Chapter 50: Let Me Be the First!

Hearing the voice, Su Yuntao instinctively looked over and saw two children walking toward him.

"You two, do you know me?" Su Yuntao asked with some confusion as he saw Lin Ye and Tang San approach.

"Master Su Yuntao, have you forgotten? We're from Holy Spirit Village. You came to our village this year to help us awaken our martial spirits," Tang San respectfully explained.

"Ah, so it's you two—Lin Ye and… Tang San, right?" Su Yuntao tapped his head, the memory clicking into place.

Although he performed countless martial spirit awakenings every year, two prodigies like Lin Ye and Tang San certainly left a lasting impression!

"Huh? Su Yuntao, didn't you say you didn't awaken a single Soul Master this year? What's going on with these two?" Mark, the noble youth beside him, asked in bewilderment, overhearing their conversation.

"Who said I didn't awaken any Soul Masters this year? These two are the ones I awakened, and both have innate full soul power!" After arguing with Mark for so long, Su Yuntao was already worked up, so he couldn't help but retort immediately.

"Heh, you must be joking. Innate full soul power? If you'd really awakened two with innate full soul power, you'd have been sent straight to the main Spirit Hall by now," Mark scoffed, clearly not believing a word.

"Then what are their martial spirits?" Mark pressed, still skeptical.

"Their martial spirits…" Su Yuntao hesitated. How was he supposed to explain innate full soul power with martial spirits like Blue Silver Grass and Begonia? No one would believe it!

"Heh, speechless, huh? Su Yuntao, if you're going to make things up, at least make it believable! I might've bought it if you said they had three or five levels of soul power, but innate full soul power? From a backwater village? Who do you think you're fooling?" Mark laughed, mockery dripping from his tone. "Maybe I'll tell Sisi all about this. Let her see what kind of man you really are."

"You—!" Su Yuntao was furious. He could handle insults, but dragging his beloved Sisi into it was crossing the line!

"My martial spirit is the Begonia Flower, and Tang San's is Blue Silver Grass. Our spirits are considered trash spirits, but we do have innate full soul power," Lin Ye suddenly spoke up from the side.

"Trash spirits? And both with innate full soul power? Do you think I'm as clueless as you kids?" Mark sneered.

"Who said trash spirits can't have innate full soul power? The term 'trash spirit' only applies when the spirit has no soul power, right? But if it's innate full soul power, even a so-called trash spirit can't be labeled as such. A chicken-type spirit can mutate into a phoenix, a snake-type spirit can evolve into a dragon, so why can't Blue Silver Grass or the Begonia Flower undergo similar changes?" Lin Ye's voice was calm, but his words were firm.

"And for the record, I've already become a Soul Master. I'm here at the Spirit Hall to register. Since you seem to look down on so-called trash spirits so much, why don't we have a sparring match? Let's see just how powerful your noble spirit really is."

Lin Ye's cold gaze fixed on Mark, his tone filled with quiet determination. He couldn't stand arrogant nobles like him.

"You—" Mark stammered, momentarily at a loss for words.

Lin Ye's logic was airtight. Trash spirits were only labeled as such due to their lack of soul power, not because of some inherent deficiency. And there had indeed been cases of spirits mutating into much stronger forms, like chickens into phoenixes and snakes into dragons.

Though he couldn't refute Lin Ye's argument, Mark's frustration boiled over.

"Brat, you sure have a sharp tongue. Fine, you're right that mutations happen. But you? You with a Begonia Flower? What's that going to evolve into? And this kid with Blue Silver Grass—what can that possibly become? Chickens and snakes are at least not considered complete trash spirits. But you two? You're nothing but garbage!" Mark spat, his temper flaring.

"Just because it hasn't happened before doesn't mean it can't happen now. Let me be the first," Lin Ye said calmly.

His tone wasn't forceful, but the confidence in his words struck both Su Yuntao and Mark, leaving them momentarily stunned.

"As I said before, if you're so confident, how about a duel? Let's settle this with a Soul Battle," Lin Ye's eyes glinted with challenge as he stared at Mark.

"You!!" Mark's face twisted in anger. He laughed bitterly, "You're so full of yourself. Fine, I'll—"

"Enough, Mark!" Su Yuntao's voice suddenly cut through the tension, stopping Mark in his tracks. "Only children resort to such pettiness. Are you still a child? Or do you want to spar with me instead?"

Su Yuntao's expression was cold, his tone sharp.

"Hmph!" Mark snorted angrily but said nothing more. As much as he wanted to teach Lin Ye a lesson, he wasn't foolish enough to challenge Su Yuntao, who was a Grandmaster-level Soul Master.

"Lin Ye, Tang San, follow me. I'll take you to register," Su Yuntao said, his stern demeanor softening into a smile as he turned to the two boys.

"Thank you, Master Su Yuntao," both Lin Ye and Tang San politely expressed their gratitude as they followed him.

As they walked away, Mark's face darkened with resentment. A commoner like Lin Ye had dared to confront him in front of others—an insult he wouldn't soon forget. But with Su Yuntao involved, there was little he could do for now.

"Hmph, damn brat. Don't let me catch you again, or you'll regret it," Mark muttered under his breath, seething as he turned and stormed off.

...

"Lin Ye, Tang San, thank you for standing up for me back there," Su Yuntao said with a sigh as they walked through the hallways of the Spirit Hall.

If Lin Ye hadn't helped deflect Mark's jabs, things could have gone badly for him. If word got back to Sisi, his standing with her would've taken a hit.

"It's nothing, Master Su Yuntao. You helped us awaken our martial spirits, just like you said—you're the guide who lit the path for us. Of course, we'll step up when you're in trouble," Lin Ye replied with a smile.

Su Yuntao smiled warmly, though he quickly added, "But be careful. Mark's probably holding a grudge now. Watch yourselves when you're back at the academy, and especially when you're outside. And Lin Ye, you, in particular, should be careful."

"We'll be careful, Master Su Yuntao," they both nodded.

"Just call me Brother Su from now on, no need for 'Master,'" Su Yuntao waved it off with a chuckle.

"Oh, by the way, you really have both become Soul Masters already?" Su Yuntao suddenly recalled what Lin Ye had mentioned earlier, asking with curiosity.

"Yeah, just yesterday. Tang San and I absorbed our first spirit rings in the Soul Hunting Forest and became Soul Masters. We figured we'd stop by and register today since we had the time," Lin Ye explained.

Su Yuntao sighed wistfully, "You two, with your innate full soul power… It's such a pity. With that talent, you both could've had the potential to become Titled Douluos someday, but… your martial spirits…"

"Brother Su, don't you remember what I said earlier? Trash spirits are only called trash because they lack soul power. But we both have innate full soul power, so they're no longer trash spirits by definition."

"True, there haven't been any records of Blue Silver Grass or the Begonia Flower mutating, but if chicken spirits can become phoenixes and snake spirits can evolve into dragons, I believe it can happen with ours too. If no one else has done it before, then let me be the first," Lin Ye said confidently, a faint smile on his face.

"Ha! You've got guts, I'll give you that," Su Yuntao laughed heartily, clearly impressed by Lin Ye's confidence.

Whether or not he truly believed it was another matter entirely.

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