The next morning, after their usual training, Wu Lan and Xiao Wu were on their way to eat when they ran into Tang San and Yu Xiaogang.
"Good morning, Little San," Wu Lan greeted him with a gentle smile.
"Good morning, Brother Wu Lan," Tang San replied with a smile of his own.
"Brother Wu Lan, this is my teacher, the strongest theoretical master!" Tang San introduced Yu Xiaogang proudly.
Yu Xiaogang immediately put on airs, folding his arms behind his back and tilting his head slightly upward like he was staring into the heavens.
Wu Lan wanted to punch him right there, but then remembered the Golden Dragon Bloodline he had received the night before. He forced himself to smile faintly. "Hello."
Yu Xiaogang's face darkened at the lackluster greeting. In a deep voice, he asked, "Are you Tang San's friend?"
"Yes. We come from the same village and treat each other like brothers."
"I've heard from Tang San how you looked after him. But you don't have to worry anymore. From now on, I'll make Tang San the strongest soul master. You can leave him to me."
The meaning was clear: stay away from Tang San.
Wu Lan kept a neutral expression. "Okay," he said, and walked away with Xiao Wu.
As they walked, the wind carried Yu Xiaogang's words behind them.
"Teacher, why did you say that?" Tang San asked, confused. "Brother Wu Lan has been good to me."
"You don't understand," Yu Xiaogang replied, looking like he held the wisdom of the heavens. "You are an innate full soul power. He's only a level 4. If you stay close to him, he'll feel inferior. You should make friends with those on your level, not weaklings."
"...Okay, teacher," Tang San nodded after a pause.
"Pack your things. We leave tomorrow. I'll personally help you hunt for the most suitable soul beast."
"Thank you, teacher!" Tang San said cheerfully, forgetting Wu Lan entirely as he walked back toward the dormitory.
Wu Lan didn't say a word. But Xiao Wu's face turned red with anger.
"Brother! That level 29 trash just called you weak! And Tang San didn't even defend you! Let me go beat them both up!"
Wu Lan smiled softly. "Don't worry, Rabbit. I'll have my revenge."
He was more disappointed in Tang San's double standard than angry. But now, a plan had already begun forming in his mind.
"Rabbit, go find us a good house. Something with a big open area. I have something to take care of."
Knowing Wu Lan was up to something mischievous, Xiao Wu pouted. "Okay, Brother Lan... Be careful."
After confirming Tang Hao still hadn't returned, Wu Lan donned a dark cloak and walked to a shady pawn shop on the edge of town, a place infamous for its ruthlessness.
Outside the door, he removed the cloak and activated Disguise, transforming into Tang San.
Inside, a rough-looking man with a scar across his cheek looked up. He was a soul master, around level 32.
"What do you want, kid?"
"I want to borrow 20,000 gold coins," Wu Lan, disguised as Tang San, said calmly.
The man narrowed his eyes. "20,000? What can you offer as collateral?"
"I'm a student at Nuoding Academy. I'm an innate full soul power, and I'm about to become the disciple of Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang. He said I need to pay him 20,000 gold coins to become his student, so I'm putting myself as collateral."
He summoned his martial spirit and released his level 10 soul power as proof.
The boss chuckled darkly. So the famous Grandmaster is scamming kids now? Not his business.
"Fine. Put your fingerprint here. You'll owe interest every week. If you can't pay... you'll be sold to the auction house."
He pushed over a contract with a cruel grin and handed over a heavy sack of gold.
"I will repay you after becoming Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang's student. Don't worry!" Wu Lan said with innocent eyes.
After leaving, he made sure no one followed him, ducked into an alley, dropped the disguise, and changed into a different appearance.
He used the gold to purchase a three-cubic-meter storage ring for 10,000 coins, then stored the rest inside and returned to his original form.
By the time he got back to the academy, Xiao Wu had already returned.
"Rabbit, did you find a house?"
Seeing him, Xiao Wu brightened up. "Yes! I found a good one. It has a large open area and multiple rooms, but it costs 500 gold coins..."
"Then we'll buy it. If you like it, that's all that matters," Wu Lan said with a casual wave of his hand, as if money was nothing.
Xiao Wu blinked in surprise. "Brother Lan, what did you do?"
"Oh, nothing serious. I just disguised myself as Tang San and borrowed money using him as collateral."
"How much did you borrow?"
"Only 20,000 gold coins. I also bought a storage ring for 10,000."
"...How much?!"
Xiao Wu looked at him like he had gone mad. "How did they even give you that much?"
"I said it was to become Yu Xiaogang's disciple. He needed 20,000 gold coins for it."
Xiao Wu burst out laughing. "Serves them right! That'll teach them to insult you!"
Wu Lan's smile turned serious. "We'll say we're renting the house. Let's avoid trouble."
They packed their belongings into the storage ring and quietly moved into their new home that night.
After unpacking, Wu Lan lay on his bed, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling.
He chuckled to himself.
What kind of face will Yu Xiaogang make? What will he do when the pawn shop owner comes for Tang San?
"Don't blame me, Little San," Wu Lan murmured. "Blame your teacher for calling me weak."
With a cold, satisfied smile, he drifted off to sleep.