You Think I Don't Have a Temper?

"Ahem. Young man... I think you may have misunderstood. I just happened to be passing by..."

A hoarse voice rang out, and the person hiding behind the gatepost finally stepped into view.

He was a man of average height and slightly thin build, apparently in his forties or fifties. His face was unremarkable, and he held his hands behind his back, clearly trying to look like some peerless master.

Chu Chen had never met him, but he knew this man putting on airs had to be Yu Xiaogang.

Sure enough, the gatekeeper Chu Chen had slapped to the ground scrambled up and bowed to the newcomer, calling him "Master." His face was so ingratiating that he seemed like a different person.

Yu Xiaogang merely glanced at the gatekeeper and ignored him. He picked up the certificate from the ground, scanned it, then turned to Old Jack with a solemn expression.

"The certificate is genuine. Sir, I apologize on behalf of the academy for what happened. Leave the child to me."

"No need to apologize, no need! You're too kind, sir!"

An apology from someone who was at least a Soul Master left Old Jack at a loss. He hurriedly waved both hands.

"Sir, I'm sorry to trouble you with the boy. Xiao Chen, go in with him now, and be sure to behave!"

Chu Chen nodded, but instead of answering Yu Xiaogang, he turned a cold gaze on the gatekeeper.

"You. Apologize to my grandpa."

"I..."

The gatekeeper froze and instinctively looked at Yu Xiaogang. Only after Yu Xiaogang gave a slight nod did he mutter reluctantly, "Sorry..."

Slap!

The moment he finished speaking, Chu Chen struck him across the face.

"Who the hell are you apologizing to? Your mother? Don't you know you're supposed to address the person?"

The gatekeeper was stunned. After several seconds, he gritted his teeth and spoke again.

"I'm sorry... sir!"

Slap!

Chu Chen slapped him again as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Louder! Did you leave your damn voice at home?"

"I! Am! Sorry! Sir!"

Slap! Slap!

Chu Chen hit him twice more.

"Who are you trying to scare, shouting like that? My grandpa's hearing is fine!"

"I'm sorry, sir!"

Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!

"Too proud to bend your back? Didn't your parents teach you to mean it when you apologize? Can you bow or not?"

The barrage of slaps left not only Old Jack dumbfounded, but Yu Xiaogang as well.

Only when the gatekeeper had been slapped unconscious did Chu Chen's expression soften. He turned to Old Jack with a smile.

"There, Grandpa. That blind fool apologized, so don't be angry anymore, okay?"

"You little brat. When was I ever angry...?"

Old Jack muttered under his breath, his gaze conflicted as he looked at Chu Chen.

Of course he knew Chu Chen had done it to stand up for him. But the way Chu Chen handled things truly worried him.

Oh well. A little temper isn't a bad thing when he's out in the world. At least he'll be less likely to get pushed around, as long as he doesn't offend anyone important...

With that thought, Old Jack made his peace with it, and the conflict on his face eased.

He took Chu Chen aside and gave him a few more reminders before turning to leave.

Chu Chen stood where he was, silently watching Old Jack's figure recede until it disappeared from sight. Then he turned, took his certificate from Yu Xiaogang without a word, and walked through the academy gates without paying him any attention.

But how could Yu Xiaogang simply let Chu Chen leave?

As Chu Chen walked farther away, Yu Xiaogang hesitated briefly, then hurried after him.

The moment he caught up, he spoke urgently.

"Child, you have two Martial Souls, don't you?"

Yu Xiaogang had expected Chu Chen to show at least a little shock at having his secret exposed—enough to give him a chance to speak.

Instead, Chu Chen ignored him completely and kept walking.

Yu Xiaogang grew anxious.

How could Yu Xiaogang, so desperate to prove himself, let a genius with Innate Full Soul Power and most likely Twin Martial Souls slip away?

Putting on a cold front to hide how nervous you are, kid?

Heh. Let's see how my theory shakes you up!

With that, Yu Xiaogang quickened his pace until he was walking beside Chu Chen. He clasped his hands behind his back and struck the pose of an expert.

"Very good. You know to keep the secret of your Martial Souls hidden. You're a clever child indeed."

"Gifted and clever. It seems I'll have to be persistent for once. After all, you're only the third person in the past century to possess Twin Martial Souls."

"Unfortunately, hiding it from me is useless. Others might not spot the flaw, but if I couldn't see it either, I wouldn't deserve to be called Master by the Soul Master community."

"Did you know I investigated 647 people whose Martial Soul was Blue Silver Grass? Only sixteen had Soul Power—less than three percent. And not one of those sixteen had Soul Power above level one!"

"But you... have Innate Full Soul Power at level ten!"

"According to one of the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul that I researched, the level of Innate Soul Power is directly proportional to the quality of one's Martial Soul. Blue Silver Grass clearly can't account for yours. So I can say with certainty that you have another Martial Soul, and a very powerful one!"

"In the past hundred years, only two people with Twin Martial Souls have appeared in the Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire, but nineteen people have been born with Innate Full Soul Power. I've studied every one of their Martial Souls!"

"No one understands Innate Full Soul Power better than I do, and no one understands the unique existence of Twin Martial Souls better than I do!"

"So, child, there's no need to panic because I uncovered your secret. Quite the opposite. In this world, I'm the one who understands you best, and the only one who can guide you down the right path in cultivation. So..."

"So you're just going to keep running your mouth?"

Chu Chen finally stopped amid Yu Xiaogang's prattle and cut him off coldly.

The blunt response made Yu Xiaogang freeze. By the time he recovered, Chu Chen's fist was right in front of him.

It was a small fist, because Chu Chen was only six years old.

It was a fast fist, because Chu Chen was giving it everything he had.

Yu Xiaogang was, after all, a level-twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster. With his cultivation at only the fifth stage of Dou Qi, Chu Chen didn't dare take him lightly.

But Chu Chen couldn't hold back from teaching this oblivious chatterbox a lesson.

In a flash, his fist slammed into Yu Xiaogang's chest, and his flat voice rang out.

"I haven't settled what happened at the academy gate with you, and you still dare to yap in my ear? You really think I don't have a temper?"