The First Encounter with Tang San

Ao Tian nodded slightly, "Hmm."

He appraised the young man in front of him, who appeared to be in his twenties, standing around 1.8 meters tall, well-built, and somewhat handsome.

"Are you Su Yuntao?" Ao Tian asked, his tone resembling a superior inquiring of a subordinate.

Su Yuntao had already prepared himself mentally and answered respectfully, "Yes, Lord Ao Tian."

Last night, Li, the Head of the branch in Nuoding City, personally found Su Yuntao and instructed him to take a VIP from the Supreme Pontiff Palace to Nuoding Academy today. Li also speculated that this Lord Ao Tian's true age might not be six years old, and his strength was immeasurable, warning Su Yuntao not to offend him.

Therefore, Su Yuntao was extremely cautious in his demeanor toward Ao Tian.

"Lord Ao Tian, let me take you to have breakfast first, and then we will head to Nuoding Academy. Please, this way."

"Very well."

After having breakfast, Su Yuntao called for a carriage and personally drove Ao Tian towards Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.

"Su Yuntao, I heard that you're pursuing Sisi?"

Ao Tian's words came from inside the carriage.

Su Yuntao hesitated for a moment and replied, "Yes."

He didn't know why Lord Ao Tian was asking this question, but he answered honestly. It wasn't a secret; everyone in the Nuoding City branch knew about it.

"I asked Sisi last night, and she doesn't actually like you. She just thinks you have some value, so she hasn't rejected you for the time being."

"Lord Ao Tian, are you joking?" Su Yuntao forced a smile, but his complexion turned unpleasant.

"Li, the Head, was present last night too. If you don't believe me, you can ask her."

Su Yuntao's smile vanished, and he fell into silence. His chest felt heavy, and he was uncomfortable.

A small, white hand reached out from the carriage, holding a thumb-sized white pearl.

"This is a Qi Pearl. Keep it with you, and it will enhance your cultivation speed. With your talent, it would be very difficult for you to break through to Spirit Ancestor in this lifetime. But with this pearl, you can at least become a Spirit King at level fifty or higher."

Su Yuntao was shocked and quickly said, "Lord Ao Tian, I can't accept this. Such a valuable item, I can't take it."

As he spoke, he tried to push Ao Tian's hand back, but his eyes were still fixated on the pearl with longing.

"Take it!" Ao Tian commanded.

Su Yuntao involuntarily opened his hand, and the pearl fell into his palm.

"This is my reward for you, as a token of appreciation for taking me to Nuoding Academy. With this, you won't be looked down upon by others in the Spirit Hall anymore. You have the potential to become the Branch Hall Master, or even higher."

Su Yuntao tightly gripped the Qi Pearl, took a deep breath, suppressed his excitement, and expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Lord Ao Tian. In the future, if Lord Ao Tian needs anything, Su Yuntao is willing to go through fire and water."

Ao Tian gave a slight nod. He also thought Su Yuntao was a good young man, which was why he gave him a small reward.

"Some women, while not very talented, have great ambitions. Be careful with yourself," Ao Tian cautioned one more time.

"Lord Ao Tian, I understand," Su Yuntao replied.

The two of them fell silent. Half an hour later, they finally arrived at the gate of Nuoding Academy.

"Lord Ao Tian, we have arrived," Su Yuntao said as he got off the carriage and opened the carriage curtain.

Ao Tian alighted from the carriage.

The gate of Nuoding Academy was quite majestic, with a width of 20 meters and a height of more than ten meters. The arch was built from sturdy rocks, and above the arch were four large characters—Nuoding Academy.

Underneath the arch, there were two large black iron gates, and a young man was dozing off in a corner beside one of the gates.

"Let's go in," Su Yuntao said. Ao Tian nodded and followed Su Yuntao as they walked forward.

After taking a few steps, he suddenly had an idea and said, "Su Yuntao, I can go in by myself. You can return to the Spirit Hall. If I need anything, I'll find you."

Su Yuntao stopped and turned around, saying, "Lord Ao Tian, I graduated from here and was a top student. I have good relationships with many teachers here. I can help you make some introductions..."

"No need," Ao Tian raised his hand to stop him. "I'll go in alone. You can go back."

"Alright, if you ever need help in the future, please come and find me. I want to repay your great kindness," Su Yuntao said earnestly.

Ao Tian waved his hand a few times and said, "Go on, go on."

Su Yuntao didn't linger and drove the carriage away from Nuoding Academy.

Ao Tian didn't immediately enter Nuoding Academy; instead, he stood on the edge of the open space in front of the academy gate, looking out at the street beyond.

There, an old man and a young boy were walking towards him.

Ao Tian had just overheard their conversation earlier, which was why he had asked Su Yuntao to leave first.

The old man had white hair and a snowy white beard. He walked with the support of a cane and wore a new set of clothes. He appeared to be in relatively good spirits.

The young boy, on the other hand, looked about six years old. He was thin, with a somewhat pale complexion, but his eyes were extremely sharp. As they walked, his lower body was remarkably stable.

Compared to the old man, the boy's clothes were quite worn, washed nearly white, and had several large patches.

The boy had excellent vision and had already spotted the four large characters of Nuoding Academy from several hundred meters away.

These two individuals were none other than Old Jack and Tang San from Holy Spirit Village.

How could Ao Tian miss the opportunity to meet the protagonist of the original story?

He stood in an inconspicuous place on the edge and examined Tang San.

He knew that there would be a show to watch shortly.

"Grandpa Jack, we've arrived. Nuoding Academy is right ahead," Tang San pointed to Nuoding Academy.

"Oh, really? Finally, we're here," Old Jack chuckled.

In a short while, Tang San and Old Jack arrived at the gate of Nuoding Academy. However, they were stopped by a young man who was guarding the gate.

The young man saw that Old Jack and Tang San looked like country bumpkins and thought they would be easy to take advantage of, so he wanted to make some extra money.

Old Jack, a simple rural man, had no understanding of city tricks, especially when the young man made sarcastic remarks about Holy Spirit Village, which infuriated Old Jack.

The young man was further angered by Old Jack's ignorance and reached out to push him.

At this moment, Tang San took decisive action.

Tang San, as someone who had stolen knowledge of various inner sect skills from the Tang Sect in his previous life, had access to top-notch martial arts techniques. Dealing with a gatekeeper young man was as easy as pie.

The tall young man was sent flying with just a few movements by Tang San, who was only six years old.

"You little brat, you're asking for death!" The young man was furious. Being pushed down by a child had hurt his pride, and he had completely lost his temper.

He got up from the ground and charged toward Tang San, his anger clouding his judgment. He wanted to teach Tang San a profound lesson.

Tang San's eyes gradually turned icy cold. He raised his left hand slightly, and the silent concealed sleeve arrows' safety mechanism had already been released.

As long as he moved the muscles on his arm slightly, the young man would gain one more short arrow in his throat.

[Third Article of the Tang Clan's Hidden Weapons Record: Once it's determined that the opponent is an enemy, if they possess the means of causing death, there will be no mercy. Otherwise, it will only lead to trouble.]

In Tang San's view, with this young man's spiteful personality, combined with his disrespect toward Old Jack, he deserved to die!

"What a ruthless kid," Ao Tian whispered. He watched the scene with a smile on his face, forming an initial impression of Tang San in his mind.