Yu Xiaogang refused to believe that his charm as a grandmaster of theory could fail to attract a mere Li Mingzhu.
Even if it failed, Yu Xiaogang still had a few schemes up his sleeve.
When the time came, he would trick Li Mingzhu under the pretext of advising him on his soul ring combinations.
Yu Xiaogang's greatest strength was his confidence. He always thought everything would succeed.
Convinced that Li Mingzhu would obediently take the bait tomorrow, Yu Xiaogang's spirits soared. He laughed as he walked, practically floating along.
A female student by the roadside said, "Come on, let's go. Stay away from that lunatic before we catch whatever he's got!"
The next day, Li Mingzhu began his regular classes.
When he entered the class he had previously been assigned to, Li Mingzhu drew no attention.
Only after class ended did several children his age gather around him. Their leader was a sturdy, round-headed boy.
He stared arrogantly at Li Mingzhu.
"Hey! New kid."
"My name's Zhang Tao. My innate soul power is rank four, and my martial soul is a Rock Bear. What level are you?"
Li Mingzhu felt deeply helpless at the sight. He had never expected the day would come when a bunch of little brats surrounded him.
Helpless or not, he had no time to play house with children. He simply stood up and revealed his soul ring.
On the Douluo Continent, soul rings accelerated the body's development, especially for those with beast martial souls.
Having already obtained a soul ring, Li Mingzhu now stood 1.6 meters tall, a full head taller than these children.
At first, Zhang Tao and the children beside him had not realized how tall the seated Li Mingzhu was. Now that he stood before them, they felt an overwhelming pressure.
Before they could overcome that pressure, they saw a yellow soul ring slowly rise from beneath Li Mingzhu's feet.
The pressure weighing on their hearts instantly turned to fear. Although they all possessed innate soul power, they were not yet true soul masters.
Seeing the little brats frozen in fright, Li Mingzhu feigned indifference and said, "Don't bother me. Understand?"
The children were frightened into huddling like quails. They dared not speak and could only nod furiously!
Seeing them like this, Li Mingzhu said nothing more. He simply walked coldly around them and left!
Only after Li Mingzhu had left did the children come to their senses.
A boy with a runny nose grabbed Zhang Tao and asked, "Boss, he's so strong. Are you still going to make him your lackey?"
Zhang Tao, who had just been boasting so boldly, flushed bright red with embarrassment at those words.
He immediately slapped the snot-nosed boy.
"Are you stupid? He's a soul master! Why would he be my lackey? We'd better leave him alone from now on, unless we want a beating!"
After leaving the classroom, Li Mingzhu decided he could stop attending classes. Half a day of lectures had taught him less than he had learned on his own in the library.
He would be better off spending that time cultivating diligently in his dormitory, striving to reach rank twenty sooner.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang had just found out where Li Mingzhu attended class and was hurrying toward the classroom.
It had to be said that Yu Xiaogang was quite lucky. The moment he arrived outside the classroom, he saw Li Mingzhu walk out.
Without hesitation, he headed straight toward Li Mingzhu!
Seeing the furtive Yu Xiaogang, Li Mingzhu finally understood why he had felt unsettled today.
Before Yu Xiaogang could approach, Li Mingzhu slipped away through the crowd leaving class.
"Damn it!"
Yu Xiaogang cursed furiously. Li Mingzhu had only just appeared before him, yet he had vanished right under his nose.
Yu Xiaogang raged impotently:
"That damned bastard! How dare he hide from this Grandmaster!"
With no other option, he could only go stake out Li Mingzhu's residence.
If he found Li Mingzhu here, he could use the crowd to pressure him with reason.
It had to be said that whenever Yu Xiaogang was doing anything but proper work, he was brimming with energy.
He chased Li Mingzhu with every ounce of strength he could muster, finally calling out to him before he entered the dormitory.
"Student Mingzhu, wait! Please wait!"
Yu Xiaogang shouted while bracing himself against a large tree beside him, his face flushed red as he panted heavily.
The urgent calls from behind did not make Li Mingzhu stop. He did not even need to look to recognize that old drake's voice as belonging to Yu Xiaogang, the Fart King.
Ugh! That useless fool actually followed me here.
Li Mingzhu could not be bothered with him. Without slowing, he entered the dormitory in a few strides.
Yu Xiaogang ground his teeth at the sight.
Hmph! No one has ever dared ignore me like this. I'm giving you, Li Mingzhu, a chance to be my test subject, yet you aren't overflowing with gratitude. You're simply courting death!
Though Yu Xiaogang desperately wanted to storm off, the obsession in his heart held him back, and he decided to stand guard right here. He refused to believe Li Mingzhu would not come out tomorrow.
From the dormitory's second floor, Li Mingzhu watched the humiliated, furious Yu Xiaogang through the window.
Yu Xiaogang made him admit one thing: the man had a real talent for comedy. Even if he lost his soul power someday, he would never have to worry about putting food on the table!
As for why Yu Xiaogang was looking for him, he also wanted to know what else the man was trying to do.
Still, he could not be bothered with Yu Xiaogang right now. He would break through the bottleneck at rank fifteen within the next few days, so he needed to put in more effort.
That night brought both wind and rain. With autumn already upon them, the night was bitterly cold.
The academy's teachers and students had long since returned to their dormitories. Yet there was always some idiot stubbornly camping outside someone else's door!
"Achoo! Achoo!"
Yu Xiaogang huddled in a corner downstairs, his shoulders trembling from the cold, his whole body chilled by the autumn night's wind and rain.
Yu Xiaogang desperately wanted to return early, but he feared missing Li Mingzhu tomorrow, so he could only wait there miserably.
Looking at the light in Li Mingzhu's room, Yu Xiaogang, his eyes red from either cold or anger, muttered resentfully, "Li Mingzhu, oh, Li Mingzhu. Once you fall into my hands, I'll be sure to put you through your paces."
With that, he let out a sleazy laugh. But as soon as he opened his mouth, the cold wind blew in, sending him collapsing to the ground in a violent coughing fit.
Someone was destined to have a miserable night!
The next day, Li Mingzhu still had not broken through when he finished meditating, but he had a feeling he would definitely do so within three days.
Remembering that he still had class, he briskly washed up.
He had made up his mind. After his morning classes, he would ask Dean Lin for permission to study independently. That would be more efficient.
The moment he opened his door, a deathly pale face greeted him.
"Holy shit!"
Isn't that Yu Xiaogang?
How did he end up looking like this? Is he trying to make me pity him?
Li Mingzhu could hardly be blamed for his surprise. Yu Xiaogang was a complete wreck.
His face was pale, his entire body was soaked, and he reeked. Anyone who did not know better would have thought he had fallen into a latrine.
Though Xiaogang had dressed rather sleazily before, he had still looked like a normal person. Now he looked as though he were cosplaying a Japanese kappa.
Seeing the disgust in Li Mingzhu's eyes, Yu Xiaogang's fury blazed three feet high!
He thought bitterly, This Grandmaster waited so miserably for you, and you still look at me with disgust.
Last night, wave after wave of cold wind had kept him from sleeping, forcing him to endure until dawn. His exhaustion was why he looked somewhat frightening.
Before Li Mingzhu could ask anything, Xiaogang swallowed his anger and explained why he had come.
"Student Mingzhu, I came because there is something I need your cooperation with, and it will benefit us both."
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