When they arrived at Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy, Ying Chengfeng was stopped at the entrance.
"Hold it, kid. This is a Soul Master Academy, not just anywhere anyone can enter."
The gatekeeper spotted Ying Chengfeng and Qian Renxue and stretched out an arm to block their way.
Ying Chengfeng had cooled down a little by the time he got there.
Considering the academy had at least one Soul Ancestor, forcing his way inside would be a hassle.
Besides, he didn't want to beat someone up in broad daylight.
After some thought, Ying Chengfeng took two Gold Soul Coins out of his Storage Soul Tool.
He held them out to the gatekeeper. "Do me a favor, and these Gold Soul Coins are yours."
The gatekeeper's eyes lit up at the sight of the two Gold Soul Coins.
He couldn't earn that much in a whole month working the gate.
He gave Ying Chengfeng a careful once-over, but all he could see was the boy's chin beneath his hood.
"What do you want?" the gatekeeper asked as he pocketed the coins.
Ying Chengfeng immediately said, "First, tell me: have you heard the name Tang San?"
The gatekeeper shook his head.
Ying Chengfeng continued, "Then help me pass along a message. Make sure Grandmaster hears it."
"Tell him there's a kid who awakened Blue Silver Grass, but has Innate Full Soul Power."
"That kid lives in the seventh house in the back alley."
The gatekeeper's expression turned strange as he listened.
Of course he knew Grandmaster.
"You mean that freeloader, Grandmaster? What do you want with him?"
The gatekeeper was pretty sharp. He'd guessed Ying Chengfeng's purpose in one go.
But Ying Chengfeng certainly wasn't going to tell him the truth.
So he said, "I admire Grandmaster. Just get him to come find me, and I'll give you three more Gold Soul Coins afterward."
As he spoke, Ying Chengfeng summoned a sword.
The sword slid from its scabbard, and the wind stopped for an instant.
The sword returned to its scabbard as if nothing had happened.
The gatekeeper stared at him oddly. "What are you doing?"
To be honest, he'd been startled just now.
Ying Chengfeng merely said, "Check your pocket."
The gatekeeper froze, then reached for the pocket where he'd put the two Gold Soul Coins.
Wait, there were three!
No, that wasn't right! The outer layer of his pocket had been sliced open.
One Gold Soul Coin had fallen out.
The other had been split in two.
Ying Chengfeng's voice followed. "You ask too many questions. I'm fining you one Gold Soul Coin. Do more, talk less."
The gatekeeper nodded repeatedly, his legs already trembling.
Ying Chengfeng ignored him and left with Qian Renxue.
Watching them disappear, the gatekeeper let out a long, heavy breath only after a good while.
"Good grief, are kids this vicious these days? Guess I'd better not offend kids from now on."
"Blue Silver Grass? Innate Full Soul Power?" He committed those words to memory.
Little did he know that this change of heart would one day save him from courting death.
Meanwhile, in the back alley,
Ying Chengfeng and Qian Renxue had covered their faces with black cloth.
The alley was dark and narrow. The two of them crouched on the roof of the seventh house.
"Is that Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang? When's he coming?" Qian Renxue was already in character, asking in a whisper.
Ying Chengfeng handed her a sack. "Not sure, but it should be soon."
Qian Renxue nodded, then asked, "I've heard you mention Tang San twice now. Is he someone important?"
Ying Chengfeng fell into thought.
After a moment, he said, "Remember the Dream Space? I saw a glimpse of the future there."
Qian Renxue's eyes widened in surprise. "Your dream can predict the future?"
Ying Chengfeng shrugged. "That dream's pretty mysterious, isn't it?"
At that, Qian Renxue thought it over, then nodded slightly.
She had some 'say' in the matter of the Dream Space. She'd witnessed a miracle with her own eyes, after all.
"So what did you dream about?"
"I can't say. Changing the future will entangle you in cause and effect," Ying Chengfeng said. "Just stay away from that person, all right?"
Just then, using the wind to sense the area, Ying Chengfeng confirmed that the owner of the house below them was away.
He simply brought Qian Renxue down into the courtyard.
The house had a small courtyard and two rooms.
Before long, they heard a knock at the door.
"He's here. Hide first," Ying Chengfeng reminded Qian Renxue, then went to answer it.
A middle-aged man in a black robe came into view.
"Are you Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang?" Ying Chengfeng asked, making sure he had the right person before doing anything.
"That's right." Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands behind his back, putting on the air of a great master.
He had no idea Qian Renxue had already slipped around behind him. She asked Ying Chengfeng,
"You're the one with Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul and Innate Full Soul Power?"
"I bet you have another Martial Soul, too."
"Don't rush to deny it. My theories can't be wrong."
Yu Xiaogang was still going on and on, oblivious to the fact that Qian Renxue had already opened the sack and was ready!
Ying Chengfeng suddenly scoffed. "I heard you were already over forty before you even reached level thirty. Impressive."
Yu Xiaogang's anger flared. He hated people bringing up his Soul Power level.
Just as Yu Xiaogang was about to explode, someone pulled a sack over his head from behind.
"What the hell are you putting on airs for?" Ying Chengfeng unleashed his domain and jumped up to hammer Yu Xiaogang's head.
He aimed for the mouth.
His fist landed on the nose.
The tiny mistake didn't affect Ying Chengfeng's performance at all.
He pinned Yu Xiaogang to the ground and switched from punching to slapping.
"So you're the one they call Grandmaster, huh?! Well? Speak!"
"You're so good at guessing, right? Then guess how many punches you can take!"
Qian Renxue was stunned.
She'd never imagined that Ying Chengfeng, who was always so gentle with her, could have such a brutal side.
Wasn't that Yu Xiaogang's mouth all smashed up?
With the sack over his head, Qian Renxue couldn't tell how badly he was hurt.
She just couldn't understand why Yu Xiaogang wasn't fighting back.
Wasn't he a level-twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster?
Ying Chengfeng was having a grand old time slapping him, not giving Yu Xiaogang a chance to speak.
As for fighting back?
How was Yu Xiaogang supposed to fight back? Let him summon his Martial Soul first.
A piece of trash like him could be beaten senseless by any level-twenty-one Soul Grandmaster.
Suddenly, Ying Chengfeng slapped him hard again, but Yu Xiaogang seized the chance to bite his hand.
"Let go, you mutt!"
Ying Chengfeng hammered Yu Xiaogang's head with his other hand.
But Yu Xiaogang clamped down and refused to let go.
Ying Chengfeng's palm was bitten through the skin a little.
A large patch of the sack grew wet.
But more than ninety percent of it came from Yu Xiaogang.
Blood, snot, and saliva—everything was in there. He'd only narrowly avoided having his brains pounded out.
Qian Renxue noticed what was happening to Ying Chengfeng and shouted, "Let go! You're not allowed to bite him! I'll beat you to death!"
Then Qian Renxue rushed over and stomped on Yu Xiaogang.
Because of the angle, Ying Chengfeng was straddling Yu Xiaogang's stomach, with his attacks focused on the upper half of his body.
That left Qian Renxue to attack the lower half.
She kicked him countless times.
Suddenly, Yu Xiaogang let go and let out a pained howl.
For an instant, Yu Xiaogang seemed to unleash a miniature universe of power, violently breaking free of Ying Chengfeng's domain.
He threw Ying Chengfeng off.
At last, Yu Xiaogang's hands could move again. He immediately clutched his crotch and rolled wildly on the ground.
Yu Xiaogang kept whimpering, unable to get out a single complete word.
Ying Chengfeng grabbed Qian Renxue's hand, and they hurriedly ran off.
They had gotten some distance away before Qian Renxue's wildly pounding heart finally settled. "Is that guy going to die?"
Ying Chengfeng reassured her, "No, but you might have kicked his balls to pieces."
"Balls?" Qian Renxue tilted her head at him, a puzzled little expression on her face.
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