Taking Disciples? You, a Worthless Trash? (Part 1)

Stop!

Just as the gate guard climbed to his feet, ready to step forward and teach the brat in front of him a lesson, he heard a low roar.

Looking up, he saw a middle-aged man approaching with his hands clasped behind his back, carrying himself like a leader. He looked to be around forty or fifty, with short black hair parted three-seven. His appearance was ordinary, his hands were behind his back, yet he possessed a peculiar aura. There was a hint of laziness and dejection in his half-lidded eyes.

The moment Lin Qing saw the man, he identified him. "Isn't that Gangzi?"

That was right. The newcomer was Yu Xiaogang, the supposedly "theoretically invincible" master who claimed, "There are no useless Martial Souls, only useless masters."

Honestly, among the entire Douluo series, the person Lin Qing despised most was Yu Xiaogang: a useless man who could only rely on women, a useless man whose theories relied entirely on plagiarism, and a useless man who had not even reached level thirty by the age of fifty.

"M-Master!" The gate guard, who had been brimming with fury moments ago, immediately lost his fire upon seeing Yu Xiaogang and desperately put on a fawning expression.

Yu Xiaogang had no intention of paying attention to the guard. Instead, he looked at Old Jack and forced an extremely unpleasant smile. "Old sir, could I take a look at the Martial Soul certificate?"

Seeing that this Soul Master, whom the arrogant guard had treated with such respect, was being so polite to him, Old Jack's vanity was greatly satisfied.

"Here, teacher. This is our Martial Soul certificate."

Yu Xiaogang did not correct Old Jack's form of address. He quickly took the certificate and examined it. "Blue Silver Grass, Innate Full Soul Power. As expected, Twin Martial Souls!"

Seeing the information on the certificate, Yu Xiaogang's breathing quickened. After all these years, he had finally encountered a promising seedling!

But who was Yu Xiaogang? He had once been the young clan leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the former lover of Bibi Dong, the current Pope of Spirit Hall, and the Wisdom Corner of the Golden Iron Triangle. Naturally, he could easily suppress his excitement and make himself seem utterly unconcerned.

"The Martial Soul certificate is genuine. Old sir, leave this child to me. I'll take him in to enroll," Yu Xiaogang said, suppressing his excitement.

"Third Brother, don't worry about Grandpa. Hurry and follow this teacher."

"Alright, Grandpa Jack," Tang San replied obediently.

At that moment, Yu Xiaogang also noticed Lin Qing and Xiao Wu standing nearby. "Are you two here to enroll as well? Take out your Martial Soul certificates and let me see them."

Lin Qing's expression turned somewhat strange, but he did not hide anything. Even if he concealed it now, Yu Xiaogang could still find out with a little inquiry later, so there was no point in hiding it.

When Lin Qing handed over his Martial Soul certificate, Xiao Wu stepped forward and handed Yu Xiaogang hers as well.

"Lin Qing, Martial Soul: Nichirin Blade. I-Innate Full Soul Power! Another Innate Full Soul Power!" Yu Xiaogang looked as though some enormous surprise had struck him squarely in the head, and even his gaze toward Lin Qing became fervent.

Noticing Yu Xiaogang's gaze, Lin Qing felt a chill run down his spine, as if some indescribable thing were watching him. His ass clenched.

Yu Xiaogang then looked over Xiao Wu's Martial Soul certificate. "Another Innate Full Soul Power! Heaven truly favors me, Yu Xiaogang! Three Innate Full Soul Powers, one in ten thousand, and I encountered all three at once. It seems Heaven saw how miserable the first half of my life had been, so it sent three Innate Full Soul Power geniuses to become my disciples and wash away my past humiliation!"

"Ahem. You three, come in with me." Yu Xiaogang returned the certificates to Lin Qing and the others, then led the way. Lin Qing and the other two followed him into Nuoding Academy.

Along the way, Tang San occasionally glanced at Lin Qing and Xiao Wu. Lin Qing naturally noticed Tang San's gaze, but he did not care. Tang San was not worth his attention at this point. As for Xiao Wu, with her carefree and heedless personality, there was no way she would notice Tang San's little movements.

"Third Brother, I can call you that, right?"

"Of course, teacher."

"I am not a teacher at this academy, though everyone calls me Master," Yu Xiaogang corrected him.

"Third Brother, come with me alone for a moment," Yu Xiaogang said. "Lin Qing and Xiao Wu, wait here first. I have something to discuss with Tang San privately."

"Alright, Master. Go ahead," Lin Qing said.

Yu Xiaogang took Tang San by the hand and led him aside, while Lin Qing held Xiao Wu's hand and waited where they were.

Lin Qing actually wanted to leave immediately. He had no desire to get involved with Yu Xiaogang or Tang San right now. He could guess with his toes what would happen after Tang San finished taking Yu Xiaogang as his master, and he did not want Yu Xiaogang to disgust him.

But when he considered that Tang Hao had definitely already discovered Xiao Wu's true identity, Lin Qing knew that he and Xiao Wu had to remain in contact with Tang San, whether as enemies or friends. He had to—or rather, Xiao Wu had to—stay by Tang San's side and could not leave him. Otherwise, Tang Hao might suddenly appear one night with his hammer.

As long as Xiao Wu remained within Tang Hao's sight, Tang Hao would not interfere regardless of Lin Qing's relationship with Tang San.

If Lin Qing became friends with Tang San, then in Tang Hao's eyes, Lin Qing would be a dog loyal to his son. If Lin Qing became Tang San's enemy, Tang Hao would treat him as Tang San's whetstone, tempering Tang San's growth. At least for the short term, before Lin Qing became a Soul Sage, he could guarantee that Tang Hao would not ambush him with his hammer.

And just as Lin Qing had guessed, Tang Hao had discovered Xiao Wu's identity as a Shapeshifting Soul Beast the moment he saw her. Tang Hao had indeed intended to quietly kill Lin Qing, who was following Xiao Wu, but after sensing Lin Qing's level, he abandoned that thought. Either he would be of use to Tang Hao, or he would become a whetstone. After all, how could the path to becoming strong lack tempering? Thus, the extraordinarily talented Lin Qing "luckily" became Tang San's whetstone.

"Seriously, what could he possibly need to say in private? He's being so mysterious," Xiao Wu complained.

"Alright, Xiao Wu. We only have to wait a little while." Lin Qing patted Xiao Wu's hand.

At Lin Qing's gesture, a faint blush flashed across Xiao Wu's cheeks, but she quickly suppressed it. She merely huffed twice and said nothing more.

Honestly, even Lin Qing had not expected his progress with Xiao Wu to be this fast. It had only been a few days, yet they had already reached the point of holding hands, and he could even make Xiao Wu blush now and then. It felt as though he would win her over before long. It was absurdly easy, making Lin Qing wonder why he had thought it would be difficult.