"City Lord, actually..."
Yu Xiaogang watched Tang Tian accept the Gold Soul Coins.
The sour sting of envy rushed straight to his head.
He had just opened his mouth to say something and salvage some dignity.
"Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!"
A large hand clamped tightly over his mouth.
It forced the rest of his words right back down.
The one who had acted was none other than Dean Zhang.
Dean Zhang was drenched in sweat, inwardly cursing Yu Xiaogang half to death.
At a critical moment like this, don't you dare ruin my funding!
Dean Zhang dragged Yu Xiaogang behind him.
Meanwhile, to divert City Lord Xiao's attention,
he leaned forward with a mysterious air and added:
"Lord City Lord, that's not the only surprise."
City Lord Xiao raised his eyebrows. "What other surprise is there?"
As far as he was concerned, Tang Tian was already beyond belief!
What other surprises could his tiny Nuoding City possibly hold?
"We have another genius with innate full soul power!"
As he spoke, Dean Zhang pointed at the seemingly ordinary little boy standing behind Tang Tian.
"This boy here, Tang Tian's younger brother, Tang San!"
"Although his Martial Soul is also Blue Silver Grass, he has innate full soul power!"
Originally, Dean Zhang had wanted to keep Tang San hidden as a trump card.
But now, seeing City Lord Xiao throwing money around like this,
if he didn't lay his cards on the table now, when would he?
Most of the academy's teachers and students knew anyway, so he couldn't keep it secret.
"What?!"
When City Lord Xiao heard this,
he felt his head buzz.
His vision went black, and he swayed twice.
He felt as though ten thousand Wind Baboons were stampeding wildly through his mind.
The vibrations made the crown of his head ring.
His eyes widened as he stared at Tang San.
Although this child wasn't as handsome as his older brother and also had a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul,
this was innate full soul power!
"This Holy Soul Village... how come I've never heard that its feng shui was this good?"
"Holy Soul Village? This is the damned God Soul Village, isn't it?!"
"What's going on this year?"
"Could green smoke rising from the ancestral graves no longer be enough? Have the ancestral graves caught fire instead?!"
Dean Zhang straightened his back, basking in the reflected glory.
"Deacon Su Yuntao has already reported student Tang San's innate full soul power to Spirit Hall. There is absolutely no falsehood in it."
After hearing this, City Lord Xiao
drew a deep breath.
He took another money pouch from inside his clothes.
He counted out a hundred Gold Soul Coins.
In truth, given the worth of innate full soul power, even two or three hundred wouldn't have been excessive.
But as a seasoned politician,
he had a set of scales in his heart:
Tang Tian was the older brother.
If he gave the younger brother more than the older one,
what if a conflict arose between them?
Brothers fighting within their own walls was a grave taboo!
"Ahem."
City Lord Xiao's face bloomed with smiles.
"Since you're young Tang Tian's younger brother, you're naturally a genius of our Nuoding City as well."
"These hundred Gold Soul Coins are also a subsidy from me! Equal treatment, equal treatment!"
Tang San glanced at his older brother.
At Tang Tian's signal, he accepted the hundred Gold Soul Coins.
Having successfully made his investment, City Lord Xiao's smile deepened.
His son Xiao Chenyu, meanwhile, was dumbstruck. His father was a miser, yet he was actually being this generous today!
The many students wished desperately that they, too, had innate full soul power so they could collect those Gold Soul Coins!
Yet just as City Lord Xiao was thinking that today's twists and turns had brought a good outcome,
"Hey!"
a sweet, lively voice suddenly rang out.
Everyone froze and looked toward the sound.
The delicate little girl with the long Scorpion Braid hopped out from Tang Tian's other side.
Xiao Wu planted both hands on her hips, her soft pink lips jutting into a high pout.
Why was everyone praising Brother Tang Tian, and even handing Little San money, yet nobody mentioned Sister Xiao Wu?
A hundred Gold Soul Coins!
That was so, so many carrots!
"Great City Lord Xiao."
Xiao Wu blinked her big eyes and said with an innocent expression:
"I have innate full soul power too. Do I get a reward?"
City Lord Xiao went completely numb.
He thought he had misheard.
He asked instinctively:
"You have innate full soul power too?!"
"Little girl, you... you're not from Holy Soul Village too, are you?"
If she was, he would have to take his entire family, young and old, to Holy Soul Village tomorrow to kowtow and burn incense, and enshrine the whole village!
Xiao Wu tilted her head, swaying her Scorpion Braid.
"No, I'm from somewhere else."
"Phew..."
City Lord Xiao let out a long sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Thank goodness.
If three monsters like these came from the same village,
the rules of the Douluo Continent would have to be rewritten.
Seeing him sigh in relief,
Xiao Wu thought he didn't believe her and huffed.
She skipped over to Tang Tian.
She hugged his arm.
"Even though I'm not from Holy Soul Village! Aren't all three of us well worth investing in?"
Inside the Sea of Consciousness,
Little Blue instantly bristled at the sight of Xiao Wu clinging to Tang Tian like a koala.
After evolving into the Blue Silver King, her perception of Xiao Wu's aura had grown keener.
"Aaah! You wild rabbit from who knows where! Get your paws off Master right now!"
"I was the one who helped Master cow the entire crowd just now! I was the one who made him look good!"
"Master is mine! Only I get to entwine myself around Master!"
Meanwhile, in a corner,
Little Iron Hammer rolled over and scoffed:
"Tch. Stupid grass is stupid grass. All you know how to do is rage helplessly."
She thought to herself:
While you were asleep, I secretly devoured plenty of good stuff.
This rabbit can draw the fire for me!
Heh heh. Next, all I need is a little trick to give that idiot Tang Tian a taste of power, and won't he obediently become my hammering lackey?
Then all the rare metals will be mine! Bleh, bleh, bleh!
Meanwhile, outside,
"Three..."
City Lord Xiao looked at the three children before him.
With Tang Tian at their head, they were practically an unbreakable iron triangle!
City Lord Xiao drew a deep breath and broadened his horizons on the spot.
He would invest in all of them!
A mere three hundred Gold Soul Coins?
And he could gain the friendship of future powerhouses?
What an incredible bargain!
He was winning so much he had gone numb!
"Hahaha! Good! Wonderful!"
City Lord Xiao gave three hearty laughs.
He briskly took out another hundred Gold Soul Coins.
He handed them to Xiao Wu.
"Here! Everyone gets some! Our Nuoding City will never shortchange a single genius!"
After handing over the money, City Lord Xiao abruptly turned.
He thrust a firm thumbs-up at his utterly bewildered son, Xiao Chenyu.
"Chenyu! Well done!"
"It seems I overlooked your talents before!"
"But from now on, at the academy, you must follow these three young students' lead!"
"Whatever they eat, drink, or use, charge it all to our City Lord's Mansion!"
At this point, City Lord Xiao's expression hardened, and he lowered his voice.
"If you don't take proper care of them, I'll break your legs! Do you hear me?"
Xiao Chenyu wanted to cry but had no tears, feeling terribly wronged.
Wasn't I supposed to be the investor?
Why did I seem so lowly now?
How had I gone from the City Lord's young heir to a little lackey in an instant?
But under his father's overbearing authority, he could only nod helplessly!
Before you continue