Yu Xiaogang, Dormitory Seven

Hearing Yu Xiaogang's words, Tang San subconsciously assumed the man was a teacher at the academy. Without much thought, he handed over his spirit certificate.

Yu Xiaogang took the certificate, though he hadn't paid much attention to it at first; his true focus was actually on Bai Shu.

Bai Shu had just released his first spirit ring.

It had only been two or three months since the spirit awakening ceremonies in the surrounding villages, which meant Bai Shu's innate spirit power had to be at least level nine; otherwise, it would have been impossible to meet the requirements for obtaining a first spirit ring so quickly.

However, as Yu Xiaogang's eyes swept over Tang San's certificate, his initially casual expression froze, and his eyes widened involuntarily.

As if unable to believe it, he checked it twice. Only then did Yu Xiaogang suppress the excitement in his eyes and resume his posture of a superior expert.

"Hmm, this is indeed a certificate from Spirit Hall. Child, where is yours?"

Yu Xiaogang asked Bai Shu while calmly tucking Tang San's certificate away.

Although Bai Shu hadn't noticed Yu Xiaogang's subtle movement, he had no intention of handing his registration materials to a stranger, so he bluntly refused:

"Sorry, my certificate does not need to be inspected by someone of unknown origin. Whether it is genuine or not will naturally be verified by the teachers at the academic affairs office shortly."

Yu Xiaogang's face darkened. "Someone of unknown origin"? As a grandmaster, this was the first time he had ever been so slighted. If not for the fact that the boy might be a genius with innate full spirit power, he would have liked to flick his sleeves and leave right then and there.

Tang San felt somewhat uncomfortable hearing Bai Shu's words; the way Bai Shu put it made his own act of handing over the certificate seem foolish.

"Child, having a sense of caution is a good thing," Yu Xiaogang said, suppressing his anger. "However, I am not someone of unknown origin. Even the principal of this academy must address me as Grandmaster when we meet."

As he spoke, he clasped his hands behind his back, striking a pose as if waiting for others to worship him.

Bai Shu was left speechless by this guy. Do you not have any self-awareness about how you got the title of 'Grandmaster'?

When out and about, he wouldn't give his name, only demanding others call him Grandmaster. If they didn't, what could he even do?

Therefore, Bai Shu didn't buy into Yu Xiaogang's posturing at all and retorted directly:

"So, you aren't a teacher at the academy? Then you have even less right to inspect my spirit certificate."

Yu Xiaogang's mouth twitched. He hadn't expected someone as young as Bai Shu to be so difficult to deal with, and he could barely maintain his composure.

"Hmph! What do you know?"

"There is only a one-character difference between 'Grandmaster' and 'teacher,' but in terms of status, they are worlds apart. How could those academy teachers be mentioned in the same breath as me?"

"So, in plain terms, you're just a freeloader, right?"

Bai Shu curled his lip in disdain.

"Alright, I need to go register. If you have nothing else, please step aside."

"You..."

Yu Xiaogang was infuriated by Bai Shu's "freeloader" comment. Indeed, many people in the academy called him that behind his back, but this was the first time he had been mocked to his face.

At the same time, he realized that for Bai Shu to say such things, he had likely been influenced by those who belittled him, and the chances of taking him on as a disciple were now slim.

Bai Shu couldn't be bothered to deal with this guy who could only rage ineffectually.

Perhaps because his spirit combat power was so lackluster, Yu Xiaogang had always believed in talking rather than acting.

Thus, Bai Shu walked straight past Yu Xiaogang toward the teaching building.

Behind him, Tang San heard Bai Shu's words and also felt that this so-called Grandmaster was a bit strange.

He was about to follow, but suddenly realized his spirit certificate was still in the man's hand.

Tang San had no choice but to turn back and say helplessly:

"Old... Grandmaster, could you please return my spirit certificate? I also need to go register."

Seeing that a potential genius with innate full spirit power had already slipped away, how could Yu Xiaogang let this last test subject go?

Moreover, in his heart, Tang San's value far exceeded Bai Shu's. After all, Bai Shu had already absorbed a spirit ring; even if he followed his arrangements later, it would leave a blemish on his theories.

What's more, this one remaining boy was very likely a twin spirit user.

"Child, don't be impatient," Yu Xiaogang said, his voice dropping a few notches as he looked at Tang San. "If I am not mistaken, you possess twin spirits, don't you?"

After shaking off Yu Xiaogang's entanglement, Bai Shu quickly completed his registration, collected the school uniform issued by the academy, and headed toward Dormitory Seven.

The dormitory wasn't hard to find; after all, the academy only had about two hundred students across all six grades, and there was only one dormitory building.

However, the environment of Dormitory Seven still exceeded Bai Shu's expectations.

Bai Shu was currently standing at the entrance of Dormitory Seven.

The door was wide open, and inside the room were dozens of dilapidated wooden beds, with quite a bit of uncleaned trash on the floor.

Bai Shu knocked politely on the door, drawing the attention of the dozen or so children inside.

"Hello, I am a new work-study student this year. Is this Dormitory Seven?"

Hearing Bai Shu's words, many of the younger children visibly relaxed.

Children on the Douluo Continent generally developed quickly, and since Bai Shu had already absorbed his first spirit ring, no one would doubt him if he claimed to be ten years old based on his appearance alone.

Furthermore, because noble students often provoked them maliciously, they had initially thought he was another troublemaker.

Upon learning of Bai Shu's intentions, a sturdy-looking youth took the initiative to step forward.

"Hello, my name is Wang Sheng, my martial soul is War Tiger, and I am the boss of Dormitory Seven."

"We have a rule in Dormitory Seven: newcomers must spar with the boss, and whoever wins becomes the new boss."

Bai Shu shrugged. He had come here to study, not to fight.

Besides, if everything went according to plan, he wouldn't be staying in Dormitory Seven for more than a few days.

It was one thing that the environment in Dormitory Seven was poor, but the fact that work-study students had to do manual labor every day was a complete waste of time for cultivation.

The years before twenty were the golden age for a spirit master's cultivation, and he had no intention of wasting his time on such things.

"My name is Bai Shu, and my martial soul is Green Lotus. However, it is an auxiliary-type martial soul, so I'm afraid I won't be able to fight you."

"Huh? Auxiliary-type?"

Wang Sheng was taken aback and instinctively looked at the others; Dormitory Seven had truly never had an auxiliary-type spirit master before.

The few work-study students also exchanged glances, unable to make up their minds. Seeing this reaction, Bai Shu knew that the so-called challenge rule wasn't all that formal, so he continued:

"After all, I'm not familiar with the academy, so you should keep the position of boss. If there's anything you need my help with, just let me know."

Wang Sheng coughed. "Fine, if you don't want to be the boss, then forget it."

"We're all work-study students anyway. If any noble students come looking for trouble later, just stick with us."

Bai Shu nodded. "Many thanks."

After settling things with Wang Sheng, Bai Shu chose a bed by the window that was relatively clean and began to tidy it up.

Next, he would wait for Xiao Wu from the original story to make her entrance; it would be a good opportunity to see how strong she really was.

In the original story, she was even able to defeat Tang San. Although that was partly because Tang San went easy on her, she certainly wouldn't be weak.