As expected, this little rascal Tang San harbored some rather malicious intentions beneath the surface.
For Tang San, who had grown up in a small village, the single gold soul coin subsidy distributed by the Spirit Hall represented an enormous sum of money.
In Tang San's view, since his younger brother Tang Yi had already secured the working-student quota from Holy Soul Village—and attending school incurred no tuition fees—as long as Tang Yi cultivated steadily, reaching rank ten soul master was only a matter of time.
Thereafter, even if Tang Yi's achievements remained limited, he would still be able to provide a continuous stream of income for both Tang San and their father.
"Father, one gold soul coin equals ten silver soul coins equals one hundred copper soul coins! That amount is sufficient to cover several months of living expenses for an ordinary commoner! Please allow my younger brother to accompany me to Notting Junior Soul Master Academy for cultivation!"
Tang San pleaded earnestly.
Tang Hao was momentarily taken aback. He himself cared little for a single gold soul coin, but he attached the greatest importance to Tang San—his son who possessed twin martial souls!
Moreover, Tang Hao would soon need to leave to attend to certain matters and could not remain in Holy Soul Village indefinitely, idling away his days.
"Very well! Since Little San, you insist so strongly, let Tang Yi go with you," Tang Hao finally relented.
After a brief pause, Tang Hao glanced at Tang Yi: "Tang Yi, you lack Little San's talent! The moment you become a rank ten soul master and start receiving the subsidy, get out and return to Holy Soul Village at once! This old man still needs you to wash clothes, scrub pots, and cook meals!"
Toward Tang Yi, who showed no talent, Tang Hao instinctively felt a trace of contempt.
A sudden, disturbing thought even crossed his mind: why did Tang San possess twin martial souls, including the Clear Sky Hammer inherited from his own bloodline?
In contrast, Tang Yi only had A Yin's Blue Silver Grass martial soul?
"Damn it! Could I have been cuckolded?!"
Tang Hao's face twisted into a bitter expression as the horrifying possibility surfaced, but he quickly suppressed it.
"Impossible! I, Tang Hao, am the youngest Title Douluo on the continent—the most charismatic man alive! A Yin would never betray me…"
At this thought, Tang Hao's gaze toward Tang Yi grew even more repulsed: "Tang Yi, get lost tomorrow! If you cannot reach rank ten soul master and obtain the subsidy, do not come back!"
Tang Yi stared at this "beast of a father" who had sired children but refused to raise them, seething with rage.
"You drunken dog, Tang Hao. The mountains do not turn, but the waters do—we shall see!"
Having received generous gifts from Great Xia and established a connection to his homeland, Tang Yi was confident that he would soon ascend among the ranks of the strong in the Douluo universe!
On the road to Notting Junior Soul Master Academy, Tang San continued to boast about his teacher Yu Xiaogang to Tang Yi.
"Little brother, my teacher is the foremost theoretical master in the soul master world. He proposed the famous Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls!"
"Moreover, my teacher only had half-rank innate soul power, yet he has now become a twenty-ninth-ranked great soul master!"
"With my teacher's guidance, I even obtained a hundred-year soul ring!"
"And this soul ring is no ordinary one—it comes from a four-hundred-year-old Man-Eating Demon Snake, and it carries the additional effect of neuroparalytic toxin!"
As he spoke, Tang San proudly released his yellow soul ring in a display of炫耀.
Tang Yi sneered inwardly. It seemed Tang San had indeed been led astray by "Yu Xiaogang." Instead of developing his Blue Silver Grass along the path of life-attribute enhancement, he insisted on pursuing control-type abilities and had even saddled it with a mishmash of toxic effects.
Yet Tang San kept boasting incessantly, completely unaware that his potential ceiling had already been locked in place by Yu Xiaogang.
"Quite ordinary," Tang Yi remarked with a casual wave of his hand, thoroughly fed up with Tang San's endless prattle.
Tang San's expression immediately darkened: "Ordinary? I am currently a fifteenth-ranked soul master with a four-hundred-year soul ring—and you call that ordinary?"
Village Chief Jack, who was traveling with them, hurriedly intervened: "Little San, your younger brother is merely encouraging you to keep working hard!"
With Village Chief Jack stepping in, Tang San could no longer openly vent his anger, but he secretly struck out with a palm toward Tang Yi.
Tang San's personality was precisely like this—petty, vindictive, and extremely narrow-minded.
However, after receiving supplies from Great Xia, how could Tang Yi still be a frail child?
Tang San's strike carried twenty percent of his Mysterious Jade Hand internal energy!
In Tang San's calculation, a solid hit would surely send Tang Yi sprawling face-first into the dirt—"eating dog shit," as it were—thus teaching this arrogant "younger brother" a proper lesson.
Observing the sneak attack coming his way, Tang Yi gave a cold inner laugh. From the very first moment he received Great Xia's supplies, he had immediately consumed gene enhancement potions and begun cultivating the Nine Yang True Scripture!
Under the catalysis of several vials of gene enhancement potion, Tang Yi had already refined a strand of Nine Yang internal energy!
The Nine Yang internal energy was fierce, domineering, and represented the supreme pure-yang supreme art!
Against such power, Tang San's current half-baked Mysterious Jade Hand stood no chance.
"Nine Yang internal energy—震!"
Without dodging or evading, Tang Yi met the incoming palm head-on in direct confrontation!
A crisp "pa!" rang out!
Tang San was immediately sent flying backward by the tremendous force. Losing his balance, he tumbled forward with a "thud"—landing face-first.
By sheer coincidence, right in front of him lay a fresh pile of dog excrement on the grass.
Tang San's small face plunged directly into it!
"Eating dog shit!"
Tang Yi mocked with a sneer.
The overwhelming stench instantly made Tang San retch violently!
Towering fury surged into his heart!
"Martial soul—Blue Silver Grass!"
Tang San immediately released his martial soul, preparing to engage Tang Yi in combat.
Village Chief Jack angrily reprimanded him: "Little San! Tang Yi is your younger brother! I saw everything just now—it was you who struck out at him first. You simply lost your footing and fell over!"
Village Chief Jack's words caused Tang San to calm down somewhat.
He had just used twenty percent of his Mysterious Jade Hand power to strike.
Yet his younger brother had managed to repel him completely?
Could it be that he too had cultivated some martial arts manual?
The thought had barely surfaced before Tang San forcibly suppressed it: "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! My younger brother must simply have been born with greater natural strength! After all, I am a transmigrator and a member of the Tang Sect! Martial arts manuals are hardly common street trash!"
He then recalled that Tang Yi had performed heavy household chores since childhood—including occasionally assisting their father at the forge—and suddenly found it perfectly reasonable: "I trained him from a young age by making him do more work. It's only natural that his strength would be greater."
"Besides, I only used twenty percent of my Mysterious Jade Hand power this time! If I struck with full force, my younger brother would be no match for me at all! Moreover, I still have soul power—fifteenth rank! I can crush him in an instant!"
Tang San felt relieved once more. Though his face was now covered in filth, his arrogance remained undiminished.
Village Chief Jack covered his nose and coughed: "Little San, hurry and wash your face! When we return to the academy, don't let others mock you!"
Though Tang San inwardly disrespected Village Chief Jack, he still showed deference on the surface. After all, Jack was the village chief of Holy Soul Village, where Tang San's working-student status was registered, and his drunken father Tang Hao still resided there.
With the traditional mindset of an ancient person, Tang San displayed an unusual degree of "filial piety" toward his alcoholic father.
"Yes, Grandpa Jack!"
Suppressing his urge to clash with Tang Yi again, Tang San found a small pond and vigorously scrubbed his face.
Half a day later, the three finally arrived at Notting Junior Academy.
Yu Xiaogang had been waiting outside the academy gates for some time.
Having heard from Tang San about the family situation, he was quite eager to meet Tang Yi.
"Little San possesses twin martial souls and innate full soul power! His younger brother Tang Yi must surely be another martial soul genius!"
"I must take him as my disciple as well! Only then can my Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls truly be propagated and glorified!"
Yu Xiaogang stood with hands behind his back, deliberately adopting the air of a transcendent expert.
Upon seeing Yu Xiaogang, Tang San eagerly ran forward.
"Teacher! I have returned!"
"This is Village Chief Jack, who previously escorted me here to enroll!"
"And this boy is my younger brother—Tang Yi!"
Tang San introduced him briefly.
A gleam flashed in Yu Xiaogang's eyes. He cupped his hands toward Village Chief Jack: "Old Village Chief, you may return now. The children will be entrusted to me."
Village Chief Jack nodded: "Then I thank you, Grandmaster."
Yu Xiaogang maintained his calm, otherworldly demeanor and cast a seemingly casual glance toward Tang Yi: "Child, do you know who I am?"
"Yu Xiaogang, of course!"
Tang Yi replied with a disdainful smile.
Anger flickered across Yu Xiaogang's face, but to preserve his image as a lofty expert, he forced a smile: "Correct—that is my full name! In the soul master world, people generally prefer to address me by my title—Grandmaster! Little San must have already introduced me to you."
"Across the entire continent, in the field of martial soul theory, I am the foremost authority—the number one! Once you enter my tutelage, you will surely grow rapidly!"
Yu Xiaogang spoke with grand solemnity.
Tang Yi directly tore away Yu Xiaogang's hypocritical mask: "Nonsense! The so-called Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls—you simply plagiarized them from the Spirit Hall, didn't you?"
"Moreover, those theories about plant-type and tool martial souls being able to absorb beast soul rings across species (the Martial Soul Mimicry Theory)—aren't they just stating the blatantly obvious?"
"Even a three-year-old child knows that tool martial soul users can absorb beast soul rings! Are we supposed to believe they can only absorb weapon-type soul rings? And are swords, sabers, or hammers even soul beasts in the first place?"
Tang Yi mercilessly attacked Yu Xiaogang's credibility.
Yu Xiaogang instantly bristled with rage, breathing heavily like an enraged bull: "You sharp-tongued little brat! Watch as I smash that mouth of yours!"
With a shout—"Fart like thunder—Heaven-Shaking Earth-Shattering Luo Sanpao!"
A chubby, pale-purple martial soul resembling a cross between a dog and a pig—Luo Sanpao—was summoned forth.
Yet Tang Yi showed not the slightest fear. Although he was only a rank-one soul master and had only just begun cultivating the Nine Yang True Scripture, having thoroughly read the original novel, he had long since grasped Yu Xiaogang's psychology completely.
"Yu Xiaogang? Do you really dare strike me? I, Tang Yi, stand by my name and deeds! Even if you smash my mouth, I will not utter a single groan—for I am a proud son of the Tang family, upright and unyielding!"
Tang Yi deliberately emphasized the surname "Tang."
Yu Xiaogang was naturally aware of the identity behind Tang San. Not long ago, the formidable Title Douluo Tang Hao had personally sought him out and instructed him to take good care of Tang San.
"Damn it! Tang Yi is Tang San's blood brother—the son of Tang Hao! If I actually strike him today, one slap from Title Douluo Tang Hao would be more than I can bear!"
Yu Xiaogang was always cautious and indecisive in his actions—fearful of Tang Hao's Title Douluo strength and wary of the prestige of the Clear Sky Sect.
After a brief hesitation, Yu Xiaogang ultimately withdrew his martial soul Luo Sanpao.
"Tang Yi, how do you know about the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls?"
"Moreover, you seem to understand the Martial Soul Mimicry Theory as well? You are only six years old and have just awakened your martial soul—how could you know so much about the soul master world?"
Yu Xiaogang suppressed his fury and asked suspiciously.
Tang Yi gave a light chuckle and stated directly: "My father Tang Hao told me."
At these words, not only was Yu Xiaogang stunned—Tang San himself became agitated.
"Little brother, you're lying! Father dislikes you the most—why would he discuss soul master matters with you?"
"Besides, Father is merely a blacksmith in the village. How could he possibly understand Teacher's theories?"
Tang San immediately refuted.
Ignoring Tang San, Tang Yi continued staring at Yu Xiaogang with a mocking smile: "First theory: Innate soul power is directly proportional to martial soul strength!"
"Second theory: There are no waste martial souls—only waste soul masters!"
"Third theory: Plant-type, tool martial souls, and the like may also absorb animal soul rings!"
"Fourth theory: Soul power bottlenecks do not prevent soul power accumulation!"
"Fifth theory: Soul bone drop rates are related to the soul beast's emotional state!"
"Sixth theory: Martial souls are divided solely into tool martial souls and beast martial souls!"
"Seventh theory: Soul masters must clearly define their own developmental direction!"
"Eighth theory: Soul ring age limits are tied to the soul master's endurance capacity!"
"Ninth theory: Martial soul inheritance follows the principle of bloodline precedence!"
"Tenth theory: Martial soul mutations possess bidirectional potential!"
Listening to Tang Yi fluently and concisely summarize his own lengthy exposition of martial soul theories, Yu Xiaogang was profoundly shaken and inwardly convinced.
Who else but Title Douluo Tang Hao could have gone to a remote village and imparted these theories to a young boy?
"Tang Hao actually told Tang Yi these theories in advance. This suggests that Tang Hao values Tang Yi even more highly!"
"It appears this Tang Yi may be even more of a genius than Tang San! For a genius to possess a certain degree of arrogance and defiance is only natural!"
Yu Xiaogang engaged in his own mental rationalization, and a smile returned to his face: "Yes, yes—you are entirely correct, and your phrasing is precise and apt! It seems your father Tang Hao places great importance on you and has been instructing you in martial soul theory since childhood!"
Hearing even his teacher affirm this, Tang San's expression became extremely unsightly.
"Father really has been hiding his depths? Or is he showing favoritism? To secretly teach my younger brother all this knowledge!"
Tang San felt deeply displeased and began to resent Tang Hao inwardly.
"By the way, Little San! What martial soul did your younger brother awaken on the day of his awakening? And what was his innate soul power rank?"
Yu Xiaogang inquired.
"Teacher, my younger brother's talent is very poor! He only has a single martial soul—Blue Silver Grass! Moreover, his innate soul power is merely rank one!"
Tang San spoke in a deliberately derogatory tone.
Yet Yu Xiaogang's eyes widened in shock. His face flushed deep red like pig liver as he once again breathed heavily in outrage: "What?! Your younger brother Tang Yi has innate soul power of only rank one and has awakened only a single waste martial soul—Blue Silver Grass?!"