I Didn't Cheat, I Just Forgot to Turn It Off

But they did not know that Tang San was Ling Han's disciple.

Though the two had become master and disciple in Ling Han's office, Ling Han had not yet announced it to the academy.

With Ling Han behind him, Tang San had nothing to fear from Xiao Chenyu's father, the mere lord of a city. Ling Han would not have feared even a Titled Douluo.

Sure enough, Xiao Chenyu's father arrived the next day.

Inside the headmaster's office,

Xiao Chenyu's father, Xiao Gang, sat before the headmaster's desk.

Li Shan remained fairly cordial. They were both at the same cultivation level, so he had no need to flatter Xiao Gang.

"What brings you here, Brother Xiao?"

Xiao Gang wore a smile, but his voice was anything but friendly. "Headmaster Li, even if my son did something wrong, I believe I should be the one to discipline him—not a student at your academy beating him to a pulp."

Li Shan knew, of course, that Tang San had beaten up Xiao Chenyu.

Ling Han had also told Li Shan that Tang San was his disciple, so the matter was out of Li Shan's hands.

"Ahem. Calm down, Brother Xiao. It's a long story. To be honest, I can't do anything about it."

Xiao Gang took Li Shan's helplessness for a refusal to take responsibility.

Bang!

Xiao Gang slammed the desk and rose to his feet.

"Fine. If Headmaster Li won't handle this, I'll settle it myself!"

His arrogance made Li Shan angry too. "Xiao Gang, don't push your luck! This is an academy, not your city lord's estate!"

Both men were Soul Ancestors, so Li Shan had no reason to fear Xiao Gang, even if he was the lord of Nuoding City.

Xiao Gang gave a cold snort and turned to leave the office.

"Who wants to settle a score with my disciple?"

Just then, Ling Han pushed the door open and walked in.

Li Shan visibly relaxed at the sight of him. "Consecrated Ling, you're here."

With Ling Han present, Li Shan no longer had to worry about what Xiao Gang might do.

Hearing Li Shan call him Consecrated Ling, Xiao Gang realized who the young man was.

He had long heard that Nouding Academy had gained a consecrated expert whom even the headmaster dared not offend. Despite his youth, the man's cultivation had already surpassed Li Shan's. Xiao Gang had wanted to get on his good side.

But from Ling Han's words, the boy who had beaten his son was Ling Han's disciple.

That put Xiao Gang, a seasoned official, in a difficult position.

"Are you Consecrated Ling Han, the new arrival at Nouding Academy?"

Ling Han nodded in acknowledgment.

Before Xiao Gang could say anything more, Ling Han's voice turned sharp. "First the son, now the father. Your precious son picked the fight and acted like a little tyrant at the academy. Do you think my disciple was wrong to teach him a lesson, City Lord Xiao?"

Xiao Gang had no answer. As Xiao Chenyu's father, he knew better than anyone what his son was like.

Years in officialdom had taught him not to offend someone whose background he did not know.

Li Shan's respect for Ling Han meant Ling Han was at least a Soul Ancestor.

Yet Ling Han looked barely twenty.

A Soul Ancestor in his twenties could well be a prodigy from some powerful family.

If so, offending him could have disastrous consequences.

"My son was indeed in the wrong. I'll discipline him properly when I get back."

"No need. Bring him here and discipline him in front of me. I want to watch," Ling Han said.

Xiao Gang's expression darkened.

Disciplining his son in front of outsiders would be a public humiliation.

"Consecrated Ling, that... might not be appropriate," Xiao Gang said, suppressing his anger.

Ling Han's face fell, and a cold smile touched his lips. "Gangzi, you've got some nerve. You dare refuse me?"

Terrifying pressure swept toward him, accompanied by a resounding dragon's roar.

It was so immense that the entire academy trembled.

In the academy cafeteria, Grandmaster Gangzi had been helping himself to food when a force that suppressed him to the depths of his blood crashed down on him. He collapsed, unable to move.

Then he felt warmth spread through the crotch of his pants.

Back in the headmaster's office, Xiao Gang could not withstand the pressure either. He dropped to his knees, though he was not quite as wretched as Gangzi.

He raised his head with difficulty and saw Ling Han's Soul Rings.

Yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red. A Seven-Ring Soul Sage!

Xiao Gang's eyes widened as he stared at Ling Han in disbelief.

A young man barely in his twenties was a Seven-Ring Soul Sage!

And that red Soul Ring—wasn't that a legendary Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring?!

Xiao Gang: Can't win without cheating, huh?!

Ling Han: I didn't cheat. I just forgot to turn it off.

Now Xiao Gang had lost all hope.

He had dared to resist a little because he had thought Ling Han was merely a Soul Ancestor.

But the man was a Soul Saint! A Soul Saint with a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!

What was the point of fighting? One sneeze from Ling Han could finish him off.

"Spare me, Consecrated Ling! I failed to recognize your greatness! I'll bring my son here at once!"

Ling Han nodded and withdrew his Martial Soul.

While Xiao Gang went to fetch Xiao Chenyu, Ling Han summoned Tang San as well.

"Dad... you're... finally here. Help... help me teach that guy a lesson!"

Xiao Chenyu's slurred voice reached them before the two entered.

Then came Xiao Gang's rebuke. "Shut up!"

The office door opened.

Xiao Chenyu came in first. The moment he saw Tang San, he grew agitated.

His face was still swollen, and he could barely speak clearly. "Dad, it's him! He's the one who hit me! Hurry and help me—"

Before he could finish, Xiao Gang slapped him across the face. "You unfilial brat! Apologize to this young gentleman at once!"

The slap left Xiao Chenyu stunned.

He stared at Xiao Gang in disbelief.

"Didn't you say your father had never hit you? I thought I'd grant your wish today."

Xiao Chenyu knew Ling Han. At his words, his face went pale.

"Consecrated Ling, why are you helping those work-study students?"

Ling Han smiled and pointed at Tang San. "Because he's my disciple."

The words struck Xiao Chenyu like a thunderbolt. For a long time, he could not speak.

Of course. He should have realized it sooner. Tang San's First Soul Ring was already a hundred-year ring. How could he have no one backing him?

Even Xiao Chenyu, the city lord's son, had only a ten-year First Soul Ring.

With that, everything seemed to make sense.

Xiao Chenyu gave up struggling.

In front of Ling Han and Tang San, Xiao Gang gave Xiao Chenyu a harsh lesson.

From that day on, Nouding Academy would have a new prince.

After returning to his quarters, Ling Han began considering his next steps.

Tang San's first Soul Skill, Blue Silver Enhancement, intrigued him.

It was like a lump of clay that could be shaped however one pleased, with tremendous flexibility and room for development.