"You'll regret this!"
Seeing that the situation was set in stone, Yu Xiaogang snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and turned to leave.
In his eyes, Blue Silver Grass was an utterly useless Martial Soul. Apart from himself, the so-called Grandmaster of theory, he believed no one could understand it.
Seeing Yu Xiaogang trying to slip away, Lin Mu quickly stopped him, his tone unfriendly. "Did I say you could leave, 'Master'~?"
The last word was drawn out, clearly carrying a heavy tone of mockery.
Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang's face darkened considerably. It was their first meeting; why was this guy so hostile towards him?
"Don't push your luck. The Dean of Nuoding Academy is my friend."
Yu Xiaogang's confidence was clearly lacking as he spoke. His friend, the Dean, was only a Level 42 Soul Ancestor, likely no match for this young man.
Lin Mu was originally a Level 46 Soul Ancestor, but after the system reward, his Soul Power had increased by one rank. He was now a Level 47 Soul Ancestor.
"Weren't you acting quite arrogant just a moment ago? You are merely a two-ring Great Soul Master, yet you dared to spout nonsense in front of a Soul Ancestor. I could cripple you right now without breaking a sweat."
These words pierced Yu Xiaogang's heart like a sharp blade, tearing apart his last remaining shreds of pride.
Decades of cultivation had left him stuck at Level 29, which already filled him with immense shame. If his cultivation were to be crippled now, he would become utterly useless, a true waste.
"I... how would I know you were a Soul Ancestor?"
Yu Xiaogang completely lost his previous arrogance. His voice trembled, clearly terrified at the prospect of having his cultivation destroyed.
"Well, now you know, don't you?"
Lin Mu didn't actually intend to harm Yu Xiaogang physically. Although this guy was trash, he still had a complicated relationship with the madwoman, Bibi Dong.
If he were to cripple or kill him now, Bibi Dong might go even crazier than she already was.
"Lord Soul Ancestor, I know I was wrong."
Yu Xiaogang bowed deeply to Lin Mu, his eyes bloodshot with suppressed emotion. This was the first time he had ever bowed and apologized to a junior, and a sense of humiliation welled up within him.
"Get lost."
Yu Xiaogang scrambled away.
"Master, this person knows I have Twin Martial Souls. Will he cause us trouble?" Tang San asked worriedly after Yu Xiaogang had disappeared.
"Don't worry. Although this guy is a piece of trash, he values his own life very much. He wouldn't dare to do that," Lin Mu said calmly.
Hearing this, the weight in Tang San's heart finally lifted.
In his mind, the safest option would have been to eliminate the threat completely. But since his Master said it was fine, he wouldn't question it.
Tang San, after all, possessed an ancient mindset and believed in absolute respect for his teacher. "A teacher for a day, a father for life."
Even with a piece of trash like Yu Xiaogang in the original timeline, Tang San hadn't betrayed him.
In the end, Yu Xiaogang was just a paper tiger. He was unable to inspire genuine awe in Tang San, which was part of the reason Tang San's personality eventually warped.
Throughout the original story, the theories Yu Xiaogang "discovered" were mostly stolen from Spirit Hall records. The theories he actually summarized himself were often wrong.
The reason he was able to guess that Tang San had Twin Martial Souls was purely by sheer luck.
He claimed that Blue Silver Grass was a weak soul, and therefore Tang San must have a second, stronger soul to support Innate Full Soul Power. But Tang San's Blue Silver Grass wasn't ordinary, it possessed the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline. Once it underwent its second awakening, it would become a top-tier Martial Soul.
It wasn't a case of one being stronger and the other weaker, as Yu Xiaogang had claimed.
"Alright, I'll take you to buy some daily necessities first."
After buying Tang San's necessities, Lin Mu didn't go to Nuoding Academy. Since he wasn't a teacher there, he couldn't stay in the dorms. instead, he found a hotel nearby to stay in.
In his room, Lin Mu sat cross-legged on the bed and released his Martial Soul again.
It was an object made entirely of a red metallic material, featuring two ports in the center and a small socket at the top where a red crystal key was inserted. The edges on both sides were serrated, resembling solidified flames.
This was his Martial Soul: The Flame of Nava.
When his Martial Soul first awakened, Lin Mu had been dumbfounded. Now, looking at it, it was clear this was the work of a cheat system.
In the eyes of the Spirit Hall deacon who performed the awakening, his Martial Soul was just a strange piece of metal. While not considered a useless Martial Soul, it didn't receive much attention from Spirit Hall.
Lin Mu didn't want to be too high-profile, so Spirit Hall's indifference was exactly what he wanted.
To outsiders, the Flame of Nava was just an ordinary piece of metal, seemingly useless for anything other than smashing people.
But in reality, the Flame of Nava was the summoning device for a comprehensive set of armor, the Nava Armor (Lava Armor). Its quality was absolutely top-tier.
Sixteen years ago, Lin Mu came to this world and was adopted and raised by an elderly pharmacist.
Although he hadn't activated his system before today, thanks to his Innate Full Soul Power and powerful Martial Soul, Lin Mu's cultivation journey had been relatively smooth.
It wasn't until his grandfather, the pharmacist, passed away that Lin Mu left the city where he had lived since childhood to cultivate and travel the continent. He had only recently arrived in Nuoding City.
"With this cheat code, maybe I can acquire other Armors in the future," Lin Mu thought to himself, his eyes gleaming.
The Nava Armor was primarily offensive. Its stats were inferior to other elemental armors in certain aspects like defense or speed. Acquiring other armors would significantly boost his versatility and strength.
"Correcting Tang San's personality is easier said than done," Lin Mu sighed.
Although Tang San had already become his disciple, eliminating the toxic influence of Yu Xiaogang and Shrek Academy, the Tang Sect's ideology still held considerable sway over him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have so readily declared, "You have a way to death" in the original works.
However, Lin Mu was different from Yu Xiaogang. Even if his attempts at education failed, he was confident he had the strength to subdue the brat.
Meanwhile, Tang San had moved into the work-study dormitory, Room 7.
His bedside was piled high with new bedding, a washbasin, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and other necessities.
These were all purchased by Lin Mu. Though inexpensive, they brought Tang San an unprecedented sense of warmth.
If Tang San hadn't been a transmigrator with an adult mind, he would have been tormented to death by Tang Hao's neglect long ago.
Tang San had almost never experienced fatherly love from Tang Hao. The only time he received any attention was after he revealed the Clear Sky Hammer.
"Tang San, since you're so rich, why are you still a work-study student?" Wang Sheng asked, looking at the pile of new goods.
"My Master bought all of these for me," Tang San replied.
"You became a disciple right after entering school?"
Wang Sheng looked surprised. Although Blue Silver Grass was generally considered a useless Martial Soul, Tang San was born with Innate Full Soul Power, so it made sense that some Soul Masters might be interested. But becoming a disciple so quickly seemed a bit hasty.
"Do you know what rank your Master is?" Wang Sheng asked curiously.
"He is a Soul Ancestor."
Upon hearing "Soul Ancestor," Wang Sheng and the other work-study students widened their eyes in shock.
In their understanding, even a Great Soul Master was a powerful figure. A four-ring Soul Ancestor was an extremely prestigious VIP, someone who could be a city lord!
Seeing their shocked reactions, Tang San couldn't help but feel a little proud.
At home, even getting a full meal was a luxury. If it weren't for Grandpa Jack's help, he might have starved to death long ago. Now that he had a Master, everything was better.
His Master had said he would take him to hunt for Soul Rings tomorrow, meaning he, too, would soon become a respected Soul Master.
Compared to his father, who was a heavy drinker and ignored him, his Master, whom he had only known for a day, treated him so well. This made Tang San feel very conflicted.
But Tang San was, after all, a person with traditional values. No matter how bad his father was to him, he felt he had to accept it.