Teacher Ma Went Crazy, Tang San Was Stunned

The entire room fell into a deathly silence.

The mocking laughter and jeers that had been so boisterous just moments ago were now as if throttled by an invisible hand.

Everyone had been struck dumb, unable to utter a single syllable.

The crowd stared blankly at the crack.

Then, they looked at the little girl holding a candied hawthorn, her face full of innocence.

Their minds were completely blank.

What kind of power was this?

The crystal ball... shattered?

Master Ma Xiunuo remained in his posture of holding the air, his entire body frozen in place.

As a senior appraiser at the Notting City Martial Soul Hall branch, he had been grinding away in this industry for sixty years.

What kind of storms and waves hadn't he seen?

But today's wave was not only massive, it had slapped his boat of experience—which he took such pride in—straight onto the beach.

He stared fixedly at the fragments on the table, his throat parched.

Only one thought remained in his mind.

It exploded.

The A-cup, it exploded.

To a layman, this was just a glowing soul power testing crystal.

But in their industry, this thing had strict grade classifications.

Different levels of soul power required testing crystals of different capacities, known in the trade as various cup sizes.

Soul power testing was all about containment.

The special blue fluid inside the crystal ball could only provide an accurate reading if it completely enveloped the soul power, ensuring it could swim freely within.

For the sake of precision and cost-efficiency, the continent divided testing crystal balls into ten grades, from A to J.

The ones used for all awakened children were standard A-cups, also known as Awakening Cups.

Its capacity limit was ten, the threshold for a Soul Master.

For a child, an A-cup was absolutely more than enough.

After all, children who had just awakened had barely developed physically.

Even for someone like Tang San, with his once-in-a-century Innate Full Soul Power, the most he could do was fill the A-cup to the brim and blind everyone with its radiance.

But it was absolutely impossible to burst the cup.

There was only one possibility for bursting an A-cup.

The pressure generated by the soul power injected into it had instantly exceeded the limit of the crystal ball's wall barrier.

What did this mean?

Ma Xiunuo felt as if his breathing were about to stop.

It meant that this little girl, only two or three years old and still eating a candied hawthorn, had a Soul Power Level starting at that of a Soul Grand Master!

She needed to use a B-cup!

Or perhaps... even higher!

To contain soul power of this magnitude, one would at least need to switch to a C-cup, or even the D-cup used for testing powerhouses on the level of the City Lord!

"This... this isn't scientific..."

Ma Xiunuo tremblingly picked up a fragment, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

A two-year-old Soul Grand Master?

Even if she had started cultivating from the womb, it shouldn't be this outrageous!

Wasn't this just too intense?

Although the surrounding villagers and parents didn't understand the nuances of A-cups or C-cups.

Seeing Master Ma Xiunuo's expression as if he had seen a ghost, and then looking at the fragments on the table, they were all terrified.

Those who had been laughing the loudest just moments ago now shrank their necks, wishing they could bury themselves in the dirt.

Tang San stood to the side.

His originally straight spine now appeared somewhat rigid.

He looked at the shattered crystal, then at the Blue Silver Grass in his own hand.

Although it was filled with soul power, it hadn't caused the slightest crack in the crystal ball.

The moment that pink soul power fluctuation erupted, the Mysterious Heaven Skill that constantly circulated within his body had been forcibly suppressed to a standstill!

He had used all his strength just to barely keep himself from kneeling on the spot.

A tremor originating from the deepest depths of his soul left his entire body icy cold.

An unprecedented sense of frustration gnawed frantically at his heart.

Innate Full Soul Power was the mark of a heaven-sent prodigy.

So what did it mean to shatter the crystal ball?

Could it be the heaven-sent prodigy's father...

A heaven-sent strict father?

Tang San's worldview was shattered into pieces at this very moment.

Just as Tang San was being pummeled by the concept of a heaven-sent strict father, Ma Xiunuo moved.

Across his aged face, emotions like shock, horror, and disbelief flashed by in rapid succession.

In the end, they all coalesced into a state of extreme fanaticism and awe.

In an instant, he conjured up a complete picture in his mind.

Some ancient family that had been hidden from the world for thousands of years, perhaps even one of the Upper Three Sects...

They had sent their most brilliant and talented descendant into this mundane world to gain experience and live among the common folk.

Since this little girl was so heaven-defying.

Then Li Hao, who stood beside her and was addressed as "Daddy," certainly couldn't be simple either!

Although he looked lazy and listless, like a salted fish.

An illusion!

That was definitely not a salted fish!

He was most likely her guardian!

A peerless expert responsible for protecting this little princess!

His lazy appearance was nothing more than a disguise!

It was a return to simplicity!

The perfect camouflage for a big shot!

Don't look at his youthful face; when it came to age, he might even be old enough to be his grandfather!

Having figured all this out, Ma Xiunuo dared not show the slightest bit of negligence.

He didn't even bother to pick up his crystal spectacles that had fallen to the floor.

He trotted all the way over and rushed in front of Li Hao.

Then, under the horrified gazes of everyone present.

This highly respected Soul Grand Master in Notting City bowed respectfully to Li Hao, bending at a perfect ninety-degree angle.

"Se... Senior!"

Ma Xiunuo's voice trembled, filled with excitement and trepidation.

"Junior Ma Xiunuo failed to recognize Mount Tai! I have offended Senior and the young miss; I beg Senior to forgive my sins!"

This cry of "Senior" exploded among the crowd like a thunderclap from the nine heavens.

Everyone was stunned.

Li Hao was also stunned.

He looked down at the Soul Grand Master who was bowing and scraping before him, almost burying his head into the ground.

Then he looked at Xiao Wu in his arms, who was licking a candied hawthorn and blinking her innocent, large eyes.

Who am I?

Where am I?

What have I done?

Senior?

I'm just a six-and-a-half-year-old fisherman, and you're calling me Senior?

Old man, isn't this insurance scam a bit too extreme?

"Um... Teacher Ma, did you mistake me for someone else?"

Being called "Senior" by an old man who was about the same age as his own grandfather made Li Hao feel quite awkward.

"No mistake! Absolutely not!"

Ma Xiunuo suddenly raised his head, his old face flushed red with excitement.

"Senior's demeanor is like the bright moon hanging in the sky; even if this junior were blind, I would never mistake you for someone else!"

Li Hao was left speechless.

"My thanks to you. You use idioms so well—do me a favor and never use them again."

"Senior!"

Ma Xiunuo's attitude grew increasingly fanatical.

"Nuoding Academy sincerely invites your daughter to enroll! All tuition, lodging, and meal fees will be waived! The academy's resources are hers to command!"

"Not only that!"

He shifted his tone, and to everyone's shock, he dropped to one knee with a thud.

He looked up at Li Hao, his eyes filled with desperate longing.

"This junior dares to be bold and implores Senior to offer some guidance! Even a few words would be enough to benefit this junior for a lifetime! If Senior does not mind, this junior... is willing to take you as my master!"

Boom!

The teacher has gone mad!

This was the only thought in the minds of everyone present.

A senior appraiser from Nuoding Academy, a Soul Grand Master, actually wanted to apprentice himself to a slacker who looked younger than him?

This world has gone insane!

"No, no, no! You can't! Absolutely not!"

Li Hao was so startled he backed away repeatedly, nearly dropping Xiao Wu from his arms.

Are you kidding me?

Yesterday you wanted me to be a father, today a master—are you planning to make me a mother tomorrow?

Are you bunch of trolls trying to work me to death?

I just want to be a salted fish, loafing around and waiting for death, fishing and slacking off!

"Look, Teacher Ma! We were just passing by! Purely passing by! Hey, we're off!"

Li Hao felt this place was no longer safe to stay.

If he stayed any longer, there was no telling what kind of trouble this old man would stir up.

He hugged Xiao Wu tight, pushed through the crowd, and practically fled in a panic.

This time, no one dared to mock him.

The crowd parted automatically, clearing a path.

Everyone's gaze was filled with awe, fear, and a hint of sycophancy.

They watched the peerless expert, carrying that little princess, disappear into the distance in a frantic retreat.

A stormy sea surged in their hearts.

It wasn't until Li Hao's figure completely vanished at the end of the street that the oppressive atmosphere slowly dissipated.

The crowd erupted into chaos once more.

"Good heavens! Holy Soul Village actually produced such a big shot!"

"We just... actually mocked a senior?"

"It's over, it's over. Will the senior hold a grudge?"

No one cared about that so-called genius with Innate Full Soul Power anymore.

In the face of the world-shattering pressure from just a moment ago, Innate Full Soul Power was worth nothing!

Tang San stood alone in place.

He lowered his head, looking at the Blue Silver Grass in his palm, which was still emitting a soft blue light.

Once upon a time, this was one of the foundations of his life in this world.

Even if it was a common martial soul, it was his pride.

But now, that former pride looked so ordinary, so weak.

It was just like a...

Foxtail grass on the side of the road.

The more he looked at it, the uglier it seemed.

"No wonder she said it was uglier than foxtail grass..."

After fleeing all the way back to the dilapidated wooden house in Holy Soul Village, Li Hao finally let out a sigh of relief.

He closed the door, leaned his back against the wooden planks, and gasped for air.

Too intense.

Today was more stimulating than everything he had experienced in both his lifetimes combined.

He looked down at Xiao Wu in his arms.

The little one was still feeling smug about her performance just now, tilting her small face up to beg for praise.

Li Hao rubbed her head and sighed helplessly.

Forget it.

At least he had managed to bluff his way through.

From this day on, he would rather die than go to any crowded place again.

If they were to run into an old monster at the Title Douluo level, Xiao Wu's identity would be exposed.

Until he could get his hands on a Lovesick Heartbreak Red, it was better to keep a low profile.

Just as he was about to think about what to have for dinner, Xiao Wu suddenly tugged at the corner of his shirt.

She tilted that delicately carved, jade-like little face of hers, looking at him pitifully.

Her small mouth was slightly pouted.

"Papa, I'm hungry."

"I want to eat those red, sweet berries from the Star Dou Forest."