"Teacher, I lost to..." Tang San looked up at Yu Xiaogang.
Having already learned the gist of what had happened, Yu Xiaogang gently interrupted Tang San. "Xiao San, I already know."
Tang San froze. He didn't understand how Yu Xiaogang had learned that he had lost to Bai Ye.
"When I went to the cafeteria, I ran into the work-study students, but I didn't see you. After asking, I learned that you had lost to Bai Ye." Yu Xiaogang explained.
Although his heart ached at the sight of Tang San in such a state, he still put on a stern expression. "As my disciple, you're destined to become an unparalleled powerhouse. This was nothing more than a minor spar before becoming a Soul Master. Don't take it to heart. Besides, crying after losing isn't how a man should act!"
"But at the time, he..." Tang San told him everything about what had happened, including all the details.
Yu Xiaogang instantly flew into a rage. He had thought it was merely a childish spar, but the truth was completely different from what he had imagined.
His beloved disciple had actually been brutally beaten by Bai Ye after Bai Ye rejected him!
Although Tang San also admitted that he had forcibly challenged Bai Ye, Yu Xiaogang didn't think there was anything wrong with that.
At that moment, he was burning with rage, but he also understood that instead of standing up for Tang San himself, it would be better to let Tang San reclaim his dignity personally.
Thus, he suppressed his anger and, like a strict father, said harshly to Tang San, "Even so, you still can't cry! A real man can bleed and sweat, but never shed tears!"
"Teacher, I understand." Tang San spoke softly. "I won't do it again."
He now knew how ridiculous his earlier behavior had been.
"Mm. You haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll take you to eat first." Yu Xiaogang's expression softened considerably as he pulled Tang San toward the cafeteria.
Along the way, he continued comforting him.
"Xiao San, failure is the mother of success. One failure doesn't prove anything. Besides, a river doesn't fight to be the first to flow—it strives to keep surging onward. Your achievements are destined to surpass Bai Ye's."
"Without my guidance, it's basically impossible for him to become a Titled Douluo, and his cultivation speed is far inferior to yours."
"Let's not even talk about the distant future. Just the fact that you possess Twin Martial Souls is already something he could never match. You should know that you're only the third person in the past hundred years to possess Twin Martial Souls."
"Tomorrow, I'll take you to hunt a soul beast and obtain a Soul Ring. Once you become a Soul Master with one Soul Ring, your strength will increase dramatically. By then, why worry about not being able to wipe away today's humiliation!"
After eating, Yu Xiaogang brought Tang San back to his dormitory and immediately had Tang San display his second Martial Soul.
"Yes, Teacher." Tang San released his little hammer. Yu Xiaogang, who had been sitting calmly, suddenly stood up, his face filled with excitement.
"This is..."
"Tang San, Tang..."
"Your father's surname is Tang too?"
Tang San was instantly speechless, but he still nodded.
Yu Xiaogang didn't mind in the slightest and immediately asked, "Then what does your father do? What's his name?"
Tang San replied, "My father's name is Tang Hao. He's the village blacksmith."
Yu Xiaogang stiffened. Extremely excited, he came before Tang San and was just about to tell him his father's true identity.
But when the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back down.
Instead, he said excitedly, "Xiao San, if I previously had ninety-eight percent confidence that you would crush Bai Ye in the future, then now I can say with one hundred percent certainty that you will."
"Remember, Bai Ye is merely an insignificant bit of scenery on your path to becoming an unparalleled powerhouse."
Tang San was extremely surprised, but Yu Xiaogang said nothing more. He wasn't stupid. Since the person in question hadn't revealed his identity, wouldn't he be courting death if he did so himself?
Tang San said that once someone was his teacher for a day, they would be his father for life.
But whether Tang Hao acknowledged him as a brother was another matter entirely.
Afterward, Yu Xiaogang taught Tang San much more knowledge and emphasized that he couldn't add a Soul Ring to his second Martial Soul without permission.
After that, he had Tang San leave while he planned to report to the dean about going out to hunt soul beasts.
After all, no matter what, he was still a member of the academy. Going out to hunt soul beasts was a major matter, and he would also be away from the academy for a long time. It wouldn't be appropriate not to inform anyone.
"Hello, Grandmaster."
Just then, a tall man in a gray robe appeared in front of Yu Xiaogang.
"Who are you?" Yu Xiaogang asked warily.
"Don't be nervous. If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't even have seen me. Come to think of it, it's been twenty years since we last met, hasn't it?"
"You're... the Clear Sky..." Yu Xiaogang's pupils contracted sharply.
"Don't mention that title from the past." Tang Hao interrupted Yu Xiaogang coldly. "We met a few times back then. Others might think you're a lunatic and an idiot, but in my eyes, you're a determined man. Xiao San becoming your disciple was a good choice."
Yu Xiaogang was immensely satisfied.
Anyone would feel that way after receiving recognition from their idol.
"What you said before was right. As my son, Xiao San was destined never to be someone that boy called Bai Ye could compare with. Xiao San also possesses Innate Full Soul Power, and a Mutated Martial Soul can't be compared with Twin Martial Souls. I feel at ease entrusting Xiao San to you."
Yu Xiaogang's lips curled up as he listened, but his expression changed after hearing the rest.
However, Tang Hao offered no further explanation and gave Yu Xiaogang no chance to ask. He simply continued with his final instruction.
"Remember, no matter when, he will always be my son!"
Clearly, this was a warning to Yu Xiaogang not to start calling himself Tang Hao's sworn brother just because of something Tang San said!
After speaking, Tang Hao tossed a pitch-black token bearing six patterns onto the table in front of Yu Xiaogang.
Bang!
The door closed, and Tang Hao disappeared.
Meanwhile, after being comforted by Yu Xiaogang, Tang San returned to Dorm Seven in high spirits.
If Xiao Wu, Wang Sheng, and the others hadn't known that Tang San had been brutally beaten, they would have thought Bai Ye was the one who had been beaten.
"Little San, you've stopped crying? Looks like the Grandmaster's comfort was pretty effective." Wang Sheng teased him.
Tang San's face instantly darkened. Yu Xiaogang and Tang Hao could call him Xiao San because they were his fathers, but outsiders weren't allowed to call him that—especially not Wang Sheng, who called him Little San!
He couldn't tolerate it any longer.
Although he had looked happy just now, the hurt Bai Ye had inflicted would remain until he personally beat it back out of him.
I can't beat Bai Ye, but can't I beat you? Tang San thought. After sweeping his gaze around and seeing that Bai Ye wasn't there, he immediately attacked Wang Sheng.
"Damn!" Wang Sheng jumped in fright, then hurriedly called on his roommates to attack together. "Little San is making his move! Brothers, let's knock some sense into him!"
"Do you think you can run wild just because Boss Bai isn't here?" Xiao Wu also joined in without holding back.
Although Tang San was strong, he couldn't withstand their numbers, and Xiao Wu's strength was no joke either.
Thus, Tang San was brutally beaten once again.
At that moment, Bai Ye had no idea what was happening in Dorm Seven. He was in the dean's office, planning to ask the dean to help him hunt a soul beast.
If one were to ask who was the strongest person in all of Notting Academy, it was naturally the dean, Yuri.
Only with someone like him helping him obtain his first Thousand-Year Soul Ring would Bai Ye have a greater chance of success.
Of course, he had no intention of relying solely on Yuri, a Soul Elder, to take action.
When hunting a hundred-year soul beast, many Soul Masters needed to form a team. When hunting an even stronger and more dangerous Thousand-Year Soul Beast, that was even more necessary.
As someone who had crossed over, Bai Ye never fought battles without absolute certainty. Even a ninety-eight percent chance of victory wasn't enough.
"Dean, I want to absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring as my first Soul Ring." Bai Ye looked at Dean Yuri with a serious expression.
Yuri froze. It was hard for him to believe that such words had come from a six-year-old level-ten Soul Warrior.
Just then, Yu Xiaogang's cold voice came from the doorway.
"You're courting death! The highest number of years a first Soul Ring can absorb is 423 years!"