That evening, Zhu Shen sat in his room and went over everything he had learned that day.
Su Nuo was in contact with the Evil God Temple. An Evil Soul Master had appeared at Notting Academy. The Evil Soul Master organization in the Soul Hunting Forest was called the Evil God Temple, and it had a leader named Blood Shadow.
Put together, these things showed that the Evil God Temple was more active around Nuoding City than he'd thought. What were they doing here? What was their goal?
Zhu Shen thought it over for a long time, but came up with nothing.
Forget it. He'd deal with the soldiers as they came and the water as it arrived—first, he'd focus on getting stronger.
He closed his eyes and began circulating his Soul Power.
Early the next morning, Zhu Shen had just reached the open ground when he saw Wang Sheng and the work-study students already lined up. They were all still yawning, but looked much more alert than they had the day before.
"Not bad." Zhu Shen nodded. "We'll keep running today. Fifteen laps each."
"Fifteen laps?" Several children turned green.
"Not enough? Then make it twenty."
The children took off running.
Tang San was at the front, keeping a steady pace with even strides. Wang Sheng followed behind, gritting his teeth as he chased, but no matter what he did, he couldn't catch up. The other children were even slower, and the distance between them quickly grew.
Xiao Lian ran at the very back, but she never stopped. Her little face was flushed, and sweat had soaked her hair.
Zhu Shen watched from the sidelines, planning his next steps.
Once the children had built a solid foundation, he'd have to find suitable Soul Rings for them. Tang San in particular would need a good Lone Bamboo for his Second Soul Ring.
As he was thinking, a figure approached from the teaching building.
It was the dean, Su Nuo.
"Good morning, Grandmaster." Su Nuo smiled warmly, leaning on his wooden staff. "You're already training the children this early. Thanks for all your effort."
"It's nothing," Zhu Shen replied coolly.
Su Nuo looked at the children running, his gaze lingering on Tang San for a moment. "That's your disciple, Tang San? Innate Full Soul Power with Blue Silver Grass as his Martial Soul. That's quite unusual."
"He's all right."
"Grandmaster, your teaching methods really are unique." Su Nuo stroked his beard. "But there's something I need to tell you. Councilor Xiao came to see me yesterday. He said you bullied his son and demanded that you give him an explanation."
Zhu Shen raised an eyebrow. "What kind of explanation does he want?"
"An apology, and a thousand Gold Soul Coins in compensation." Su Nuo sighed. "I know that's unreasonable, but Councilor Xiao has considerable influence in Nuoding City. If you refuse, I'm afraid..."
"Then tell him to come find me." Zhu Shen cut him off. "I'll be right here."
Su Nuo paused, then smiled. "As expected of you, Grandmaster. Very well. I'll go talk to him and see if I can work things out."
With that, he turned and left.
Zhu Shen watched him go, narrowing his eyes.
That old fox was stirring things up with every word. He'd come to deliver a message, yet somehow made it sound as though he was trying to help.
"System, scan the concentration of evil energy on Su Nuo."
[Scan complete. Target: Su Nuo. Evil energy concentration within his body has increased by 7% since yesterday. Host is advised to remain vigilant.]
Zhu Shen's heart sank. The evil energy was increasing, which meant Su Nuo's contact with the Evil God Temple was growing closer. What exactly was this guy up to?
After the morning training, Zhu Shen told Wang Sheng to take the children to eat. He brought Tang San back to the dormitory, intending to give him another Soul Bone.
As they reached the dormitory building, they saw someone standing there.
The man was in his forties, fat and dressed in an expensive brocade robe. Seven or eight attendants stood behind him. Xiao Chenyu was at his side. The moment he saw Zhu Shen, his eyes turned red.
"Dad, that's him!"
The fat man stepped forward and looked Zhu Shen up and down. "You're Yu Xiaogang?"
"That's me."
"My name is Xiao Wanshan, a councilor of Nuoding City." The fat man sneered. "How do you plan to settle this business of bullying my son?"
Zhu Shen looked at him. "How do you want to settle it?"
"Simple." Xiao Wanshan held up three fingers. "First, apologize to my son in front of everyone. Second, pay three thousand Gold Soul Coins in compensation. Third, get out of Nuoding City."
Zhu Shen smiled. "And if I refuse?"
"Refuse?" Xiao Wanshan's face darkened. "Then don't blame me for being ruthless. This is Nuoding City, and I'm the one who calls the shots here. You're just a Soul Master from out of town. You think you can turn the world upside down?"
As he spoke, he released his Martial Soul. A greatsword appeared in his hand, surrounded by five Soul Rings—two yellow and three purple. The pressure of a Five-Ring Soul King poured out, weighing down the air around them.
"See that?" Xiao Wanshan said smugly, swaying his Soul Rings. "If you know what's good for you, you'll do as I say. Otherwise..."
Before he could finish, Zhu Shen released his Dragon God Martial Soul.
Golden light erupted. The phantom of a golden dragon coiled behind him, surrounded by four Soul Rings—two purple and two black. His draconic might swept forward like a solid force, crashing into Xiao Wanshan's aura.
With a muffled thud, Xiao Wanshan staggered back two steps, his expression changing.
"A Four-Ring Soul Ancestor?" He stared at the Soul Rings around Zhu Shen, his gaze lingering on the Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings. "Two purple and two black? Who exactly are you?"
"Yu Xiaogang," Zhu Shen said coolly. "Didn't you already know that?"
Xiao Wanshan's expression shifted uncertainly. It was true that he was a Five-Ring Soul King, but the two black Soul Rings made him uneasy. A Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring was no joke.
"Fine. Very fine." Xiao Wanshan withdrew his Martial Soul and snorted. "Yu Xiaogang, just you wait. You'll regret crossing me in Nuoding City."
With that, he turned and left with his attendants.
Xiao Chenyu followed behind, glaring back at Zhu Shen. "Just you wait!"
Zhu Shen looked at him and suddenly smiled. "Sure, I'll wait. Next time, remember to bring more people. This lot isn't much to look at."
Xiao Chenyu's face flushed red, but his father dragged him away.
Tang San watched quietly from the side, then said softly, "Teacher, aren't you worried he'll retaliate after you've antagonized him like this?"
"What's there to worry about?" Zhu Shen patted his shoulder. "Your teacher has a cheat now. A little councilor from Nuoding City can't make much of a splash."
Tang San's mouth twitched.
His teacher had been getting more and more carried away lately.
[ Ding! Congratulations, host, for humiliating Xiao Wanshan. Hidden reward triggered: Evolution Points +50.] [Current Evolution Points: 50/100. Can be used to increase Dragon God Bloodline purity.]
Zhu Shen's eyes lit up. Humiliating someone came with a reward? This system was getting more thoughtful by the day.
"Xiao San, let's go eat." Zhu Shen was in a great mood. "Your teacher's feeling generous today. I'll treat you to meat."
"Teacher, the cafeteria only has pickled vegetables."
"...Then I'll add an egg."
Tang San silently followed him, sighing inwardly.
When was his teacher going to act a little more dependable?
The two of them entered the cafeteria. Zhu Shen paid to add an egg to Tang San's meal, then added one to his own.
Wang Sheng came over and looked at them eagerly. "Teacher, I want an egg too."
"Buy one yourself."
"I don't have any money..."
Zhu Shen sighed and paid for an egg for every work-study student. The children held their bowls, eating with oil running down their mouths, and looked at Zhu Shen as if he were their own father.
[ Ding! Congratulations, host, for winning people over. Hidden reward triggered: Success Rate for Bluffing +5%.]
Zhu Shen grinned. Even treating them to an egg could trigger a reward. This system was way too easy to please.
"Teacher." Tang San put down his bowl, his expression serious. "You offended Xiao Wanshan today. He definitely won't let this go. Should I make some preparations?"
"What kind of preparations?"
Tang San took a few slender needles from inside his shirt. They gleamed coldly in the sunlight. "I've made a few needles recently. They don't match the Tang Sect's techniques, but they should be enough to deal with ordinary people."
Zhu Shen looked at the needles, the corner of his mouth twitching.
This kid's habit of carrying Hidden Weapons everywhere wasn't going to change. Still, it might come in handy to play a little trick on him.
"Let me have a look."
Tang San handed them over. Zhu Shen took the needles, pretended to drop them by accident, then stepped on them.
"Oops. Sorry about that."
Tang San stared at the bent needles, his face turning green.
[ Ding! Congratulations, host, for pranking Tang San once. Reward: Evolution Points +10.]