Level 24

The teacher spotted Xiao Wu, the most conspicuous figure in the crowd, and the smug look on her face. His anger immediately flared.

"You! You there! What are you doing?! Do you know what punishment you'll face for fighting in private?!"

Xiao Wu's expression stiffened slightly at his words, and her delicate brows instantly furrowed as she said:

"These people were bullying us work-study students. Are we not allowed to fight back?!"

The teacher paused slightly upon hearing that.

Naturally, he knew that this group usually bullied the work-study students.

But most of them had influential backgrounds, and they had not caused any major disturbances.

So he had turned a blind eye.

But now that things had escalated, he could no longer ignore it.

"Don't try to twist the issue. Who was the one who started this group fight?!"

Xiao Wu planted her hands on her hips, her face full of defiance. "I did. So what?!"

"Their mouths stank to high heaven, and they even wanted me to be their pet. They deserved a beating!"

"Fine, fine, fine! Still refusing to repent! What's your name?!"

"My name is Xiao Wu!"

At that moment, Yu Xiaogang also came over to Tang San. Seeing him covered in footprints, his face bruised and swollen, the flesh on Yu Xiaogang's face trembled.

This was his treasured disciple.

If anything happened to him, how would he prove his theories?

He turned angrily toward the teacher who had just berated Xiao Wu and said:

"Director Bai! This is no longer a simple matter of fighting!"

"This is bullying—tyranny!"

"Those students who bullied the work-study students are rotten to the core, absolute scum. Expel every last one of them!"

The teacher had originally intended to scold Xiao Wu a few more times. Upon hearing Yu Xiaogang's words, he nearly choked on his own saliva.

He looked at Yu Xiaogang, utterly speechless inside.

Expel all of them? Never mind that the academy would immediately lose nearly half its students—if the people behind those students came looking for trouble, who would handle them?

You?!

Could a useless loudmouth like you do it?!

Director Bai desperately wanted to say those words aloud, but because of Yu Xiaogang's ambiguous relationship with the dean, he held them back and instead said coldly:

"Flies do not gather around uncracked eggs. It takes two to make a quarrel."

"Besides, they were the ones who proposed the fight. If anyone is to be expelled, I think they should all be expelled together."

Yu Xiaogang choked up. He looked at Tang San, who was still buried halfway in the ground, and saw the hopeful glint in his red, swollen eyes.

Yu Xiaogang straightened up. He stood tall with his hands behind his back and spoke arrogantly:

"Director Bai, it's obvious that they were in the wrong."

"These work-study students have been bullied and oppressed by them for years. They only fought today because they could endure it no longer!"

"Otherwise, how could what happened today have happened!"

Yu Xiaogang's words were righteous and impassioned.

He made Xiao Chenyu and the others sound like monstrous villains guilty of every evil imaginable.

Director Bai no longer wanted to listen to his nonsense and said bluntly, "The nature of this matter is extremely serious. Let the dean make the decision."

"Fine! Let the dean decide. I'll make sure to clearly explain their crimes before him!"

Yu Xiaogang sneered, as though the dean of Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy listened to him.

The surrounding crowd had already dispersed, yet Yu Xiaogang was still grunting as he dug Tang San out.

The ground was simply too hard. Even using all his strength, Yu Xiaogang could only shovel up a small handful of dirt.

After digging for a long time, Tang San still could not free himself from the ground.

Instead, Yu Xiaogang accidentally jabbed him with the shovel.

"Tang San, don't worry. The dean is a close friend of mine. With me stepping in, those who bullied you will definitely receive the punishment they deserve!"

Yu Xiaogang held his waist, drenched in sweat and panting heavily as he spoke to Tang San.

Tang San was also digging desperately at the dirt beneath him with both hands. Hearing those words, he looked at Yu Xiaogang with gratitude.

"Teacher, thank you."

"I'm your teacher. Of course I have to stand by your side."

Yu Xiaogang waved his hand, raised the shovel, and began digging again.

A few days later.

Tang San's injuries had mostly recovered.

The main reason was that those people were not Soul Masters, and they had not hit him too hard. Most of his injuries were superficial.

Under the treatment of Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Skill and a physician, the bruises and swelling on his body faded within a few days.

Just then, Yu Xiaogang stormed into Seven House.

Tang San immediately rose and bowed. The moment he saw Yu Xiaogang's expression, he already knew the answer.

But he was not particularly upset. Those people had dared to lay their hands on him; they had brought death upon themselves.

He would deal with them personally in the future.

Yu Xiaogang looked at the obedient Tang San, sighed softly, and said:

"Tang San, I'm sorry. Your teacher is useless. The families behind those people compensated the work-study students with some money and have already obtained their forgiveness."

"They were not expelled."

"What a bunch of spineless wretches, bought off by a little money!"

Yu Xiaogang spoke indignantly, as if he himself had not been collecting Gold Soul Coins from Spirit Hall all along.

"Teacher, it's all right. Once I become stronger, I'll take revenge myself. You have already treated me well enough. Tang San is deeply grateful!"

Tang San spoke with heartfelt sincerity.

"Tang San."

"Teacher."

"Tang San."

"Teacher."

The two gazed deeply at one another, as though they were the only two people left in the world.

"Tang San, your injuries have mostly healed. Today, your teacher will take you to the Soul Hunting Forest to obtain your first Soul Ring."

"I've already thought of several Soul Rings suitable for you. Once you become a Soul Master, you'll definitely be able to slap those people in the face!"

Yu Xiaogang spoke, his heart filled with excitement.

He could finally prove his theoretical knowledge.

Tang San's eyes lit up.

His Soul Power had been stuck at level 10, and even his Mysterious Heaven Skill had encountered a bottleneck.

He guessed that once he obtained a Soul Ring and broke through to become a Soul Master, the bottleneck of the Mysterious Heaven Skill would also be broken.

That was why he had long been looking forward to this day.

"All right, Teacher. Tang San will listen to you in everything."

"Then let's go. Make your preparations, and we'll set off immediately."

The carriage left Nuoding City. That very afternoon, every person who had once attacked Tang San in the back hills had one arm or one leg broken.

The matter caused a huge uproar throughout Nuoding City, with people discussing it in every street and alley.

The moment Shi An heard the news, Tang Hao was the first person he thought of.

Only Tang Hao had both the strength and motive to do such a thing.

But Tang Hao had surely already left Nuoding City with Yu Xiaogang and Tang San by then.

Shi An sat cross-legged on his bed, breathing as he guided Soul Power through the meridians in his body.

Crack~~~

A faint sound rang out from within his body as Soul Power rippled outward.

Two months after obtaining his Soul Ring, he had finally broken through to level 24.