Rejecting Yu Xiaogang again

At the center of the grounds, the duel was already drawing to a close.

As the leading figure among Notting Academy's senior students, Xiao Chengyu possessed the Azure Wolf martial soul and a ten-year Soul Ring. His strength had always been impressive among students his age. Accustomed to throwing his weight around the academy, he believed he could easily keep the newly arrived work-study students under his thumb.

Today, however, he had kicked an iron plate. Against Tang San, who had broken through level ten and possessed a hundred-year Soul Ring, every attack Xiao Chengyu launched proved feeble and futile.

Within just a few exchanges, Blue Silver Grass bound Xiao Chengyu tightly. His entire body went numb, his soul power grew sluggish, and he lost all ability to resist, suffering an ignominious defeat.

With the outcome settled, the entire crowd erupted.

No one had expected this seemingly taciturn new student from the countryside to utterly overwhelm Xiao Chengyu, one of the academy's established powerhouses, in a head-on confrontation. And the truly shocking sight followed right afterward.

Before anyone could recover from the shock of Tang San's victory, Xiao Wu shifted slightly beside him. A softly glowing yellow Soul Ring slowly rose from beneath her feet, its radiance gentle yet substantial. It was unmistakably a genuine hundred-year Soul Ring!

The grounds fell deathly silent, then exploded into an even greater uproar.

A new student who had enrolled at six years old actually possessed a hundred-year Soul Ring!

Such talent had long since surpassed the bounds of ordinary genius. Even throughout Notting Academy's entire history, it had been exceedingly rare.

By now, Xiao Chengyu had accepted his defeat wholeheartedly, fully aware that the gap between their strengths was as vast as heaven and earth.

Arrogant though he was, he knew to respect the strong. He immediately led the older students behind him in bowing solemnly to Xiao Wu, fully acknowledging this new powerhouse of the academy.

From that moment on, Xiao Wu and Tang San firmly established themselves at Notting Academy, their names resounding among new and senior students alike.

Amid the noisy crowd, Tang San stood tall and still, his expression calm, seemingly unruffled. Just then, however, his gaze abruptly pierced through the layers of people and locked precisely onto Lin Chen at the edge of the gathering.

The instant their eyes met, a sharp glint flashed through Tang San's gaze, carrying undisguised provocation and competitiveness.

That look was direct and piercing, mingling a victor's confidence with concealed hostility, as though silently announcing his rise and flaunting a strength that now far surpassed Lin Chen's.

Lin Chen was momentarily bewildered and utterly speechless inside. He grumbled inwardly, Is Tang San sick in the head? I'm just quietly watching the show. I haven't offended him, challenged him, or looked down on him. Why is he glaring at me out of nowhere?

He could not fathom how Tang San's mind worked. It had merely been a choice concerning an opportunity some time ago, yet the other boy still bore a grudge. Now that he had shown even a little promise, he could hardly wait to challenge Lin Chen and flaunt his power.

After that brief moment of exasperation, alarm bells rang in Lin Chen's mind, and he saw the reality clearly.

One step behind truly meant falling behind at every step.

Not only had Tang San broken through level ten in just a few days, but he had also obtained a hundred-year Soul Ring at the limit of what he could bear. His strength had skyrocketed, and the gap between them was widening rapidly.

If Lin Chen continued to slack off, it would not be long before Tang San left him far behind, beyond any hope of catching up.

Without lingering another moment, Lin Chen lost all interest in watching the commotion that followed. He quietly turned away from the training grounds on the back hill and hurried back to the dormitory.

Over the next few days, Lin Chen threw himself into an utterly relentless training regimen.

During the academy's daytime general education and basic Soul Master theory classes, the other students listened attentively and played around between lessons. He alone remained seated upright, eyes closed in concentration, using every spare moment to enter meditation and ceaselessly absorb the soul power of heaven and earth.

At night, while his roommates rested, chatted, or roughhoused, he still sat cross-legged on his bed, forgetting sleep and meals as he honed his foundation.

Under such intense, uninterrupted training, his soul power grew steadily and solidly, breaking through to level eight. Its foundation became ever more substantial and pure, and he drew closer and closer to level nine, his overall progress plainly visible.

This monotonous, rigorously disciplined training continued day after day without interruption.

One afternoon, Lin Chen sat cross-legged on his bed, immersed in Deep Meditation. A faint, pearly-white glow of soul power surrounded him, his mind wholly absorbed in the circulating flow of power through his body.

Dense soul power from heaven and earth swirled around him and slowly poured into his body, tempering his meridians and consolidating his foundation.

"Lin Chen! Stop training! Hurry outside! The academy's Grandmaster wants to see you!"

His roommate's urgent shout suddenly rang out, accompanied by a gentle shake, slowly rousing Lin Chen from his deep meditative state.

Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes. A keen glimmer flashed through them and vanished, while the fluctuations of soul power around him instantly subsided and his breathing returned to normal.

He stretched slightly, suppressed the surging soul power inside him, and straightened his clothes, already guessing the reason.

The unusual mutation of Tang San's martial soul displayed during the duel on the back hill must have strengthened Yu Xiaogang's faith in his theory. It had also reminded him of Lin Chen, who possessed a rare detached martial soul.

This deeply obsessive master of theory still refused to give up.

Having collected himself, Lin Chen climbed the dormitory stairs to the top floor and headed straight for Yu Xiaogang's room.

When he pushed the door open and entered, Tang San was already standing quietly inside, respectfully waiting to one side. At the sight of Lin Chen, a flicker of coldness and wariness instantly crossed his eyes.

As soon as Yu Xiaogang saw Lin Chen arrive, his previously impassive face lit up, his eyes brimming with anticipation and enthusiasm.

Dispensing with pleasantries, he immediately turned toward Tang San and instructed in a low voice filled with pride and certainty, "Little San, release your martial soul."

Tang San did not dare hesitate. With a slight shift of thought, pale-blue Blue Silver Grass instantly spread from his palm, gently unfurling.

Beneath his feet, the hundred-year Mandala Snake Soul Ring slowly rose, shining bright yellow, its radiance flowing and its aura distinctive.

Once this was done, Yu Xiaogang turned to Lin Chen, his gaze earnest and his tone tinged with satisfaction and pride:

"Look at Little San's martial soul. Everyone knows Blue Silver Grass is the most ordinary plant-type trash martial soul, naturally suited only to plant Soul Rings and incapable of achieving anything great throughout its life. Yet with my theory as its foundation, a plant-type martial soul successfully absorbed an animal's hundred-year Soul Ring, overturning the world's established understanding and breaking the shackles of its martial soul's limits. My theory has accomplished what no one before me could. Doesn't that make it a complete success?"

His words overflowed with the gratification of fulfilling a lifelong ambition, along with an urgent desire for recognition.

Before Lin Chen could respond, Yu Xiaogang stepped forward and reached out with both hands, gripping Lin Chen's hands tightly. His fingers betrayed an urgency and earnestness he could not conceal. He stared at Lin Chen with burning eyes and spoke with the utmost solemnity:

"Child, I'll give you another chance. Become my disciple! I will devote all the theoretical knowledge I've accumulated throughout my life to training you properly. I'll help you fully develop the supreme potential of your detached martial soul and surpass everyone your age!"

Watching Yu Xiaogang's desperate, obstinate expression, Lin Chen scoffed inwardly, thoughts flashing through his mind:

Yes, yes, of course. His theory is invincible, and he makes it sound as though flowers are raining from the heavens. But Lin Chen knew better than anyone that Tang San's seemingly heaven-defying martial soul combination had nothing to do with the perfection of Yu Xiaogang's theory. Without the later awakening of the Blue Silver Emperor's origin and the transformation and refinement of his bloodline, forcing an animal Soul Ring onto ordinary Blue Silver Grass would only shackle its martial soul origin and drain its future potential. It was ultimately a crooked path, one that would sooner or later ruin it completely.

Yu Xiaogang's theory appeared to break convention, but in truth it was riddled with flaws and severely limited.

Lin Chen understood this perfectly, yet his expression remained polite and composed. He had no intention of leaving the man with any further illusions.

Applying a little force with both hands, he firmly freed himself from Yu Xiaogang's grip. His bearing remained unhurried, and his voice was gentle but resolute, without the slightest hesitation:

"Sorry, Grandmaster. I have my own plans for my Soul Rings and my own path of cultivation. I don't need anyone else's guidance. Failing all else, my father is an administrator at the Notting Spirit Hall, and he has proper resources to pave my way. If there's nothing else, I'll head back to train."

With that, he disregarded Yu Xiaogang's abruptly stiffened expression and ignored the man's instinctive attempt to grab him. Giving a slight nod, he turned and left without hesitation, his departing figure easy and decisive, without a trace of reluctance.

Inside the dormitory room, Yu Xiaogang stood frozen, watching Lin Chen's resolutely retreating back. The fervor in his eyes faded completely, leaving only boundless dejection and regret.

Tang San, standing nearby, had witnessed the entire exchange. Intense jealousy and resentment instantly surged within him.

He had clearly seen how the Grandmaster, normally composed, restrained, and indifferent to fame and fortune, had been so eager toward Lin Chen and valued him so highly that he had even humbled himself to recruit him repeatedly. Even Tang San, his own personal disciple, had never received such treatment.

An overwhelming competitive drive and resentment swept through Tang San's mind. His right hand clenched tightly at his side, his knuckles turning white as he silently swore an oath.

Lin Chen was arrogant because of his talent and had repeatedly rejected the Grandmaster's appreciation. Then Tang San would work twice as hard, thoroughly mastering the Grandmaster's Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul and carrying this unrivaled theory to greater heights across the continent.

One day, he would crush Lin Chen with genuine strength and deliver a stinging slap to this conceited genius's face. He would prove that the Grandmaster's choice had been right, and that he was the one truly worth cultivating!