"Grandmaster" Comes Calling, with Baffling Words and Deeds

At the Spirit Hall in Nod City, Ma Xiunuo reclined in a lounge chair, idly chatting with a subordinate.

"Hall Master Su is lucky. That child he adopted had his Martial Soul Awakening a few days ago. Guess how it turned out."

Ma Xiunuo's white beard twitched, and envy showed on his face.

The Spirit Hall attendant played along.

"Do tell, sir."

Pleased to have an audience, Ma Xiunuo said proudly,

"He has Innate Full Soul Power. But—"

Before he could finish boasting, an unexpected task interrupted him.

"Is anyone here? I've come to collect my Soul Master stipend."

Ma Xiunuo was clearly unhappy at being interrupted, but his professional ethics helped him suppress his irritation.

"Bring me your Soul Master certificate. I need to check when you last collected it."

Spirit Hall had its rules. Anyone claiming a Soul Master stipend had to bring the certificate used to collect Gold Soul Coins last time. Otherwise, given how difficult it was to share information across Douluo Continent, some Soul Masters could claim a stipend at one branch, then head to another for more.

Ma Xiunuo looked up. When he saw the visitor's face, his brows rose slightly.

It's him. Rumor has it he has some connection to the Holy Maiden. Once Ma Xiunuo recognized him, his tone softened.

"Hand me your certificate."

The man standing at the counter looked to be in his forties. His worn old robe suited his listless, dispirited air all too well.

His face was sallow and his eyes dull, as though he had suffered some terrible blow.

He pulled a crumpled sheet of paper from his belt and handed it to Ma Xiunuo.

It took the old man quite a while to find the information he needed on the wrinkled page.

Shaking his head helplessly, he instructed his subordinate,

"Get him ten Gold Soul Coins."

Ma Xiunuo turned back, wrote out a new certificate on the paper, and handed it to the dispirited man before him. "Keep it safe."

"All right."

It was only the second time the man had spoken. His voice was rough and flat, like rotting wood.

Before long, a pouch containing ten Gold Soul Coins was in the man's hand. He left without a word of thanks or a backward glance.

As he turned away, a faint light appeared in his eyes.

Innate Full Soul Power. He's the perfect choice for my disciple.

Watching the man leave, Ma Xiunuo recalled the name on the certificate—Yu Xiaogang—and couldn't help curling his lip.

The attendant noticed the old man's expression and promptly asked,

"Master Ma Xiunuo, is there something wrong with that man?"

"Nothing wrong with him. He just has connections, and I've been told by my superiors to look after him a little.

"And don't call me Grandmaster. I don't deserve such an honorific. There's only one Grandmaster on the entire continent.

"Never mind him. Let's talk about Hall Master Su's little boy. He does have Innate Full Soul Power, but unfortunately, his Martial Soul is a Body Martial Soul. He's not particularly worth cultivating."

"Hard to say. Even the weakest Body Martial Soul shouldn't stop someone with Innate Full Soul Power from reaching Soul Saint. He'd have a decent chance of becoming a Soul Douluo, too. His future still looks bright."

"You have a point."

Ma Xiunuo stroked his beard, beaming.

"Good thing I get along with the boy. I just wonder whether I'll live long enough to see that little fellow grow into one of the continent's great powers."

Tang Shan's engorged muscles gave off a faint heat. Aches, tingles, and sharp pains washed over him.

Supporting his entire body on one hand, he slowly lowered himself.

Defined muscles looked strikingly out of place on a child who had only just turned six.

"Fifty-one, fifty-two, fifty-three..."

Drops of sweat joined into streams that ran down Tang Shan's skin and fell to the ground.

His clothes were soaked through. With the slightest squeeze, he could have wrung water from them.

After finishing his last one-handed push-up, Tang Shan slowly rose and let out a breath.

Was it hard?

Yes, but it felt damn good.

Feeling his strength grow bit by bit gave him an incomparable sense of accomplishment.

Tang Shan looked at Su Yuntao, who was holding a horse stance nearby. He went over and studied his posture.

"Brother Tao, how is it? Can you feel the difference?"

Su Yuntao was drenched in sweat too. At Tang Shan's question, he managed to force out two words.

"Very good!"

Tang Shan assessed his condition and waited roughly five more minutes. Then he stepped forward, caught Su Yuntao by the arm, and said, "That's enough for today."

At those words, Su Yuntao's whole body went limp. If Tang Shan hadn't been ready, he might have landed flat on his backside.

"Little brother... why didn't you... have me train... like this before...?"

Seeing his older brother struggle to ask before he had even caught his breath, Tang Shan pointed at himself.

"Because I awakened a Body Martial Soul. I only developed this training method after gaining better control over my body."

That was indeed the truth. The horse stance Tang Shan had worked out might have looked simple, but there was a great deal to it.

Done correctly, it could strengthen the lower body and build up the physique. Done wrong, it would be a waste of energy at best. Worse, a faulty horse stance could do tremendous damage to the knees.

Tang Shan had been an ordinary person in his previous life. How would he have known the proper form? He had only learned the horse stance from a physical education teacher at school.

Whether that posture was correct was another matter. People's constitutions and body proportions differed. A stance that worked for one person might be wrong for another.

Tang Shan had tested it on himself first. Once he was sure his stance caused no problems, he identified its key points and adjusted them to suit his older brother's body.

The more Tang Shan studied ways to train the body, the more he felt his control over his own was lacking.

If he wanted to improve it quickly, he would probably have to wait until he absorbed a Soul Ring and gained the Soul Skill he needed.

Su Haichao came home and saw the two brothers supporting each other. He nodded with satisfaction, but before he could speak, someone knocked on the door of the small house.

Tang Shan was surprised. Night was almost upon them. Who would come calling at this hour?

"You two go inside. I'll see who it is."

Tang Shan and Su Yuntao nodded and went into the living room first.

Muffled conversation reached Tang Shan's ears, and his brows drew together. One voice belonged to his father. He did not recognize the other, but its grating tone left a strong impression.

"Hall Master Su, I've heard your son is exceptionally gifted. I'd like to take him as my disciple. Under my guidance, he could certainly become a renowned powerhouse of the continent."

As the dispirited middle-aged man beside him talked on and on, impatience flickered in Su Haichao's eyes.

What a joke. You only get by on your connections, and you want to teach my son? What makes you qualified? My son is the Grandmaster who developed the Five Martial Soul Theories. What could you possibly teach him?

Though Su Haichao thought little of this well-connected man, he remained perfectly courteous. The man had ties to the Holy Maiden, after all. Until Su Haichao knew what their relationship was, it was best to keep the peace.

The oblivious "Grandmaster" kept talking. When he spotted Tang Shan seated in the living room, his eyes lit up.

Tang Shan took in the man's distinctive face and the way he held both hands behind his back. His eyes narrowed without his meaning to.

"Shan, let me introduce you. This is Yu Xiaogang, a Martial Soul researcher staying at Nod Academy."

Su Haichao's words sounded ordinary, but they carried an implication.

A Martial Soul researcher might well be qualified to teach. Yet Su Haichao had said Yu Xiaogang was staying at Nod Academy, not teaching there. That distinction said plenty.

What Su Haichao did not know was that Tang Shan might understand the man before him even better than he did.

After all, many of the Martial Soul Theories Tang Shan had written expanded on this "Grandmaster's" research. He just wondered how Yu Xiaogang, without his theories to back him up in this life, still had the nerve to ask Tang Shan to become his disciple.

Seeing his future "disciple" show no reaction, Yu Xiaogang nearly rebuked him for disrespecting his elders. But he remembered that he was still a stranger to the family and forced down his displeasure.

"I am Yu Xiaogang, from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan. I once conducted Martial Soul research in Spirit Hall's library in Spirit City. You may call me Grandmaster Yu."

Tang Shan's expression stiffened. There was so much to pick apart that he hardly knew where to start.

Never mind what you've actually accomplished. If you want me as your disciple, shouldn't you at least show me what you can do? All you talk about is Spirit Hall and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan. What, are you trying to threaten me?

Yu Xiaogang might not have been a good man, but he was not trying to throw his weight around. He simply assumed that once a prodigy from this little place learned who he was, the boy would bow and ask to become his disciple. There was no need to demonstrate his knowledge.

Tang Shan had no intention of confronting this "Grandmaster's" bizarre behavior head-on. He wasn't a little kid who needed to put someone in his place for the satisfaction of it.

Besides, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan behind Yu Xiaogang might ignore a bit of mockery from him, but there was no telling how that madwoman would react.

To her, Yu Xiaogang had always been the one she held dear. After what had happened in the "secret chamber," his place in her heart had only grown.

What she could not have would always haunt her. After that hellish experience, Yu Xiaogang had become Bibi Dong's emotional anchor and her last glimmer of hope.

Otherwise, how could a man with neither looks, talent, nor strength possibly hold sway over the Pope?

"Uncle Yu..."

Finding the address awkward no matter how he said it, Tang Shan sped up.

"Since you conduct research at Nod Academy, I hope you won't mind if I call you Teacher Yu."

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