The Beginning of the Butterfly Effect

Time turned back a few days.

Tang San stood beneath the towering gate.

The guard tossed his certificate back, his face full of suspicion.

"Blue Silver Grass can have Innate Full Soul Power? This certificate must be fake."

Old Jack grew anxious at once.

"A Spirit Hall official awakened Tang San's Martial Soul himself. The certificate even bears Spirit Hall's seal. How could it be fake?"

"Seals can be forged."

The guard waved impatiently. "The academy isn't a place anyone can enter just because they want to. Get going."

Old Jack was about to argue, but Tang San stopped him.

"Grandpa Jack, don't get angry yet."

Tang San walked up to the gatekeeper and pointed to the seal in the certificate's lower right corner.

"Spirit Hall certificates all have serial numbers. The academy only needs to send someone to the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City to check it."

"If you aren't authorized to verify it, you can ask the teacher in charge of admissions to come over."

His tone was calm.

The guard snapped, "A country brat dares to tell me how to do my job?"

"I'm just trying to solve the problem."

Tang San looked at him. "You suspect the certificate is forged, and we've given you a way to check. If you still refuse to report it, then the certificate isn't the problem."

The guard's expression stiffened.

He had thought a child would be easy to dismiss. Instead, Tang San spoke clearly and showed no sign of panic.

"The teacher handling admissions isn't here today."

"Then we can wait here."

"Suit yourselves!"

The guard threw out those words and turned to go back inside.

A slightly hoarse voice suddenly came from within the academy.

"Let me see the certificate."

The speaker was a middle-aged man.

He was of average build, with short black hair parted to one side. His hands were clasped behind his back, and his face looked somewhat stiff.

At the sight of him, the guard immediately became much more respectful.

"Grandmaster, there's something wrong with these two people's certificate. I was just about to send them away."

"Whether there's a problem isn't for you to decide."

The middle-aged man took the certificate. After a single glance, he said, "Spirit Hall's seal is genuine. The serial number and format are correct too."

The guard's face went pale.

"Apologize to them."

"But..."

"Do I need to speak to the academy director?"

The guard dared not argue further. He lowered his head reluctantly.

"I was mistaken just now."

Old Jack snorted but did not pursue the matter.

Tang San bowed to the middle-aged man.

"Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me. I merely corrected a mistake."

The middle-aged man returned the certificate to Tang San, his gaze lingering on the words "Innate Full Soul Power."

"Your name is Tang San?"

"Yes."

"My name is Yu Xiaogang. Others call me Grandmaster. You can call me by my name, or you can call me Grandmaster like they do."

Yu Xiaogang turned and walked into the academy.

"Come with me. I'll take you to complete your enrollment."

Old Jack did not enter the academy. He said goodbye to Tang San at the gate.

Before leaving, he gave Tang San a few careful reminders: study hard, follow the teachers' instructions, and do not get into conflicts with the other students.

Tang San agreed to each one.

Only after Old Jack's figure disappeared at the end of the street did he follow Yu Xiaogang.

Once they had walked some distance, Yu Xiaogang suddenly asked, "You have another Martial Soul, don't you?"

Tang San's steps faltered, and his right hand moved instinctively toward his waist.

Hidden there was the first Hidden Weapon he had made since coming to this world.

Yu Xiaogang did not turn around.

"Don't be nervous. I'm only drawing a conclusion from your Martial Soul and Innate Soul Power."

"Why?"

"Because Blue Silver Grass is too weak. Under normal circumstances, it couldn't give a Soul Master Innate Full Soul Power."

"If that Soul Power doesn't come from Blue Silver Grass, it can only come from another Martial Soul."

Yu Xiaogang turned around, confidence in his eyes.

"If I'm right, you have Twin Martial Souls."

Tang San neither confirmed nor denied it.

Before he left Holy Soul Village, his father had specifically warned him not to reveal his Second Martial Soul lightly.

But his father had also said that no secret could stay hidden forever.

When someone saw through his hidden card, he first had to judge how much they knew and what they wanted from him.

"What do you want in exchange for telling me this?"

Yu Xiaogang clearly had not expected a six-year-old to be so direct.

"I want to take you as my disciple."

"Why?"

"I've studied Martial Souls for years, but I've never had a disciple who could help me test my theories."

"You have Twin Martial Souls and Innate Full Soul Power. You also need guidance from someone who understands Martial Souls well enough."

"How would you develop my Blue Silver Grass?"

Some of the stiffness left Yu Xiaogang's face.

The child had not immediately dismissed Blue Silver Grass, nor had he rushed to ask about the Second Martial Soul.

He was calmer than Yu Xiaogang had expected.

"Blue Silver Grass may be weak, but it has several advantages."

"It has little resistance to Soul Rings, possesses toughness, and can hide in complex surroundings."

"I suggest you take the control path. Use Soul Rings to increase Blue Silver Grass's length, toughness, and special effects, then restrict your opponents' movements."

Tang San considered this for a moment.

It did not conflict with his own ideas.

Blue Silver Grass could not overpower a strong enemy head-on, but paired with Hidden Weapons, it could create chances for him to strike.

"What about the First Soul Ring?"

"We'll need to judge the specific choice in the field."

Yu Xiaogang said, "A plant Martial Soul doesn't necessarily have to absorb a Soul Ring from a plant Soul Beast."

"I'd prioritize an animal Soul Beast with poison and toughness. As for its age, I'd aim close to the upper limit a Soul Master can withstand for a First Soul Ring."

"What is that limit?"

"Four hundred and twenty-three years."

"Why four hundred and twenty-three years?"

Yu Xiaogang fell silent for a moment.

"That's the result I calculated from Spirit Hall's records and a large number of Soul Master cases."

"How many successful cases were there?"

"The records aren't complete, but they're enough to establish the approximate range."

"So four hundred and twenty-three years won't necessarily suit everyone?"

"Of course. A Soul Master's physical strength, willpower, and Martial Soul quality all affect what they can withstand."

Tang San nodded.

Yu Xiaogang's theories were not without value.

At least when it came to Martial Soul research, he knew far more than the village chief or the academy's ordinary teachers.

But a few judgments were not enough for Tang San to entrust his future to him.

"I'd like to read your research first."

"You don't want to become my disciple?"

"I'm willing to accept your guidance, and I'm willing to pay for it or fulfill an agreement."

Tang San said earnestly, "But my father told me a teacher is more than someone who passes on knowledge."

"Before becoming a disciple, a student should understand his teacher, and a teacher should understand his student."

"If I became your disciple immediately just because you saw through my Second Martial Soul, that wouldn't be respect. It would be impulsiveness."

Yu Xiaogang looked at the child before him and said nothing for a long time.

Many people mocked his theories, and few were willing to listen seriously.

Now that he had met a genius with Twin Martial Souls, he had thought the boy would seize the opportunity at once.

Instead, Yu Xiaogang found himself being assessed.

"What does your father do?"

"He's the village blacksmith."

Yu Xiaogang clearly did not quite believe him.

An ordinary blacksmith would have a hard time raising a child like this.

"I can lend you some of my research, and I can use your First Soul Ring to prove my judgment."

Yu Xiaogang spoke slowly. "Until then, you don't have to call me teacher."

Tang San bowed to him.

"Thank you, Grandmaster."

"But you must promise me one thing."

"Go ahead."

"Without my permission, you must not add any Soul Rings to your Second Martial Soul."

Tang San did not agree at once.

"I won't add a Soul Ring to it without understanding the consequences."

"But before I make my final choice, I need to know why."

For the first time, Yu Xiaogang realized that getting this child to agree to anything unconditionally would probably not be easy.

Yet Tang San was not arrogant.

On the contrary, he was polite—almost cautiously so.

"After you've settled in, come to my room. I'll explain the risks of cultivating Twin Martial Souls."

"All right."

Yu Xiaogang continued toward the administrative office, with Tang San following behind.

Tang San was willing to learn from Yu Xiaogang and test his theories.

But seeing through Tang San's secret only proved that the man had a keen eye.

Whether he could become Tang San's teacher remained to be seen.