Having a figure who was at least a Soul Master apologize to him, Lao Jie Ke's vanity was thoroughly satisfied. He hurriedly waved both hands. "No need to apologize, no need. We were at fault too. Great Master, I'll leave the boy in your hands. Xiao San, go in with the Great Master and make sure you behave."
Tang San nodded but did not speak.
Earlier, when the Great Master had moved to stop the gatekeeper from charging at him, Tang San's left hand had already risen, the safety on his Sleeve Arrow disengaged. If the Great Master's words had come a moment later, there might well have been a short bolt lodged in the gatekeeper's throat.
[From the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record of the Tang Sect, General Principles, Article Three: Once you have confirmed that an opponent is an enemy and that they have sought their own death, show no mercy. To do otherwise only invites trouble upon yourself.]
In Tang San's view, the gatekeeper raising his hand against an elder like Jie Ke, combined with his spiteful tongue, already constituted seeking death. At the same time, he was absolutely certain that no one—not even Lao Jie Ke—would have detected that the Sleeve Arrow had come from him. Without evidence, who could accuse him of murder? The Tang Sect's silent Sleeve Arrow flew at tremendous speed, producing nothing more than a fleeting shadow. How could a mere gatekeeper hope to dodge it?
After Jie Ke offered Tang San a few more words of advice, he finally took his leave.
The Great Master regarded the gatekeeper with a cold glance. "This is the first time, and the last. If it happens again, you won't need to stay." His voice was hoarse yet calm, but carried an air that brooked no argument.
Cold sweat poured down the gatekeeper's back as he hurriedly agreed and scrambled aside.
The Great Master lowered his gaze to Tang San and forced a thin smile onto his face. The muscles seemed somewhat stiff, and the resulting expression was hardly endearing. He took Tang San's hand. "Let's go inside."
The Great Master's hand was soft and dry, comfortable to hold, and it gave Tang San an unconscious sense of trust. Following the Great Master's lead, Tang San finally stepped into the Academy.
"Teacher, thank you," Tang San said to the Great Master.
"Teacher? I'm not a teacher at this Academy." The Great Master looked down at Tang San, his tone flat.
"Not a teacher? Didn't you just say you were representing the Academy?"
The Great Master shook his head. Normally a man of little patience, he was unusually tolerant today, and he squeezed out another of those unsightly smiles. "Who says only a teacher can represent the Academy?"
Tang San's expression brightened with understanding. "I see—then you must be the headmaster, or perhaps a leader of some kind."
The Great Master let out a laugh. "You're a clever boy for a six-year-old. But you're still wrong."
Tang San looked puzzled. "Then who are you?"
The Great Master said, "I'm just a freeloader who lives here and eats their food, nothing more. Call me Great Master, same as everyone else. Everyone calls me that. I've practically forgotten my own name. The certificate from Spirit Hall says your name is Tang San, correct? Tang San, you need to understand—'Great Master' and 'Teacher' are vastly different things. Don't mix them up in the future. Unless…"
At that, his words trailed off, but his eyes burned with a fierce light. "Unless you truly want me to be your teacher."
"Will you teach me to cultivate my Martial Soul?" Tang San asked.
The Great Master stopped walking and turned to face Tang San. "Are you willing?"
Tang San naturally halted as well, tilting his head up to look at the Great Master before him. From this close distance and from below, he noticed that the Great Master's mouth was rather wide, with thick lips. He said nothing—neither agreeing nor refusing.
The Great Master looked at Tang San's wide, unblinking eyes, and that stiff smile reappeared on his face. "Very good. You really are a clever child."
Saying nothing carried a double meaning: first, he was in no rush to refuse, so as not to offend the Great Master. Second, he was answering with action, silently asking, "Why should I take you as my master?"
The Great Master, much as old Jie Ke had done, reached out and ruffled Tang San's hair. "Exceptional talent, and so clever besides. It seems I'll need to be stubborn about this one. After all, you are the third person in the past hundred years to possess a Twin Martial Soul."
Hearing the Great Master's words, Tang San was greatly startled. His gaze toward the Great Master shifted immediately, and his left wrist rose quietly, his eyes filled with alarm and suspicion.
The Great Master watched him with serene composure, a smile on his face. "I imagine you're wondering how I knew you had a Twin Martial Soul?" As he spoke, he shook the certificate that Lao Jie Ke had given him. "It's because of this certificate. Perhaps no one else could spot the flaw in it, but if I couldn't either, then I wouldn't deserve the title of Great Master."
"I have investigated six hundred and forty-seven individuals whose Martial Soul is the Blue Silver Grass. Among them, only sixteen possessed any Soul Power at all—less than three percent. And even those sixteen never exceeded a Soul Power of level one. Yet you have Innate Full Soul Power at the tenth level. According to one of the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul that I have researched, innate Soul Power is directly proportional to the quality of the Martial Soul. Blue Silver Grass clearly cannot account for that, so I am certain that you must possess another Martial Soul—and a very powerful one at that."
Tang San's expression gradually steadied, and he countered, "Every rule has exceptions. Why can't I be one?"
The Great Master nodded earnestly. "You're right—every rule has exceptions. But your Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass, so you are clearly not that exception. In the Tian Dou Empire and the Xing Luo Empire, over the past century, only two cases of Twin Martial Souls have appeared, but nineteen individuals with Innate Full Soul Power have been recorded. I have studied each of their Martial Souls in detail, and without exception, they were all powerful. The youngest among them has already reached the level of Great Soul Master. Fourteen of them inherited their powerful Martial Souls through family bloodlines. The remaining five were exceptions."
(End of Chapter)