Two More Years Pass, Meeting Tang San for the First Time

News of Qi Dao breaking through to Rank 10 quickly spread throughout the academy, even alerting Director Su and Headmaster Hans.

But if anyone took it the hardest, it was undoubtedly Yu Xiaogang.

In Yu Xiaogang's dormitory, he sat behind his desk, scratching his head and ears, unable to make sense of it no matter how much he thought.

"How is this possible?"

"We both had half a rank of innate soul power. How could he cultivate so quickly?"

His own cultivation speed back then had already been fast. It had taken him only five years to break through to Rank 10.

But the reason he had cultivated so quickly was because he had the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan behind him. Not only did he have a mimetic cultivation environment, but he also had vast resources.

Yet Qi Dao, a commoner soul master, cultivated even faster than he did.

Was that reasonable?

Bang!

Yu Xiaogang slapped the desk, his face full of indignation.

"I understand now. Qi Dao must not have told me the truth back then. His martial soul must be hiding some other secret."

"Even his innate soul power must have been fake."

"He definitely wasn't born with half a rank of innate soul power. Otherwise, he couldn't possibly cultivate this fast."

"Breaking through nine ranks in three years? This talent is probably no worse than that of some soul masters born with Rank 7 innate soul power."

Yu Xiaogang's expression shifted constantly. Deep down, he absolutely refused to admit that Qi Dao could break through to Rank 10 in only three years with the talent of half a rank of innate soul power.

Because this was his obsession.

In his view, poor innate talent meant one was destined to achieve nothing significant in cultivation.

Only by finding another path could one prove to the world that one was not trash!

Thus, in Yu Xiaogang's eyes: if you had half a rank of innate soul power, then you were destined to be trash—unless you could become a world-renowned scholar like him and create a soul master theory acknowledged by the entire continent.

And Qi Dao definitely could not have had half a rank of innate soul power.

Otherwise, there was no way he could cultivate faster than Yu Xiaogang, who had the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan behind him!

Qi Dao naturally had no idea that Yu Xiaogang was gradually becoming obsessed because of his cultivation speed.

After obtaining his first soul ring, Qi Dao did not become impatient or complacent. He cultivated exactly as he had before.

As time passed, another two years went by.

This year was also when the original story officially began.

Qi Dao was eleven years old, and his soul power had reached Rank 19.

Such an achievement might not have meant much for an ordinary soul master born with Rank 6 or Rank 7 innate soul power.

But for a soul master born with only half a rank of innate soul power, it could only be described as earth-shattering.

However, no one at the academy knew Qi Dao's exact rank. Based solely on when he had broken through Rank 10, they guessed that he was perhaps around Rank 15 or 16 now.

The academy cafeteria.

Qi Dao, Xiao Chenyu, and the others had gathered for a meal.

Just as they were about to head up the stairs, Liu Long suddenly spotted more than ten people walking over in the distance.

"Huh, isn't that Wang Sheng?"

The group stopped at his words.

Qi Dao also looked in Wang Sheng's direction.

Besides the original members of Dorm Seven, Wang Sheng now had two more people beside him, a boy and a girl.

The girl wore a small pink dress and had her hair braided into a scorpion tail. Her little face was rosy and pretty.

The boy wore simple blue clothes, had wheat-colored skin, and ordinary features.

The moment Qi Dao saw them, he guessed their identities.

Tang San, Xiao Wu!

After only one glance, Qi Dao immediately withdrew his gaze.

Though Tang San was the protagonist of the original story, his reputation was hardly good. He had practically turned the protagonist into a villain.

There were simply too many labels attached to him.

Hypocritical, selfish, hypocritical by double standards...

Qi Dao had always kept his distance from people like that.

Tang San currently had no grudge against him, nor did they have any conflict of interest, so Qi Dao naturally would not go looking for trouble.

Of course, if it was within his power in the future, he would stop Tang San from destroying the Martial Soul Hall.

Qi Dao did not care whether Bibi Dong lived or died.

But the continent needed Martial Soul Hall!

Commoner soul masters also needed Martial Soul Hall!

Even their family had received no small amount of favor from Martial Soul Hall over the years.

"Wang Sheng!" Qi Dao called out with a smile.

Wang Sheng grinned. "What a coincidence, Boss. I ran into you the moment I came to the cafeteria."

Qi Dao smiled. "Want to come upstairs and have a meal with us?"

Wang Sheng said regretfully, "Not today. Two newcomers joined our dorm today, and I said I'd treat them."

"Alright!"

Qi Dao did not press the matter and led Xiao Chenyu and the others straight upstairs.

After they left, Xiao Wu at the side asked curiously, "Wang Sheng, who was that just now? Why do you seem so respectful toward him?"

With a look of admiration on his face, Wang Sheng said, "He's the boss of our entire academy, and also the greatest benefactor in my life."

"Hm?"

"What do you mean, benefactor?" Xiao Wu's face was full of curiosity.

Wang Sheng recalled with utter admiration, "When I first entered the academy, everyone in class looked down on me because I was a work-study student. It was Boss's arrival that changed how the others saw me, and he pushed us to cultivate through his actions."

"If Boss hadn't set an example for us, I wouldn't have broken through to level ten last semester."

"And do you know how I got my hundred-year soul ring?"

"Boss was the one who helped me find people to hunt for my hundred-year soul ring!"

Upon hearing this, everyone else in Dorm Seven besides Tang San and Xiao Wu wore envious expressions.

That was a first hundred-year soul ring, after all.

For commoner soul masters like them, it was practically a dream soul ring they did not even dare imagine.

Tang San still did not know what a first hundred-year soul ring represented, but he could tell from the expressions of the others in Dorm Seven just how rare it was.

Xiao Wu, meanwhile, was not thinking that far ahead. She only had another matter on her mind.

"Then who do you think is stronger, me or him?"

Wang Sheng smiled and shook his head. "Sister Xiao Wu, you and Tang San are both very strong, and you both have innate full soul power. Your futures are boundless."

"But compared to Boss as you are now, the difference is like heaven and earth."

"You already have a hard time defeating me. If you faced Boss, you wouldn't even be able to block a single strike of his sword."

Although Wang Sheng had absorbed his first soul ring, he had still lost to Tang San. Tang San had then been defeated by Xiao Wu, so Xiao Wu remained the dorm leader of Dorm Seven.

As for why it was not Boss?

Wang Sheng declared that there was only one boss in his heart: Qi Dao!

Xiao Wu asked in surprise, "He's that strong? What level is he?"

Wang Sheng shook his head.

"I don't know that either!"

After hearing that, Xiao Wu muttered to herself.

"Hmph, he's only a sixth-year student. How strong can he possibly be? Once I condense my first soul ring, I'll challenge him."

"As long as I beat him, I'll be the boss of the entire academy!"

As they chatted, two more people approached from afar.

When Tang San saw one of them, he hurried forward.

"Teacher, you came to eat too!"

The newcomers were none other than Headmaster Hans and Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang looked at Tang San. A faint smile appeared on his stiff face as he patted Tang San's shoulder. "Have you packed everything?"

Tang San replied, "I've packed everything. Thank you for the bedding, Teacher."

Yu Xiaogang nodded, then continued, "In that case, come eat with me on the second floor. Afterward, I'll show you around."

Tang San shook his head. "Teacher, forget it. I'll eat with my roommates."

After all, Wang Sheng had just turned down Qi Dao's invitation for their sake. If he accepted his teacher's invitation now, what would the others think of him?

Yu Xiaogang glanced at Wang Sheng and the others, then smiled faintly. "Alright, then I'll go on ahead. Wait for me at the cafeteria entrance after you finish eating."

With that, he and Headmaster Hans left directly.

But Wang Sheng stared at the scene in utter astonishment.

"You actually took the Master as your teacher?"