Cursing Oneself Twice in One Sentence

"Oh, isn't this the Master? What a rare guest!"

Director Su was the first to greet him. Although he didn't care for the way Yu Xiaogang sponged off the academy, he knew the man was a friend of the Dean, so he maintained a policy of keeping his distance without causing offense.

"I wonder what brings the Master to my office?"

"My student has reached level ten in soul power. I am here to request leave from Director Su so I may take him to obtain his first soul ring."

Yu Xiaogang gestured toward Tang San, his face brimming with pride and excitement, as if to say: Do you see? Do you see? My student possesses Innate Full Soul Power!

"To become the disciple of the Master, this child is truly blessed by the heavens, heh heh..."

Director Su offered a bitter smile. On the surface, he was congratulating Tang San, but in his heart, he felt the boy was likely ruined.

"I approve Tang San's leave. As it happens, I am also taking student Ling Yun to obtain a soul ring. It is worth noting that he, too, possesses Innate Full Soul Power."

Director Su chuckled, his face full of excitement.

"To have three little geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power appear in the academy within a single day—it is truly a blessing for our Notting Academy, ha ha!"

"Oh? This child also has Innate Full Soul Power?"

Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up as if he had discovered a priceless treasure, and he looked at Ling Yun with a smile.

"Little one, what is your martial soul? Release it for me to see. Also, would you be willing to become my disciple?"

Hearing this, Ling Yun couldn't help but frown. He had long anticipated that his talent might attract the attention of this "Master" Yu Xiaogang, so he politely declined.

"Thank you, Gangzi—ahem, thank you for the invitation, Master, but there is no need for an apprenticeship. My martial soul is merely a metal bracelet, a trash martial soul, not worth mentioning."

"Just a metal bracelet?" Yu Xiaogang paused, then continued his pitch: "Then you should be even more eager to take me as your master! With my guidance, even if you have a trash martial soul, you can become a powerful Soul Master! My martial soul theory states: there are no trash martial souls, only trash Soul Masters!"

As soon as these words left his mouth, Ling Yun nearly burst out laughing. He had to recall every sad and painful memory from his past life just to keep his expression neutral.

There are no trash martial souls, only trash Soul Masters? Isn't that just insulting yourself twice in one sentence?

Thinking of this, Ling Yun couldn't help but retort: "Well said. Then, according to the Master's theory, you must be a powerful Soul Master yourself? May I ask what your martial soul is? And what is your soul power level? Judging by your age, your cultivation should at least be that of a three-ring Soul Elder, right?"

"Er..."

Yu Xiaogang was rendered speechless. His martial soul was a Pig Beast that could do nothing but fart, and his Innate Soul Power was only half a level. Barring a miracle, he would never break through to level thirty to become a Soul Elder—a fact that had been his lifelong pain.

Director Su, standing to the side, let out a dry laugh. Ling Yun's few words were dancing wildly on all of Yu Xiaogang's sore spots.

"Heh heh, student Ling Yun, the Master's soul power is only level twenty-nine. As for his martial soul... sigh, let's not mention it."

Director Su explained with a smile. Tang San had already been hoodwinked, and he couldn't just stand by and watch another genius like Ling Yun be misled by Yu Xiaogang.

"Oh~ so the Master's cultivation is only level twenty-nine~"

"The Lord Soul Master who awakened my martial soul is also a two-ring Soul Grand Master, but he is much younger than you."

Ling Yun spoke with a sarcastic tone, then added with a playful smile:

"Master, you should focus on finding a way to break through to level thirty first. As for the apprenticeship, let's talk about that once you become a powerful Soul Master. Right now, if I take you as my master, it's questionable whether you could even help me obtain my first soul ring! Director Su, let's go."

"You!"

Yu Xiaogang was furious. He wanted to refute Ling Yun, but he couldn't find the words. In the end, he could only watch helplessly as Ling Yun and Director Su walked away together.

Seeing Yu Xiaogang beating his chest in frustration, Tang San stepped forward to comfort him: "Teacher, please calm your anger; don't ruin your health."

Thinking that he still had Tang San, Yu Xiaogang felt slightly better. He said coldly: "San, Teacher will definitely train you into a powerful Soul Master to prove to the world that my theories are correct."

"Yes, Teacher, I believe in you. In the future, I will definitely be stronger than Ling Yun!"

Tang San smiled, the corners of his mouth curling up. In his view, whether his teacher was powerful or not didn't matter—a master's strength couldn't be inherited by a disciple; what mattered were the theories. As long as one grasped the truth, it would be difficult not to become a powerful Soul Master.

Thinking of this, Tang San sneered inwardly: Ling Yun, one day, you will regret what happened today!

After leaving the office, Ling Yun and Director Su had breakfast together before taking a carriage to the Soul Hunting Forest outside the city.

Half an hour later, the two arrived at the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest. Director Su scanned the surroundings vigilantly and asked:

"By the way, Ling Yun, I don't know what kind of soul beast you are looking to hunt?"

"I want to hunt a wood-attribute soul beast for my first soul ring. A plant-type soul beast would be best; it must have strong vitality, and the higher the age, the better."

Ling Yun replied. According to his hypothesis, only by obtaining a soul ring of the corresponding attribute could he activate the power of the Five Spirit Lock, allowing him to transform into the corresponding beast-form warrior. Therefore, he decided to hunt a plant-type soul beast for his first ring. With Director Su's strength, hunting a four-hundred-year-old plant-type soul beast should be no problem.

"A wood-attribute plant soul beast?" Director Su paused, puzzled: "Student Ling Yun, isn't your martial soul a metal bracelet? I think it would be better to hunt a gold-attribute soul beast, wouldn't it?"

"Director Su might not know, but my martial soul is not a metal bracelet; it is the Five Spirit Lock. It can store the energy of five elements: gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. Therefore, I can absorb even the soul ring of a plant-type soul beast."

Beyond that, there was another point: the age of the soul ring itself limited the power of the soul skill. Even for a Titled Douluo, their first soul skill wouldn't be particularly powerful. Thus, he wanted to save the gold, fire, and water attributes—which were more powerful—for later, as those would require at least thousand-year soul rings to be truly effective.

"So that's how it is."

After hearing Ling Yun's explanation, Director Su nodded thoughtfully, then walked deeper into the Soul Hunting Forest in search of a high-age plant-type soul beast.

With his strength, dealing with a plant-type soul beast of a few hundred years was as easy as turning over his hand.

Before long, the two spotted a cyan vine forty meters in length, covered in sharp barbs, embedded into the trunks of several large trees as it greedily sucked the essence from them.

"This is... Green Wood Vine?"

Seeing the cyan vine, Director Su's eyes lit up, and he explained to Ling Yun.

"Green Wood Vine is a vine-type soul beast. Its length increases by one meter for every ten years of cultivation. Judging by the length of this one, its cultivation has reached four hundred years, making it perfectly suited to be your first soul ring."

"Great, then I'll have to trouble Director Su to strike it and leave it severely wounded, so I can deliver the final blow!"

"Haha, no problem. Martial Soul Possession!"