Lin Ciyan leaned against a big tree not far from the academy gates, a blade of grass between his teeth. He squinted in the sun, looking perfectly at ease.
Before long, his attention was caught by two figures approaching in the distance.
One was a boy in coarse, patch-covered clothes, with healthy wheat-colored skin and a gaze far steadier and more reserved than his age would suggest.
He followed close behind an old man with a kindly face and plain clothes.
"Oh, here they come." Lin Ciyan perked up. Little Scumbag and Old Jack, the village head. What an iconic duo.
He didn't go up to them right away. Instead, he watched them head toward Notting Academy's imposing gates.
Old Jack's face was full of pride and hope, while Tang San looked more curious and watchful.
Only when they neared the gates did Lin Ciyan lazily get up from the grass and stroll over, just in time to "run into" them at the entrance.
Sure enough, a middle-aged gatekeeper stopped them, his voice dripping with undisguised contempt. "Hold it! What are you here for? This place isn't for country bumpkins like you!"
Old Jack hurriedly put on a smile and explained, producing a certificate from Spirit Hall.
The gatekeeper took the certificate and glanced at it before sneering. "A grass Martial Soul? Blue Silver Grass, at that? Innate Full Soul Power? What a joke!"
"I've been a gatekeeper at this academy for four years, and I've never heard of anyone with Innate Full Soul Power, let alone someone with Blue Silver Grass!"
"Did you forge this certificate to scam your way into free food and lodging?"
Old Jack's face flushed with anger. Tang San's gaze turned cold in an instant, and his small fists clenched.
Lin Ciyan stepped forward at just the right moment, wearing an entirely harmless smile. "Mister, I'm here to study too."
The gatekeeper looked him over. His clothes weren't luxurious, but they were clean and neat, and he carried himself with ease. He was much easier on the eyes than the two "country bumpkins" beside him, so the gatekeeper's tone softened a little. "You look all right. Do you have a certificate?"
Lin Ciyan spread his hands and was about to answer.
But the gatekeeper's attention returned to Tang San and Old Jack, and his words grew even harsher. He even reached out to shove Old Jack.
A cold glint flashed in Tang San's eyes. His left hand moved almost imperceptibly.
Here it comes, here it comes! A live demonstration of "courting death"!
Lin Ciyan was so excited he nearly whistled.
[The Tang Sect's Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, General Principles, Article Three: Once you've determined that your opponent is an enemy, if they're courting death, show no mercy. Otherwise, you'll only invite trouble for yourself.]
The Tang Sect's Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, General Principles. A little late, but here it was! Sleeve Arrow ready!
Just as the tension reached its peak, a slightly hoarse voice rang out. "Stop."
A middle-aged man of average height and slightly slender build came over. He had short black hair and an ordinary face, but his eyes held a trace of laziness and the kind of stubbornness peculiar to a theoretician.
It was none other than "Grandmaster" Yu Xiaogang.
He stopped the gatekeeper and asked to inspect the certificate from Spirit Hall.
After confirming that it was genuine, he said coolly to the gatekeeper, "Their certificate is real. You can let them in."
Old Jack thanked him profusely, then gave Tang San a few more instructions before leaving.
Lin Ciyan keenly noticed that the moment Yu Xiaogang stopped the gatekeeper from rushing at Tang San,
the cold glint from Tang San's raised left hand quietly vanished back into his sleeve.
That was close. The gatekeeper nearly met his end.
Yu Xiaogang warned the gatekeeper a few words, then turned to Tang San and Lin Ciyan. "All right, that's settled. You can go in."
Tang San looked at Yu Xiaogang with a hint of curiosity in his eyes, then suddenly spoke up. "Thank you, sir."
Yu Xiaogang's body stiffened. "I'm not a teacher at the academy."
"But you must be a powerful Soul Master, or a scholar with a wealth of knowledge."
"Could you tell me why my Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, despite having Innate Full Soul Power, is considered a Trash Martial Soul?" Tang San pressed.
A trace of smugness flashed in Yu Xiaogang's eyes, and he launched into his lecture on the "core competitiveness of Martial Souls." He explained everything from Martial Soul mutations to the relationship between innate Soul Power levels and Martial Soul quality, eventually reaching his conclusion: Tang San's Martial Soul was definitely more than just Blue Silver Grass. It was very likely a powerful Martial Soul Mutation!
Tang San's eyes shone as he listened, as though he'd found a guiding light for his life.
Meanwhile, Lin Ciyan's inner commentary was already flying by. Here we go, here we go. The classic con!
Setting plagiarism aside, the theory does sound plausible. No wonder it fooled Tang San when he was young.
Still, "a freeloader staying here" is a pretty accurate way to describe himself.
Sure enough, Yu Xiaogang obligingly "revealed" his true circumstances. "I'm just a freeloader staying here, that's all."
Hearing this, Tang San dropped to his knees without hesitation, thumped his head against the ground three times, and said, "Teacher, please accept me as your disciple!"
Yu Xiaogang feigned surprise, then excitedly helped Tang San to his feet, his eyes shining with the delight of having found a rare talent.
Having secured one disciple, Yu Xiaogang naturally turned his attention to Lin Ciyan, who'd been enjoying the show beside them.
The boy was composed and had remained unruffled during the earlier confrontation. Clearly, he was no ordinary child either.
"Child, are you here to enroll too? What's your Martial Soul, and what level is your Soul Power?" Yu Xiaogang tried to make his voice sound calm and scholarly.
Lin Ciyan yawned and replied lazily, "Yeah, I'm here to study. As for my Martial Soul, it's a Qilin. My Soul Power... about level twelve, I guess." He deliberately kept it vague. The system had suppressed him to that level anyway.
"A Qilin?!" Yu Xiaogang's pupils contracted sharply. As a self-proclaimed theoretical Grandmaster,
he knew exactly how much weight the word Qilin carried in the Martial Soul world!
It was undoubtedly a top-tier Beast Martial Soul! And level twelve? He looked about the same age as Tang San. This kind of talent...
Tang San looked surprised too, and began studying Lin Ciyan more closely.
"Child, would you... would you be willing to take me as your teacher?" Yu Xiaogang's voice held a hint of urgency that was difficult to detect.
"I've studied Martial Souls in depth, and I can certainly bring your talent to its fullest potential! A genius like you needs someone to show you the way!"
Looking at the almost shining eagerness in Yu Xiaogang's eyes, Lin Ciyan sneered inwardly. So eager? Having a disciple with Twin Martial Souls isn't enough for you—you want to recruit a Qilin Martial Soul too?
And it's not just a Qilin Martial Soul. It's a Holy Radiance Qilin!
Are we supposed to be trophies for your theories? That's a pretty ugly way to go about it, Grandmaster.
He waved a hand, his tone as laid-back as before. "I'll pass on becoming your disciple. I'll see how things go at the academy first."
"As for someone to show me the way..." He pointed at the sun overhead. "I think it's guiding me just fine. It feels good to bask in the sunshine."
Yu Xiaogang choked on the unexpected answer, but he wasn't willing to give up. He hurriedly said, "No matter! There's no rush to decide about becoming my disciple."
"I'll help you with the enrollment. Come with me." He thought he'd keep the boys close for now; there'd be plenty of opportunities later.
Lin Ciyan shrugged indifferently and followed them into the academy.
He happened to be short of a "legitimate" identity, and Yu Xiaogang had delivered one right to his door.
Still, I don't actually have a certificate from Spirit Hall... Yu Xiaogang's really going all out to recruit disciples. He even chose to overlook that? Lin Ciyan thought to himself.
Yu Xiaogang took the two of them to the Academic Affairs Office and found Director Su. Thanks to his borrowed prestige, he had no trouble arranging their enrollment. He didn't even thoroughly check Lin Ciyan's "certificate."
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