Tang San obediently stepped behind Zhu Shen, but there wasn't the slightest trace of worry in his eyes.
He had seen his teacher's strength. These students wouldn't stand a chance, even all together.
Seeing that Zhu Shen wasn't resisting, Teacher Wang assumed he was scared and grew even more smug. "You know you're scared now? Too late! Pretending to be Grandmaster and injuring someone from the Nuoding Family—those two charges are enough to keep you in prison for several years!"
As he spoke, he released his Martial Soul as well. A long whip appeared in his hand, surrounded by one white and one yellow Soul Ring.
"First Soul Skill, Binding Whip!"
The long whip turned into a black blur and lashed toward Zhu Shen.
Zhu Shen didn't move at all. He merely raised a hand.
Smack!
He caught the tip of the whip with his bare hand.
Teacher Wang froze. His First Soul Skill wasn't powerful, but it was still a control skill. How could someone catch it so easily with their bare hand?
He yanked hard, trying to pull the whip back, but it wouldn't budge.
"You..." A flicker of panic crossed Teacher Wang's face.
Zhu Shen flicked his wrist, and a tremendous force surged through the whip. Teacher Wang felt a sharp pain in the web of his thumb and forefinger. The whip flew from his grasp, tracing an arc through the air before landing on the ground.
The entire crowd fell silent.
In a single exchange, his Soul Skill had been broken and his weapon taken.
Teacher Wang's face flushed red with shame and fury. "You—you dare attack someone inside the academy!"
"You attacked first." Zhu Shen let go of the whip's tip, and it fell to the ground. "I was only defending myself."
"Fine! Just fine!" Teacher Wang trembled with rage. "You think that because you can beat me, you can run wild in Notting Academy? Let me tell you, the academy's dean is a Five-Ring Soul King! We also have several teachers at the Four-Ring Soul Ancestor level! You're not walking out of these gates today!"
"Oh?" Zhu Shen raised an eyebrow. "Then call the dean out."
"You..." Teacher Wang was at a loss for words.
Just then, a gentle voice rang out.
"What's going on? Why is everyone gathered here?"
The crowd parted, and an old man in his sixties walked over. His hair and beard were completely white, and his face was kind. He wore a simple gray robe and leaned on a wooden cane.
Seeing him, Teacher Wang's eyes lit up, and he hurried forward. "Dean! You've come at just the right time! This man is pretending to be Master Yu Xiaogang, and he injured one of the students. Please apprehend him!"
The old man looked at Zhu Shen, studying him.
Zhu Shen looked back at the old man, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes. The dean had a peculiar presence. He seemed gentle, but his strength was held in reserve. A Five-Ring Soul King was top-tier in a small city like this.
"You say you're Yu Xiaogang?" the dean asked slowly.
"Yes." Zhu Shen nodded.
"Can you prove it?"
Zhu Shen thought for a moment, then took a badge from his robes. It was a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor badge, remade for him by the portly hall master after his test at the Spirit Hall Branch.
The badge bore the image of four Soul Rings, two purple and two black.
The dean took the badge and examined it closely. His expression shifted.
Four-Ring Soul Ancestors were nothing unusual, but two purple Rings and two black ones...
"Is this badge yours?"
"I was tested at the Spirit Hall Branch today," Zhu Shen said calmly.
The dean fell silent for a moment, then returned the badge. "A Soul Power badge can be forged, but a Martial Soul can't. Yu Xiaogang's Martial Soul is Luo Sanpao. If you really are him, release it and let us see."
Everyone around them held their breath.
Teacher Wang wore a gleeful expression, waiting for Zhu Shen to embarrass himself.
Zhu Shen smiled. "All right."
At a thought, golden light suddenly blazed behind him.
But it wasn't Luo Sanpao. It was the phantom of a golden dragon.
The dragon's shadow coiled through the air, its scales gleaming and its golden eyes bright as the sun. A vast dragon's might swept across the square.
The Martial Souls of all the students who had released theirs began to tremble violently. The students with Beast Martial Souls went weak at the knees, and several of them even dropped straight to the ground.
The dean's expression changed.
This wasn't Luo Sanpao.
But that pressure... there was no way it could be fake.
"Your Martial Soul..." The dean's voice sounded a little hoarse.
"It evolved." Zhu Shen withdrew his Martial Soul, and the pressure vanished. "I've had some lucky encounters over the years."
Zhu Shen said it simply, but the people around him all sucked in a breath.
The dean studied Zhu Shen for a long moment, then suddenly smiled. "Excellent. What a remarkable evolution. Master Yu, welcome to Notting Academy."
"Dean!" Teacher Wang grew anxious. "He..."
"Silence." The dean gave him a stern look. "I can vouch for Master Yu's identity. We met once, ten years ago, when he came to Nuoding City. His appearance and Martial Soul have changed, but I recognize those eyes and that bearing."
Teacher Wang opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't dare say another word.
The dean turned to Zhu Shen, smiling warmly. "Master Yu, since you've come, why not stay at the academy? As it happens, there are some things I'd like to ask you about."
Zhu Shen nodded. "Then I'll trouble you."
"It's no trouble at all." The dean waved a hand. "Teacher Wang, take Master Yu to the teachers' dormitory and arrange the best room for him."
Teacher Wang answered reluctantly and led Zhu Shen and Tang San away from the square.
Watching the three of them disappear into the distance, the smile gradually faded from the dean's face, and a complicated look flickered in his eyes.
The dean, Su Nuo, unconsciously rubbed a dark red metal emblem hidden at his cuff with his thin fingers. Its twisted shape vaguely resembled a bleeding eye.
He turned and walked off with an unsteady gait, yet his pace was remarkably swift. Before long, he had disappeared into the depths of the academy.
With a bellyful of anger, Teacher Wang led Zhu Shen and Tang San toward the teachers' dormitory. They walked in silence, and the awkwardness in the air was thick enough to wring water from. Several students watched from a distance, curious, but Teacher Wang glared them back into line.
"This is it." Teacher Wang stopped in front of two adjoining rooms, noticeably brighter and more spacious than the ordinary dormitories. His tone was stiff. "Master, you'll stay in this one, and your disciple will stay next door. If you need anything... handle it yourselves." With that, he hurried away without looking back, as if every extra second spent there was torture.
"Tsk. Their hospitality isn't even as warm as the innkeeper's wife." Zhu Shen pursed his lips and pushed open the door. The room was simply furnished, but clean and tidy. Sunlight streamed through the window, filling it with warmth.
[ Ding! The host has successfully taken up residence at Notting Academy. New environment task triggered: Establish a preliminary reputation within the academy (0/1). Reward: One random Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo Spirit Bone in a non-repeating location. ]
Zhu Shen's eyes lit up. "Xiao San, see that? Even the system's urging us to stir things up. That Soul Bone looks so sweet!"
"Ahem, Xiao San has just entered the academy. You need to establish your reputation..."
The corner of Tang San's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. "Teacher, we just got here. Shouldn't we... keep a low profile?"
"Keep a low profile?" Zhu Shen patted his shoulder, wearing an inscrutable expression. "Xiao San, keeping a low profile is a shield for the weak. What are we now, master and disciple? We're chea—cough, we're rising stars! When it's time to show our muscle, we show it. Otherwise, every Tom, Dick, and Harry will think they can trample us. Look at that Teacher Wang just now, and that so-called young master from Nuoding City. Didn't they both have it coming?"
Just then, a commotion and a chorus of cheers rose from downstairs in the dormitory building.
"Boss Xiao, beat him up! Show him who's boss in Nuoding City!"
"Some work-study student dares to talk back? Break him!"