You Won't Take Me as Your Master?

Tang San was stunned for a moment. He turned to look behind him and saw a middle-aged man, around forty or fifty years old, who had somehow appeared at his back.

The man looked utterly Common, with slightly thick lips, a buzz cut, and heavy stubble covering his face. His whole demeanor was somewhat dispirited and slovenly.

At the sight of the newcomer, the gatekeeper hurriedly lowered his raised hand. The anger vanished from his face, replaced by fawning flattery. "Master, you're back."

Master merely glanced sideways at the gatekeeper, then looked at Cheng Xiao, who had already entered the academy but had not left yet. Only then did his gaze settle on Tang San.

As a village chief, Old Jack knew how to read people. Judging by the gatekeeper's expression, this middle-aged man before him had to be an important figure. He immediately handed over the Martial Soul certificate and recounted what had just happened.

Master looked at the certificate in his hand and said to Old Jack, "This Martial Soul certificate is genuine. Sir, on behalf of the academy, I apologize for what just happened. Leave this child to me."

Such an important person was actually apologizing to him. Old Jack's face flushed slightly as he waved his hands repeatedly.

"Master, I'll leave Xiao San in your care. Please look after him."

Master nodded at those words.

Afterward, Old Jack gave Tang San a few more reminders before finally leaving.

Once Old Jack had gone far away, Master finally had time to glance at the gatekeeper. "This is the first time, and it will be the last. If it happens again, I will report the situation truthfully to the dean. Then you will not need to stay here any longer."

Hearing this, the gatekeeper nodded over and over, cold sweat streaming down his back.

Master lowered his head to look at Tang San and forced out a faint smile. His facial muscles were somewhat stiff, making the smile rather unpleasant to behold. Taking Tang San's hand, he pointed at Cheng Xiao, who was about to leave beyond the iron gate, and asked, "Is he also a work-study student who came with you?"

"Him?" Tang San looked toward Cheng Xiao, who had already walked away, and shook his head. "He came after me, but after the gatekeeper looked at his Martial Soul certificate, he let him in."

"I see." A glint of wisdom flashed through Master's eyes. If he had guessed correctly, that child's Martial Soul had to be quite good. Otherwise, given the gatekeeper's nature, he would never have let him in so easily.

Cheng Xiao walked ahead of them. Since it was his first time at Nuoding Academy, he was not walking particularly fast, sightseeing as he searched for the teaching building.

But before long, Master, holding Tang San's hand, caught up to Cheng Xiao.

"Little friend, are you also a work-study student this year?" Master looked at Cheng Xiao on his left and asked.

"Hello, teacher. My name is Cheng Xiao, and I'm a work-study student from Cheng Family Village." Cheng Xiao stopped and looked at Master.

"Hehe, I'm not a teacher at the academy." Master shook his head and spoke lightly.

"You're not a teacher at the academy, yet people call you Master. Then you must be one of the academy's leaders, right?" Tang San, standing to Master's right, chimed in.

"You're quite clever for a six-year-old child, but you're still wrong. I'm not one of the academy's leaders." Master denied it.

Cheng Xiao feigned confusion. "Then if you are neither a teacher nor a leader of the academy, why are you called Master?"

Master straightened his back and said profoundly, "I, Yu Mouren, am merely a lodger here, eating and drinking for free. As for why I am called Master, it is because everyone calls me that. I have even forgotten my own name."

"You must understand that Master and teacher are two different forms of address, with different meanings. Do not mix them up in the future." A sharp glint flashed through Master's eyes. "Unless you are willing to take me as your master and let me become your teacher."

"Take you as our master? Are you planning to teach us how to cultivate our Martial Souls?" Tang San asked excitedly.

Master stopped and looked at Tang San. "Then are you willing?"

Tang San stopped as well. He glanced at Cheng Xiao, who stood beside Master without saying a word, then looked at Master before him. He neither agreed nor refused.

"It seems I must be persistent for once as well." Seeing that Tang San did not answer, Master continued, "After all, you are the only Twin Martial Souls wielder to appear in a hundred years."

Master's words greatly shocked Tang San. His gaze toward Master immediately changed. His left wrist quietly lifted, and the safety catch of his sleeve arrow clicked open as he watched Master with uncertainty and suspicion.

Seeing the slight change in Tang San's expression, Master took out Tang San's Martial Soul certificate and explained calmly, "Little friend, do not be too nervous. I bear no ill will. I deduced from this Martial Soul certificate that you possess Twin Martial Souls. Besides, if I could not even see something like that, I would not deserve to be called Master."

After hearing Master's explanation, Tang San's gaze gradually calmed. Just as he was about to speak, Cheng Xiao interrupted him.

"Master, why don't we talk as we walk?" Cheng Xiao had no desire to listen to Master show off his knowledge, so he made the suggestion.

At that, Tang San gave Cheng Xiao a deep look but said nothing.

"Fine, then we'll talk as we walk." Master looked at the expressionless Cheng Xiao, doubts rising in his heart.

Could it be that he does not understand the importance of Martial Soul theory? Tang San clearly gets it at a glance, so why is this child unwilling to listen? Then again, he does not yet know my reputation or the value of the ten core theories of Martial Souls.

With that in mind, Master deliberately slowed his pace from time to time as he expounded on his theories.

Yet after he had spoken for quite a while, Cheng Xiao still looked utterly uninterested. Helplessly, Master gave up on using theory to recruit him as a disciple and focused on explaining things to Tang San instead. After all, gaining a disciple with Twin Martial Souls would not be a loss.

Master did not speak particularly quickly, and his explanations were simple and easy to understand. After listening to his theories, Tang San also realized how remarkable this middle-aged man was. He immediately stopped. Under Master's surprised gaze, he stepped back to create some distance, dropped to both knees, and kowtowed three times, asking Master to accept him as a disciple.

Seeing Tang San kowtow to become his disciple, Master called him a foolish child, but inwardly he was immensely satisfied. With such a Twin Martial Souls genius as his disciple, he would surely prove to the world that Yu Xiaogang was not trash!

Master bent down to help Tang San up and said lightly, "There is no need to kowtow when taking a master. A bow will do."

Tang San said solemnly, "A master for one day is a father for life. As my teacher, you deserve my kneeling."

Seeing this, Master looked again at Cheng Xiao, who had stopped nearby. Seeing his utterly uninterested expression, Master hesitated before asking, "Child, will you not take me as your master?"

"I have already seen your knowledge, but I am not particularly interested in Martial Soul theory. I appreciate your favor, but I think we should forget about becoming master and disciple." Cheng Xiao's words were impeccable. He neither embarrassed Master nor offended him.

"Fine. Becoming master and disciple depends on mutual willingness. Since you are unwilling, child, I will not force you." Master shook his head regretfully, then said to Tang San beside him, "Xiao San, let's go. We need to report to the Academic Affairs Office."

With that, Master took Tang San's hand and headed toward the Academic Affairs Office, paying Cheng Xiao no further attention.

He believed that under the guidance of his Martial Soul theories, Tang San would quickly pull far ahead of this child. By then, the child would realize just how wrong his choice had been.

Cheng Xiao watched the two leave, shrugged, and paid it no mind as he stepped forward to follow them.

The purpose of attending a Soul Master Academy seemed to be learning theoretical knowledge, didn't it?