Chương 12: Gangzi, are you pretending to be your mother?

The office was silent for three seconds.

Lin Dong looked at Yu Xiaogang with a complex emotion in his eyes—as if he were looking at an idiot, but he was too embarrassed to say it directly.

Tang San looked at Yu Xiaogang, with only one thought in his mind: Teacher's mouth is really hard.

Xiao Wu flung me away, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't do anything to Su Chen.

How can this be explained?

Su Chen looked at Yu Xiaogang, his face expressionless.

Yu Xiaogang, thinking his words had worked, proudly raised his chin and looked at Su Chen: "Am I right? Do you feel it's difficult for you to control your soul power? Do you experience backlash when you release soul skills?"

Su Chen looked at him calmly without saying a word.

Yu Xiaogang waited a moment, and seeing that Su Chen didn't answer, he nodded to himself: "Silence means consent. Dean, see, I was right, wasn't I?"

Lin Dong opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know what to say.

He looked at Su Chen—the child had a rosy complexion, steady breathing, and solid and powerful soul energy fluctuations; he didn't look like his foundation had been destroyed at all.

He then looked at Yu Xiaogang—this master looked completely confident, as if he were the only one in the world who understood the theory of martial spirits.

Lin Dong remained silent for three seconds before finally choosing a way to avoid offending anyone: "Master, your theory... is very creative."

Yu Xiaogang didn't catch the hidden meaning; instead, he nodded in satisfaction: "This is the culmination of twenty years of research."

Lin Dong coughed, not wanting to dwell on the topic any longer.

He turned to Su Chen: "Su Chen, I've approved your application. It just so happens that Grandmaster is also taking Tang San to the Soul Hunting Forest to obtain a Soul Ring, so you two can go together."

He then looked at Yu Xiaogang: "Master, I'll leave Su Chen in your care. Although his foundation is 'unstable,' he is, after all, a student of the academy, so safety comes first."

Yu Xiaogang initially wanted to refuse—he didn't want to be with this child who had embarrassed him.

But then I thought, this is exactly an opportunity.

If Su Chen performs poorly in actual combat in the Soul Hunting Forest and can't even defeat a ten-year-old soul beast, wouldn't that prove his theory is correct?

"Okay, leave it to me."

Yu Xiaogang nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Su Chen glanced at Yu Xiaogang but remained silent.

Tang San stood aside, watching this scene, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

He recalled Yu Xiaogang saying that Su Chen's "talent was too poor, and he was not worthy to be my disciple."

Now they're saying things like "the foundation has been destroyed" and "their combat ability is not even as good as level 10."

Throughout the entire process, Su Chen did not utter a single word in rebuttal, but simply watched calmly.

Tang San sighed inwardly: "Master's mouth is really hard."

And... why did he have to speak so badly of Su Chen? Was it because of jealousy?

Or is it because they are afraid that their theories will be overturned?

The teacher seems to be a little too concerned about saving face.

Mistakes should be corrected, rather than perpetuating the same error on the wrong path.

Tang San glanced at Su Chen, then at Yu Xiaogang, and a vague answer began to form in his mind.

"Alright, you can go back and get ready."

Lin Dong waved his hand, "We'll set off early tomorrow morning. Be careful."

The three of them walked out of the dean's office.

In the corridor, Yu Xiaogang walked at the front, saying without turning his head, "Meet at the college gate at six o'clock tomorrow morning. Don't be late."

After saying that, he quickened his pace and soon disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Tang San and Su Chen walked side by side.

Tang San whispered, "Su Chen, don't take what the teacher said to heart. He... he's probably just too stubborn."

Su Chen smiled faintly: "It's nothing. Let him say what he wants, I'll just go."

Tang San nodded vigorously.

Yu Xiaogang returned to his office, closed the door, and slumped into his chair.

He closed his eyes, and Su Chen's purple soul ring and level 20 soul power kept flashing in his mind.

Level 10 in three months... How is that possible...?

He muttered to himself, his voice trembling slightly, a tremor he himself was unaware of.

He suddenly opened his eyes and clenched his fists.

"No, my theory can't be wrong. He must be an exception, or... he used some forbidden method."

"I want to see his combat abilities firsthand in the Soul Hunting Forest. If he proves to be easily defeated, then I'll prove myself right."

"If he..."

Yu Xiaogang dared not think any further.

He shook his head, trying to banish the terrible possibility from his mind.

"No, my theory is correct."

When Su Chen returned to the dormitory, Xiao Wu immediately jumped off the bed and hopped in front of him like a little rabbit.

"Brother Chen! Where have you been? What does the dean want with you?"

Su Chen briefly explained that he was going to the Soul Hunter Forest tomorrow.

"Brother Chen, are you in danger tomorrow?"

Su Chen didn't open his eyes: "No."

"Then bring me a present when you come back!"

"……good."

Xiao Wu contentedly tucked back into the covers, a smile playing on her lips.

Su Chen closed his eyes and began to meditate.

In his mind, the first layer of top-level theoretical knowledge instilled by the system began to emerge, and countless pieces of knowledge about martial souls, soul beasts, and soul rings surged in like a tide.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and a thin layer of dew clung to the stone steps at the entrance of Notting College.

Yu Xiaogang, carrying a bulging bundle on his back, stood at the door and waited for about fifteen minutes.

He made a point of wearing a cleaner gray robe today, and he also trimmed his beard. He looked much more energetic than usual, though of course, "energetic" is relative, compared to his own appearance.

Tang San arrived carrying a small bundle, his forehead still damp with the sweat from running: "Master, am I not late?"

"No." Yu Xiaogang nodded, his gaze passing over Tang San and looking behind him.

Su Chen walked over empty-handed, unhurriedly.

He was wearing the same coarse cloth clothes as yesterday, and his hands were empty; he hadn't brought any luggage.

Yu Xiaogang watched this unfold, shaking his head inwardly: He didn't even bring any luggage; he really is an inexperienced kid. He'd see what he did once they entered the forest.

"Everyone's here, let's go."

Yu Xiaogang turned around and walked towards the carriage parked by the roadside.

Inside the carriage, Yu Xiaogang sat in the middle, with Tang San and Su Chen on either side.

The wheels crunched and groaned as they rolled over the gravel road.

Tang San lifted the carriage curtain and looked out at the receding fields, feeling both nervous and expectant.

This was the first time he had ever left Holy Soul Village so far, and it was also the first time he had ever hunted soul beasts.

Yu Xiaogang cleared his throat and took out a belt from his pocket.

The belt is entirely dark brown, made of fine leather, and inlaid with jade-colored gemstones the size of a fingernail.

"Tang San," he said, his tone tinged with barely concealed pride, "this is a gift from your master to mark our meeting."

Tang San was taken aback: "A greeting gift?"

"A storage soul tool belt." Yu Xiaogang handed over the belt.

"The internal space is twenty-four cubic meters, which is enough for your daily use. You can put in a change of clothes, dry food, a water pouch, and books. You won't have to carry a bundle around anymore."

Tang San took the belt and examined it carefully.

The gemstone gleamed softly in the morning light and felt warm to the touch.

He infused a wisp of soul power into it and clearly sensed the space inside the belt; it was empty and waiting to be filled.

"Thank you, teacher!" Tang San's eyes lit up, his voice filled with genuine joy.

"This... this is too precious!"

Yu Xiaogang waved his hand, his expression indifferent: "It's not valuable. Although I'm not wealthy, I can still afford to provide some belongings for my disciples."

He paused, glancing at Su Chen intentionally or unintentionally, before continuing, "Some people don't even have a storage soul tool, they didn't bring any luggage, so they won't even have a tent for camping and will have to sleep on the grass. At night, there are so many mosquitoes, and the ground is damp, you'll wake up with a sore back and aching muscles..."