Hall back then?
In Gangzi's view, if Qian Xunji had not interfered, he and Bibi Dong might even have had children by now.
The enemy of his enemy was his friend. Tang Hao was Yu Xiaogang's idol!
"You intend to keep Lin Nuo around as Xiao San's whetstone?
"I understand."
Yu Xiaogang respectfully rose to his feet, but inwardly, he could not help feeling doubtful.
The blood feud between Clear Sky Sect and Spirit Hall was known throughout the continent. The Martial Soul Lin Nuo had revealed today, along with that face of his, made his identity practically written across his forehead.
Could this hot-tempered Clear Sky Douluo really swallow that insult?
"I will be leaving Nuoding City for a while. I can rest easy leaving Xiao San in your care."
Tang Hao looked down at Yu Xiaogang from above, his tone carrying a matter-of-fact arrogance. "As for Lin Nuo, you need not concern yourself with him.
"Xiao San is my son, Tang Hao's son. True peerless powerhouses rise after flattening countless hardships.
"How can one see a rainbow without weathering the storm?
"This setback is merely a required lesson on his path to the summit."
After delivering those high-sounding words, Tang Hao's figure flashed and vanished directly into the night, not even leaving Yu Xiaogang a chance to ask a single question.
But had Tang Hao truly changed? Had he become magnanimous?
Of course not.
During the day, he had hidden in the shadows and watched his precious son get pinned to the ground and relentlessly hammered with elbows.
Especially when he saw Lin Nuo's face, which closely resembled Bibi Dong's, along with the Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul radiating pure evil.
The famed Clear Sky Douluo had nearly suffered a PTSD episode on the spot. He almost ground his molars to pieces, wishing he could immediately swing his hammer and smash that little bastard into pulp!
But he did not dare.
Reason firmly suppressed his murderous intent.
At heart, Tang Hao was nothing more than a sect slave. What had happened with Ah Yin back then had already severely weakened Clear Sky Sect.
Now, no matter what, he could not bring another crisis upon the barely surviving Clear Sky Sect because of one moment of impulsiveness.
His precious son Tang San was not only exceptionally gifted, but also possessed the talent of Twin Martial Souls.
And a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and Spirit Bone belonging to the Tang Clan had been placed here for safekeeping, ready for use at any time.
Given enough time, Clear Sky Sect would surely restore its former glory in Tang San's hands!
As Tang Hao departed, the suffocating pressure completely dissipated.
Looking at the empty study, Yu Xiaogang's taut nerves finally relaxed.
He dropped into his chair, and his old face, rigid all year round, once again broke into a feverish smile of certain victory.
It was settled! He had never expected Tang San's father to be that lofty Clear Sky Douluo!
No wonder his precious disciple Tang San possessed Innate Full Soul Power and Twin Martial Souls!
So what if he had lost to Lin Nuo now?
No matter how monstrous Lin Nuo was in the early stages, even if Bibi Dong stood behind him, at most he only had one Martial Soul.
Once they reached the later stages, what could Lin Nuo possibly use to fight Xiao San, who possessed the Clear Sky Hammer, the number one Tool Martial Soul in the world?
At the thought of Tang San in the future, holding the Clear Sky Hammer, adorned with nine black Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings,
Even standing at the peak of the continent with a dazzling red Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring beneath his feet, Yu Xiaogang's mouth stretched uncontrollably all the way to his ears.
"Xiao San, Xiao San, you are your teacher's only hope in this lifetime..."
Yu Xiaogang stared fixedly at the manuscript on the desk, his eyes glittering with sickly obsession.
"Whether your teacher's Invincible Theory can astonish the entire continent depends entirely on whether you can pull yourself together!"
"As for that damned Lin Nuo, if he is willing to recognize his mistakes in the days to come, perhaps this Master can still find a way to spare his life someday."
"Otherwise... hmph!"
Master Yu slowly rose to his feet and arrogantly walked to the window, allowing the light outside to shine upon his flat-top.
The upward curve of his lips could not be suppressed no matter what.
The scene shifted.
The moment he stepped into his dorm room, Lin Nuo casually locked the door behind him. The calm expression on his face vanished in an instant, and only then did his nerves, stretched to the limit, relax slightly.
He tugged at his collar and realized that his back had long been soaked in cold sweat.
During the earlier confrontation, he had sensed with absolute clarity a cold, almost tangible killing intent fixed on him the entire time.
He did not need to think to know who possessed that terrifying pressure.
Fortunately, that suffocating feeling of being watched had come and gone quickly.
That old bastard really is on the Way of Seeking Death.
According to the original plot, Tang Hao would leave Nuoding City soon.
Lin Nuo walked over to the bed and sat down, his mind racing as he began planning his next steps.
Once his Soul Power reached level 20 and he obtained his second Soul Ring, he would graduate directly from this junior academy.
Those top-grade Immortal Herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, those heavenly treasures capable of remaking one's body and defying fate—if he did not get there first, was he supposed to leave them for Tang San?
As for which advanced Soul Master Academy he would attend for further study after graduation, there was no need to rush.
During this time, he had plenty of opportunity to carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each faction.
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