"Thank you, Director Su. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I'd have been in trouble."
Seeing Yu Xiaogang walk away, Gu Chen immediately stepped out from behind Director Su and thanked him profusely.
That was what he said, but all of this had been part of his calculations. When he had been furiously berating Yu Xiaogang earlier, a crowd had gathered around them, and he had happened to spot Director Su arriving. So he had gone all out, cursing Yu Xiaogang for all he was worth.
And if Yu Xiaogang made a move against him, Director Su would surely step in to stop him. There was no other reason than that Director Su had confidently assured him in the administration office that nothing would happen. If Yu Xiaogang really hurt him, wouldn't Director Su be slapping his own face?
"Think nothing of it. As Nuoding Academy's director of instruction, protecting students is my duty."
Director Su waved a hand.
He had thoroughly enjoyed eating this melon, too. Besides, much of what Gu Chen had furiously thrown in Yu Xiaogang's face was what he himself had once said in front of Gu Chen at the administration office. Hearing it from Gu Chen's mouth felt rather like having someone speak for him.
As for that freeloading waste Yu Xiaogang, if he weren't on good terms with the academy director, Director Su would have cursed him out long ago.
Now Gu Chen had used his own words to give the man a scolding on his behalf, and it had really felt good.
"It's our good fortune as students to have such a devoted and conscientious director of instruction as you, Director Su!"
Gu Chen hurried to heap flattery on him.
He had already offended Yu Xiaogang, who might well try every way he could to trip him up in the future. That made it all the more important to get closer to Director Su, so he could wave the banner of Director Su's name if Yu Xiaogang came after him later.
"That may be, but Yu Xiaogang is a petty man. You've offended him so badly this time that he'll inevitably target you at every turn in the future. But don't worry. If he really does target you, just come to me. A student of my Nuoding Academy isn't someone a freeloading waste like him gets to bully."
Director Su was brimming with confidence and didn't take Yu Xiaogang seriously at all.
"I'll remember your words, Director Su."
Gu Chen hurriedly thanked him.
Afterward, Director Su returned to the administration office, completely satisfied.
"Kid, you're a new student this year, right?"
After Director Su left, one of the students in the surrounding crowd approached him, accompanied by several underlings.
"Holy Soul Village, Gu Chen."
Gu Chen regarded him calmly.
"I'm Xiao Chenyu, a sixth-year. Everyone calls me Boss Xiao."
"Kid, you did well just now. I've long been sick of that 'Grandmaster.' He wears a dead man's face all day and belittles students every few days. I don't know what he's trying to act like, but what you said just now really let me vent a lungful of pent-up resentment."
"Just for what you did, I've got your back from now on. No one at the academy will dare give you trouble."
Xiao Chenyu patted his chest as he spoke, brimming with confidence.
"Thanks, Boss Xiao."
That was what Gu Chen said, but he still took a few extra looks at him. He meant nothing by it; he merely wanted to see the boss's face one last time. After all, it wouldn't be long before Xiao Wu and Tang San took Xiao Chenyu's position as boss.
Xiao Chenyu was also straightforward and decisive in the way he did things. Once he had finished speaking, he left.
The place had been quite lively, but in an instant it fell quiet.
Gu Chen paid it no mind. He turned and strode toward Dorm Seven.
For him, what had just happened was merely a minor episode. He didn't take it to heart, including Yu Xiaogang's threat. A waste who had passed fifty and was still at level 29 hardly deserved his concern.
Whatever tricks the man had, let him use them. Gu Chen had lived two lives; was he supposed to be afraid he couldn't outplay him?
That was right.
He had lived two lives.
He could also be called: the esteemed Lord Transmigrator!
In his previous life, he had been fortunate enough to catch the eye of the Heavenly Venerate of Great Fortune, who sent him into the cycle of reincarnation with a single collision. It wasn't until he was six in this life, when he awakened his Martial Soul and, along with it, the memories of his previous life, that he realized he had transmigrated to the Douluo Continent-and was even in Holy Soul Village.
So he was devastated.
With Tang San and his father around, he was genuinely afraid-afraid that one day he would suddenly have a way to die, and a Sleeve Arrow or a hammer falling from the sky would take his little life.
Thus, he kept a respectful distance from Tang San. He only wanted to lie low until his divine skills reached great mastery, then sweep everything away.
But alas.
Yu Xiaogang didn't respect martial virtue and had to come provoke him for no reason.
But with a mere level one Innate Soul Power aptitude and the Trash Martial Soul Blue Silver Grass to go with it, why was he so confident?
Naturally, it was because he had a cheat!
When he awakened his Martial Soul, he had not only awakened his memories of his previous life, but also his transmigrator's cheat.
Upgrade All Things!
That was his golden finger.
From upgrading a wooden board into an iron plate on the small end, to upgrading a Ten-Year Soul Beast into a Hundred-Year Soul Beast on the grand end, anything among all things could be upgraded: from plants to medicinal herbs, from weapons to meditation methods, and from Martial Souls to Soul Rings.
Of course.
Upgrades also required the corresponding conditions to be met.
Take his Martial Soul, for example.
[Item: Blue Silver General] [Description: Intermediate Martial Soul, a general among Blue Silver Grass.] [Upgrade result: Blue Silver King] [Description: High-grade Martial Soul, a king among Blue Silver Grass, beneath one and above ten thousand] [Upgrade conditions: One set of remains from a thousand-year life-type Soul Beast, one thousand-year life-type Soul Ring, one thousand-year spirit herb, the Crabapple Spirit Flower]
Gu Chen summoned his Martial Soul and gazed at the upgrade panel that only he could see, letting out a sigh. That was right, his Blue Silver Grass had already been upgraded into a Blue Silver General. At the time, his upgrade conditions had been: one set of remains from a hundred-year life-type Soul Beast and one hundred-year life-type Soul Ring.
Holy Soul Village was a remote backwater, not some Soul Beast forest. Where could he find Soul Beast remains and a Soul Ring? Why, with his cheat, of course!
There weren't any Hundred-Year Soul Beasts.
But was he really going to have trouble finding ten-year Blue Silver Grass? After finding some, he had obtained the remains of ten Ten-Year life-type Soul Beasts to meet the upgrade conditions and upgraded a stalk of ten-year Blue Silver Grass into hundred-year Blue Silver Grass. He had then harvested its life, fulfilling the conditions needed to upgrade his own Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, and completed the upgrade.
After the upgrade,
His Innate Soul Power had shot straight from level one to level three, and his cultivation speed had also increased dramatically. It was like trading a bicycle for an electric bike; they simply weren't on the same level.
Unfortunately, upgrading it into a Blue Silver King wouldn't be so easy.
After he had upgraded a stalk of ten-year Blue Silver Grass into hundred-year Blue Silver Grass, it had already gained considerable ability to resist. Luckily, Blue Silver Grass was too weak, and he possessed Soul Power himself, unlike an ordinary person. With a sickle in hand as a weapon, he had managed to finish it off in a few moves.
But even hundred-year Blue Silver Grass could resist, to say nothing of thousand-year Blue Silver Grass. He had to make thorough preparations. Besides, he still had no leads on the thousand-year spirit herb, the Crabapple Spirit Flower, so he wasn't in a hurry for now.
Meanwhile.
In the academy director's office, Director Chen Qingfeng was concentrating on the files of the students who had enrolled in recent days.
But then.
Bang-!!!
Yu Xiaogang suddenly burst in, shouting loudly.
"Chen Qingfeng, a new student came to your Nuoding Academy today. It's bad enough that his aptitude is poor, but he even dared to insult me in public! No matter what, you have to give me an explanation today and expel that new student for me!!!"