Yu Xiaogang suddenly stopped, waiting for Tang San to ask the question. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Gu La—a new and unfamiliar martial soul that would also need guidance.
"Heh, hehe."
Tang San remained silent, but Gu La couldn't hold back a laugh.
Yu Xiaogang frowned. He keenly picked up on the familiar mockery in Gu La's laughter. "What are you laughing at?"
"Can't you tell? I'm laughing at you."
Gu La was unusually blunt, ignoring Yu Xiaogang's rapidly darkening expression as he asked:
"You spoke so highly of poison-attribute soul rings, making it sound like Tang San would miss out on opportunities if he didn't add one. So, can you tell us—does your own martial soul have any poison-attribute soul rings attached?"
Yu Xiaogang fell silent. Though his martial soul was weak, as the direct son of the Blue Lightning Dragon Sect's patriarch, even after awakening a useless martial soul like the Pig Spirit, he still had access to top-tier resources. Both his soul rings came from thunder-attribute pseudo-dragon spirit beasts—how could he possibly attach a poison-attribute soul ring?
"It seems not."
Gu La clapped his hands, loudly applauding with a mocking expression. "Brilliant! You've never personally tried it, yet you talk a big game. Are you trying to trick Xiao San into becoming your guinea pig?"
"Tsk, tsk. Using someone else's future to test your own theories—and through deception, no less. You really have no shame."
Gu La spared no face, bluntly tearing off the mask of hypocrisy hiding Yu Xiaogang's true intentions.
In the original storyline, if Tang San hadn't been a transmigrator, following Yu Xiaogang's training methods would have undoubtedly ruined him.
It wasn't hard to imagine—without the secrets of the Tang Sect, the weak toxins of the Blue Silver Grass wouldn't even penetrate spirit power defenses. It wasn't like a snake-type martial soul that could spray venom or poison the air.
In that case, Tang San would only become a pure control-type soul master, relying entirely on teammates for output. His Blue Silver Emperor martial soul would essentially be wasted.
Not to mention the hidden danger of toxins entering the body, which could even pose a life-threatening risk.
Tang San felt a chill run down his spine. Looking at Yu Xiaogang with eyes full of resentment, he finally saw through the man's malicious intent.
He had only wanted someone to guide them, but the other party actually intended to use him as an experiment. Was the world of soul masters really this dark?
"You… you're talking nonsense! I never thought that way—you're slandering me!"
Yu Xiaogang's face turned red, and he nearly lunged at Gu La in anger. Unfortunately, Flender wasn't around to hold him back, leaving him unable to save face.
More importantly, now that Gu La had exposed his ulterior motives, his plan to take Tang San as a disciple was completely ruined.
At this thought, Yu Xiaogang nearly choked on his anger.
Desperate to defend himself, he wracked his brain, struggling to find a way out:
"I just wanted to take Tang San as my disciple. He has a calm and steady personality, worthy of inheriting all my knowledge. As for whether he chooses to follow the path I've planned for him, I'll make sure to warn him of the risks beforehand!"
"Oh, sure, sure. And when the time comes, you'll tell Xiao San, and he'll have no choice but to agree, right?"
Gu La simply nodded, but it was enough to completely shatter Yu Xiaogang's defenses. As he struggled to think of a rebuttal, deep down, he realized he might very well act exactly as Gu La described.
This made him feel like he was being led by the nose, infuriating him further.
Finally catching on to something amiss, he glared at Gu La. "Do you know who I am?"
Gu La shrugged. "The name 'Grandmaster' resounds like thunder."
Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaogang realized he had misjudged the situation.
Setting aside Tang San, Gu La clearly wasn't some naive newcomer to the world of soul masters. His own presumptions had been utterly wasted.
Ignoring Gu La, Yu Xiaogang mustered his courage and spoke directly to Tang San:
"Tang San, you should think for yourself and not let others lead you around. I admit I have my own selfish motives—I want you to help prove my theories—but I swear I have no intention of harming you."
"Even if you don't want to become my disciple, my dormitory has more books than the academy itself. You're welcome to come and read whenever you like—I'll always welcome you."
With that, Yu Xiaogang's courage ran dry. Too ashamed to stay any longer, he left behind the martial soul certificates and hurried back to the teacher's dormitory.
Tang San watched Yu Xiaogang's dejected figure retreat and couldn't deny the sincerity in the man's words. What truly held him back was his reluctance to part with the books Yu Xiaogang had mentioned. With his limited understanding of the soul master world, he didn't want to rely solely on Gu La—it was a principle Tang San lived by, trusting himself above all else and refusing to change easily.
Turning to Gu La, he asked:
"Brother Gu, what should I do?"
Gu La looked at Tang San, sensing that Tang San had already made up his mind. He had to admit, Yu Xiaogang had a sharp eye—Tang San couldn't resist the allure of abundant knowledge. For someone like Tang San, who craved security, books were the best way to understand the world.
If Gu La outright forbade him, Tang San might reluctantly agree, but in the future, when Tang San needed knowledge and found himself lacking, would he silently blame Gu La for meddling and stopping him?
The answer was obvious. Without the memories of the original story, Tang San wouldn't resent Yu Xiaogang—he'd resent Gu La instead.
Gu La inwardly mocked himself. Psychic training was indeed effective; his ability to read people's intentions had improved significantly.
Hiding his thoughts, he smiled. "Of course, you should go. Why refuse free benefits?"
"Master Yu Xiaogang, a fifty-year-old man stuck at Level 29—a failure. Read his books, and when you grow into a powerful soul master, it'll only take a little effort to repay him. Don't feel burdened."
Only then did Tang San learn of Yu Xiaogang's spirit power level. The faint admiration he had harbored for intellectuals began to crack.
"Brother Gu, you're right. A true man doesn't sweat the small stuff. If someone does me a favor, I'll repay them. I believe I'll have the ability to repay Grandmaster in the future."
Gu La nodded. "Do as you see fit. I'll support you from behind."
Tang San felt Gu La's concern and trust deeply, moved to the core. He nodded firmly. "Mm."
The two reached an agreement. After registering at the administration office, they headed to the work-study dormitory.
Nuoding Academy was vast, and the dormitory area even larger. Even the work-study students, who paid no tuition, lived in Building Seven, which spanned three hundred square meters.
There were no partitions inside, but the spaciousness allowed everyone to maintain a degree of privacy and leave room for cultivation.
After buying bedding, Gu La and Tang San arrived outside Building Seven, where they heard the sounds of fighting coming from within.
Tang San's brows furrowed, and his body instinctively tensed.
Bam!
Without hesitation, Gu La kicked open the door to Building Seven. Inside, they saw a delicate and adorable girl standing triumphantly, her foot planted on another boy.
"Do you surrender?"
The girl's name was Xiao Wu, a hundred-thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit transformed into human form. She had a hobby of collecting underlings and was currently challenging for leadership of Building Seven.
The former leader of Building Seven, Wang Sheng, was quick to submit, lying flat on the floor and pleading. "I surrender, I surrender! Xiao Wu will be our new leader from now on!"
"Quick, call her Boss!" Wang Sheng urged the other work-study students.
"Boss." "Boss."
Each call of "Boss" filled Xiao Wu with satisfaction. She waved her hand dismissively. "'Boss' doesn't sound good. From now on, call me Big Sister, got it?"
"Yes, Big Sister."
Wang Sheng immediately changed his wording and glanced at the newly arrived Gu La and Tang San.
"Newcomers, aren't you going to come over and greet Big Sister?"
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