The Shock of Yu Xiaogang and Tang San
While old Jack and the gatekeeper argued, a middle-aged man stood not far from where they were, frowning and silently observing.
This middle-aged man was none other than Yu Xiaogang. He still had short hair, an ordinary appearance, and hadn't changed much from the past, except for the added touch of world-weariness. He carried an air of laziness and decadence.
When he saw the gatekeeper rise to confront Tang San, Yu Xiaogang finally spoke, "Alright, that's enough. Stop it."
The gatekeeper, hearing the voice, halted his advance and looked angrily at the person who intervened.
He was about to hurl insults, but upon recognizing the newcomer as a master, his anger quickly subsided, and he put on a fawning smile.
"Grandmaster, it's you."
Before a master, the gatekeeper didn't dare to act rashly anymore.
Tang San cast a cold glance at the gatekeeper and lowered his raised arm.
If it weren't for the sudden arrival of someone else, the gatekeeper would have been lying dead on the ground.
Tang San turned to look at the newcomer but didn't say anything.
If this middle-aged man turned out to be as domineering as the gatekeeper, he wouldn't mind sending them both to the afterlife.
The master glanced at the gatekeeper, snorted disdainfully, and then turned to old Jack, saying, "Old man, may I see the proof from the Spirit Hall?"
Old Jack quickly handed over Tang San's Awakening Certificate.
The master inspected the certificate, occasionally glancing at Tang San. His eyes revealed some doubt and then a hint of delight.
Tang San frowned. The gaze of this middle-aged man made him uncomfortable.
The master nodded slightly and said, "The certificate is genuine. Old man, the gatekeeper was out of line earlier. On behalf of the academy, I apologize to you. I'll take care of the child. I'll help him with the enrollment."
Old Jack quickly said, "No need to apologize. We also had our faults."
He then gave some instructions to Tang San before leaving.
The master glanced at the gatekeeper and said coldly, "If there's a next time, you'll be dismissed."
The gatekeeper looked terrified and stammered that he understood, quickly moving aside.
The master lowered his head to look at Tang San, forcing a smile onto his stiff face. It seemed like he hadn't smiled in a long time.
"Just wait a moment," he said.
Then, he turned to look at Ao Tian, beckoning him over and asking, "Are you here to enroll as well?"
Ao Tian nodded but remained silent.
"Could you show me your Martial Soul Awakening Certificate?" the master asked.
Ao Tian took out his certificate and handed it over. He wondered what Yu Xiaogang had in mind, perhaps wanting to "guide" him in some way.
As Ao Tian approached, Tang San's gaze had been fixed on him all along. Seeing Ao Tian up close only deepened his sense of self-doubt, although he couldn't quite explain why.
The other person was dressed impeccably, with an exceptionally attractive appearance. Standing side by side, Tang San felt like he was just a backdrop, a dim shadow in comparison.
"When did I start caring about appearances? Strength is the fundamental key to everything. Good looks won't help," Tang San startled himself and quickly reminded himself.
When the master saw the certificate provided by Ao Tian, he was astonished. "Another innate full spirit power," he couldn't help but exclaim. He had already been surprised when he saw Tang San's certificate, and now another innate full spirit power appeared before him, making it even harder for him to stay calm.
According to his research, in the past hundred years or so, only nineteen cases of innate full spirit power had been recorded in the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire combined.
However, today, he had encountered two of them at once.
With the population of the entire continent being so vast, the probability of encountering two children with innate full spirit power simultaneously was virtually one in a billion.
"Could this be fate, a compassionate act of the heavens to compensate for my unjust destiny?" The master couldn't help but look up at the sky.
In his heart, he had already decided that no matter what, he must accept these two children as his disciples. Such incredible talent should not be wasted.
As the master marveled, Tang San was also shocked when he looked at Ao Tian.
This young boy not only had an outstanding appearance but also possessed talent not inferior to his own. At this moment, Tang San felt a sense of defeat.
Compared to this handsome young boy, he suddenly felt overshadowed.
"When did I start comparing myself to a little kid? I still have other advantages, the second Martial Soul, the Tang Sect's secret techniques. I, Tang San, am not weaker than anyone." Tang San snapped back to reality.
Just after the master's exclamation, his brows furrowed as he focused on Ao Tian's spirit, puzzled.
A Golden Dragon spirit. He had never heard of such a spirit before.
He had worked in the Spirit Hall for many years, and with his low strength and mediocre cultivation talent, he was destined to be nothing more than a low-ranking servant. However, by chance, he had earned the favor of Bibi Dong, the Spirit Hall's Supreme Pontiff, and gained access to various research materials and data. It was from these resources that he had compiled his theory of the ten core competencies of spirits.
He was familiar with hundreds, even thousands, of spirits, but he had never heard of a Golden Dragon spirit before.
Among dragon-type spirits, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul was the most elite, the ultimate Beast Soul. Yu Xiaogang speculated that the Golden Dragon martial soul might not be as powerful as the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
"What's your name, child? Can you show me your martial soul?" The master looked at Ao Tian with anticipation.
His lifelong passion was research, and now, with a new martial soul appearing before him, how could he not be excited?
"Sorry, I don't show my spirit to just anyone," Ao Tian refused. He hadn't come here to learn from Yu Xiaogang, so why should he blindly obey him?
He suspected that Yu Xiaogang was likely to want to take him as a disciple.
The master was taken aback, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
"Don't worry, I live inside the Nuoding Academy. People call me Grandmaster here," the master hastily explained, finding the child overly cautious.
"I don't care about your titles. I don't want to show it, and not even the Supreme Pontiff would make me," Ao Tian said bluntly.
"You, kid, have no manners at all? This is a teacher from the academy, and you'll be studying here in the future," Tang San couldn't help but scold.
"Alright, alright, I won't look at it," the master quickly said. He realized that the child was quite sensitive about his spirit, and he didn't want to sour the mood.
"Let me take you inside," he said, reaching out to pull Tang San.
He extended his other hand towards Ao Tian, but Ao Tian didn't offer his hand.
The master didn't mind and retracted his hand. He led Tang San in front, with Ao Tian following behind, a faint smile playing on his lips. He expected to see Tang San kneel down to him as his master very soon.