It was opening day at Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.
Morning light streamed through the academy gates and fell upon a young man in blue robes.
He was handsome, with a trace of melancholy between his brows that seemed out of keeping with his age. His short-to-medium white hair lent him an especially quiet, solitary air.
An adorable little dog, golden all over, crouched at his feet, curled into a soft bundle and dozing with its eyes narrowed.
The passing students all slowed their steps when they saw him and greeted him respectfully. "Teacher Li."
Some of the bolder girls hurried past with their heads lowered, the tips of their ears flushed red.
Li Hanqiu merely raised his chin, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly in acknowledgment.
The students took no offense. Everyone knew Teacher Li was aloof, but everyone also knew he was an absolutely wonderful teacher.
Standing at the academy gates, Li Hanqiu watched the bustling stream of students arriving to register and sighed with heartfelt emotion.
Nineteen years. This day has finally come. I wonder when Tang San will show up to register?
That was right. Li Hanqiu was not a native of the Douluo Continent, but a transmigrator from Blue Star who had arrived here by accident.
Before he turned six, however, he had always thought he had transmigrated into some impoverished backwater in an unknown dynasty. Only when a Spirit Hall deacon came to test his martial soul at the age of six did realization dawn.
So I've come to the Douluo Continent!
The martial soul revealed by the test had made Li Hanqiu shudder even harder. My martial soul is Luo Sanpao?!
I'm Yu Xiaogang?
But Li Hanqiu soon noticed something was off. First of all, forget looking similar to Gangzi-his appearance had absolutely nothing in common with the man.
Gangzi in the original story was a useless man in his fifties, sporting a sexy crew cut and a full beard.
Li Hanqiu, on the other hand, was a pale-skinned, melancholy heartthrob, with a faint air of loneliness and dejection lingering between his brows even at a young age.
After that discovery, though, Li Hanqiu did realize he looked somewhat like Grandmaster in the comic.
And his martial soul, Luo Sanpao, was not Gangzi's big, fat, idiotic purple dog.
His Luo Sanpao was covered in fluffy, short golden fur and looked more like a tiny puppy than a fat pig.
Its large, round, gentle black eyes and tiny pink nose embodied the words "adorably dopey" in every way.
Whether in appearance, martial soul, or even soul power, he was nothing like that useless Gangzi.
It was also worth mentioning that Li Hanqiu's innate soul power was level six-a starting point neither high nor low.
With years of diligent cultivation, his soul power level had reached thirty-two, making him the youngest Soul Master teacher at Nuoding Academy.
No one knew why he had passed up a bright future to hole up in this junior academy.
Only Li Hanqiu knew that he was waiting for someone. Someone named Tang San.
For one thing, his identity clearly had something to do with Yu Xiaogang, and meeting Tang San might offer some clues. For another...
Ever since he had broken through to Soul Elder, advancing even a single level had been as difficult as ascending to heaven. With his innate level-six talent, it should not have been this way, yet he seemed to have hit a bottleneck.
If he had not known he had transmigrated to the Douluo Continent, he might have thought some white-bearded old man was hiding in a ring and siphoning off his soul power.
For all these reasons, Li Hanqiu felt he ought to meet Tang San.
Tang San, Tang San... If my memory hasn't deceived me, it should be today.
The crowd was bustling. It would be bad if he failed to spot Tang San in the throng.
At that thought, Li Hanqiu lowered his eyes and nudged the dozing puppy at his feet. "Sanpao, perk up."
The golden puppy cracked one eye open, rolled over, and went back to sleep.
"You lazy thing. All that sub-dragon soul beast meat I've fed you over the years has gone to waste."
"Rrr... rrr..."
The sun climbed higher, and more people arrived to register. Parents led their children by the hand, while the children carried their luggage, all noisily squeezing into the academy.
Li Hanqiu's gaze swept over face after face.
This one's too handsome. Not him.
That one's too ugly. Not him either.
This one's a girl. Not him either.
Huh? Li Hanqiu was puzzled. Almost everyone had gone inside, so why had he still not seen Tang San? Had he remembered the timing wrong?
Nearly all the students had left. Only one little girl remained, crouching by the wall.
Li Hanqiu looked over. The little girl was a tiny bundle wrapped in blue clothes washed pale, clutching a shabby bedroll. A small cloth bag lay at the child's feet, its strap worn and frayed.
The child's head was lowered, wisps of hair falling across the forehead and hiding half the face. The exposed chin was pointed, the skin fair and luminous.
Li Hanqiu glanced over, then looked away.
Come on, that's a little girl. How could that possibly be Tang San?
Li Hanqiu chuckled, as though mocking himself for becoming so obsessed with Tang San that he had lost his senses.
The little girl seemed to notice Li Hanqiu's gaze and slowly looked up.
Those eyes were unbelievably clear. The dark irises shone brightly as the child quietly watched Li Hanqiu.
Li Hanqiu's gaze inadvertently drifted back to the little girl, then dropped to the child's cuff.
An inconspicuous hidden-weapon pouch had been sewn into the cuff. The stitches were extremely fine, and it was the same color as the faded blue clothes.
Without looking closely, one would never notice it.
Li Hanqiu stopped in his tracks.
A hidden-weapon pouch?!
It couldn't... could it?
Li Hanqiu stood frozen for several seconds, then, for reasons he could not explain, started walking toward the little girl.
Seeing a handsome young stranger approach, the little girl showed no fear, merely clutching the luggage and looking up as he drew closer.
"Tang San?" Li Hanqiu asked, his voice a little tense.
The little girl's delicate brows furrowed slightly, as though puzzled about how this young man knew his name.
He raised his head and studied Li Hanqiu's face carefully, then gave a timid nod. "Hello. Do I know you?"
Li Hanqiu stared at him, his expression blank for a long time.
After who knew how many alpacas had stampeded through his mind, he could not help swearing inwardly:
This is fucking Tang San???
No matter how violently the waves surged within him, Li Hanqiu maintained a calm expression, even wearing the suitably gentle smile expected of a teacher.
"Um, could I take a look at your registration information?" Li Hanqiu asked, smoothly adding, "I'm a teacher here."
Tang San nodded blankly and slowly stood, holding his luggage. He was tiny, the top of his head reaching only Li Hanqiu's chest.
Tang San took a sheet of letter paper from inside his clothes and, holding it in both hands, rose onto his toes to offer it to Li Hanqiu. "Here you are, Teacher."
"Heh." Hearing Tang San's crisp, clear voice, Li Hanqiu wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead, unfolded the paper, and skimmed ten lines at a glance.
The more he read, the deeper Li Hanqiu's frown became. It really is Tang San?!
"Tang San, right? Come into the academy with me. I'll take you to register."
Li Hanqiu turned around. The golden puppy at his feet stretched, then trotted after him.
Tang San stayed where he was and thought for a few seconds, his large, glossy black eyes sweeping over Li Hanqiu's clean, fitted robe.
Then he hugged his luggage tightly and jogged after him.
Li Hanqiu walked ahead, the golden puppy bouncing along beside him.
Behind him, Tang San clutched his luggage, his short little legs moving furiously just to keep up.
Li Hanqiu glanced at him from the corner of his eye and muttered inwardly, Innate full soul power, Blue Silver Grass, a hidden-weapon pouch... All three match.
But is this soft little girl really the Tang San who'll one day poke a hole through the heavens?
And wasn't Tang San a fucking guy?
Did I get out of bed the wrong way today, or have I lost my mind?
Before you continue