Xie Yue: One Step Ahead, Every Step Ahead!

Xie Yue knew exactly what cultivation level this Grandmaster before him had reached.

Hu Liena had told him.

Not yet seven years old, yet already level twenty-two. Forget Yan—even if Xie Yue went up himself, Yu Xiaogang would beat him into a pig-headed mess.

"First, Hu Liena is practically half my disciple. Why do you think I call her Nana?"

"Second, just because I don't care doesn't mean you can keep jumping around in front of me again and again."

"Perhaps I should teach you what it means to show proper respect to the strong."

Yu Xiaogang was getting a little annoyed too.

Xie Yue hurriedly tried to dissuade him. "Grandmaster, please don't be angry. Yan just woke up, so his mind isn't very clear."

When Hu Liena had told him about Yu Xiaogang, she had also casually mentioned that His Holiness the Pope had an extraordinarily close relationship with this Grandmaster. Even his residence was beside the Pope's chambers.

He had wanted to ask the Grandmaster for advice on how he should develop in the future!

His little sister had His Holiness the Pope as her teacher, but he did not!

He was truly lacking in theoretical knowledge in this area.

He had not even mastered what the academy taught yet.

Even though he had not attended much school, he knew the importance of building a foundation.

Tall buildings rose from level ground; only with a solid foundation could the building stand firm.

Cultivation surely followed the same principle.

When this Grandmaster spoke, His Holiness the Pope had been standing beside him and had even asked for his opinion.

His Holiness the Pope believed Nana had a chance of becoming a Titled Douluo and was certain to become a Soul Douluo, but this Grandmaster had directly said that, with proper cultivation, becoming a Titled Douluo would definitely not be a problem.

He had even laid out an exact development path. Xie Yue was so envious!!!

Just yesterday, Nana had been showing off to him.

As her brother, how could he be worse than his little sister? Was he supposed to let his little sister protect him, her older brother, in the future?

But the moment he finished speaking,

Yan answered with a defiant expression. "Oh? You? Fine, that's exactly what I want!"

"To the arena! If you lose, stay away from Nana from now on."

Yu Xiaogang merely took the lead toward the arena.

There was nothing worth saying to a brat like this.

Even if you explained it, he would not listen.

One vicious beating, and he would understand everything.

With a sigh, Xie Yue followed behind Yu Xiaogang.

It seemed Yan could not avoid this beating.

Fine, it would make things quieter too.

That way, his little sister would not argue with Yan again.

Yan stepped onto the fighting platform and was the first to use Martial Soul Possession. "Yan, level fifteen Power Attack System Battle Soul Master. Martial Soul: Flame Lord."

A yellow hundred-year Soul Ring emerged around him and settled beneath his feet.

Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands behind his back. "Yu Xiaogang, level twenty-two Power Attack System Battle Soul Master. Martial Soul: Golden Sacred Dragon."

"You're not using Martial Soul Possession?"

"I'm not about to bully a child." Yu Xiaogang had not intended to truly fight.

If he activated his Martial Soul and then used a Soul Skill, one Dragon Emperor Fist would be more than a Soul King could handle, let alone Yan, a level-fifteen Soul Master.

His stats in this life were terrifyingly high.

"Heh, then prepare to leave lying down! I'll cover your medical expenses for you. No need to thank me!"

"First Soul Skill—Hell Rock Surge!"

A torrent of high-temperature magma erupted from in front of Yan.

"The windup is too long, the speed is too slow, and the attack range is too small." Yu Xiaogang vanished from where he stood with a flash.

"What?!"

"With the Flame Lord Martial Soul, controlling flames for attacks should be basic operation. There's absolutely no need to waste a Soul Ring slot on a long-range attack Soul Skill."

"Raising the flames' temperature and strengthening their explosive power are among the correct paths."

Yu Xiaogang did not put it too absolutely. Martial Souls had countless possible development paths, and what he said was not necessarily the best.

It was merely advice based on his personal judgment.

Or, more accurately, based on his own judgment, it was one possible choice of what he would do.

If his Martial Soul were the Flame Lord, then for his first Soul Ring, he would choose a soul beast with explosive characteristics or one that enhanced flame temperature.

By the time Yan reacted, Yu Xiaogang had already grabbed his right hand.

An irresistible force struck him.

His entire body was violently pulled forward.

Then, taking advantage of the motion, Yu Xiaogang drove an elbow across and sent Yan flying.

His left leg rose, and a spinning kick struck Yan squarely on the chin, kicking him into a daze as his eyes rolled white.

He reached back and grabbed Yan by the collar, then used the momentum of his forward charge to drive a knee solidly into Yan's abdomen.

"Urgh!"

The excruciating pain bent Yan into a shrimp-like arch.

His face was bright red, as though he had been boiled.

As Yu Xiaogang viciously beat him, he criticized Yan's mistakes. "After losing the initiative, you don't know how to counterattack?"

"If your Soul Skill misses, you don't know what to do next? Is your Flame Lord Martial Soul just for decoration?"

"Your ability to adapt in battle is terrible. Which teacher taught you hand-to-hand combat?"

"What about your Martial Soul's traits? You can't use magma to blast me away? You can't use flames to protect your vital points?"

"Your Soul Power control is simply unbearable to watch."

Watching Yan's head swell bit by bit beneath the stage, Xie Yue sucked in a cold breath. "Hiss... Good thing I wasn't the one who went up there."

At the same time, a question arose in his mind.

Was Yan really as terrible as the Grandmaster said...?

Then wasn't he, who was only slightly stronger than Yan, also awful to the extreme?

At that moment, Yu Xiaogang on the stage had become a strict teacher in Xie Yue's eyes.

He laid out every one of Yan's mistakes and shortcomings.

Although Yu Xiaogang only had the body of a six-year-old, the aura of a stern teacher around him was unmistakable.

Xie Yue watched with a trembling heart. If I ask the Grandmaster, will I get taught a lesson like that too...?

Yu Xiaogang's final punch landed squarely on Yan's face.

Yan fell at once and passed out cold, completely unconscious.

"You two have watched long enough. Sorry for the trouble, please take him to the infirmary."

"Put the medicine costs on my account, Yu Xiaogang's."

"Thanks for the effort."

The two Soul Saints hiding in the shadows exchanged glances, each seeing the astonishment in the other's eyes.

As expected of a talent valued by His Holiness the Pope!

All those special privileges were fully deserved! He had discovered them at only level twenty-two—too terrifying.

They revealed themselves, nodded to Yu Xiaogang, then grabbed Yan and took him to the infirmary.

"Xie Yue."

"I'm here!"

"You seem to have something you want to say to me?"

Xie Yue swallowed, gritted his teeth, and said, "Grandmaster, I want to take you as my teacher!"

"?"

Yu Xiaogang froze. "Why do you want to take me as your teacher? And secondly, are you sure you want to take someone younger than you as your teacher?"

"The elders and consecrated guardians of Spirit Hall should be more suitable than me."

Xie Yue was delighted. Since he had not been explicitly rejected, there was hope!

"Grandmaster, to be honest, although my talent is decent, I only received Spirit Hall's focused cultivation because I benefited from my little sister."

"If I want to take a Titled Douluo as my teacher, I would at least have to wait until I reached level thirty or forty before I had any hope. But by then, my first few Soul Rings would already be impossible to change."

"It would be too late."

"I think you can guide my cultivation precisely. That's why I want to take you as my teacher. Besides, isn't there an old saying? Among cultivators, the accomplished are teachers. You have gone farther than I have and are stronger than me, so I should humbly seek your guidance."

He was willing to gamble—to gamble that Yu Xiaogang truly had real ability, and that his relationship with His Holiness the Pope was anything but simple.

One step ahead, every step ahead!