Chapter 5: The Master’s Grand Display of Swagger
Chapter 5: The Master’s Act of Showing Off
Tang San was somewhat puzzled. After all, he had just awakened his martial soul and was still just a child. He had never heard the name "Master" before. “Master? Aren’t you a teacher here?”
The Master shook his head. “I am not a teacher at this school. ‘Master’ is just a name everyone calls me by. They have called me that for so long that I’ve almost forgotten my original name.”
“You’re not a teacher here?” Tang San was taken aback for a moment, then quickly said, “Then you must be a very powerful person!”
“Oh? Why do you say that?” The Master’s curiosity was piqued; he wondered what this child would say next.
“Because the title ‘Master’ is reserved for those who are truly formidable, right? And since you represent the academy, that shows you hold a high position here.”
Tang San continued, “Even if you’re not a teacher at this academy, you must be stronger than any of its teachers.”
Hearing this, the Master’s face lit up with undeniable joy, a broad smile spreading across his features.
“No one forgets their own name; there must be some secret behind it,” Zhong Yan couldn’t stand the Master’s hypocritical expression any longer and interrupted, shattering the Master’s fantasy at an inopportune moment.
The Master’s expression darkened slightly, clearly uncomfortable being confronted with an unpleasant truth from his past.
Seeing the Master’s displeasure, Tang San quickly stepped forward, feigning anger. “Ah Yan, how can you slander someone without cause?”
After saying this, Tang San winked at Zhong Yan, then turned back to the Master. “Sorry, Master. Ah Yan must be in a bad mood today. Please forgive him. Could you continue answering my questions? For instance, why does everyone call you ‘Master’?”
[Although I don’t know why Ah Yan dislikes this Master, he lives at the school and even acts as a proxy to reprimand the gatekeepers. He must be an important figure. I can’t let him get angry and make things difficult for Ah Yan.]
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Upon hearing Tang San mention this, the Master’s demeanor brightened, and he proudly declared, “Because I am the deepest expert in martial soul research on the entire continent. I proposed the theory of the Ten Core Competitive Strengths of Martial Souls. The title ‘Master’ is a recognition of my knowledge and theories by the people here!”
“If you’re so powerful, why not take on disciples to pass on your knowledge and theories?” Zhong Yan clearly wasn’t impressed by Tang San’s words. After all, he wasn’t Tang San and knew exactly what kind of person this Master was—full of empty boasts. He wasn’t afraid at all.
But this time, the Master didn’t get angry. Instead, he sighed deeply and shook his head. “I simply never had the intention before. Back then, I was wholly devoted to my research. Now, it’s just that I haven’t found the right person yet.”
“Is that so? Since you’re so great, what do you think about the Blue Silver Grass, a so-called useless martial soul?”
“Hmph.” The Master snorted, puffing out his chest and boldly proclaiming, “There is no such thing as a useless martial soul, only useless soul masters. Even the Blue Silver Grass—I can train it into a powerful soul master.”
[Let these two children hear about my achievements properly. Maybe I can impress them enough to take them as disciples, especially that one called Tang San. Although that other one, Zhong Yan, speaks harshly, he just helped me a bit. Hmph… If I can successfully take these two as disciples, I will show the entire continent that I, Yu Xiaogang, am no failure.]
Zhong Yan looked at the Master’s proud expression and thought to himself, [Hmph! This Master only knows how to brag and fool people. Tang San always turns the tide in fights with hidden weapons, the Haotian Hammer, or the Eight Spider Spears. What does your Master have to do with any of that? Tang San’s success doesn’t mean you’ve succeeded. Although, maybe I misspoke earlier and helped him instead. Careless, tsk.]
The Master paid no mind to Zhong Yan and focused instead on Tang San. He had already seen through something about these two children. Smiling, he asked Tang San, “Are you born with full soul power… or…”
The Master paused, then continued, “Or a twin martial soul? Would you be willing to become my disciple? I will pass on all my lifelong knowledge to you.”
Though Zhong Yan looked down on the Master, he could not interfere. Regardless of who this Master was or whether he could teach Tang San anything, at least Tang Hao was watching him closely.
Tang San’s twin martial soul was a secret only his father knew. This mysterious middle-aged man had seen right through it with a single sentence—it was incredible! For that reason alone, Tang San felt this Master was no ordinary person.
Tang San fell silent, deeply shaken by having such a secret revealed so directly. He didn’t know how to respond.
Sensing a possible opportunity, the Master smiled warmly and went on, “I have investigated over six hundred and seventy-one people with the Blue Silver Grass martial soul. Only sixteen of them have soul power—less than three percent! And none exceed first-level soul power.”
“According to my research and the Ten Core Competitive Strengths of Martial Souls, innate soul power is proportional to the quality of the martial soul. Your Blue Silver Grass obviously doesn’t meet this criterion, so you must have another martial soul within you! A high-quality one at that.”
“Of course, I know you might want to claim exceptions exist. But your Blue Silver Grass is clearly not an exception. In the last century across the two great empires, twin martial souls have only appeared twice. Yet there have been nineteen with innate full soul power—each a powerful existence, some even reaching the Grand Soul Master realm!”
Hearing this, Zhong Yan was speechless. Only with your perspective could you say some have even reached the Grand Soul Master level.
Moreover, Tang San’s innate full soul power came from exploiting a bug in the world using the Xuan Tian Gong cultivation method—it was simply luck that he got caught in it. Now hearing this, Zhong Yan could not see any purpose for this Master beyond being a living encyclopedia.
Of course, the Master was unaware of Zhong Yan’s thoughts and continued speaking to Tang San, “Among them, four were born from humble origins but still possessed innate full soul power due to mutated martial souls. Your Blue Silver Grass hasn’t mutated, so I am certain you have a twin martial soul!”
Tang San was stunned by this string of assertions.
When the Master finished, Tang San immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed, formally accepting him as his teacher.
Zhong Yan stood silently to the side, neither stopping nor following. Tang San had his own path, and the Master was indeed his best choice for the early stages.
But Zhong Yan had his own path.
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Several days later, the update finally came. Yesterday, after reading comments from fellow readers about the female protagonist, I initially thought Qian Renxue would make a good heroine. Because the protagonist’s future plans (in the Douluo world, to overthrow the aristocratic class and plant flags—I can’t say it directly, the censorship is too strict) would involve Qian Renxue. A reader mentioned Gu Yena, so let’s just say she is tied by the Heart of God.
(End of chapter)