The door to the dean’s office opened, and the Qi family of three instinctively turned their attention toward it.
A middle-aged man of average height walked in.
He looked to be around forty, with a short crew cut, thick lips, and an ordinary appearance.
A hint of aloofness and weariness could be seen between his brows.
Qi Dao immediately recognized him.
The “Grandmaster” Yu Xiaogang!
In his previous life, Yu Xiaogang’s online reputation wasn’t very good, and he became the source of countless internet memes.
For example:
“There are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters.”
“I taught a god.”
“Xiao San, this ten-year-old Lone Bamboo is characterized by its toughness.
It’s very suitable for your Blue Silver Grass martial soul.”
“Bibi Dong, I, Yu Xiaogang, swear that I will destroy Spirit Hall at all costs.”
While Qi Dao’s thoughts were drifting, Dean Hans first introduced the newcomer to Qi Mingyuan and Wang Rou.
“This is Yu Xiaogang, known as the ‘Grandmaster.’ A few years ago, I hired him to serve here as a guest advisor.
He’s also a friend of mine.”
Hans then turned toward Yu Xiaogang.
“Grandmaster, you came at just the right time!”
“I was just about to introduce you to a disciple who is particularly well suited to you.”
The moment Hans finished speaking, the expressions of the other four people in the office became extremely interesting.
The first were Qi Mingyuan and Wang Rou.
From Hans’s tone, the couple immediately realized that he wanted to introduce their son to this so-called “Grandmaster.”
To be honest, they were extremely excited.
After all, someone whom Dean Hans addressed as the Grandmaster had to be at least a Soul Ancestor, perhaps even a Soul King!
But then they couldn’t help worrying.
Would someone of such stature even be willing to accept their son as a disciple?
Yu Xiaogang, meanwhile, was intrigued and looked toward Qi Dao.
At first glance, he thought the child was handsome, with a hint of intelligence shining in his eyes.
He immediately struck Yu Xiaogang as a promising young talent.
Moreover, Hans was his friend.
If he was recommending a student, the child’s talent should be fairly good.
With that thought, Yu Xiaogang couldn’t help sighing inwardly.
He had already wasted more than a decade of his life.
If he continued wasting time, he feared that even after he died of old age, his unparalleled theories would still remain unrecognized by the world.
He had to find a suitable disciple as soon as possible.
‘Child, child, I have a good feeling about you.
As long as your innate soul power is at least rank eight, I’ll make an exception and accept you as my disciple.’
As for Qi Dao, there was only one thought in his mind.
Me?
Yu Xiaogang’s disciple?
No way!
Even with Tang San’s innate full soul power, that guy had him absorb a 10-year-old Lone Bamboo.
If it were himself, with only half a rank of innate soul power and an Iron Sword martial soul…
Qi Dao genuinely didn’t dare imagine the consequences.
“Hans, is that this child’s martial soul awakening certificate?”
“Let me see it!”
When Yu Xiaogang spotted the martial soul awakening certificate in Hans’s hand, he immediately reached out for it.
Hans smiled.
“Go ahead.
I think you two will have quite a few things in common.”
“And you should be able to tell that this child is very intelligent.
There’s a spark in his eyes.”
Qi Mingyuan and Wang Rou were delighted to hear Hans praise their son.
The more the dean spoke in their son’s favor, the higher the chance that this “Grandmaster” would accept him as a disciple.
However, the moment Yu Xiaogang finished reading the information on the awakening certificate, the stiff smile on his face vanished completely.
He had thought they were bringing him some kind of genius.
But what was this?
All that excitement for nothing!
A malignant martial soul mutation and half a rank of innate soul power.
What an eerily similar experience.
But could the two really be compared?
His Luo Sanpao had mutated from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
The child before him, on the other hand, merely had an ordinary Iron Sword that had undergone a malignant mutation.
Not everyone was like Yu Xiaogang, capable of cultivating from half a rank of innate soul power all the way to rank 29.
A child like Qi Dao might very well remain stuck at the rank 9 or rank 19 bottleneck for his entire life.
Hans is simply being ridiculous!
Yu Xiaogang was furious inwardly.
How could he just send anyone his way?
If he really accepted Qi Dao as his disciple, what would become of his theories?
Who would prove that his theories were correct?
He might even have to die with the reputation of being a useless person hanging over him a hundred years from now.
That was something Yu Xiaogang absolutely could not tolerate!
Everyone present noticed the change in Yu Xiaogang’s expression.
Qi Mingyuan and Wang Rou sighed.
Clearly, this “grandmaster” had not taken a liking to their son.
Hans, meanwhile, was stunned.
He had previously introduced several geniuses with innate soul power of rank 5 to Yu Xiaogang, only for Yu Xiaogang to reject them all.
Because of that, Hans had always assumed Yu Xiaogang refused to accept disciples not because their talent was insufficient, but because he simply hadn’t encountered the right person.
That was precisely why, after meeting Qi Dao, he had thought of recommending him to Yu Xiaogang.
After all, Qi Dao’s circumstances were very similar to Yu Xiaogang’s.
If Yu Xiaogang could successfully teach a disciple who also possessed only half a rank of innate soul power, the entire continent would surely acknowledge his title of “Grandmaster.”
But judging from Yu Xiaogang’s expression, he was clearly dissatisfied with Qi Dao.
Qi Dao, meanwhile, finally came back to his senses.
‘How could I have forgotten about this?’
‘Yu Xiaogang only accepts geniuses with innate full soul power.
Someone like me probably wouldn’t even get a second look from him.’
Sure enough, Yu Xiaogang’s expression remained indifferent as he spoke stiffly.
“Hans, you should know that I’m completely absorbed in academic research and don’t have the time to teach disciples.
You should find someone else.
I won’t accept this child.”
The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room seemed to freeze.
Hans gave Qi Mingyuan and Wang Rou an apologetic look.
“The Grandmaster has a peculiar temperament and can be a little blunt.
Please don’t take it to heart.”
Qi Mingyuan and Wang Rou hurriedly replied,
“Accepting a disciple is a matter of goodwill.
Refusing one is entirely within his rights.
How could we take offense?”
“Besides, the teachers at the academy are quite capable.
We believe Ah Dao will be able to learn things here that will benefit him for the rest of his life.”
Seeing this, the awkwardness on Hans’s face finally eased somewhat.
“Then, Mingyuan, Wang Rou, take the child to Director Su to complete his enrollment.”
The couple didn’t want to stay any longer either, so they immediately took Qi Dao and left the office.
After they had walked some distance away, Wang Rou gently patted Qi Dao’s head.
“Ah Dao, don’t be discouraged.
That ‘Grandmaster’ failed to recognize your potential.
Mom will always believe in you.”
She knew that her son’s talent really wasn’t very good.
But as a mother…
She would always believe in her son!
Qi Mingyuan also smiled.
“That’s right.
Dad believes in you too!”
“Ah Dao, prove it to that ‘grandmaster’ and to the entire continent!”
“Let them know that you’re an outstanding soul master!”
“Of course!”
Qi Dao grinned and pointed at Wushuang, the sword hanging from his waist.
His eyes shone with confidence.
“My sword and I will prove it all!”
End of Chapter