This room... no. This one... no. What about that one? Not that either...
Just as he was getting absorbed in his search, a thin man came outside to relieve himself. Looking up, he caught Ye Yan lurking at a window and peeping inside. Ye Yan sensed someone behind him and turned, their eyes meeting.
The man froze for a moment, then was about to demand who he was and what he was doing here instead of sleeping in the middle of the night.
But the figure vanished before his eyes. Frightened, he hurriedly summoned his martial soul, the White Iron Spear. One white soul ring and one yellow soul ring pulsed around him as he scanned his surroundings warily.
"Who's there? Come out!"
No one answered for a long while. Just as he began to think his eyes had played tricks on him, a sharp pain struck his neck. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
Ye Yan reappeared, his face still showing lingering fear. That bastard walked without making a sound! Luckily, he wasn't too bright. If he'd shouted and drawn the other teachers over, I'd have had no choice but to run.
After dragging the man back inside, Ye Yan began searching for the money that would buy his life. In the end, he found over seventy Gold Soul Coins in the bedside cabinet and the ceiling.
A Soul Grandmaster, and this is all you've saved? Fine, fine. I'm feeling merciful today, so I'll spare you. Remember not to interrupt me next time I'm working.
After leaving the man's home, Ye Yan sped up his search. A little under an hour later, he finally found Prison Xiao Gang's residence. Several bookshelves stood inside, packed densely with all sorts of books.
Ye Yan teleported into the room and immediately spotted the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul on the desk. Just thinking about it made him unable to hold back his laughter.
It's all plagiarized, yet you have the nerve to publish it as your own theories. On the surface, you look so devoted to learning, but what about in reality?
You've studied theory for decades. Your father, brothers, and sisters are all Soul Kings or above, yet you still don't know about the Soul Shock from a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.
If you had even a shred of curiosity, you couldn't possibly be ignorant of it. All it would take is a casual question. And didn't you publish a theory on martial soul mutation? How come you couldn't even recognize Fire Dragon, a mutation of your own Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon lineage? Did you fail to master your studies, or do you simply understand none of it?
You're still dreaming your grand dreams of glory, hoping to take in a good disciple to prove yourself. If you want proof, why not take someone with innate soul power below rank five? How much innate soul power did you have yourself?
You freeload at Nodino Academy, eating and drinking for free, yet refuse to teach even a single class. You think their soul power is too low to deserve your instruction, so you just wait around for someone with innate full soul power?
As though successfully teaching a genius would mean all the credit belonged to him. If Ye Yan hadn't still needed him to ruin Tang San with his teaching, he would have killed Prison Xiao Gang right then.
But while he could escape death, he could not escape punishment. Ye Yan let out a sinister cackle and swung the Long Staff in his hands.
Prison Xiao Gang had only just collected his subsidy from Spirit Hall that day. He had enjoyed a lavish meal that afternoon, then studied his invincible theories that evening before falling asleep, thoroughly satisfied.
Just as he dreamed of becoming invincible under heaven, a tearing pain suddenly ripped through his cheek. He howled and instinctively raised both hands to his face. Before he could open his eyes, another staff blow smashed viciously into his hands with a dull thud.
"Aaargh!"
Every finger was connected to the heart. The agony of his broken fingers made his body writhe violently, tears and snot pouring out uncontrollably.
Disgusting!
Holding the staff in both hands, Ye Yan leaped high and brought it down in a blow that could cleave Mount Hua.
Crack! A crisp sound of snapping bones rang out. Prison Xiao Gang's legs bent at grotesque angles, shattered bone fragments protruding amid thin trickles of black blood.
But Ye Yan knew that any creature would feel pain, fear, or expose an opening when attacked-yet Prison Xiao Gang would never feel any of that!
An upward strike sent his battered body flying, followed by a fluid sequence of the Dog-Beating Staff Technique. After a full hundred and eighty blows, Ye Yan finished with the Bursting Lucky Staff Technique, smashing Eunuch Prison to the floor, every inch of his bones and tendons broken.
Only then did he realize that the intense pain had already left Prison Xiao Gang unconscious and in shock, his breathing growing ever weaker. With no other choice, Ye Yan hurriedly removed the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges from his waist, then gave the room a quick search to confirm there were no other treasures.
He went outside and shouted.
"Help! A thief broke into the academy! Grandmaster's been badly injured!"
Then Ye Yan's figure flickered repeatedly as he teleported away from the academy by a roundabout route. As he fled, he muttered, "Prison Xiao Gang, you'd better not die so easily. I still have all sorts of tricks waiting for you!"
Nodino Academy, meanwhile, was thrown into a chicken-flapping, dog-leaping uproar. Only after confirming that Grandmaster alone was severely injured and one other person was unconscious did they lift the lockdown. The dean merely gave the teacher on duty a scolding. After all, no one had been hurt. (Was Grandmaster human?)
After succeeding, Ye Yan stirred up no further trouble. He would wait until Tang San went soul hunting and old Haozi followed him before taking revenge, lest he put Haozi on his guard.
For the next while, he stayed at the inn, teasing Xiao Wu. He also washed the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges clean and fastened it around his waist, concealing it beneath his long robe so no one would notice.
Half a month later, while Ye Yan was playing with Xiao Wu's rabbit ears, he caught sight of an old man and a child dressed in ragged blue clothes coming down the distant street toward Nodino Academy's gates.
Well, you finally showed up. A wicked smile curled Ye Yan's lips.
Once I make Ah Yin mine, won't that make me Tang San's father? Not that I'd want such an unfilial, rebellious son, but bringing Ah Yin along to gang up on Little Scumbag would have its own special flavor.
The two were stopped at the gate. Anyone with eyes could tell that the gatekeeper merely wanted to earn a little extra money-a matter of one or two Silver Soul Coins. But Old Jack simply didn't get it.
Watching the three push and shout at one another, Ye Yan found it quite entertaining. Jack won't spend money on him, and Tang San won't look after Jack later. What a fine grandfather-and-grandson pair.
Just as Tang San pushed the gatekeeper down and prepared to shoot him dead, the bandage-wrapped Eunuch Prison raised a dainty orchid-finger gesture, barked at the gatekeeper to back off, and led him into the academy.
Next should come the classic "a teacher for a day, a father for life." But does Prison Xiao Gang count as a father now, or a mother?
Unfortunately, with Tang Hao lurking in the shadows, he didn't dare follow them to witness that iconic scene. (╥╯﹏╰╥)ง
Early the next morning, Prison Xiao Gang took Tang San out soul hunting. He really was bold, daring to take Tang San into the Soul Hunting Forest alone without even understanding his own strength.
Later, he would nearly be killed single-handedly by a Mandala Snake. No wonder old Haozi followed them.
After waiting a while, Ye Yan left the inn with Xiao Wu in his arms. Village bully? Your strictest father is coming!
San Gou was a burly man with broad shoulders, a thick waist, and a face full of vicious-looking flesh. His innate soul power had been less than half a rank, and even after cultivating until now, he was only a rank-five Soul Scholar. Yet he had used that meager cultivation to bully men and oppress women plenty of times.
By the time Ye Yan reached his home, it was nearly noon, but San Gou was still snoring away, drool soaking his pillow.
Smelling the waves of foul stench coming from the room, Ye Yan covered his nose. He lost even the desire to torture him to death and simply summoned a longsword to dismember him.
Then came the others who had bullied him. Ye Yan showed them no mercy either. Once he had dealt with them, he went to Old John's home.
Old John was absent, presumably out working. Ye Yan left a note and a hundred Gold Soul Coins, hiding them beneath his bed.
Before you continue