Keep talking-what are you to Spirit Hall?

That sentence left Tang San stunned.

He stared blankly at the middle-aged man before him.

The Sleeve Arrow that had been tightly fastened beneath his cuff loosened at that moment.

"There are no useless martial souls..."

Tang San silently repeated those words in his heart, feeling a current shoot from his scalp straight to the soles of his feet.

In his previous life at the Tang Sect, he had merely been an outer disciple looked down upon by others. Even though he had poured his heart into creating the Buddha Fury Tang Lotus, he had ultimately violated sect rules by secretly learning the inner sect's supreme arts and ended up leaping from a cliff.

But now, this seemingly down-and-out master before him had not only seen through his deeply hidden talent at a glance, but had also shattered the last line of defense in his heart with a single sentence.

The trace of hostility in Tang San's eyes vanished completely, replaced by profound admiration.

Catching the change in Tang San's gaze, Yu Xiaogang was practically bursting with joy inside.

Got him!

This peerless genius with Innate Full Soul Power and Twin Martial Souls had been completely stunned by a single sentence from him.

As long as he took him in, the day he washed away his humiliation and made a name for himself would arrive.

Yu Xiaogang forcefully suppressed the urge to throw back his head and laugh wildly, struggling to maintain the aloof bearing of an otherworldly expert. He slowly turned around, deliberately gazed up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, and spoke his ultimate purpose in a deep voice that seemed to have seen through life itself.

"Child, your talent is extraordinary. But without a renowned teacher to guide you, even such unparalleled talent will ultimately go astray and fade into obscurity among the masses."

Yu Xiaogang turned his gaze back to Tang San, his voice low. "Are you willing to take me as your master? I will devote the effort and wisdom of my entire life to leading you to the pinnacle of Douluo Continent!"

Hearing those words, Tang San felt the blood throughout his body begin to boil.

This was him—this was the fortune Heaven had bestowed upon him!

"Master!" Tang San took a deep breath, his voice trembling with irrepressible excitement.

Tang San solemnly stepped back half a pace. Then his knees gave way, and he bent at the waist, preparing to perform the formal rite of discipleship before Yu Xiaogang.

Tang San's knees drew closer and closer to the floor.

Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands behind his back, the curve of his lips rising crazily beyond all restraint. His eyes brimmed with ecstasy, and he slightly raised his hands, already prepared to help Tang San up.

"Boom—!!!"

A deafening crash erupted without warning.

The door instantly shattered into pieces, and a violent blast of air swept dust throughout the cramped office.

Tang San's pupils contracted sharply. The instincts of the Tang Sect's secret arts activated instantly. He explosively pushed off with both feet and shot backward, barely avoiding the flying chunks of wood.

When he regained his footing, fury had replaced everything in his eyes.

Who dared interrupt his act of discipleship?

Yu Xiaogang, standing before the bookshelf, did not even have time to react.

His slightly raised hands froze absurdly in midair. The smile on his lips was plastered with dust from the blast, turning completely rigid.

"Clang! Clang!"

The grating scrape of iron armor rang out, accompanied by bone-chilling killing intent, as two rows of fully armed Spirit Hall Enforcement Team members surged into the room.

Ma Xiunuo, master of the Branch Hall, walked at the front with a grim expression. This hall master, who usually stood above everyone in Notting City, showed not the slightest warmth in his gaze toward Yu Xiaogang.

There was not a word of unnecessary nonsense.

Ma Xiunuo merely gave a cold wave of his hand.

Two burly soul masters pounced like wolves and tigers, seizing Yu Xiaogang by the shoulders and viciously forcing him down.

"What are you—"

Yu Xiaogang's terrified cry was cut short before he could finish.

"Swish!"

Two gleaming longsabers locked against Yu Xiaogang's neck, their edges pressed tightly against his carotid artery as a chill pierced straight through his skin.

Yu Xiaogang was completely dumbfounded.

A second ago, he had still been basking in the worship of a peerless genius, his mind filled with glorious visions of making a name for himself in the future.

Yet in the blink of an eye, he had been forced to the ground, every shred of dignity crushed. Extreme terror made his teeth chatter uncontrollably.

At the same time, the system panel before Qian Renyuan began flashing frantically.

[Ding! Detected that Child of Destiny Tang San's discipleship ceremony has been forcibly interrupted.]

[Reward is being calculated...]

From the corner of his eye, Yu Xiaogang caught sight of Tang San staring in his direction. In his heart, already filled with fear, an unbearable sense of humiliation surged forth.

He could not look so pathetic before the disciple he had worked so hard to deceive—absolutely not!

"Ma, Ma Xiunuo! Have you gone mad? How dare you bring people into my office without permission!" Yu Xiaogang's face flushed red as he craned his neck, trying to put on airs and rebuke him. "Tell these people to take their blades away! Have you forgotten my status? I am Spirit Hall's—"

Before the word "elder" could fully leave Yu Xiaogang's throat, a terrifying pressure descended upon the entire room.

The blades at Yu Xiaogang's neck trembled slightly. Though the two Law Enforcement Squad soul masters eased their strength, that pressure made Yu Xiaogang's legs go numb in an instant.

With a muffled thud, Yu Xiaogang's knees slammed heavily into the floor. His flushed face instantly turned paper-white. Pinned firmly to the ground, he could not move even a finger, and rasping sounds came from his throat.

Tang San, not far away, was struck just as hard. The Mysterious Heaven Skill within him nearly ran at its limit in a frenzy before he barely managed to resist collapsing to his knees.

Then came a scene that shattered the worldviews of both Yu Xiaogang and Tang San.

The Spirit Hall Enforcement Team members who had been so fierce a moment ago immediately sheathed their blades and turned around in perfect unison upon sensing that pressure. They respectfully retreated to either side, clearing a path.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

A small figure stepped into the office at an unhurried pace, walking over the wreckage scattered across the floor.

Half a step behind him walked the Blood-Robed Elder in attendance. That terrifying pressure was merely a trace of aura the old man had inadvertently released.

Tang San stared fixedly at the boy entering the room. His hands hanging at his sides clenched tightly, his nails nearly digging into his flesh.

It was him! That important figure from Spirit Hall who had humiliated him at the gates of Notting City.

Yu Xiaogang, kneeling on the ground, also struggled to raise his head.

When he saw the Titled Douluo behind the child, the tiny bit of courage he had barely gathered vanished completely, replaced by deep fear.

Qian Renyuan slowly came to a stop in the middle of the room.

He ignored Tang San in the corner, whose eyes were filled with hostility. Lowering his gaze slightly, he looked down at Yu Xiaogang kneeling at his feet.

Looking at the disheveled Yu Xiaogang on the floor, a trace of disgust flashed through Qian Renyuan's eyes. Then he parted his lips, and his utterly emotionless voice echoed through the office.

"Keep talking. What are you to Spirit Hall?"