Frankly Speaking, You Are Unworthy to Be My Teacher

After the meditation class ended, Qi Dao was about to head to the woods behind the mountain for some extra training when, the moment he stepped outside, he heard someone call out.

"Qi Dao, come here!"

The brief shout carried a commanding tone.

Qi Dao frowned slightly and looked toward the voice.

Yu Xiaogang stood not far away, dressed in a black robe. He held two books in his left arm, with his right hand behind his back, his expression somewhat stiff.

Qi Dao remained where he was, his gaze neither humble nor overbearing.

"Master, you do not seem to be an academy teacher, so you have no right to order me around."

"If you have business with me, then please set aside that pride buried in your bones instead of speaking to me in that commanding tone."

In an instant, Yu Xiaogang's already stiff face became even stiffer, and he felt as sick as if he had swallowed a fly.

But in order to make Qi Dao cooperate with his research into his Martial Soul, he could only lower his stance and walk over to him.

He had to take Qi Dao as his disciple.

Although Hans did not agree to let him take Qi Dao as his disciple, he could simply approach Qi Dao directly.

As long as Qi Dao was willing to acknowledge him as his master, Hans would have nothing more to say.

"Is this acceptable now?"

Yu Xiaogang said flatly.

As the foremost master of Martial Soul theory, he had taken the initiative to yield to a first-year student with only half a rank of soul power.

Qi Dao should have been satisfied!

Qi Dao could tell that he was merely putting on an act; the pride in his heart had not changed in the slightest.

Still, he calmly said, "Go on. What did you come to see me for?"

Given Yu Xiaogang's nature, Qi Dao did not need to think hard to know that he had probably come to find out why a piece of trash with a malignantly mutated Martial Soul like him could severely wound Xiao Haijie with a single sword strike.

Sure enough, Yu Xiaogang opened with, "Qi Dao, I heard that you defeated sixth-year student Xiao Haijie yesterday?"

"That did happen," Qi Dao replied blandly.

Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up, then he put on an inscrutable air. "Do you know? I have investigated countless soul masters, yet never has a single one been able to defeat a beast soul master with a hundred-year soul ring using only half a rank of soul power."

"Therefore, I have concluded that your Martial Soul must possess some kind of special quality."

"So what exactly are you trying to say?"

Qi Dao asked in return. Yu Xiaogang's way of speaking felt strangely familiar to him.

It seemed this was how he had fooled Tang San.

A flash of fervor passed through Yu Xiaogang's eyes. "When your parents took you to see the dean before, they were probably hoping for you to become my disciple, weren't they?"

"I normally do not accept disciples, but today I can make an exception. I will take you as a registered disciple and help you uncover the secrets within your Martial Soul."

"You also want to understand the secrets of your Martial Soul, don't you?"

After saying that, Yu Xiaogang carefully watched for any change in Qi Dao's expression.

But when he heard Qi Dao's reply, his face instantly stiffened.

Qi Dao decisively shook his head. "Sorry, I refuse!"

What a joke.

What benefit was there in becoming Yu Xiaogang's disciple?

Yu Xiaogang immediately grew anxious after being rejected by Qi Dao and blurted out, "How can you refuse? Don't you want to uncover the secrets of your Martial Soul?"

"It is you who wants to uncover the secrets of my Martial Soul, isn't it?" Qi Dao looked calmly at Yu Xiaogang, then suddenly drew Peerless Sword from his waist.

The cold blade gleamed with a sharp, frosty light, its point aimed directly at Yu Xiaogang before him.

Looking at Peerless Sword's sharp tip, Yu Xiaogang, despite being a level-twenty-nine Grand Soul Master, involuntarily took a step back.

Seeing him act so cowardly, Qi Dao shook his head. His face seemed expressionless, yet it also seemed to carry a faintly mocking smile.

By now, the commotion had drawn quite a few people over. Qi Dao raised Peerless Sword and swept it around before the crowd, allowing them to clearly see the cracks running across its blade.

Then Qi Dao looked back at Yu Xiaogang.

"See that? My Martial Soul really is nothing more than an Iron Sword Martial Soul after a malignant mutation."

"No, that's impossible!"

"Your Martial Soul must have some unknown special trait!"

Yu Xiaogang had seen the cracks on the blade, but he would rather believe in his own deduction than believe what he had witnessed with his own eyes.

More and more students gathered around to watch.

Seeing Yu Xiaogang's loss of composure, a first-year student quietly asked, "Who is this guy? Why does he look like he's gone crazy?"

"I've heard of him. Supposedly, he's a friend of the dean and has some title like... 'Master.' But apparently, he's just someone freeloading at our academy."

"I see. But why is he pestering our boss?"

"Didn't you hear what he said just now? He wanted to take Boss on as a registered disciple."

"Huh? A freeloader actually wants to take Boss as a registered disciple? What wishful thinking."

As everyone murmured among themselves, Qi Dao spoke up and brought the topic to an end.

"Nothing in this world is impossible!"

"True powerhouses never complain about their circumstances, and true geniuses..."

"Will never be shackled by their martial souls!"

"Like... me!"

Qi Dao unceremoniously claimed the title of genius for himself, then slid Peerless back into its sheath with a shing.

He looked at Yu Xiaogang and said, "Master, forgive my bluntness, but judging by your current performance, you are not worthy of being my teacher!"

"I'm not worthy?"

A trace of viciousness appeared on Yu Xiaogang's face. Pointing at Qi Dao's nose, he berated him furiously.

"You actually say I'm not worthy to be your teacher?"

"You think you're something special and become smug and complacent. Arrogant and ignorant."

"You're truly short-sighted!"

"Just wait and see. Without my help, with a trash martial soul that's only innately half a rank, I'm afraid you won't even break through the bottleneck at level twenty."

Qi Dao smiled faintly. "Then I needn't trouble Master with worrying about it."

Seeing that Qi Dao was determined not to become his disciple, and that the surrounding discussion was only growing louder, Yu Xiaogang snorted coldly and turned to leave.

A mere soul master with a trash martial soul of half an innate rank actually thought he was some precious treasure.

After Yu Xiaogang left, Xiao Chenyu stepped forward and said quietly, "Boss, good thing you didn't let that old bastard fool you."

"I looked into him already. He's really just a freeloader. He looks down on this and sneers at that all day, but the biggest trash is actually him. At his age, he's still stuck at level twenty-nine. Only the title of 'Master' sounds intimidating."

"Enough, no need to mind him." Qi Dao smiled faintly, then said to Xiao Chenyu, Liu Long, and the others who had gathered around him, "I'm going to do some extra training. Are you coming?"

Xiao Chenyu and the others immediately pulled bitter faces.

"Boss, we'll pass. We finally have a little free time."

"If you don't work hard while you're young, Boss will grieve in vain when he's old." Qi Dao shook his head. He did not force his own standards on the others, merely smiling as he said, "All right, then I'll go by myself!"

With that, he headed toward the academy's back mountain.

Watching his departing figure, Xiao Chenyu and the others huddled together.

"With that kind of perseverance, if Boss doesn't succeed, who will?"

"Maybe Boss really can become a powerhouse someday!"

Liu Long and Ling Feng grinned.

"Then we'll be the lackeys of a future powerhouse."

"Brother Xiao, do you think Boss will still remember us after he makes it big?"

Xiao Chenyu said, "Of course he will!"