Douluo: Breathing Makes Me Stronger, Tang San Was Terrified! Chapter 4

After picking up Lu Chen and Tang San, Old Jack greeted the villager driving the ox cart. The villager flicked his whip, lightly striking the old yellow ox on the rear. The ox swished its tail and pulled the cart toward Notting City.

Although Notting City was only a small city, it stood at the border between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, making its location relatively important. Merchant caravans traveling north and south all passed through here, so the city was quite prosperous.

Notting Academy, located in Notting City, was a junior Soul Master Academy that recruited children who had just awakened their Martial Souls and possessed the talent to become Soul Masters. It would train these children for six years.

After six years, as long as their Soul Power reached level ten, they could hunt any Spirit Beast, absorb its Spirit Ring, become a one-ring Soul Master, and graduate successfully from Notting Academy.

After graduation, whether they advanced to an intermediate Soul Master Academy to continue studying or went out to look for work, they would be fought over by all kinds of factions.

For children from poor families, it was an excellent chance to turn their lives around!

After more than two hours of travel, Old Jack and his group arrived outside Notting City.

Old Jack had the villager wait outside the city with the ox cart while he led Lu Chen and Tang San to line up and enter Notting City. After asking around, they found Notting Academy.

At the gates of Notting Academy!

Old Jack took out Lu Chen and Tang San's Martial Soul certificates and Work-Study Student documents. Smiling broadly, he walked up to the gatekeeper standing outside the academy gates and said politely:

"Young man, these are the Martial Soul certificates and Work-Study Student documents for these two children. They're both students enrolling at Notting Academy this year."

The young gatekeeper, whose brows carried a trace of arrogance, took the Martial Soul certificates and Work-Study Student documents and looked them over.

He immediately sneered, casually tossed the documents onto the ground, and said mockingly:

"Blue Silver Grass Martial Souls? Innate Full Soul Power? And there are two of them? Do you take me for an idiot?"

"Do you even understand what Innate Full Soul Power means? Notting Academy has never produced such a genius in all its history."

"I think you're all beggars and swindlers trying to sneak into Notting Academy for free food and lodging. Get lost already. Don't force me to take action."

As he spoke, the gatekeeper impatiently waved his hand.

Old Jack bent down painfully and picked up the Martial Soul certificates and Work-Study Student documents that had been thrown on the ground.

He treated them like treasures, patting away the dust. Then Old Jack looked up at the gatekeeper, ready to argue with reason.

But Lu Chen, who had long expected something like this to happen, strode forward without a word. He stretched out a hand like an iron pincer, grabbed the gatekeeper's wrist, and forcibly dragged him outside.

As he walked, Lu Chen said:

"That Martial Soul certificate was personally issued to us by Grandmaster Su Yuntao of Spirit Hall. If you don't believe it, I'll take you there to confront him right now."

The gatekeeper was completely dumbfounded. Lu Chen's strength was terrifying. With a grip on his wrist, Lu Chen yanked him stumbling forward, leaving him unable to resist at all.

Seeing Lu Chen's bright eyes, his childish face filled with seriousness and determination, his upright body covered in solid muscles, and hearing his booming voice, the gatekeeper's face turned green with fear.

Was this kid really six years old?!

The gatekeeper's mind was filled with disbelief.

The next moment, Lu Chen dragged him away with no chance for resistance.

When the gatekeeper realized he could not break free from Lu Chen's hand, he immediately panicked. If he really confronted someone from Spirit Hall, then so long as that person frowned, he definitely would not be able to keep his job as gatekeeper.

He cried out in alarm:

"Alright, alright, I believe you! Let me go already! Go into Notting Academy and walk straight to the Academic Affairs Office in the teaching building. You can register there."

Hearing this, Lu Chen released him at once. Caught off guard, the gatekeeper fell onto the ground on his backside.

Lu Chen ignored him, turned and took his Martial Soul certificate and Work-Study Student document from Old Jack's hand, then cheerfully said goodbye:

"Goodbye, Grandpa Village Chief. You don't need to see me off anymore. I'm going into Notting Academy to register."

Old Jack cast a rather satisfied glance at the young gatekeeper. Hearing Lu Chen's words, he kindly instructed him:

"Xiao Chen, after you get to Notting Academy, take good care of yourself and study hard. When you graduate, you'll be a noble Soul Master. Grandpa is proud of you!"

At the side, Tang San watched Old Jack and Lu Chen act like grandfather and grandson, putting on a tearful farewell. His forehead was covered in black lines, and his heart churned with unpleasant feelings.

Then Tang San stepped closer and said in a low voice:

"Grandpa Village Chief, I'm going to register too."

Only when Tang San spoke did Old Jack seem to notice him. He handed Tang San his Martial Soul certificate and Work-Study Student document, dismissing him casually:

"Xiao San, go register by yourself."

After brushing Tang San off, Old Jack gave Lu Chen one more deep look before finally turning away and leaving with satisfaction.

Tang San was left standing there, tightly clutching his Martial Soul certificate and Work-Study Student document.

Familiar Faces Appeared One After Another

After saying goodbye to Old Jack, Lu Chen carried his luggage toward the Academic Affairs Office.

Just then, a thin, tall, buzz-cut middle-aged man with a poker face walked toward Lu Chen.

This man was none other than Yu Xiaogang.

Known as the "Grandmaster," he had proposed the ten core competitive theories of the Soul Master world.

He knew nothing about the world of true experts. After reading some texts compiled by senior masters, he organized and summarized them, then claimed they were his own ideas.

He had been nearby earlier and witnessed the farce at the gates of Notting Academy from start to finish. He had developed a strong interest in the tall and muscular Lu Chen and wanted to study him.

Walking up to Lu Chen, Yu Xiaogang forced out a smile and was about to introduce himself.

"Child..."

Guessing this man's identity and knowing what he wanted to say, Lu Chen immediately spoke in a loud voice:

"Hello, please move aside. I still need to register at the Academic Affairs Office!"

Yu Xiaogang's expression stiffened. The words he had yet to say were completely choked in his throat, and his already rigid face became even gloomier.

Yu Xiaogang cared greatly about his pride. Otherwise, he would not have abandoned his status as the second young master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to wander throughout the continent.

His intense yet fragile self-esteem would not allow him to keep groveling after being rejected.

Yu Xiaogang then darkened his face and stepped aside to clear the way.

After Yu Xiaogang made way, Lu Chen continued forward as if nothing had happened.

After walking several dozen steps, he looked back and saw Yu Xiaogang whispering about something with Tang San.

The master and disciple from the original plot had, unsurprisingly, gotten tangled together again.

Lu Chen quickly withdrew his gaze and strode onward without caring.

It was nothing more than having to kill one more Yu Xiaogang when he killed Tang San for revenge in the future.

Yu Xiaogang's crooked theories could even lead Tang San completely astray.

To say nothing else, just having a plant Martial Soul absorb animal Spirit Rings was absurd enough.

It was not a question of whether it could absorb them.

The question was, what was the point?

A plant Martial Soul could properly absorb plant Spirit Rings and still obtain Spirit Beast abilities. It could even strengthen the Martial Soul's origin.

If Tang San's Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul had honestly absorbed plant Spirit Rings, it might have already undergone its second awakening and evolved into a Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul.

To Lu Chen, a transmigrator, familiar faces were appearing one after another. But he had no desire to have much contact with Tang San or Yu Xiaogang. Once he had expanded his knowledge of culture and Spirit Beasts, he would leave this place immediately.

At that time, the sky would be vast for birds to fly, and the sea boundless for fish to leap!

Before long, Lu Chen arrived at the Academic Affairs Office.

He took out his Martial Soul certificate and Work-Study Student document, handed them to the director of the Academic Affairs Office responsible for recruiting students, and introduced himself:

"Hello, Teacher. I'm a student registering this year. My name is Lu Chen."

The director of the Academic Affairs Office and the other teachers were all quite surprised by Lu Chen's burly six-year-old frame.

After carefully checking his Martial Soul certificate and Work-Study Student document, they found no problems.

Though they were surprised by him, they registered him truthfully.

The director of the Academic Affairs Office said:

"Lu Chen, I've registered you. Your dormitory is Room Seven. You can go settle in now. Tomorrow morning is the opening ceremony and the first class of the school year. Remember not to be late."

Lu Chen smiled and thanked him:

"Thank you, Teacher. I'll head over now."

Lu Chen turned and left. When he reached the doorway, he heard the director and the other teachers discussing him.

"What a strong child. Why doesn't he have a beast Martial Soul? Why does he have that useless Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul instead?"

"What a pity, such a pity!"

Hearing their discussion, Lu Chen merely smiled and let it pass. His two Martial Souls were indeed the most ordinary kind, but he believed that one day, both of them would evolve into god-tier Martial Souls.

Lu Chen then strode away to find Room Seven, his dormitory.

Notting Academy occupied a vast area. It took Lu Chen quite a while to find the plainly furnished Room Seven in a corner of the academy.

Upon entering Room Seven, Lu Chen found that the dormitory conditions were even worse than he had imagined. There were no separate partitions in the entire room, and crude wooden beds were scattered about in a disorderly arrangement.

Lu Chen took a deep breath. He gained an even deeper understanding of the terrible living conditions of Work-Study Students. He told himself inwardly, Endure it. Just endure it, and it will pass.

At the same time, the boys who had been grappling with each other in the dormitory all stopped when they noticed the newcomer.

They lined up and gathered around him under the lead of a chubby boy.

The chubby boy looked at the tall and muscular Lu Chen. Hesitation and fear appeared on his face, but after glancing at the younger boys around him, he gritted his teeth and stepped forward.

"I haven't seen you before. Are you new this year?"

Seeing these future roommates, Lu Chen knew exactly what was going on but still pretended not to know as he replied:

"My name is Lu Chen. I'm new. Do you need something?"

The chubby boy gathered his courage and said:

"My name is Wang Sheng. My Martial Soul is War Tiger, and I'm the boss of Room Seven!"

"We have a rule in Room Seven. Newcomers have to fight the boss. Whoever wins becomes the new boss!"

"Don't misunderstand. This isn't about bullying anyone. It's to choose a boss strong enough to protect us."

"We Work-Study Students have low status and are often bullied in the academy. If we don't want to be bullied, we can only stick together. The boss earns everyone's respect, but he also has to stand at the front for everyone."

Lu Chen smiled, and he smiled very happily!

This was a perfectly justified excuse to deal with Tang San. He absolutely had to seize it.

So Lu Chen agreed:

"I understand. Come at me. I'll go easy on you."

Wang Sheng looked at himself, then at Lu Chen. The enormous difference in their sizes left him with no confidence in winning.

When he heard Lu Chen say he would go easy on him, Wang Sheng even secretly sighed in relief.

He shouted to bolster his courage, clenched his fists, and charged toward Lu Chen.

Lu Chen was strong enough to drag an ox. Smiling, he watched Wang Sheng rush at him and swiftly reached out with hands like iron pincers.

One hand locked onto Wang Sheng's wrist, while the other grabbed his collar.

With a slight exertion of strength, Lu Chen lifted Wang Sheng into the air and kindly gave him a "promotion" package.

With both feet off the ground, Wang Sheng immediately panicked and shouted:

"I surrender! You'll be the new boss from now on!"

Hearing Wang Sheng surrender, Lu Chen gently put him back down.

Only after both feet touched the ground again did Wang Sheng relax with relief. He hurried up to Lu Chen with a fawning expression.

"Boss Lu Chen, you're so strong! You must have a powerful beast Martial Soul, right?"

Lu Chen smiled and said:

"No, my Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass. I'm strong because I was born with immense strength."

As Lu Chen spoke with his newly acquired underlings, he set his luggage on a bed and eagerly waited for Tang San.