A Father's Love He Had Never Known

Tang San smiled awkwardly, unsure how to answer.

Years of poor nutrition had left him frail, his face sallow and his body painfully thin.

Without the Mysterious Heaven Skill, he might have starved to death long ago.

Ling Han shook his head helplessly, then sat back down on the ground and motioned for Tang San to join him.

Tang San did as he was told and sat beside Ling Han.

The smell of roasted meat drifted over. An oil-paper parcel had appeared in Ling Han's hands.

He opened it to reveal a roast chicken, still sizzling with fat, and several steamed buns.

Tang San's eyes lit up, and he swallowed.

Ling Han tore off a drumstick and handed it to Tang San, along with a bun. "Eat up. Look how skinny you are—you're like a monkey."

His instincts as a Tang Sect disciple made Tang San want to refuse, but he couldn't feel the slightest wariness toward Ling Han.

He suddenly felt something special toward Ling Han.

Tang San couldn't name the feeling. It was almost like the fatherly love he had never known.

For some reason, he wanted to call the young man before him Dad.

He accepted the drumstick and bun and began wolfing them down.

Ling Han tore off the other drumstick and started eating too.

Tang San ate quickly. He seemed never to have tasted anything so good.

Whenever they had anything good, he had always thought of Tang Hao first and gone without it himself.

That was why he had grown so thin. At the root of it all was a father who had failed him.

Compared with Ling Han, Tang Hao was nothing but scum.

Tang San's desire to call Ling Han his father grew even stronger.

"Thank you, Senior Ling." Tang San wasn't used to thanking people, but his words were utterly sincere.

Ling Han waved a hand and smiled. "No need to thank me. It was nothing."

Then he looked at Tang San, his expression turning serious. "Little San, remember this: no Martial Soul is absolutely worthless. Even Blue Silver Grass can make someone strong if cultivated properly!"

With that, Ling Han stood. "It's getting late, and this isn't my destination. I'll be on my way. Little San, perhaps we'll meet again!"

Ling Han waved and turned to leave.

Tang San watched him go, lost in thought and reluctant to see him leave.

For a moment, he had even wanted to ask Ling Han to be his teacher. But Ling Han was gone.

"Don't worry, Senior Ling. I'll work hard. I won't let you down!"

Ling Han planned to go to Nouding Academy and wait for Tang San there.

If he asked to take Tang San as a disciple in Holy Soul Village, Tang Hao might suspect him of having ulterior motives.

Ling Han had reached the level of a Titled Douluo, but a real fight with Tang Hao would still be too much for him.

So he decided to wait until Tang San enrolled at Nouding Academy before taking him as a disciple.

There was no time to lose. Ling Han set off for Nuoding City at once.

At his speed, he arrived that same day.

Nuoding City wasn't large, but it was lively.

People streamed through the streets, which were lined with shops of every size. It wasn't prosperous, exactly, but it was pleasant enough.

Ling Han asked a passerby for directions to Nouding Academy, then headed there.

When he reached the academy gates and tried to enter, someone stopped him.

The gatekeepers were remarkably polite, though. They had probably noticed his fine clothes and bearing and decided to treat him accordingly.

"May I ask what brings you to Nouding Academy, sir?"

Ling Han smiled faintly. "I'm here to apply for a position. I'd appreciate it if you'd let me through."

His smile seemed harmless, but the two gatekeepers felt an invisible pressure bearing down on them.

This young man must be a Lord Soul Master.

Neither gatekeeper dared delay him. They nodded quickly. "Please go in, sir. The dean's office is over there! Best of luck!" They pointed the way and watched him leave.

Following their directions, Ling Han soon reached the dean's office.

Without a second thought, he pushed the door open.

Li Shan, the dean of Nouding Academy, was inside.

The sudden intrusion irritated Li Shan, who had been dealing with academy business.

But when he looked up to rebuke the intruder, he saw an unfamiliar face.

Nouding Academy wasn't large, and Li Shan knew almost all its teachers.

He had never seen this young man before.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Li Shan asked.

Ling Han smiled. "No need to be alarmed, Dean. I'm here to apply for a teaching position."

He walked up to Li Shan's desk, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

Li Shan frowned at Ling Han's presumptuous behavior. He already had a poor impression of him.

"You want to teach at our academy? Fill out this form."

Li Shan handed him a form asking for basic information.

Ling Han took it, picked up the pen Li Shan had been using, and began to write.

[Name: Ling Han]

[Gender: Male]

[Age: 18]

[Martial Soul: Ice Dragon King]

[Soul Power: Level 76 Soul Saint]

Ling Han finished the form and passed it back casually.

Li Shan took one look, and his jaw nearly hit the floor.

An eighteen-year-old Soul Saint? Impossible!

"Ling Han, was it? I'd appreciate it if you filled out the form seriously."

As Li Shan spoke, he failed to notice that he couldn't gauge the young man's cultivation at all.

Ling Han found it rather amusing. "What part of my form seems unserious to you, Dean?"

"Do you think an eighteen-year-old Soul Saint is normal?"

Ling Han smiled without answering.

He stood and released his Martial Soul.

A fierce dragon's roar rang out. If Ling Han hadn't deliberately restrained it, the entire academy would have heard.

The phantom Ice Dragon King appeared behind him. Its oppressive aura spread through the room, draining the color from Li Shan's face. He stumbled back several steps and steadied himself against the wall.

Yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red!

Seven Soul Rings. A Seven-Ring Soul Sage!

Li Shan stared at Ling Han, eyes wide with disbelief. He never would have imagined that Ling Han truly was a Soul Saint!

"H-how is that possible?"

Li Shan muttered to himself.

Ling Han smiled faintly and withdrew his Martial Soul. "Well, Dean? I wasn't lying, was I?"

Li Shan nodded in a daze. "I'm Li Shan. Please forgive my rudeness just now!"

Only then did Li Shan realize how disrespectful he had been.

The young man before him was a Soul Saint. And that red ring seemed to be the legendary Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!

If he offended Ling Han, he could hardly blame him for killing him.

Ling Han waved it off. "It's fine. Dean Li Shan, can you tell me what position you can offer me?"

That put Li Shan in a difficult position.

He didn't dare make Ling Han a teacher and place himself above him.

But if he handed over the position of dean, what if Ling Han only wanted a position with few duties?

Caught between the two options, Li Shan came up with an idea.