Yu Xiaogang walked at the front and pushed open a pair of redwood double doors at the end of the corridor.
The private office was spacious, furnished in an antique style.
Three walls were lined with tall redwood bookcases, crammed full of hefty tomes.
Some of the pages had yellowed with age.
A burner of sandalwood incense sat in the corner, its wisps of smoke curling through the room in a bid to create an air of profound scholarship and otherworldly wisdom.
Yu Xiaogang was very pleased with his office.
He walked behind the broad nanmu desk and sat down, interlacing his fingers on its surface. Leaning back slightly, he struck what he considered the pose that best embodied a grandmaster.
His gaze never left Tang Wu.
Su Yu entered the office with Tang Wu and Xiao Wu.
Without the slightest courtesy, he pulled out the two chairs opposite the desk. He sat in one and had Tang Wu sit beside him.
Xiao Wu folded her arms and leaned casually against a nearby bookcase, surveying the room with disdain.
"These books are the fruit of my painstaking efforts. I traveled all across Douluo Continent and consulted countless ancient ruins to compile them."
Seeing the three of them enter, Yu Xiaogang immediately gestured to the bookcases around them, his tone revealing undisguised arrogance.
Su Yu glanced at the books and sneered inwardly.
Most of these so-called classics were basic introductions to Martial Soul knowledge that could be bought for a few Copper Soul Coins. Yu Xiaogang had merely given them fancy hardback covers to fool the uninitiated.
When none of the three spoke, Yu Xiaogang cleared his throat and fixed his gaze on Tang Wu, launching into the theory that had made him famous across the continent.
"Child, the dean told me that your Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass, and that you have Innate Full Soul Power."
Yu Xiaogang's voice was low and brimming with confidence. "In the eyes of ordinary people, Blue Silver Grass is widely regarded as a Trash Martial Soul. They believe it has no attack power, no defensive power, and no value for cultivation. Without a renowned teacher to guide you, your Innate Full Soul Power will go to waste. Blue Silver Grass may be tenacious, but it is far too fragile. Any weapon-based Martial Soul can cut it in two, and any Beast Martial Soul can trample it to pieces. If you train blindly on your own, you'll amount to nothing more than a bigger clump of weeds, forever beneath notice."
Yu Xiaogang paused deliberately, hoping to see a look of shock on Tang Wu's face.
But Tang Wu remained expressionless the entire time. She didn't even raise her eyelids.
She sat in her chair, leaning half her body toward Su Yu.
She reached out a soft, pale hand and carefully smoothed a wrinkle from Su Yu's collar, then brushed a speck of dust off his cuff.
Her gaze remained fixed on Su Yu, as if everyone else in the room were nothing but thin air.
Yu Xiaogang hadn't gotten the reaction he expected. His brow furrowed slightly, but he didn't give up. Instead, he raised his voice and continued his spiel.
"But my theory is completely different from the views of those vulgar fools!"
Yu Xiaogang slapped the desk and launched into a torrent of words. "I put forward the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul. My research has shown that there are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters! Blue Silver Grass may be weak, but it has one enormous advantage that no other Martial Soul possesses: extraordinary adaptability!"
"Because Blue Silver Grass is so weak to begin with, it won't reject any kind of Soul Ring. Whether it has poison, strength, or agility attributes, Blue Silver Grass can absorb it perfectly. If you become my disciple, I'll use all my resources and connections to cultivate you. I can give you the most perfect Soul Ring configuration and help you break through to Soul Ancestor before you turn twenty! It's the opportunity so many people dream of!"
The more Yu Xiaogang spoke, the more animated he became. He waved his hands through the air, trying to bewilder this country girl with his profound-sounding rhetoric.
He believed that no commoner Soul Master could resist the temptation of becoming a top-tier powerhouse.
But when he finished his impassioned speech and looked at Tang Wu expectantly, he realized she hadn't been listening at all.
Tang Wu wasn't moved by his theory. Instead, she pulled a small piece of Osmanthus Candy wrapped in wax paper from her pocket.
She carefully peeled back the wrapper and held the sweet-smelling candy to Su Yu's lips.
"Brother Yu, have some candy."
Tang Wu's voice was soft and sweet, her big eyes full of affection.
Su Yu opened his mouth and ate the candy, then smiled and patted Tang Wu's head. "It's sweet."
Tang Wu's eyes narrowed happily, like a kitten praised by its owner.
Seeing this, Xiao Wu pushed away from the bookcase and came over, disgruntled. "Xiao San, you're playing favorites. I want some too!"
"No, I saved this especially for Brother Yu."
Tang Wu immediately covered her pocket and eyed Xiao Wu warily.
To Tang Wu, Yu Xiaogang's impassioned speech wasn't half as sweet as a single word of praise from Su Yu.
Su Yu sat in his chair with one leg crossed over the other, pretending to listen attentively to Yu Xiaogang's teachings. He even nodded now and then, as if genuinely impressed by the grandmaster's knowledge.
In reality, he was sneering inwardly.
He focused his mental power on his eyes, and golden light quietly glimmered deep within them.
The Eye of Truth activated in an instant.
His gaze pierced Yu Xiaogang's sanctimonious disguise and locked onto the dark-red System Panel above his head.
Several lines of blood-red data flickered across it:
[Target: Tang Wu] [Target Affection: 0] [Target Trust: 0] [Deception Progress: 0%] [System Prompt: The host's words have failed to cause any psychological fluctuations in the target. It is recommended that you change your strategy or intensify your deception.]
Looking at the row of zeroes, Su Yu nearly burst out laughing.
The old man had spent all that time talking until his mouth was dry, yet he hadn't made even the slightest progress.
Behind his desk, Yu Xiaogang really had talked himself hoarse.
He picked up the teacup on his desk and took a large gulp. His face immediately darkened.
He was the Grandmaster, a titan of Martial Soul Theory. Even the pope of Spirit Hall had once attended his lectures.
Today, he had lowered himself to personally teach a six-year-old country girl, yet she wouldn't even pay him any attention.
Being completely ignored like this dealt a serious blow to Yu Xiaogang's pride.
"This country girl is so foolish!"
Yu Xiaogang cursed inwardly. "She has the guidance of a renowned teacher right in front of her, yet she'd rather flirt with some brat who hasn't even grown hair. She's a lump of mud that can't be shaped!"
But when he recalled the outrageous Luck value displayed for Tang Wu on his System Panel, greed once again overwhelmed his anger.
He absolutely couldn't let this perfect target slip away.
If he could drain this girl's Luck, he would finally shed his useless reputation and become a true powerhouse.
To complete the plunder as quickly as possible, Yu Xiaogang decided to stop wasting his breath.
He could tell that the girl's head was full of that boy named Su Yu. There was no way he could talk her into it.
He secretly contacted the Luck Plunder System in his mind.
"System, activate the Forced Apprenticeship Function at once! I'll make it official after the fact. Once the master-disciple bond is established, she won't have a choice, even if she's unwilling!"
Yu Xiaogang frantically issued the command in his mind.
"Ding! Forced Apprenticeship Function ready. Place your right hand on the target's head and hold it there for three seconds to forcibly complete the apprenticeship ceremony and establish a Luck Plunder channel."
The system's cold, mechanical voice rang out in Yu Xiaogang's mind.
Yu Xiaogang sprang to his feet.
His disguise fell away completely. His kindly smile vanished, replaced by a frenzied, greedy expression.
He stared fixedly at Tang Wu, blood vessels rising in the whites of his eyes.
He circled around the broad desk and strode up to her.
Without a word, Yu Xiaogang stretched out his right hand, fingers spread. Bringing an irresistible force to bear, he prepared to press it onto Tang Wu's head and forcibly complete the apprenticeship ceremony.
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