Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath, put on a stern expression, and accused him indignantly:
"I hit you for your own good. Just look at yourself. You only lost to Lin Chuan once, and it was as though your backbone had been pulled out. All that nonsense coming out of your mouth has truly clouded your mind."
"You should understand one thing: losing once doesn't mean you'll never turn things around in this lifetime. If you keep sinking like this, you'll be digging your own grave."
"Once an inner demon takes root, it clings to you for dear life. At first, there are only vague, wandering thoughts. Later, it devours your will inch by inch. Every step you take sinks you deeper into the mire. Your level stagnates, and you can't move an inch. When that day comes, you won't even have the right to regret it."
Every word Yu Xiaogang spoke made sense.
But Tang San's face remained deathly pale, his teeth clenched tight. The fear entrenched deep in his eyes refused to leave.
He truly had no idea where his path lay.
His experiences in his previous life were a nightmare carved into his very marrow.
Now that he had finally come to another world, he had forcibly buried those old dreams of his past, almost forgetting them.
Who could have imagined?
Those people from the Tang Sect in his previous life still refused to let him go. They had chased him all the way to another world.
How could that not give him an inner demon?
How could he not be afraid?
Seeing Tang San still looking so utterly lost, Yu Xiaogang suddenly felt rather helpless.
But at the same time, he began to worry.
If Tang San never recovered from this setback, would he, Yu Xiaogang, truly remain nailed to the pillar of shame as the useless Grandmaster for the rest of his life?
Absolutely impossible.
Absolutely unacceptable.
Not a day had passed when he had forgotten those cold looks and sneers from the past.
He would make those people pay him back, principal and interest.
Especially Lin Chuan.
At that thought, Yu Xiaogang's eyes shifted, and he began to hoodwink him:
"Little San, pull yourself together."
"You possess twin martial souls. How could an ordinary person's destiny compare to yours? Cultivate Blue Silver Grass first, steadily and surely. Once your foundation is deep enough, add soul rings to your second martial soul. When that time comes, even if Lin Chuan has risen to become a Titled Douluo, he won't last a single exchange against you."
"Search your heart. Don't you want to trample Lin Chuan firmly beneath your feet, avenge today's shame, and wash away this tremendous humiliation?"
Yu Xiaogang's final words hammered against Tang San's ears, every last one.
The fear entrenched deep in his eyes was instantly stripped away.
In its place came a burning obsession.
His teacher's words were like knives, cutting open the fog before his eyes.
He, Tang San, possessed twin martial souls. His destiny had never been set.
When the day came that he added soul rings to his second martial soul, what waves could Lin Chuan possibly stir up, even if he was a Tang Sect disciple from his previous life?
Was he supposed to remain beneath Lin Chuan's feet?
In age, he and Lin Chuan were the same.
In methods, Lin Chuan had Tang Sect Hidden Weapons, but so did he.
Who would win and who would lose remained unknown.
Besides, as long as he manufactured those hidden weapons ahead of time, perhaps he wouldn't even need to wait until later to silently take Lin Chuan's life.
Fear had blinded him earlier. How had he failed to think of this?
Fortunately, his teacher had reminded him.
At that thought, Tang San immediately rolled out of bed.
His knees buckled, and he dropped heavily to his knees before Yu Xiaogang, slamming his forehead against the floor with a dull thud.
He raised his head, his eyes reddened and his teeth tightly clenched.
"Teacher, I will remember your words. Without you, I would still be trapped in those nightmares, unable to pull myself free. Your disciple thanks you, Teacher."
Seeing Tang San like this, Yu Xiaogang tightened his cheeks and clenched his back teeth, nearly bursting into laughter.
It worked.
All that wild, blustering hoodwinking hadn't gone to waste.
Little San was probably grateful enough to die for him now.
He had firmly placed the first piece in this game.
Next, he would keep hoodwinking him and steer the boat along with the current.
Sooner or later, he would wash Little San's mind completely clean, hold him utterly in his grasp, and make him the most devoted blade at his side.
When that time came, Clear Sky Douluo, Lin Chuan-they would all be nothing but bullshit.
Every last one of you can get the hell out of my way.
Not only will I stand tall with my back straight, I'll make you high-and-mighty bastards kneel before me, one after another. Even if you smash your heads bloody kowtowing, don't think you'll get back up.
He clasped his hands behind his back, lifting his chin a few inches almost imperceptibly.
Those images spun through his mind like a revolving lantern, impossible to suppress.
But it took only a moment.
Yu Xiaogang instantly came back to his senses.
He looked at Tang San, nodded in satisfaction, and spoke slowly:
"Very good, Little San."
"Only like this are you worthy of being my disciple. Remember, in a few days, I'll personally take you to get your first soul ring. I'll give your Blue Silver Grass the best, most suitable soul ring."
The moment he said this, a sharp gleam lit up Tang San's eyes.
He lifted his head, stiffened his neck, and nodded fiercely.
Unconsciously clenching his fists, he said:
"Thank you, Teacher."
"Once I get my first soul ring, I'll settle the score with that bastard Lin. I'll make him cough up every bit of this debt, principal and interest."
Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track? Mysterious Jade Hand?
So what?
Although he knew Lin Chuan really did have those tricks up his sleeve.
In his view, that fellow definitely hadn't gone to get his first soul ring yet.
Without a soul ring, you're nothing but a fart.
That was the source of his confidence.
As long as he crossed that threshold first and seized the initiative.
No matter how hard Lin Chuan's Mysterious Jade Hand was or how slippery his elusive footwork was, he would still have to kneel.
The winner could only be him, Tang San. There was no room for discussion.
As expected of Little Scumbag...
His confidence had returned, and he was getting carried away again...
After hearing this, the muscles in Yu Xiaogang's cheeks twitched twice.
Awkward.
Utterly awkward.
Was he supposed to tell Tang San that Lin Chuan not only had his first soul ring, but that it was a thousand-year one?
Absolutely not.
He had already bragged to Tang San about that theory of his.
If Tang San learned the truth, wouldn't he turn against him on the spot?
At that point, never mind being utterly disappointed-he would probably even put a huge question mark over whether his teacher was a charlatan.
What should I do?
Wait.
Hadn't Haozi Douluo said something earlier?
Something about finding a chance to pin Lin Chuan to the ground and give him a proper beating, beating that troublemaker into submission and turning him into the most obedient dog?
If that really happened...
Then even if Tang San learned the truth and found out that Lin Chuan had a thousand-year soul ring, it wouldn't matter at all.
His thoughts fell into place.
Yu Xiaogang nodded and said slowly:
"Excellent, Little San. As your teacher, I'm very pleased that you've managed to stand tall again. Then it's settled."
Elsewhere.
Lin Chuan wandered around Nuoding City.
Carrying a great heap of dinner, he headed straight back to Dorm Seven, his feet swift as the wind.
He had only just stepped over Dorm Seven's threshold.
Wang Sheng and the others all fixed their eyes on the pile of bags, large and small, in Lin Chuan's hands.
Their eyes widened, and their mouths instantly split into grins so broad that even their back teeth were nearly exposed.
They were wild with joy.
The food containers were sealed tight.
But there was simply no containing the fragrance of the food.
It seeped out in wisps, burrowing straight into their noses.
That smell.
Incredible.
When it came down to it, they were all just work-study students.
They had never even smelled food this fragrant in their dreams before.
Never mind smelling it-eating it?
That had been utterly out of the question.