Let You Hold Onto My Money

After Xiao Wu completed her Soul Master assessment, Cheng Xiao and Xiao Wu left Spirit Hall.

During the assessment, after learning that Xiao Wu also possessed Innate Full Soul Power, Ma Xiunuo immediately invited her to join Spirit Hall.

Of course, in order not to expose her identity, Xiao Wu politely declined Ma Xiunuo's proposal. She said that if she were to join Spirit Hall, she might consider it after graduation.

Ma Xiunuo expressed his understanding. As the two left, he gave each of them a Gold Soul Coin and a Soul Master badge, which served as proof that they had become Soul Masters.

From then on, neither of them needed to be work-study students anymore, and they could devote more time to cultivation.

On the way back, Xiao Wu happily looked at the Gold Soul Coin in her hand and said to Cheng Xiao with a grin, "Great! From now on, I can spend my own money on food just like you."

"Then congratulations," Cheng Xiao said with a smile.

"Tch... not sincere at all." Xiao Wu snorted, then declared grandly, "To celebrate us becoming Soul Masters, Sister Xiao Wu will treat you to something tasty today. How about it?"

"You're treating me?" Cheng Xiao froze for a moment, then asked doubtfully, "Are you sure?"

"What, do you think Sister Xiao Wu can't afford to treat you?" Xiao Wu said, pretending to be displeased.

"Of course not." Cheng Xiao shook his head and chuckled. "I was just thinking that if you spend all your money carelessly, you'll have nothing to eat when you run out."

Xiao Wu's expression changed slightly. It seemed she had never considered what would happen if she spent all her money. Then she stuffed the Gold Soul Coin into Cheng Xiao's hand and said softly, "Then help me keep it for now. I'm afraid I won't be able to resist spending it all, and then I won't have money to eat."

Seeing Xiao Wu's actions, Cheng Xiao stood rooted to the spot. Looking down at the Gold Soul Coin in his hand, he could not help but feel something strange.

Does this little rabbit trust me that much?

"Aiya, Sister Xiao Wu is only leaving her money with you for safekeeping. When I need to spend it, you'll still have to give it back to me." Seeing Cheng Xiao staring blankly, Xiao Wu hurriedly explained herself.

Hearing Xiao Wu's words, Cheng Xiao raised his head and looked at her innocent yet playful appearance. He could not help laughing. "What if I spend it? After all, your money is in my hands."

"How dare you!" Xiao Wu grew anxious. "If you dare spend my money, I'll... I'll... I'll make you treat me."

"What if I don't treat you?" Cheng Xiao deliberately asked.

"Ah! Cheng Xiao, you're terrible." Xiao Wu puffed out her cheeks in anger and said fiercely, "If you don't treat me and leave me with no food to eat, then I won't let you sleep properly tonight!"

Cheng Xiao smiled, weighed the Gold Soul Coin in his hand, and put Xiao Wu's coin away. "Don't worry, I won't spend your money. I'm going to the blacksmith shop now. Do you want to come along?"

"The blacksmith shop?" Xiao Wu's eyes lit up. "Then let's hurry over! I've never seen a blacksmith shop before!"

Not long after Cheng Xiao and Xiao Wu left, Tang San also arrived at Spirit Hall.

Although Master had told him that this was Spirit Hall's way of winning people over, Tang San was still a realist. Without this Soul Master Subsidy, he could not even afford food.

But after receiving the subsidy, his life would improve considerably. So he still came here, intending to collect Master's Soul Master Subsidy along with his own.

"Heavens, why are there so many people with Innate Full Soul Power today? Could I be dreaming?"

Inside the Soul Master assessment room, Ma Xiunuo rubbed his eyes vigorously as he looked at the Blue Silver Grass in Tang San's hand. "Can such a useless martial soul as Blue Silver Grass really be cultivated to this extent?"

Seeing Tang San's calm expression, Ma Xiunuo gave a light cough and invited him to join Spirit Hall. As expected, he failed again. Tang San rejected him, and even gave exactly the same reason as the previous two.

"Very well, child. Since you do not wish to join, I will not force you." Ma Xiunuo sighed regretfully and handed Tang San the badge representing his Soul Master status.

"Congratulations on becoming a Soul Master. Later, you can use this Soul Master badge to collect this month's Soul Master Subsidy. At your current rank, you can receive one Gold Soul Coin each month," Ma Xiunuo reminded him.

"Understood, Grandpa Ma Xiunuo." Tang San nodded.

"Oh, right, Grandpa Ma Xiunuo, there's one more thing I need to trouble you with." After taking the Soul Master badge Ma Xiunuo handed him, Tang San produced another one and said, "My teacher suffered some injuries. He told me I could collect the Soul Master Subsidy on his behalf. Please take a look."

"Oh? Does the teacher of a genius like you still need the Soul Master Subsidy?" Ma Xiunuo took the badge from Tang San in confusion and said curiously, "Let me see the name on the back of this Soul Master badge. Who was lucky enough to take in such a disciple as you?"

After turning the badge over, Ma Xiunuo's expression immediately stiffened. Three small characters were engraved on the back of the Soul Master badge.

"Child, have you been deceived?" Seeing the name Yu Xiaogang engraved on the back, Ma Xiunuo could not help saying, "How could you take Master as your teacher?"

"Grandpa Ma Xiunuo, is there a problem with taking Master as my teacher?" Tang San frowned. "I think my teacher is very capable. His martial soul theories are especially important to me. I don't think there's anything wrong with taking him as my teacher."

"Well, it seems Master has been rather lucky." Ma Xiunuo smiled as he explained, "In the Soul Master world, your teacher's name is well known. I just wonder whether his so-called theories can help him break through rank thirty himself."

"Over the past few years, he has collected quite a bit of Soul Master Subsidy from our Spirit Hall. At his age, can't he face reality? If his martial soul theories were useful, he would not need to collect the Soul Master Subsidy."

Ma Xiunuo spoke without the slightest courtesy. From the bottom of his heart, he looked down on people like Master. A man in his forties or fifties who knew full well about the flaws in his martial soul, yet instead of trying to solve them, insisted on relying on martial soul theories to prove himself.

On Douluo Continent, the most direct thing that could prove a person's worth was their Soul Power rank—in other words, their strength.

Whoever had the bigger, harder fist had the right to speak. Even if Yu Xiaogang had used his martial soul theories to break through the rank thirty barrier he had long failed to overcome, there would not have been so many people mocking him. But he was a Soul Grandmaster who had never been able to break through rank thirty.

He bragged all day about how important, useful, and amazing his martial soul theories were, but what was the result? He could not even put his own martial soul theories into practice. Wasn't that simply inviting ridicule?

At those words, the smile on Tang San's face immediately froze. He did not know how to answer Ma Xiunuo and could only use a smile to hide the embarrassment of being Master's disciple.

A moment later, Tang San walked out of Spirit Hall with a dark expression. He clenched the Soul Master badge in his hand, while the Gold Soul Coin had been stored inside Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlight Night.

Teacher, I, Tang San, swear that I will prove the martial soul theories you have pursued all your life. When that time comes, I'll let these snobbish Soul Masters know just how correct it was to take you as my teacher!

Tang San secretly made up his mind to carry Master's martial soul theories forward. But for now, he planned to return to the academy and have a proper meal.

He had not eaten all day. Now that he had money, he naturally had to go back and eat well.