Arrogant! Far too arrogant!

Holding Luo Sanpao, Yu Xiaogang slowly rose to his feet and turned toward Guga. The anguish in his eyes was turning to fury.

"Why did your martial soul hit so hard?"

As he spoke, he raised his foot and kicked at Guga.

Panic had clouded his judgment. Luo Sanpao had been with him for decades. Though called a martial soul, he was more like family. From childhood to adulthood, only Luo Sanpao had stayed by his side. When his clan shunned him, when the world mocked him, only this fat pig had grunted and rubbed against his trouser leg. Seeing Luo Sanpao kicked into such a state, he lost his head and wanted to teach this little penguin who didn't know his own strength a lesson.

But before his foot came down—

Thump!

Another foot struck his shin first.

Yu Xiaogang felt a tremendous force slam into him. He lost his balance and flew backward, crashing heavily to the floor and sliding more than two meters before stopping. His back struck a stone pillar, the dull impact echoing through the empty hall.

Standing in front of Guga, Lin Yuan drew back his foot, stunned himself. He had only meant to block the kick. After a martial soul awakened, its strength fed back into its owner's body, but he had never imagined a casual kick would pack so much force.

Yu Xiaogang scrambled up from the floor, half his body numb. A large bruise had formed on his shin, and the pain made him bare his teeth. He stared at Lin Yuan in disbelief, his eyes burning with fury.

"You! How dare you kick me? I offered to take you as my disciple out of kindness, and this is how you treat me? You don't know what's good for you! You really don't!"

Lin Yuan came back to his senses as well. He had intended to apologize, since he really had sent the man flying because he couldn't control his strength. But after those words from Yu Xiaogang, the trace of apology on his face vanished.

Who was the one who raised his foot to kick Guga first?

"You were going to kick my martial soul, and I'm not allowed to fight back?"

"He's just a martial soul!" Yu Xiaogang trembled with rage. "He injured Sanpao this badly! What's wrong with teaching him a lesson?"

"Your martial soul is precious, but mine deserves to be kicked?" Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Your Luo Sanpao started it by ramming Guga. He rammed him three times before Guga fought back. If a pig rammed you three times in a row, wouldn't you get angry?"

"You..." Yu Xiaogang was momentarily at a loss, then snapped, "Twisting words to force your argument! I am a grandmaster of martial soul theory! What does a child who has only just awakened know? Being accepted as my disciple is your good fortune!"

"A grandmaster?" Lin Yuan smiled. "At level twenty-nine?"

Yu Xiaogang's expression changed instantly. "How do you know?"

"I guessed." Lin Yuan smiled. "You must be nearly fifty, yet you're still stuck at level twenty-nine."

He stepped forward, looked Yu Xiaogang in the eyes, and enunciated every word. "What right does someone at level twenty-nine have to take me as a disciple? What if I study your theories and get stuck at level twenty-nine too?"

"You..." Yu Xiaogang shook all over with rage, pointing at Lin Yuan. "Arrogant! Far too arrogant!"

He drew a deep breath, as though remembering something that gave him confidence. "I am a member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect! How dare you speak to me like that?"

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect was one of the Upper Three Sects, the greatest beast martial soul sect in the world. Anyone else hearing that name would likely have been too frightened to speak. But Lin Yuan laughed mockingly. "A member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect? Then why are you here? Did they kick you out?"

"You..."

Yu Xiaogang's pupils contracted sharply, as if Lin Yuan had struck his sorest spot. He pointed at Lin Yuan, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word for a long while. His chest heaved violently, and a sweet, metallic taste surged up his throat.

Pfft!

He spat out a mouthful of blood, splattering the gray flagstones dark red.

Yu Xiaogang staggered back two steps, struck the wall, and slowly slid down into a sitting position, his face as pale as paper. He sat there like a dead tree struck by lightning, motionless for a long time.

And Su Yuntao, who had just emerged from the rear hall, happened to witness the scene.

Su Yuntao was still holding the freshly completed work-study admission certificate and a small cloth pouch, which he had been bringing to Lin Yuan. Yet the moment he reached the doorway, he found himself watching this spectacle.

He was utterly dumbfounded.

This child had argued Yu Xiaogang into coughing up blood? Su Yuntao usually looked down on this so-called "Grandmaster" himself. A useless man at level twenty-nine—what right did he have to call himself a grandmaster? Still, everyone remained polite to his face. After all, he came from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, and he did have a few tricks up his sleeve when it came to theory.

But today...

Su Yuntao looked at Yu Xiaogang's deathly pale face and bloodstained lips, then at Lin Yuan standing there and the smug little penguin beside him with his hands on his hips. He nearly dropped what he was holding.

Wasn't this child a little too fierce? Not only was his martial soul strange, but his tongue was vicious too.

Su Yuntao stood in the doorway, unable to decide whether to enter or retreat.

Only after a long while did Yu Xiaogang recover. Holding Luo Sanpao, he braced himself against the wall and slowly stood up, casting Lin Yuan a glance. His eyes held anger, humiliation, and a trace of something impossible to name.

He turned unsteadily and walked out through the Branch Hall's main doors, one step at a time. His footsteps echoed through the empty hall, growing more distant until they could no longer be heard.

Silence returned to the hall. Only then did Su Yuntao walk in.

"Lin Yuan, right?" He handed over the martial soul certificate. "This is your martial soul certificate. Innate full soul power, level ten."

Lin Yuan took it, glanced at it, and tucked it inside his clothes.

Su Yuntao handed him another sheet of paper. "And this is a work-study place at Nuoding Academy. I secured it for you."

Lin Yuan raised his head in surprise.

"It can't be easy, being on your own." Su Yuntao rubbed his hands together, looking a little awkward. "I put in a word with the Branch Hall and got them to spare you a place. At Nuoding Academy, your meals and lodging will be free, and you'll learn a few things too. You have innate full soul power. Don't waste it."

A six-year-old child with no one to depend on. If I can lend him a hand, I might as well.

As he spoke, he pressed the small cloth pouch into Lin Yuan's hands as well. "There are ten Gold Soul Coins in here. Take them. Being out on your own isn't easy. Buy yourself some food and clothes, and spend carefully."

Lin Yuan looked at the pouch in his hands, then at Su Yuntao. Ten Gold Soul Coins were no small sum even for a level twenty-six Soul Grandmaster. They were neither relatives nor friends, merely strangers whose paths had crossed, yet the man had given him both money and a place at the academy.

Warmth welled up in Lin Yuan's heart. He put away the pouch and bowed deeply to Su Yuntao.

"Grandmaster Su, thank you. I'll remember your kindness today. If I ever make something of myself, I will repay you."

Su Yuntao paused, then laughed. He reached out and patted Lin Yuan's shoulder, neither too hard nor too lightly. "All right, kid. I'll be waiting for the day you become strong. If I can't get by anymore, I'll come to you."

His laughter was hearty, but there was genuine anticipation in his eyes. Innate full soul power—even if the martial soul looked a little strange, who knew? Perhaps he had simply failed to recognize its worth.

"Go on." Su Yuntao waved a hand. "Nuoding Academy is in the eastern part of the city. Head east after leaving the Branch Hall, and you'll reach it after two streets. Take your certificate to register, and they'll arrange a dormitory for you."

Lin Yuan nodded, picked up Guga, and walked out of the Branch Hall.

The setting sun painted the flagstone road gold. Nuoding City was small, with few pedestrians on the streets. Occasionally, a merchant passed by pushing a handcart, its wheels clattering over the stones. Guga poked his head out of Lin Yuan's arms and looked around curiously.

"This place is so big, guga! So many houses, guga!"

Lin Yuan said nothing and simply kept walking. His martial soul had awakened, he had innate full soul power, and he had secured a work-study place. It wasn't a bad start. But the road ahead was still long. Soul rings, soul skills, the direction of his cultivation—he would have to tackle all of them one step at a time.

He lowered his head to glance at Guga in his arms. The little fellow was gripping his shoulder with his stubby hands, his eyes sparkling as he gazed at this unfamiliar world.