Tang San Knelt Down

Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy stood in eastern Nuoding City.

From the Spirit Hall Branch, it was two streets away. Even from a distance, its towering arch was visible. It was twenty meters wide and over ten meters high, built of solid stone. Its two dark iron gates stood open, revealing a winding path that led into the grounds. A broad avenue stretched into the distance, lined with tall trees.

Four large characters stood at the center of the arch: Nuoding Academy.

Lin Yuan stood before the gate with Guga in his arms and narrowed his eyes.

"Guga, what do you think of this place?"

"Such a big gate, Guga!"

"..."

Lin Yuan carried Guga toward the gate. He had barely reached it when a young man in a short gray cloth shirt stepped out of the gatehouse and blocked his way.

"Stop! What are you here for?"

There was impatience in his voice. The gatekeeper looked Lin Yuan up and down. Seeing the boy's plain clothes and the strange Soul Beast in his arms, his gaze turned disdainful.

"From the countryside? Do you even know what this place is? This is Nuoding Soul Master Academy. It's not somewhere you country folk can wander into."

Lin Yuan said nothing. He simply handed over his certificate from Spirit Hall.

Frowning, the gatekeeper took it and gave it a glance.

"Martial Soul... Guga? Innate Full Soul Power?"

He gave a derisive laugh and tossed the certificate back at Lin Yuan. "What kind of nonsense is this? I've been a gatekeeper for years, and I've never heard of a Martial Soul like that. Innate Full Soul Power, too? I'd say you forged this certificate."

Lin Yuan frowned slightly.

Before he could speak, an elderly voice came from beside him.

"Young man, you can't say that."

An old man approached with a skinny boy behind him. His coarse clothes had been washed pale, his hair was graying, and his back was slightly hunched. He was Old Jack of Holy Soul Village. The boy behind him had slightly dark skin and calm eyes and held a crumpled Martial Soul certificate in his hand.

"How could anyone forge a certificate from Spirit Hall?" Old Jack asked with an appeasing smile, handing over the certificate he held. "Look, this is Tang San from our village. He's a working student this year, too."

The gatekeeper took the certificate and glanced at it. The sneer on his face deepened.

"Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass? And Innate Full Soul Power? Hahaha! What day is it today? One Martial Soul nobody's ever heard of, one Trash Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass, and both of you claim Innate Full Soul Power? Do you country folk take Spirit Hall for fools?"

Anger flashed in Old Jack's eyes, but he held it back. "Young man, the certificate is real. If you don't believe me, you can ask at the Spirit Hall Branch."

"Ask them? You think you're worth the trip?"

The gatekeeper shoved Old Jack. At his age, Old Jack staggered backward and nearly fell.

Tang San hurried to steady him, a chill flashing in his eyes.

Lin Yuan stepped forward.

"Guga."

His voice was quiet, but Guga understood.

Guga sprang from Lin Yuan's arms and hurtled toward the gatekeeper.

Before the gatekeeper could react, a tremendous force slammed into his chest.

Bang!

He flew away like a kite with its string cut, arced through the air, and crashed hard into the gatehouse wall before sliding to the ground. A faint crack appeared in the wall.

The gatekeeper's eyes rolled back, and he passed out.

It had all happened in the time it took a spark to fly.

Old Jack's mouth fell open. Tang San froze too. Had that little creature's charge really packed so much force?

Lin Yuan hurried over and crouched to check the gatekeeper.

His breathing was steady and his pulse normal. He had only passed out.

"Good. He'll live."

Lin Yuan stood and brushed off his hands. Guga had already landed back in his arms, little arms planted on its hips, looking thoroughly pleased with itself.

"He bullied people. Guga hit him, Guga!"

Lin Yuan rubbed its head helplessly, then turned to Old Jack and Tang San.

He was about to speak when a hoarse voice came from inside the academy.

"What happened?"

Lin Yuan turned. A middle-aged man of average height and somewhat lean build walked out of the academy. His short black hair was parted to one side, and his face was unremarkable, but there was something distinctive in his eyes: a touch of sharpness beneath their weary look.

It was Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang's gaze first fell on Tang San, then on the Martial Soul certificate in Old Jack's hand. He took it and studied it for several seconds. A gleam flashed in his eyes.

"Blue Silver Grass, Innate Full Soul Power... Sir, this certificate is genuine. Leave the boy with me."

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Old Jack thanked him repeatedly, gave Tang San a few more instructions, then left.

Yu Xiaogang turned to take Tang San inside. His gaze swept over Lin Yuan, and he went rigid.

"You?"

Lin Yuan recognized him too. The corner of his mouth twitched.

Wasn't this the Grandmaster I'd made so angry he coughed up blood yesterday?

Yu Xiaogang's expression shifted several times before settling into something complicated. He looked at Guga in Lin Yuan's arms, then at Lin Yuan, and snorted.

"You're here to enroll at Nuoding Academy too?"

Lin Yuan gave a lukewarm "Mm."

Yu Xiaogang seemed about to say something, but after another glance at Guga, he shut his mouth. He took a deep breath and turned to Tang San, his expression growing kindly.

"Child, would you accept me as your teacher?"

Tang San looked at Yu Xiaogang, then at Lin Yuan. He had seen Yu Xiaogang's reaction from where he stood. The man clearly knew Lin Yuan and even seemed afraid of that penguin.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Yu Xiaogang. You may call me Grandmaster." Yu Xiaogang straightened his back. "I've devoted my life to the study of Martial Soul Theory. My own strength may be limited, but in the field of theory, no one under heaven can surpass me."

Then he leaned close to Tang San's ear and said something in a low voice.

Tang San's pupils contracted sharply.

"How... how did you know?"

"If I'm not mistaken," Yu Xiaogang whispered, so softly that only Tang San could hear, "you have Twin Martial Souls. Your other Martial Soul is exceptionally powerful."

Tang San fell silent for a moment. A complicated light flickered in his eyes.

He remembered the gatekeeper's attitude and the cold looks he had endured all along the way. Someone who could tell at a glance that he had Twin Martial Souls was no ordinary man. He was worth taking as a teacher.

Tang San knelt down.

"Teacher."

Yu Xiaogang helped him up, unable to keep the excitement from his voice. "Good, good! From today onward, you're my disciple."

Holding Guga, Lin Yuan stood to one side, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Yu Xiaogang worked fast, didn't he? He'd taken on a disciple in the blink of an eye. And Tang San looked like a smart kid. How had a few words fooled him?

Yu Xiaogang was in excellent spirits after gaining a disciple. He turned toward Lin Yuan, a trace of smugness in his eyes.

"Lin Yuan, did you see that? I'm not a teacher nobody wants. You may have talent, but you look down on everyone and think far too highly of yourself. You'll never amount to much. Today, I've taken Tang San as my disciple, while you..."

He paused, as though waiting for Lin Yuan's reaction.

Lin Yuan yawned.

"Are you done?"

"You!"

"If you are, I'm going to register."

Carrying Guga, Lin Yuan walked around Yu Xiaogang and Tang San and headed into the academy. After a few steps, he heard Yu Xiaogang's voice behind him, tight with suppressed anger.

"Come on, Tang San. Don't waste your time on someone like him."

Lin Yuan did not look back.

The administration office occupied a gray, two-story building. The teacher handling registration was a woman in her forties surnamed Su. She wore round glasses, and the nameplate on her desk read "Su Wan." She seemed good-natured. She took Lin Yuan's Martial Soul certificate and examined it carefully.

"Martial Soul... Guga? Innate Full Soul Power?"

Su Wan pushed up her glasses and looked at Guga in Lin Yuan's arms. Guga tilted its head and blinked at her.

"Interesting." Su Wan smiled. She asked no further questions and took out a registration form. "Fill this in: name, age, Martial Soul, and Soul Power Level."

Lin Yuan picked up a pen and filled in each field.

"Working students stay in Dorm Seven." Su Wan pointed out the window. "It's the room at the far western end of the dormitory building. All the working students live there. Pick up your uniform and bedding from the Logistics Office. The cafeteria's to the east. If there's anything you don't understand, ask your roommates."

"Thank you, Teacher Su."

Lin Yuan took his registration card and left the office with Guga in his arms.

He looked down at the card in his hand. Dorm Seven. His new life would begin in that room. He set off toward the dormitory building.

Behind him, the sunlight was bright, stretching his shadow long across the ground.