Taking a Master

Up close, Tang San's face was still very young, but his eyes held a steadiness that did not belong to someone his age.

"Hello, my name is Tang San." His tone was polite but not warm. "My teacher wants to see you."

Xiao Wu poked her head out from behind Nezha, her face full of curiosity. "Who is your teacher?"

Tang San raised his chin slightly, unable to hide the pride in his voice. "My teacher is Yu Xiaogang, known as the Grandmaster."

So it really was Yu Xiaogang.

Nezha sighed inwardly.

This theoretical master had sent Tang San to invite them simply because he had taken a liking to the talents of two children born with full innate soul power. He wanted to take them as disciples to prove his theories were correct.

He had apparently used the same speech to stun Tang San when taking him in, and now he probably wanted to copy it word for word.

"What does your teacher want with us?" Xiao Wu asked again.

"You'll know when you get there." Tang San's answer was brief, but his attitude was firm, as though he would not rest until he had achieved his goal.

Nezha looked at him, then at Xiao Wu, and nodded. "All right, let's go."

He had originally wanted to refuse outright, but on second thought, someone like Yu Xiaogang would not give up easily.

Rather than be pestered repeatedly, it was better to make things clear face-to-face and cut ties cleanly.

Yu Xiaogang's office was the innermost room on the second floor of the administration building.

The room was small. Three of its four walls were lined with bookshelves packed full of books on soul beasts and soul masters.

The air carried the musty smell unique to old books.

Yu Xiaogang sat behind his desk. When he saw the two children enter, he forced a trace of a smile onto his stiff face.

He raised a hand to gesture for them to sit, then folded his hands atop the desk, putting on the air of a scholar.

"Nezha, Xiao Wu." He called their names and continued without waiting for a response. "The two of you should have mutated martial souls, correct?"

Just as Nezha was about to speak, Yu Xiaogang continued, giving them no chance to interrupt.

"In the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, only nineteen people with full innate soul power have appeared over the past hundred years. I have carefully studied every one of their martial souls, and every one was exceptionally powerful. Even the youngest among them has now reached the level of a Grand Soul Master."

He stood, pulled a thick notebook from the shelf, and flipped to a certain page before continuing. "Of these nineteen, fourteen inherited powerful martial souls through their family bloodlines, such as the Clear Sky Hammer and the Evil-Eyed White Tiger. But five were exceptions. They did not come from noble backgrounds, yet they still possessed full innate soul power."

"The only explanation for this is mutated martial souls. Based on my years of research into mutated martial souls, soul masters whose martial souls are body parts generally possess no more than rank five innate soul power. Yet you, Nezha, were born with full innate soul power. That absolutely defies common sense. Therefore, your martial soul must have undergone some mutation that allowed your innate soul power to break through to the maximum level."

He turned to Xiao Wu, his tone equally certain.

"As for Xiao Wu, rabbit martial souls have never been considered powerful. Throughout the thousands of years of Douluo Continent's history, no powerful soul master has ever become famous for possessing a rabbit martial soul. Therefore, your martial soul must also have mutated during awakening, allowing you to possess full innate soul power."

Having said that, Yu Xiaogang closed the notebook and sat back down. With his hands folded on the desk, he stared deeply at the two children before him.

The air fell silent for a moment.

Based on what had happened yesterday, Tang San had immediately knelt after hearing this speech.

Now, he was waiting as well—waiting for the two children to reveal looks of sudden realization, then respectfully call him "Teacher."

However, Nezha and Xiao Wu merely sat there quietly without moving.

The silence lasted for dozens of seconds.

Yu Xiaogang could no longer maintain the profound expression on his face. He gave a dry cough and decided to stop beating around the bush.

"Nezha, Xiao Wu, I intend to take you as my disciples. I have spent more than ten years researching martial soul theory, and my work is unique throughout all of Douluo Continent. Become my disciples, and I will tailor the most perfect soul ring configurations for you, allowing your future achievements to far surpass those of ordinary geniuses."

"I'm sorry." Nezha's tone was utterly calm. "We have no intention of taking a master."

Yu Xiaogang's expression froze. His already rigid face now looked as though it had been encased in ice.

"You—" His voice rose slightly.

"Do you even know what you're saying? My theories are unique in the entire soul master world! Countless great clans have wanted to invite me to guide their younger members, and I refused them all. Now that I am willing to take you as disciples, you actually dare to refuse?"

Nezha looked at him without any change in expression. Of course he knew Yu Xiaogang's theories: the upper limits of soul ring ages, the ten core competencies—everything sounded convincing enough, but what about in practice?

He had chosen a Mandala Snake as Tang San's first soul ring, nearly getting him killed. He claimed Blue Silver Grass was a useless martial soul with no offensive power and said Tang San should follow the control path, yet later on Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was entirely focused on powerful attacks and barely used the earlier control abilities at all.

Besides, if the Blue Silver King had not later improved Tang San's Blue Silver Grass martial soul, it would have been ruined long ago under Yu Xiaogang's guidance.

His theories were barely passable during the low-level soul master stages, but at higher levels, they were riddled with flaws.

Not to mention that he himself had not even broken through rank thirty. If they really went hunting soul beasts with him, it was hard to say who would be protecting whom.

"Grandmaster, we already have our own cultivation plans. Thank you for your kind intentions."

Tang San, who had been standing to one side, finally spoke.

His brows were tightly furrowed, and his tone carried obvious dissatisfaction. "Teacher is willing to take you as disciples because he thinks highly of you. Do you know how many people outside want to enter Teacher's tutelage?"

Xiao Wu blinked. "Then let those people become his disciples. We won't."

Tang San choked on his words, and his face darkened further.

But Nezha noticed that beneath Tang San's displeasure lay a trace of barely perceptible relief.

After thinking about it briefly, Nezha understood. Tang San was deeply calculating. Having grown up in the Tang Sect as an outsider, what he cared about most was his sense of belonging to a master.

If Yu Xiaogang took three disciples at once, his attention would inevitably be divided.

Now that Xiao Wu and Nezha had refused, Yu Xiaogang would have only Tang San as his disciple and could teach him wholeheartedly. Tang San's relief was understandable.

"We have things to do, so we'll be leaving now."

Nezha did not want to waste any more words. He took Xiao Wu's hand and headed for the door.

Yu Xiaogang sat in his chair with a livid expression, saying nothing.

Tang San did not try to stop them again. He merely stood where he was and watched the two of them leave with a complicated look in his eyes.

As they stepped out of the administration building, the sunlight was somewhat blinding.