How Infuriating!

The sunset's afterglow filtered through the window lattice, casting long shadows across the dormitory's wooden floor.

Ling Xuqing slowly opened his eyes, a flash of dark golden light flickering within his deep pupils.

After a full day of cultivation and stabilization, the spirit power within his body—previously somewhat volatile due to the fusion of three immense forces—had finally settled completely.

His level twenty-eight cultivation was now as responsive as his own limbs. With every breath, he could feel the marvelous rhythm of the Golden Dragon King's blood essence, the origin of the hundred-thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit, and the life force of the Blue Silver Emperor blending perfectly within his meridians.

"Hoo—"

He let out a long, stale breath and stretched, his bones emitting a series of crisp, popping sounds.

"Xuqing, you're finally done cultivating!"

Inside his sea of consciousness, Xiao Wu's voice rang out immediately, filled with irrepressible excitement and joy.

As Ling Xuqing's thoughts stirred, a pink radiance flowed from between his brows and condensed before his bed.

As the light dissipated, a girl with a long scorpion braid and delicate, jade-like features stood there prettily.

She was no longer in the semi-transparent, phantom state from before.

Thanks to the nourishment of the Golden Dragon King's origin within Ling Xuqing's body, Xiao Wu had now gained a spirit body similar to a physical form.

This spirit body not only possessed a realistic sense of touch but could even feel the gentle breeze brushing against her cheeks.

Of course, only Ling Xuqing could see this spirit body.

"I was bored to death! Staying in the sea of consciousness for a whole day, my bones were about to rust!"

Xiao Wu spun around the dormitory happily, her skirt fluttering like a butterfly that had regained its freedom.

Immediately afterward, a soft blue light emanated from Ling Xuqing's right leg bone.

A halo radiating a gentle aura emerged, transforming into a beautiful woman with a mild, water-like temperament, dressed in a light blue long dress.

She was none other than the Blue Silver Emperor, A Yin.

Although she had just become a Soul Spirit and her soul remained weak, under the nourishment of the Golden Dragon King's origin, A Yin also possessed a spirit body just like Xiao Wu's.

She stood there quietly, a trace of indelible sorrow between her brows, yet the gaze she directed at Ling Xuqing held an absolute submission and attachment belonging to a Soul Spirit.

"Xuqing," A Yin's voice was as soft as a breeze, "the air outside is truly wonderful."

"Since you've finished cultivating, let's go out for a stroll!"

Xiao Wu grabbed A Yin's arm and turned to look at Ling Xuqing, her large eyes filled with anticipation. "Xuqing, I heard there's lots of delicious food in the human world. I want to eat candied haws and carrots! I'm starving!"

Although A Yin wasn't particularly interested in human food, a hint of curiosity flashed in her eyes upon hearing Xiao Wu.

Ling Xuqing looked at the two girls before him, so different in style yet equally stunning, and a gentle smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Alright, let's go."

He tidied his clothes, pushed open the dormitory's wooden door, and stepped out with a light gait.

The evening at Nuoding City Junior Spirit Master Academy was pleasant, with a gentle breeze and the sky filled with sunset clouds.

Just as Ling Xuqing walked out of the dormitory building and prepared to head toward the academy gate, his gaze was involuntarily drawn to a figure by the roadside ahead.

It was a middle-aged man wearing a washed-out gray robe, his frame slightly thin and gaunt.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his chin tilted slightly upward, gazing at the sky at an extremely standard forty-five-degree angle.

The sunset's afterglow hit his profile, and he forced himself into a pose of profound, detached, and solitary aloofness.

Xiao Wu followed Ling Xuqing's gaze, immediately curled her lip, and complained in his mind:

"Xuqing, who is that? Standing there without moving, he looks so infuriating!"

Beside her, A Yin also frowned slightly. Although her personality was gentle, as a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast, her intuition told her that the aura emanating from this man made her feel very uncomfortable.

Ling Xuqing stopped and sized up the middle-aged man.

Seeing the lingering aura of his signature Luo Sanpao spirit, along with that mysterious confidence as if he were the only one in the world who mattered, Ling Xuqing understood immediately.

"Grandmaster, Yu Xiaogang."

Ling Xuqing chuckled inwardly.

He certainly knew who this was: the most famous theoretical master on the Douluo Continent and Tang San's "mentor."

"Xiao Wu, the road is wide, and everyone walks their own path. It has nothing to do with us. Don't mind him, let's just go our own way."

Ling Xuqing pacified Xiao Wu's emotions, preparing to walk around this "roadblock."

"Yay! I want candied haws, I want carrots, let's go quickly, I'm starving!"

Xiao Wu immediately shifted her attention to the food, pulling A Yin's hand and urging Ling Xuqing.

"Alright, let's go."

Ling Xuqing smiled slightly and prepared to brush past Yu Xiaogang.

However, the moment he was about to pass, Yu Xiaogang, who had been looking at the sky, suddenly lowered his head.

His gaze locked precisely onto Ling Xuqing, a flash of "as expected" certainty in his eyes.

In Yu Xiaogang's mind, his profound "forty-five-degree angle" pose must have certainly caught the attention of this six-year-old genius boy.

A child like Ling Xuqing, gifted but lacking guidance, would surely feel awe upon seeing such a profound figure and would take the initiative to ask for advice.

Yet, he never expected that not only did Ling Xuqing not stop, but he acted as if he were looking at a stone on the side of the road, ignoring him completely and walking past with a swagger!

Yu Xiaogang's face darkened instantly.

But after all, he prided himself on being a Grandmaster, so he still possessed some composure.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed his displeasure, put on a kind and amiable smile befitting an elder, and took a step forward to block Ling Xuqing's path.

"Child, you must be Ling Xuqing!"

Yu Xiaogang's voice was deliberately lowered, carrying a magnetic quality intended to entice.

Ling Xuqing had to stop.

It wasn't just Ling Xuqing; even Xiao Wu and A Yin were feeling annoyed.

"How can this person be like this! We were here first, what right does he have to block the way!" Xiao Wu stomped her feet in Ling Xuqing's mind.

A Yin also shook her head slightly and whispered, "Xuqing, this person... seems a bit strange."

Ling Xuqing frowned slightly, pacified the two girls in his mind, then looked up at Yu Xiaogang, who was blocking his path, and asked in a flat tone:

"Mister, is there something you need?"

Hearing the emotionless "Mister," the corner of Yu Xiaogang's eye twitched slightly.

He took a deep breath, straightened his back, and said in a tone he deemed highly impactful:

"Child, my name is Yu Xiaogang. You may call me Grandmaster. I teach here at the Nuoding City Junior Spirit Master Academy, specializing in spirit theory."

After this self-introduction, Yu Xiaogang stared intensely at Ling Xuqing, waiting for the six-year-old child to show shock, admiration, or sudden realization.

However, Ling Xuqing just stood there quietly, his face indifferent, without even a ripple of emotion.

Only after Yu Xiaogang finished his sentence did Ling Xuqing speak faintly:

"And then? Who you are, what does that have to do with me?"

Yu Xiaogang: "..."

He felt as if he had thrown a full-force punch into a pile of cotton.

This child's reaction was completely off-script!

"Ahem..." Yu Xiaogang coughed to hide his embarrassment, then once again adopted the posture of an earnest elder and said:

"Child, you must know that my theories are recognized by many powerhouses on the continent! And you, possessing a top-tier tool spirit, the Golden Overlord Spear, and innate full spirit power—such talent must be guided by a master! Otherwise, you are simply wasting your innate advantage!"

As he spoke, he observed Ling Xuqing's reaction, trying to find a sign of being moved on that young face.

Ling Xuqing listened quietly, arms crossed over his chest, watching Yu Xiaogang's spittle-flying, self-intoxicated performance, and found it somewhat amusing.

"Oh."

Ling Xuqing responded flatly.

Just one word—no exclamation, no admiration, not even a hint of curiosity.

Yu Xiaogang's face stiffened again.

As a dignified "Grandmaster," although his reputation on the continent was mixed, wasn't he addressed respectfully as "Grandmaster" wherever he went?

How could he have no presence at all in front of a six-year-old child today?

"And then?" Ling Xuqing spoke again, his tone even carrying a hint of impatience.

Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath, telling himself that geniuses always had personalities and he shouldn't bicker with a child.

He suppressed the frustration welling up inside him, his eyes becoming even more fanatical and urgent.

He stepped closer, staring fixedly at Ling Xuqing, and said in a tone that was almost seductive:

"With talent like yours, looking across all of Nuoding City, only I can teach you! Only I can arrange the best spirit ring configuration and the most perfect path of cultivation for you!"

He slapped his chest hard and announced loudly:

"Therefore, as long as you take me as your master, I can teach you everything I know and save you at least thirty years of detours!"