Seeing that class was about to start, everyone in Dorm Seven finally began to move, still wanting more, and prepared to leave the dormitory for the classroom.
"Come on, come on, time for class!"
"Lin Mo, your Charmander is so cool!"
"Good luck on the end-of-term assessment! Let us see how powerful your new Martial Soul is then!"
As they spoke, everyone filed out of Dorm Seven.
Before leaving, Xiao Wu did not forget to turn back and glare at Charmander once more, earning a defiant baring of teeth from him.
She gave an angry "Hmph!" before turning away and leaving at a brisk pace.
Soon, only Lin Mo and Tang San, who had yet to leave, remained in the dormitory.
Lin Mo recalled Charmander into his body and was about to head to the classroom himself when he noticed that Tang San was still standing where he was.
His expression looked somewhat complicated, his brows slightly furrowed and his lips lightly pressed together.
Lin Mo glanced at him without interrupting, but could not help growing a little curious. What was wrong with Tang San?
Had Charmander's appearance reminded him of his teacher Yu Xiaogang's Luo Sanpao Martial Soul, which likewise existed outside the body yet seemed weak, stirring something within him?
Tang San stood there in silence for quite some time. Finally, he seemed to make up his mind.
A glint of resolve flashed through his eyes, and he let out a soft breath, his complicated expression gradually settling down as well.
Seeing that Tang San seemed to have composed himself, Lin Mo finally spoke in his usual tone. "Tang San, let's head to the classroom too."
Tang San raised his head and glanced at Lin Mo, his gaze lingering on him for a moment before he nodded and returned to his usual calm demeanor.
"All right."
Without another word, the two left Dorm Seven one after the other and headed toward the teaching building.
The morning's theory lessons soon ended.
The moment the teacher dismissed the class, Lin Mo closed the book he had borrowed from the library, casually shoved it into the compartment beneath his desk, and stood up, ready to join everyone in the dining hall for lunch.
He was in quite a good mood today. His Soul Power had broken through to rank ten, and Charmander had hatched successfully, lending a little extra spring to his step.
But he had barely taken a few steps out of the classroom when two figures appeared beside him, one on either side, blocking his path in considerable coordination.
Lin Mo stopped and looked up, feeling thoroughly surprised.
The people blocking his way were none other than Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang and Wang Zongchang, the elusive dean of Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy, a dragon whose head was seen but never its tail.
In the more than six months since enrolling, Lin Mo had only seen Dean Wang two or three times, including at the opening ceremony.
It would be no exaggeration to say they had met only a handful of times.
Yet now, the dean wore an indescribable hint of a smile as he looked Lin Mo up and down.
Yu Xiaogang, beside him, still wore that expressionless zombie face, but his eyes were much sharper than usual as he stared straight at Lin Mo, as though scrutinizing something.
"Hello, Dean. Hello, Grandmaster." Although Lin Mo had his doubts, he maintained basic courtesy on the surface.
He bowed slightly to greet them both, his tone carrying the proper respect toward Dean Wang in particular.
"Mm, no need for formalities." Dean Wang Zongchang nodded with a beaming smile in acknowledgment.
Yu Xiaogang merely gave a nasal "Mm" by way of greeting.
"May I ask why you and Grandmaster have stopped me here, Dean?" Lin Mo directly voiced his curiosity.
He certainly did not believe these two had nothing better to do and had come specifically to chat with him.
Wang Zongchang said nothing, merely turning his gaze toward Yu Xiaogang beside him and signaling for him to speak.
Yu Xiaogang stepped forward, seemingly unable to wait, and went straight to the point. "Lin Mo, I heard that your Martial Soul... seems to have changed?
"Has your cultivation broken through to rank ten? Could you release your Martial Soul and let me take a look?"
His tone held an unquestionable firmness, as though his coming to study Lin Mo's Martial Soul were an immense honor for Lin Mo.
At this, Lin Mo's brows drew together almost imperceptibly.
He looked at Yu Xiaogang without immediately answering his question. Instead, neither servile nor overbearing, he asked in return, "Grandmaster, I did just break through to rank ten.
"But what I'm rather curious about is how you learned that my Martial Soul had changed.
"After all, it only happened this morning, and I haven't been such a bigmouth as to broadcast it and let everyone know."
As he spoke, his gaze passed over Yu Xiaogang and Wang Zongchang and landed on the blue-clad boy not far behind them, who had his head lowered and was pretending to admire the scenery.
Sure enough, upon hearing Lin Mo's question, Tang San visibly stiffened, then turned his head aside with a somewhat guilty air, not daring to meet Lin Mo's eyes.
Tang San's unmistakable reaction immediately made everything clear to Lin Mo.
It seemed that the person who had leaked the news to Yu Xiaogang and Wang Zongchang was indeed Tang San.
Presumably, when Lin Mo had shown his Charmander Martial Soul in Dorm Seven this morning, Tang San had paid no heed to his words whatsoever.
Nor had he cared about everyone's agreement with Lin Mo, turning around and telling his teacher the news.
Faced with Lin Mo's blunt question, Yu Xiaogang's already stiff expression immediately grew even more unnatural.
He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to explain something, but in the end, he merely stood frozen in embarrassment, unable to offer any explanation.
He understood perfectly well that Soul Masters had always placed great importance on information concerning their own Martial Souls and would never readily reveal it to outsiders.
Even Soul Scholars who had only just awakened their Martial Souls were no exception; they would not readily tell others information concerning their Martial Souls.
Lin Mo's refusal and wariness had been within his expectations.
But Yu Xiaogang's obsession with researching mutated Martial Souls, especially external beast Martial Souls of this kind, still left him unwilling to give up.
He took a deep breath, barely suppressing his embarrassment, and spoke again in a somewhat gentler tone. "Lin Mo, I understand your concerns.
"But you should know that your Martial Soul, like my Luo Sanpao, is an exceedingly rare external beast Martial Soul.
"I've spent years researching this field. You could say that no one understands the potential of these Martial Souls, or the bottlenecks they might encounter, better than I do."
He paused, forcing a trace of kindness onto his face, and continued, "If you're willing to let me observe your Martial Soul up close, and prove that you do indeed possess sufficient potential.
"I wouldn't mind taking you as my disciple too, just as I teach Xiao San. With my guidance, your future path as a Soul Master will certainly be much smoother."
As Yu Xiaogang said this, his tone carried a powerful confidence, as though catching his eye and being accepted as his disciple were an immense honor for Lin Mo.
Yet upon hearing these words, a trace of mockery and disdain flashed deep within Lin Mo's eyes, unnoticed by either man.