Tang San stood up and looked in the direction the voice came from, only to see Flender and Yu Xiaogang walking slowly towards him.
"Teacher, when did you arrive?" Tang San asked in pleasant surprise.
Yu Xiaogang snorted coldly, "If I hadn't come, your future would have been ruined! Little San, are you planning to add a soul ring to your hammer martial soul?"
"Teacher, I am indeed considering switching to my second martial soul. I feel that my current cultivation speed is a bit slow," Tang San said lightly.
"Little San, why would you have such a thought?" Yu Xiaogang softened his tone and asked, puzzled.
In his memory, Tang San had never been someone who aimed too high.
"Teacher, do you remember Lu Feng? His current soul power level is at least level thirty-five."
As he spoke, Tang San couldn't help but clench his fists.
When he first met Lu Feng in Suotuo City, Lu Feng had only said his soul power was level thirty-two, and Tang San had believed him at the time.
But after this trip to the forest, Tang San finally realized just how big the gap between him and the other was.
"Lu Feng? It's him!" A trace of understanding flashed in Yu Xiaogang's eyes. He still had some impression of this "bad student" with level five innate soul power.
"Level thirty-five! How is that possible?" Yu Xiaogang lowered his head, pondering inwardly.
A soul master's level, besides relying on meditation and hard cultivation, only depended on talent.
According to the records in books, for an aptitude of level five innate soul power, the highest recorded level at the age of thirteen was level twenty-five.
Now, Lu Feng had actually raised this record by a full ten levels!
An absurd thought flashed through Yu Xiaogang's mind, "Have my theories been wrong?"
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible!
Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath. A new thought rose in his mind, "Lu Feng must have a soul bone on him! And its age is definitely no less than ten thousand years!"
"Yes! It must be like that!" A trace of understanding flashed in Yu Xiaogang's eyes, and his face returned to its usual indifferent expression.
"Ahem," Yu Xiaogang coughed lightly and said seriously, "Little San, have you forgotten all the cultivation philosophies I taught you?"
Hearing this, Tang San immediately straightened his posture and said, "Be down-to-earth, and avoid aiming too high."
Yu Xiaogang's gaze focused slightly. "Little San, if you switch to cultivating your second martial soul now, your strength can indeed rise by a large margin in a short time."
"However, if you cultivate your Blue Silver Grass to level fifty before cultivating your second martial soul, by that time, your second martial soul will be able to obtain nine ten-thousand-year soul rings!"
Yu Xiaogang said lightly, "Imagine that scene. What does the frustration you are experiencing now count for?"
Hearing this, Tang San's eyes immediately lit up, feeling as if he had been enlightened.
"That's right, so what if I'm being suppressed by Lu Feng right now? It's not the first time anyway."
"When my second martial soul cultivation is complete, let alone Lu Feng, I won't even need to pay any mind to the Supreme Pontiff of the Spirit Hall!"
"But..." A companion who was once inferior to him had now suddenly surpassed him. Tang San found this feeling a bit hard to accept in his heart.
"Phew..." Tang San took a deep breath, calming his emotions.
"A small intolerance can spoil a great plan. In my previous life, I was able to refine the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus all by myself. In this life, I will surely be able to shine in martial soul cultivation!"
Tang San nodded and smiled at Yu Xiaogang, "Teacher, thank you for your guidance. I understand now."
The next day.
"Huh! Today's breakfast is pretty good!"
Ma Hongjun was the first to rush into the cafeteria. Smelling the rich aroma of meat, his mouth watered.
"Are you the new chef?"
Ma Hongjun looked at Yu Xiaogang, who was wearing a chef's hat, and asked, puzzled.
Yu Xiaogang picked up a large bowl, ladled out two large spoonfuls from the pot that was constantly emitting a meaty aroma, and handed it to Ma Hongjun.
"Eat. You children are all in your growing stage. Without a good body, how can you withstand immense soul power?"
Ma Hongjun took the bowl and muttered, "Don't tell me some big fool got swindled out of a large sum of money by his teacher again?"
Immediately, Ma Hongjun grabbed two more steamed buns from a nearby plate and sat down to eat.
Before long, the remaining boys entered the cafeteria one by one, all shocked by Flender's 'grand gesture'.
This simple breakfast, on a normal day, would have been enough to cover the academy's food expenses for half a month.
"Where are your other two classmates?" Yu Xiaogang looked at the four who had finished their breakfast and asked, puzzled.
He remembered Flender saying that there were two other female students in the academy, and one of them was a direct descendant of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
"Teacher, Zhuqing and Rongrong usually make their own food. They only join us during regular training," Tang San explained.
"Nonsense!"
Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang's voice immediately rose a few degrees.
"You are a team. If you can't share weal and woe, how can you trust your back to your teammates on the battlefield in the future?"
"Flender, really! He doesn't know how to manage at all!"
Looking at the furious Yu Xiaogang, the group was stunned. This was the first time they had seen such a fierce person who dared to scold the Dean in the academy.
At this moment, Oscar secretly tugged on Tang San's sleeve. "Little San, who is this... weather-beaten uncle?"
"Little Ao, he is my teacher, a famous wise man. Soul masters on the continent all respectfully call him Grandmaster," Tang San said with a smile.
"Grandmaster!" Oscar exclaimed.
"No wonder you're so amazing, Little San, especially with those hidden weapons. So you had the Grandmaster's guidance!"
In his view, to be able to nurture a disciple like Tang San, this Grandmaster must be a remarkable powerhouse.
Oscar was even thinking about whether he should also become this Grandmaster's disciple.
He didn't expect to learn such high-level skills as Tang San, but just having some life-saving means would be enough.
After breakfast, the bell rang on time, summoning all the students to the academy's playground.
"Alright, everyone is here. Next, I have an announcement to make."
Flender walked to the Grandmaster's side, put his arm around his shoulder, and said, "Let me solemnly introduce to you all, this is the man who published 'The Ten Core Theories of Martial Souls' on his own and is renowned as Grandmaster, Mr. Yu Xiaogang."
"At the same time, he is also Tang San's teacher, and my old brother of several decades."
Hearing the word Grandmaster, a trace of doubt flashed in everyone's eyes.
"Yu Xiaogang? It's him!"
Ning Rongrong's gaze turned to Tang San. "To be able to nurture such an outstanding disciple as Tang San, could the rumors be wrong? Or is it just someone with the same name?"
At this moment, Flender said, "From today onwards, your teaching will be fully managed by the Grandmaster. All of us other teachers will cooperate with the Grandmaster. Do you have any other questions?"
As his voice fell, no one objected.
Yu Xiaogang nodded, his stiff face as expressionless as ever.
He looked at the six students before him and said lightly, "The academy only has you six students. In my eyes, you are a single entity. Since you are an entity, you should advance and retreat together."
"Now, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, step forward. Tell me, why didn't you come to the cafeteria for breakfast this morning!" Yu Xiaogang reprimanded sternly.
"Are you trying to be special? Or do you think your talent is already so outstanding that you can look down on everyone?"
As his voice fell, you could hear a pin drop on the playground.
Oscar stood next to Tang San and said in a low voice, "Little San, it looks like this teacher of yours is even more formidable than Dean Flender. Will Rongrong and the others be alright?"
Tang San smiled slightly. "Teacher is always meticulous in his work. As long as we strictly follow his instructions, there won't be any problems."
Tang San held his head high, full of reverence for his teacher from the bottom of his heart.
On the other side, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun had expressions as if they were watching a good show. At the same time, a trace of admiration appeared in Ma Hongjun's eyes as he looked at Yu Xiaogang. This teacher dares to provoke the academy's little witch as soon as he arrives. He's a ruthless one.
At this moment, Zhu Zhuqing took a step forward and said with a frown, "Teacher, is there a problem with me not eating breakfast at the academy? Rongrong's stomach is delicate and can't handle hard food."
She was very smart and didn't take the blame alone, but also pulled in Ning Rongrong.
Regarding this Grandmaster, Zhu Zhuqing had also heard many rumors.
The trash with level 0.5 innate soul power...
The shame of the Upper Three Sects...
The Pope's rumored boyfriend...
However, in Zhu Zhuqing's opinion, since this Grandmaster could be the Dean's friend and was deeply trusted by him, he naturally must have his strengths.
Ning Rongrong also stepped forward and said in a sweet voice, "Zhuqing is right. I was the one who asked her to go to Suotuo City to buy breakfast. What are you going to do about it now?"
Looking at the two 'thorns' in front of him, a slight smile appeared at the corner of Yu Xiaogang's mouth. "Since I am your teacher, I will formulate some targeted teaching methods from now on."
"Regardless of who it is, I will treat everyone equally."
"Apart from cooperation, I do not wish to hear any dissenting voices."
As Yu Xiaogang's voice fell, Tang San immediately straightened his posture and said loudly, "Yes!"
Seeing this, the other boys also nodded one after another, indicating that they would follow the arrangements.
However, Ning Rongrong put her hands on her hips at this time and snorted coldly. "Tch, who do you think you are? Even Flender doesn't dare to control me. Why should I listen to your arrangements?"
Similarly, Zhu Zhuqing also looked at Yu Xiaogang with a scrutinizing expression.
She would naturally choose to accept training that was beneficial to her. However, if this person before her was just a fame-seeking good-for-nothing as the rumors said... then she could only say she was sorry.
For a moment, the six students of Shrek showed completely different states.
Yu Xiaogang took in the expressions of the students. He had already communicated with Flender beforehand, so their reactions were naturally within his expectations.
"It seems you two have doubts about my teaching?" Yu Xiaogang said with a smile.
"Correct. I admit that Tang San is excellent. But that alone is not enough to prove that you can teach us," Ning Rongrong said with her arms crossed, her head held high.
"Very good," Yu Xiaogang snorted coldly and raised his voice, "Tang San, step forward."
As his voice fell, Tang San immediately took a large step forward.
Yu Xiaogang pointed at Tang San and said, "Didn't you two question my teaching ability? In that case, let's make a bet. As long as the two of you, working together, can last for the time it takes one stick of incense to burn under Tang San's hands. Then, I will no longer interfere with your training in the future."
"Of course, Tang San will not use those special hidden weapons of his, nor will he use his third soul skill," Yu Xiaogang added.
As his voice fell, Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong looked at each other, then nodded to each other.