"Holy Soul Village? I think it might as well be called Dogshit Village!"
The gatekeeper stood with his hands on his hips, utterly arrogant!
Yang Ming and the other two were furious!
No matter how well-mannered Yang Ming usually was, at this moment, he had the urge to tear that foul mouth apart!
Just then, a somewhat hoarse voice rang out, stopping the gatekeeper from taking things further.
"Enough. Stop."
The gatekeeper froze for a moment, then quickly recovered. Once he saw who had arrived, he changed his expression like a Chameleon. One moment, he had looked down on country folk like some superior city dweller; the next, he wore a fawning smile and bowed repeatedly to the newcomer.
"Grandmaster, you're back."
Yang Ming narrowed his eyes and looked over. The newcomer was a middle-aged man.
He was of average height and somewhat thin, with an utterly ordinary appearance and nothing particularly remarkable about him. He seemed to be somewhere between forty and fifty, with short black hair and his hands clasped behind his back. His relaxed bearing carried a trace of laziness and dejection, giving him the air of an aging shut-in.
Grandmaster cast a sidelong glance at the gatekeeper and paid no attention to his sycophancy. Instead, he beckoned to Old Jack.
"Sir, could you let me see the certificate from Spirit Hall?"
Old Jack was delighted. With his experience, he could naturally tell that this Grandmaster was no ordinary person and likely held considerable influence at the academy. He immediately handed over the certificate in his hand.
Grandmaster glanced at it, and surprise appeared on his face.
Tang San, awakened Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass. Innate Full Soul Power.
Yang Ming, awakened Martial Soul: Mysterious Sword. Innate Full Soul Power.
Even with Grandmaster's vast knowledge and experience, the simultaneous emergence of two geniuses from Holy Soul Village, such a remote village, was enough to make his eyes light up.
But...
Grandmaster studied Yang Ming's certificate carefully. His surprise gradually turned strange.
The two certificates looked identical, but much like checking counterfeit banknotes, one of them felt distinctly different to the touch. Ordinary people would find it difficult to notice, but Grandmaster was widely learned and naturally understood the trick behind it.
Yang Ming had been watching Grandmaster's changing expression. When he saw the strange look on his face, his heart suddenly tightened.
"Grandmaster, what is it? Is there something wrong with this certificate?"
Yang Ming had not forgotten his conflict with Cao Mengyun three months ago.
Cao Mengyun's failure to tamper with things openly back then did not mean he had not left behind some underhanded scheme.
Grandmaster did not answer immediately. Instead, he carefully examined Yang Ming. Seeing his sharply defined features, thick brows, and bright eyes, and judging that he did not look like some wicked criminal, he pondered for a moment before saying,
"Someone at Spirit Hall probably made an error. This certificate is fake."
Yang Ming's heart sank. He had not expected Cao Mengyun to resort to such a vile method and forge the certificate!
It was like applying to university. If the person in charge gave you a fake admission letter, once the fraud was exposed, not only would you lose face, but you would also lose your chance to attend university!
And that was precisely Yang Ming's awkward predicament now.
"Haha, what did I say? I told you your certificate was fake!" The gatekeeper sneered smugly. "Country bumpkins will always be country bumpkins. You actually used such shameful tricks just to get into our Junior Soul Master Academy. Why don't you piss on the ground and take a look at yourself? Look at what kind of trash you are. Pah!"
As he spoke, the gatekeeper spat at Yang Ming.
A cold glint flashed through Yang Ming's eyes. Using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, he dodged the incoming spit and appeared before the gatekeeper, his suppressed fury erupting.
"I've tolerated you for a long time. Now, I don't need to anymore!"
One punch, then another—every blow landed solidly!
His fierce, unstoppable fists smashed into the gatekeeper's mouth, knocking it crooked and shattering every one of his teeth.
Blood filled his mouth! Yang Ming had deliberately held back his strength; otherwise, the gatekeeper would already have been crippled.
"Ugh! Ugh!"
The gatekeeper wanted to say something, but blood sprayed from his mouth whenever he opened it. His toothless, ruined mouth looked utterly ridiculous. He could only look pleadingly at Grandmaster, hoping he would uphold justice for him.
Grandmaster did not even spare the petty man a glance. Instead, he watched Yang Ming with great interest.
"Little fellow, it seems there must be some misunderstanding here. Why don't you show me your Martial Soul and let me have a look?"
After venting some of his anger, Yang Ming immediately felt a flicker of hope at Grandmaster's words—a hope that he could still enter the academy.
He spread open his right palm. Golden light gathered into a weapon, neither quite a saber nor quite a sword. Since he had already killed dozens of bandits, the blood of each one had added another measure of sharpness to the Mysterious Sword. Cold light shimmered along its blade, making it look extraordinarily magnificent, already carrying the bearing of an exceptional famous sword.
Grandmaster stepped closer and carefully observed Yang Ming's Martial Soul.
With his years of research, he could tell at once that this Martial Soul was far from ordinary!
"Hmm..."
After pondering for a moment, Grandmaster nodded and said,
"The Martial Soul is genuine, and the Innate Full Soul Power is genuine as well. What is fake is the certificate from Spirit Hall. Now that is interesting."
Originally, Grandmaster had merely been passing by and offered a hand in passing. He had not expected to encounter something so interesting.
Yes, to ordinary people, this was the sort of troublesome matter they would avoid at all costs. But in Grandmaster's strange way of thinking, it was merely something interesting.
"How about this?" Grandmaster rubbed Yang Ming's head and made his decision. "If you want to seek justice, I can serve as your guide and take you to Spirit Hall's branch in the city. We can ask their person in charge for an explanation. What do you say?"
Seeing the situation take such a turn and reveal a sliver of hope, Yang Ming naturally did not refuse.
Although Notting City was a remote little city, the Spirit Hall here was still the tallest building in town. It had been built with incomparable grandeur, and even the city lord's residence was nowhere near as imposing.
The two guards at the entrance looked to be around twenty years old. The Soul Power fluctuations around them were not obvious, and it seemed that they had not even reached the level of Spirit Masters.
Notting City truly was remote. One could tell how important a city was to the Heaven Dou Empire just by looking at the rank of its Spirit Hall.
When the guards first saw Old Jack, Yang Ming, Tang San, and the others, they had wanted to stop them. After all, Spirit Hall was not somewhere just anyone could enter.
However, with Grandmaster looking after them, and judging from his apparent reputation in Notting City, the two guards allowed Yang Ming and the other two to pass out of respect for him.
Upon entering Spirit Hall, the twenty-meter-high dome, the majestic supporting pillars, and the exquisitely detailed carvings all displayed Spirit Hall's power to the group.
Grandmaster led the way as they headed to the reception hall on the first floor, seeking Soul Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo to help appraise Yang Ming's Soul Power Level.
If nothing unexpected happened, as long as they proved that Yang Ming's Innate Full Soul Power was not forged, a new certificate could soon be issued.
Of course, all of this depended on nothing unexpected happening...
(Thanks to Chong for the 200 book-coin reward, Zai for the 100 book-coin reward, and Ye for the 1,000 book-coin reward. Since I couldn't copy everyone's usernames, I could only use one character from each reader's name.)
(In principle, an accumulated reward of 1,000 book coins earns an extra chapter, but the story has not been recommended yet. I'll add chapters for everyone once it gets recommended, mwah.)
(Detailed rules for extra chapters will also be released during the recommendation period. That's all →_→)
Before you continue