First Meeting with Tang San

Ao Tian nodded slightly and gave a soft "Mm."

He sized up the youth before him. He looked to be in his twenties, around six feet tall, strong and sturdy, with a somewhat handsome face.

"You're Su Yuntao?" Ao Tian asked, his tone like that of a superior questioning a subordinate.

Su Yuntao had long been mentally prepared. He answered respectfully, "Yes, Young Master Ao."

The previous night, Palace Mistress Li had personally sought out Su Yuntao and instructed him to escort an important figure from the Papal Palace to Nuoding Academy today.

Moreover, Palace Mistress Li had speculated that Young Master Ao's true age might not be six, and that his strength was unfathomable. She had warned Su Yuntao not to offend Young Master Ao under any circumstances.

Therefore, Su Yuntao did not dare relax around Ao Tian in the slightest and behaved with utmost respect.

"Young Master Ao, I'll take you to breakfast first, then we'll head to Nuoding Academy. This way, please."

"Alright."

After breakfast, Su Yuntao summoned a carriage and personally drove Ao Tian toward Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.

"Su Yuntao, I heard you're pursuing Sisi?"

Ao Tian's voice came from inside the carriage.

Su Yuntao hesitated for a moment before replying, "Yes."

He did not know why Young Master Ao was asking, but he answered honestly nonetheless.

It was no secret. Everyone at the Nuoding City Branch Hall knew about it.

"I asked Sisi last night. She doesn't like you. She merely thinks you have some value, so she hasn't rejected you for now."

"Young Master Ao, you must be joking." Su Yuntao forced a smile, though his expression had turned somewhat unpleasant.

"Palace Mistress Li was there last night as well. If you don't believe me, you can ask her."

The smile vanished from Su Yuntao's face. He fell silent, his chest tight and aching.

A small, pale hand extended from within the carriage, holding a thumb-sized white bead in its palm.

"This is a Spirit Energy Bead. Keep it with you, and it will increase your cultivation speed when you train. With your aptitude, breaking through to Soul Elder in this lifetime would have been extremely difficult. With this bead, you can at least become a Soul King above rank fifty."

Su Yuntao was shocked. He hurriedly said, "Young Master Ao, I can't accept this. It's far too precious."

As he spoke, he tried to push Ao Tian's hand back, but his eyes lingered longingly on the bead overflowing with spirit energy.

"Take it!" Ao Tian ordered.

Su Yuntao involuntarily opened his hand, and the bead fell into his palm.

"This is your reward for taking me to Nuoding Academy. With it, you won't have to endure other people's disdain in Spirit Hall anymore. You'll have every chance of becoming a Branch Hall Master, perhaps even a higher-ranking Sub-Branch Hall Master."

Su Yuntao clenched the Spirit Energy Bead tightly. Taking a deep breath, he suppressed the excitement in his heart and said gratefully, "Thank you, Young Master Ao. If you ever need anything in the future, Su Yuntao will brave mountains of blades and seas of fire for you without hesitation."

Ao Tian gave a soft grunt. He had only given Su Yuntao a small reward because he thought the young man was decent enough.

The place where he had once slept could be said to have been the most spiritually abundant place on this planet. Something like a Spirit Energy Bead was utterly insignificant to him.

"Some women have little ability but enormous ambition. Watch yourself," Ao Tian reminded him once more.

"I understand, Young Master Ao," Su Yuntao replied.

The two said nothing further. Half an hour later, they finally arrived at the gates of Nuoding Academy.

"Young Master Ao, we're here," Su Yuntao said as he got down from the carriage and pulled open the curtain.

Ao Tian stepped down from the carriage.

Nuoding Academy's gate was built with considerable grandeur. The twenty-meter-wide, ten-meter-tall archway was constructed entirely from hard stone.

Four large characters were inscribed directly above the archway—Nuoding Academy.

Beneath the archway stood two large black iron gates. A Gatekeeper Youth sat dozing in a corner beside them.

"Let's go in," Su Yuntao said.

Ao Tian nodded and followed Su Yuntao forward.

After taking only a few steps, his heart suddenly stirred. "Su Yuntao, I'll go in by myself. You should return to Spirit Hall. If I need anything, I'll come find you."

Su Yuntao stopped and turned around. "Young Master Ao, I graduated from here myself. I was even one of its outstanding students, and I have a good relationship with many of the teachers. I can put in a good word for you..."

"No need." Ao Tian raised a hand to stop him. "I'll go in alone. Go back."

"Alright. If you need any help in the future, you must come find me so that I can repay your great kindness," Su Yuntao said seriously.

Ao Tian waved his hand a few times. "Go on, go on."

Su Yuntao did not linger. He drove the carriage away from Nuoding Academy.

Ao Tian did not immediately enter Nuoding Academy. Instead, he stood at the edge of the open space before its gates, his gaze fixed on one end of the street outside.

There, an old man and a child were walking toward them.

Ao Tian had heard their conversation just now, which was why he had sent Su Yuntao away first.

The old man had a head full of white hair and a snow-white beard. Leaning on a cane and dressed in brand-new clothes, he seemed to be in fairly good spirits.

The child looked to be around six years old. His body was rather thin and his complexion somewhat sallow, but his eyes were remarkably bright. Even as he walked, his stance was extremely steady.

Compared to the old man, the child's clothes looked much poorer. They had been washed until nearly white and bore several large patches.

The child had excellent eyesight and spotted the four words Nuoding Academy from several hundred meters away.

These two were Old Jack and Tang San from Holy Spirit Village.

How could Ao Tian possibly miss the chance to see the Protagonist from the original story?

He stood inconspicuously at the edge, studying Tang San with his eyes.

He knew that there would soon be a show to watch.

"Grandpa Jack, we're here. Nuoding Academy is up ahead," Tang San said, pointing at Nuoding Academy.

"Oh, is that so? We've finally arrived." Old Jack chuckled.

Before long, Tang San and Old Jack arrived before Nuoding Academy's gates, only to be stopped by the Gatekeeper Youth.

Seeing that Old Jack and Tang San looked like easy-to-bully country folk, the Gatekeeper Youth decided to squeeze some money out of them.

How could Old Jack, a simple and honest villager, understand how deep the schemes of the city ran?

Especially when the Gatekeeper Youth mockingly insulted Holy Spirit Village, Old Jack immediately became angry.

Old Jack's lack of tact also provoked the Gatekeeper Youth's anger, and he reached out to shove Old Jack.

At that moment, Tang San made a forceful move.

In his Previous Life, Tang San had been a Tang Sect Outer Disciple. Because of his passion, he had secretly learned many Secret Skills of the inner sect, each one among the finest in the Martial World. Dealing with a gatekeeper youth was as easy as turning his hand over.

The tall youth was sent flying by a few moves from six-year-old Tang San.

"You brat, you're courting death!" The youth flew into a rage. Being knocked down by such a shorty had cost him all his pride and dignity.

He climbed up from the ground and charged at Tang San. Rage had already clouded his mind, and he wanted to teach Tang San a harsh lesson.

Tang San's eyes gradually turned cold. His left hand lifted slightly, and the safety on the Silent Sleeve Arrow hidden in his sleeve had already been released.

With the slightest twitch of his arm muscles, an additional Short Arrow would appear in the youth's throat.

[Tang Sect Profound Heaven Treasure Record General Principles, Third Rule: Once you have determined that the other party is an enemy, if they deserve death, show no mercy. Otherwise, you will only bring trouble upon yourself.]

In Tang San's eyes, with the youth's harsh nature and his disrespect toward Old Jack, he deserved to die!

What a ruthless kid. Ao Tian watched the scene with a smile, already forming an initial impression of Tang San.

There will be another chapter after noon. Please send some votes. I made some revisions to the previous chapter. The protagonist will enter the academy as a village child rather than under Spirit Hall's identity.