"I'm not worthy?"
It was as if Yu Xiaogang's deepest, most sensitive inferiority complex had been struck. His mind roared.
After a long while, he finally came back to his senses. He had been rejected—and by a child who was only six.
He wondered if asking to take him as a disciple the moment they met had been too abrupt and frightened the child.
He immediately cleared his throat, walked up to Ao Yin, and said, "Child, don't be afraid! I am an honorary master of Notting Academy's junior Soul Master Academy. I'm not a bad person."
"Child, although you were born with Innate Full Soul Power, your staff Martial Soul is called the Coiling Dragon Staff. It is an extremely rare mutated Martial Soul. If it evolves well, it can become a top-tier Martial Soul. But if you don't understand the principles of evolution, it will just be a fire poker!"
"The key lies in whether you can activate the dragon patterns on it. But to awaken them, only someone with an exceptionally deep understanding of dragon-type Martial Souls can do so!"
Hearing that, Ao Yin raised an eyebrow slightly. He was not surprised that Yu Xiaogang had recognized his Martial Soul. What surprised him was the evaluation of the Coiling Dragon Staff!
"A top-tier Martial Soul?"
At first, Ao Yin had thought this first-tier reward was trash. He had not expected it to be this awesome.
As for the principles of Martial Soul Evolution... wasn't Yu Xiaogang just bragging about himself?
"Is activating the dragon patterns really that difficult?" Ao Yin scratched his head.
"Difficult! As difficult as ascending to heaven!"
Yu Xiaogang immediately picked up the thread and thumped his chest. "But you need not worry. The family I come from is a top sect, and our family Martial Soul is a rare dragon-type Martial Soul. Naturally, we have conducted profound research into dragon-type Martial Souls. If you take me as your master, with my guidance, activating the dragon patterns will be effortless!"
"You wouldn't want to possess Innate Full Soul Power only to end up as a useless cripple, would you?"
The more Yu Xiaogang spoke, the more confident he became. By the end, there was even a trace of... impatience in his tone!
After all, putting aside the Coiling Dragon Staff's potential to evolve into a top-tier Martial Soul, just Innate Full Soul Power alone had appeared only nineteen times in total across the Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire over the past century.
Every one of them had become a figure capable of stirring the world, such as the current Spirit Hall Pope—Bibi Dong, whom he could never let go of!
He wanted to prove himself. He wanted the family that had once looked down on him, as well as the woman who had once despised him, to know that Yu Xiaogang was not completely worthless!
Of course, Yu Xiaogang knew perfectly well that he lacked the talent to walk the path of a Soul Master. But when it came to Soul Master theory, he was invincible!
All he needed now was someone who could prove his theories!
So, when he saw that Ao Yin possessed Innate Full Soul Power and had awakened a top-tier Martial Soul, he decided on the spot to take him as a disciple so he could conveniently test the Ten Core Competitiveness Theories of Martial Spirits that he had proposed.
Ao Yin sneered inwardly. You're the first person I've seen dress up finding a lab rat in such righteous language!
Feigning thoughtfulness, he asked, "This... Master, you say you come from a dragon-type Martial Soul family. Then your own Martial Soul must be very powerful, right?"
"How about you prove your strength first?"
"Uh...?" Yu Xiaogang was rendered speechless for a moment.
Prove his strength? How was he supposed to prove that?
"For example, let me witness this so-called true 'dragon's might' first!"
Ao Yin gave him no chance to evade the question. Didn't he claim to come from a dragon-type Martial Soul family? Didn't he boast about how formidable he was?
If it had been an ordinary child who had never seen the world, Yu Xiaogang might really have fooled them with that speech and made them willingly become a guinea pig for his Martial Soul theories!
But Ao Yin knew Yu Xiaogang's background like the back of his hand. His Martial Soul had nothing whatsoever to do with dragons. As for powerful strength, the only move he could show off was—farting like thunder, Luo Sanpao who shook heaven and split earth!
Ao Yin gave Yu Xiaogang no chance to refuse. He walked straight to Old Jack's battered carriage and somehow produced a bronze gong.
He began clanging it loudly on the spot and shouted, "Don't miss this as you pass by! The master is putting on a performance! Send me fifty Copper Soul Coins and see what he can do!"
The crowd loved a spectacle, and people immediately gathered. Quite a few recognized Yu Xiaogang.
"What? The master is going to demonstrate his strength?"
"Now that you mention it, I've never actually seen the master who's invincible in theory make a move!"
"Little brother, here are fifty Copper Soul Coins! Hurry up and let the master show us!"
In front of Notting Academy's gates, the place instantly became packed with noise and people. Many spectators enthusiastically began tossing rewards over, and a pile of Copper Soul Coins flew through the air.
"Village Chief Jack, what are you standing there for? Pick up the money!"
Ao Yin patted the stunned Old Jack directly, leaving everyone amused and exasperated.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang, who had been so proud just moments ago, instantly went dark-faced.
Asking him to demonstrate his strength before so many people—how was that any different from asking him to pull down his pants and fart in the street?
Proud as he was, how could he possibly do something like that?
His face fell at once as he said coldly, "Child, you've gone too far!"
However, Ao Yin was not someone who could be pressured at all. He carried the gong around and collected money lap after lap. Once he had made a fortune, he stuffed the money into Old Jack's hands.
Walking toward Yu Xiaogang in the center of the crowd, he said with a grin, "Since the master is unwilling to pull down his pants and fart, I'll show everyone a few moves on his behalf."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Coiling Dragon Staff was somehow already in his hand. The Soul Power fluctuations around him surged sharply, and all of his innate level-twenty Soul Power poured into the staff.
Buzz—
The instant Soul Power entered the staff, the dragon patterns that had originally been black like a fire poker turned fiery red, as though seared by blazing flames. The dragon patterns upon it also seemed to come alive, slowly activating.
One!
Two!
Three!
Nine!
All nine dragon patterns activated simultaneously. Under the sunlight, they intertwined and coiled around the staff like living creatures, vivid and lifelike.
At the same time, the Coiling Dragon Staff trembled continuously. Yu Xiaogang seemed to sense something, and his expression changed slightly.
His voice trembling, he asked, "What are you going to do?"
But what he received was not Ao Yin's answer, but... a staff strike!
Ao Yin's Myriad-Jun Strength erupted completely. Carrying immense dragon's might, it smashed down with unstoppable force.
Yu Xiaogang's heart skipped a beat. With no time to think, he shouted, "Sanpao!"
A short, chubby purple-haired flying pig shot out.
Crack—
The air was compressed to the extreme, producing a sonic boom.
The dragon staff arrived in an instant. Two yellow Soul Rings rose around Yu Xiaogang at the same time as he pushed his Soul Power to its limit.
"Fart like thunder, Luo Sanpao who shakes heaven and splits earth—block it for me!"
The purple-haired flying pig rapidly swelled as though it had been inflated, and Luo Sanpao opened his mouth wide!
Boom—
A mass of unknown yellow gas blasted forth like a breath of dragon flame!
Pfft—
The Coiling Dragon Staff cleaved down with Myriad-Jun Strength. The yellow gas burst apart instantly like paper, while the staff continued onward with irresistible force, swift as the wind!
It stopped just three inches above Yu Xiaogang's forehead. A blade-like gust slashed across him, making his forehead ache!
A foul stench of farts filled the area, but Yu Xiaogang seemed unable to smell it at all. His eyes were filled with shock!
"What kind of bullshit master is this? You're nothing special!"
Ao Yin stopped at the crucial moment, leaving behind only that mocking remark!
Then he covered his mouth and nose, briefly said goodbye to Old Jack, and headed into the academy on his own!
Even after Ao Yin had left, Yu Xiaogang still had not recovered. All he could hear were countless jeers from around him.
"Hahaha! A master truly is a master—his Soul Skill is farting!"
"This is simply invincible!"
"Just this? And he wanted to take that kid as his disciple!?"
"That was eye-opening!"
At that moment, Yu Xiaogang only wanted to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.
He recalled Sanpao and wanted to flee the judgmental eyes of the world. Just as he turned toward the academy, a young boy's voice came from behind him!
"Excuse me, are you the master of Notting Academy?"
"Hm?"
Yu Xiaogang turned back in surprise and saw a blue-clothed child squeeze out from the crowd.
Jack, who had been about to leave this troublesome place, was also slightly stunned.
"Little San?"
Before you continue