Jiang Chen glanced back several times but saw no figure resembling the Master.
Just then, the young gatekeeper's words grew increasingly harsh.
"Lan Yin Grass with innate full soul power? Ha! Ridiculous! A zombie spirit? Is it a stiff corpse? Hahaha… This is hilarious."
The youth laughed shamelessly and slammed Tang San and Jiang Chen's Martial Soul certificates onto the ground.
"Saint Soul Village? I think it should be renamed Beggar Village. That poor, shabby look of yours fits perfectly," he sneered coldly.
He had hinted many times before, but Old Jack simply wouldn't catch on. The two certificates didn't raise his suspicion; the youth just wanted to profit somehow.
When the youth insulted Saint Soul Village, Old Jack's face instantly darkened with fury.
"What did you say?" His bent back suddenly straightened, and he glared at the youth with blazing anger.
Saint Soul Village was his pride; being born there was his honor. He couldn't bear to see anyone insult it.
"What? You want to fight me? Come on, hit me! I'll even give you a water jar as a shield—do you dare?" The youth sneered, provoked by the stubborn old man's fury.
He reached out his palm, ready to shove Old Jack in the chest.
Old Jack was old and frail; one push and he would surely fall to the ground.
Tang San and Jiang Chen's anger surged at the same time. Both moved to intervene, but Jiang Chen was just a fraction faster, grabbing the youth's wrist first.
Seeing this, Tang San stepped back, knowing the youth was about to get some punishment.
Due to the difference in height, Jiang Chen yanked the youth's hand downward.
The youth's arm nearly dislocated from the sudden pull, sending sharp pain coursing through it.
"You brat, you're asking for death!" The youth's face twisted with rage.
"Enough!" A deep middle-aged male voice came from behind, carrying an air of authority.
The youth's anger immediately vanished, replaced by a forced smile.
"Ah—!" The youth suddenly cried out and was flung backward, crashing into the iron gate.
Jiang Chen turned his head and saw a man in his forties or fifties approaching. He looked very ordinary, with a faint air of weariness about him.
"This must be the Master," Jiang Chen thought.
The middle-aged man took the certificates from Old Jack's hand and carefully examined Jiang Chen and Tang San before saying, "Old sir, leave these two kids to me. I'll take them inside to register."
"Ah, that's a relief, thank you!" Old Jack said with joy.
"You two must behave well in the academy, understand? When the semester ends, I'll come back to take you home. Xiao Chen, be sure to take good care of Xiao San, okay?"
"Got it."
Only then was Old Jack satisfied and left.
The middle-aged man glanced coldly at the gatekeeper. "This is the last warning. If—"
He suddenly stopped speaking because he saw a spreading patch of grayish-black creeping up from the youth's neck. In no time, the gray-black color had covered the youth's entire face.
The youth sat there stiffly, unable to move or even make a sound. Only his rolling eyes reflected boundless terror.
What was happening? The middle-aged man frowned and turned to Jiang Chen. "Young one, you…"
Before he could finish, Jiang Chen stepped forward, grasped the youth's hand, and sucked out the small trace of corpse toxin.
In a fit of anger just now, he had injected a bit of corpse toxin—though not lethal, it would keep the youth bedridden for months.
Even now that Jiang Chen was drawing the toxin out, the youth's bodily functions were already severely damaged. He wouldn't recover in less than a month.
The blackness on the youth's face faded, but his complexion was pale as paper. Terrified, he shrank back from Jiang Chen standing before him.
The middle-aged man was now holding Tang San's hand, looking at Jiang Chen with a face full of surprise, as if he were gazing at something entirely new.
"Let's go inside," he said with a smile to Jiang Chen, pulling Tang San along.
Jiang Chen followed behind, already fairly certain this was the Master, Yu Xiaogang.
He didn't particularly like this figure. Besides, his own cultivation had far surpassed Yu Xiaogang's theories by now. With the system he possessed, why would he still have to kowtow to a master?
The answer was clear: since the Master couldn't offer him any real help, there was no need to formally become his disciple.
Especially since the Master's emotional timidity rubbed Jiang Chen the wrong way.
"You two can just call me Master. That's what everyone calls me," the Master said with a smile, then immediately exposed the secret behind Tang San's twin martial souls.
Tang San's face instantly turned pale. The secret of his martial souls was known only to himself and his father—no one else.
Seeing Tang San's nervous expression, Jiang Chen couldn't help but sweat nervously on the Master's behalf. If that hidden blade in Tang San's sleeve accidentally triggered, it would be quite the scene.
The Master then proceeded to demonstrate Tang San's twin martial souls from every angle, using his research on the top ten core competitive advantages of martial souls and his wealth of theoretical knowledge.
Tang San's expression grew serious. Suddenly, he took a few steps back and knelt down, banging his head against the ground three times.
"Teacher, please accept me as your disciple," he said respectfully.
The Master hurriedly helped him up. "You silly kid, why kneel to become a disciple? I'm not your parent."
"One day as teacher, a lifetime as father," Tang San said solemnly.
The Master was moved and laughed heartily. "Good, very good. My judgment wasn't wrong." Then his gaze shifted to Jiang Chen.
In truth, he was more interested in Jiang Chen than Tang San.
Innate full soul power, a zombie martial soul unlike anything he'd ever seen, and just now that poisoning scene—all of it piqued his curiosity deeply.
He was, after all, a research fanatic, armed with vast theoretical knowledge. How could he pass up anything novel?
"You must be Jiang Chen. How about you? Are you willing to become my disciple?" the Master asked eagerly.
He had just unloaded a series of impressive theories and even immediately recognized Tang San's twin martial souls. Any less knowledgeable kid would surely be impressed.
And indeed, one disciple had already been successfully accepted.
Surely the other was interested now.
Jiang Chen shook his head. The Master's theories were rich but suited most people only. Jiang Chen wasn't exactly normal—he had a system the Master could never comprehend. Was there any need to become his disciple?
"Sorry, Master. I'm not planning to become your disciple at the moment," Jiang Chen declined politely.
The Master paused, looking at Jiang Chen with puzzled eyes, thinking: Is this kid not as smart? Doesn't he realize how extensive my knowledge is, unlike the other one?
"Jiang Chen, the Master is highly knowledgeable and will give us the best guidance," Tang San urged gently. He knew Jiang Chen had talent and didn't want him to take a wrong path later.
Jiang Chen still shook his head. "No, really, I'm fine on my own."
The Master frowned. "Young one, every student here chooses a teacher. My knowledge ranks second in this academy—no one dares claim first. I don't take disciples lightly, but you have great potential, and I don't want you to waste it. If you regret it later, it'll be too late."
He looked at Jiang Chen expectantly. He had made his point very clear. Even if Jiang Chen was slow, he should know what to choose by now.
Jiang Chen still shook his head, but a faint smile appeared on his face. "Master, are you absolutely sure your theory is flawless?"
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