"I'm guessing you have a second Martial Soul!"
Yu Xiaogang stood against the light, the sunlight falling on his face and making him look especially sacred.
Behind him, Tang San warily raised his right hand slightly. The Sleeve Arrow in his cuff was already off safety.
Just as Tang San was wondering how the man before him knew he had another Martial Soul, Yu Xiaogang suddenly turned around without warning.
No longer blocked by Yu Xiaogang, the sunlight shone directly into Tang San's eyes. He instinctively raised a hand to shield them, missing his best chance to strike.
"I imagine you must be wondering how I knew. I read your enrollment information: you have the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul and Innate Full Soul Power."
"In other people's eyes, that's nothing surprising. But I've studied 647 Soul Masters whose Martial Soul was Blue Silver Grass, and only sixteen of them possessed Soul Power. Of those sixteen, not one had Soul Power above rank one."
"Yet you have Innate Full Soul Power at rank ten. According to one of the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul that I researched, the level of Innate Soul Power is directly proportional to the quality of the Martial Soul."
"Blue Silver Grass clearly cannot account for it, so I'm certain you must have another Martial Soul, and a very powerful one at that."
"From this, I can conclude that you have a second Martial Soul, and that your Innate Full Soul Power came from it."
Completely oblivious to the killing intent in Tang San's eyes, Yu Xiaogang talked on. With every word, the fervor in his eyes grew stronger.
Tang San's face had been full of killing intent, but Yu Xiaogang's sudden words stunned him. He lowered the right hand shielding his eyes from the sun and stared at Yu Xiaogang expressionlessly.
Tang San had only one thought at that moment. This man is impressive... He'll be useful to me...
Seeing that Tang San said nothing and was looking at him with an impassive gaze, Yu Xiaogang's lips curved upward. He stepped forward and ruffled Tang San's hair.
"What a good child!"
Yu Xiaogang paused, then continued, patiently coaxing him. "I can promise you that I alone on the entire continent can help you find the correct cultivation method, show you higher vistas, and give you a glimpse of the realm of a Titled Douluo at the continent's summit!!!"
When Yu Xiaogang finished, his whole body trembled with fervor. He could almost see it: in the near future, Tang San would trample the entire continent beneath his feet and announce to all that his teacher was Yu Xiaogang!!!
Tang San remained silent, his eyes lowered, no one knew what he was thinking. Yu Xiaogang said nothing more either. He believed his words had touched Tang San's soul, and all he needed to do now was give the child before him time to take them in.
After a long while, Tang San raised his head, his gaze full of resolve. He took two steps back, bent both knees, and knelt, then knocked his head against the ground three times with resounding thuds.
"Teacher, please accept me as your disciple and teach me to cultivate!"
Hearing those words, which sounded like heavenly music, Yu Xiaogang nearly fainted with excitement. Forcing himself to regain his composure, he hurriedly bent down and helped Tang San up.
"What are you doing? You only need to bow when taking a master. Don't you know you should kneel and kowtow only to sovereigns and parents?"
Once Tang San was on his feet, he shook his head slightly and spoke with conviction. "A teacher for a day is a father for life. You deserve my kowtow!"
Yu Xiaogang had already been delighted to gain a disciple with Innate Full Soul Power and Twin Martial Souls. At Tang San's words, his expression grew even more excited.
"Good, good, good~ What a good child! Don't worry, I'll use everything I've learned in my life to teach you how to cultivate."
Time flew, and five days passed in the blink of an eye.
After a carriage ride that had nearly rattled his bones apart, Lu Yu finally arrived outside Suotuo City's walls.
Lu Yu immediately leaped down from the carriage, planting both feet firmly on solid ground. As he twisted his waist and stretched his limbs, he couldn't help muttering aloud.
"Finally here! Five days of bouncing around nearly shook my bones apart!"
His joints cracked in crisp succession, easing some of the soreness and fatigue that had built up over the past few days.
Lu Yu raised his eyes and surveyed the street ahead, where people came and went through Suotuo City. He let out a long breath. "I'll find somewhere to rest for a day first. Everything else can wait until tomorrow."
Great Sage lay sprawled on Lu Yu's shoulder, listless and drooping. He gave a weak squeak, clearly worn out by the long, bumpy journey and completely in agreement with Lu Yu.
After walking a little way along the street, Lu Yu went straight into a plain-looking wooden inn by the roadside. Exhausted in both body and mind, he couldn't be bothered to look for a better inn and simply went in.
Behind the counter, the middle-aged innkeeper regarded young Lu Yu with a gentle gaze, looking him up and down. A sincere smile remained on his face, and he showed no trace of disdain or neglect because of his guest's youth.
"Young sir, we have two kinds of rooms: a standard room is five silver coins a night, and a superior room is twenty silver coins a night," the innkeeper said warmly.
The corner of Lu Yu's eye twitched. He looked around the simple wooden inn, surprised that prices in Suotuo City were so high. A superior room in a wooden building cost two Gold Soul Coins a night-it really wasn't cheap.
But fatigue from days on the road swept over him, and Lu Yu had no energy to look for another inn. Deciding not to dwell on it, he took five gleaming Gold Soul Coins from his pocket and laid them neatly on the counter.
Lu Yu divided the five Gold Soul Coins into two groups, two on the left and three on the right.
Pointing at the two Gold Soul Coins on the left, Lu Yu said briskly, "A superior room."
Then he pointed at the three Gold Soul Coins on the right and continued, "Sorry to trouble you, but please make a trip to the smithy and have them forge me an iron staff 1.2 meters long and a hundred jin in weight. I want to see it tomorrow. Keep the rest as your errand fee."
At the sight of the gleaming Gold Soul Coins on the counter, the innkeeper immediately beamed. He hurriedly scooped up the coins and weighed them in his hand, speaking with absolute confidence:
"Rest assured, sir! I'll have it taken care of overnight. I guarantee you'll see the finished staff first thing tomorrow morning!"
When Lu Yu nodded his assent, the innkeeper hurriedly took a key with a wooden room tag from the counter and respectfully offered it to him. "Sir, this is your room key. Your room is on the second floor. Take care on your way up."
Lu Yu took the key, turned, and headed upstairs to his room.
Entering the clean, tidy room, Lu Yu casually placed the listless Great Sage on the soft bed, then lay down on his back, relaxing his whole body.
The fatigue of days on the road fell away, and before long, two steady, even breaths filled the room. Man and monkey had fallen into a deep sleep.
When Lu Yu woke again, it was already completely dark. He stretched lazily on the bed and rolled over. Not wanting to get up at all, he found himself thinking how comfortable it would be if he could lie there forever.