Capítulo 9: The "Master" Who Was Ignored
Nuoding Academy, Dorm Seven.
The next morning, Zuzong awoke from his cultivation.
He opened his eyes and looked around, noticing that there were still two empty beds in the dorm.
Seeing this, Zuzong's lips curled into a sinister smile as he thought to himself, "Looks like the gift I gave Tang San yesterday was quite effective. He's probably still shivering in some dark little room, cold and hungry!"
After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Zuzong left Dorm Seven without greeting the others.
He headed to the office of the Vice-Dean.
Before he even entered, he could hear a middle-aged man shouting in anger from a distance.
"Outrageous! This is unacceptable! How dare they lock up a new student in a small dark room and neglect him?"
"Vice-Dean, something must be done about this. Leaving a student locked in a dark room all night, if I hadn't gotten up to use the restroom in the middle of the night and heard crying, that kid might have gone crazy by the next day. Nuoding Academy is a place for young soul masters to learn, not a sanctuary for people to abuse their power. Just a few days ago, I even saw him demanding bribes from students' parents."
The response came in a low, weathered voice of another middle-aged man, devoid of any vitality.
"So, Master, what do you suggest we do?"
"Rules must be enforced to maintain order. He should be expelled and publicly reprimanded, and made to apologize to my student."
"But that Huoden (the gatekeeper's alias) is the nephew of the Nuoding City Martial Soul Hall's head! I'm afraid that..."
"Martial Soul Hall? Even the Pope wouldn't do something like this! @#￥" (followed by a string of criticisms against Martial Soul Hall)
[Bibi Dong: Why am I being dragged into this out of nowhere?]
Standing outside, Zuzong touched his spotless chin and thought to himself, "It seems the one arguing with the Vice-Dean is the so-called 'Master.'"
"Could it be destiny? Even in this situation, Yu Xiaogang manages to meet Tang San!"
"And from his tone, it seems he's already accepted Tang San as his disciple."
Fate truly works in mysterious ways.
"Knock, knock," Zuzong rapped on the office door.
"Click," the door opened.
In front of him stood a refined middle-aged man. From the badge on his chest depicting four long swords, Zuzong recognized him as the Vice-Dean of Nuoding Academy, Blanklin (made-up name).
As a well-rounded young man aiming to develop in every aspect, Zuzong was not just good-looking but also well-mannered. He greeted the Vice-Dean politely.
"Good morning, Vice-Dean!"
"Ah, yes, good morning! You must be Zuzong, who just enrolled yesterday, right? Don't just stand outside, come in."
The Vice-Dean appeared very enthusiastic. He not only warmly welcomed Zuzong into the room but also went out of his way to pour him a cup of hot tea.
God knows...
Blanklin had just started work today and hadn't even had breakfast before this so-called "Master" had dragged him to the office. Not only had he been rambling nonstop, but he had also brazenly criticized the Pope of Martial Soul Hall, making Blanklin's heart race with anxiety.
When he heard someone knock on the door, Blanklin felt as if he'd been granted a reprieve. He didn't even say "come in" and went to open the door himself.
Zuzong took the cup and sipped it symbolically, then was about to speak when Blanklin cut him off.
"Let me introduce you, Master. This is Zuzong, a new student who enrolled yesterday. Not only that, he is a genius with innate full soul power. Your disciple is an innate full soul power Blue Silver Grass martial soul, right? Well, this young talent here also awakened Blue Silver Grass, but it's a highly mutated and powerful version."
Innate full soul power mutated Blue Silver Grass? The words lit up the eyes of Yu Xiaogang, who had initially thought the Vice-Dean was trying to brush him off. A rare smile appeared on his stiff face as he examined Zuzong from head to toe, as if he were a priceless treasure.
Each time he looked at Zuzong, he nodded to himself.
"Excellent, excellent, he has the perfect bone structure. Truly a one-in-a-million martial arts prodigy...cough, I mean, a genius. He is fit to become my disciple and benefit from my 'unmatched theory.' Only this Master can shape his potential."
Having made up his mind, Yu Xiaogang decided that he would accept this possible fourth dual-soul master in history as his second disciple.
Meanwhile, Zuzong, feeling Yu Xiaogang's greedy gaze, couldn't help but shiver. "Is this 'Master' some kind of creep? Lusting after my good looks?"
Thinking of this sent a chill down Zuzong's spine. If the Vice-Dean weren't present, Zuzong would have already made Yu Xiaogang taste some Leaf Village martial arts.
Clearing his throat, Zuzong spoke, "Ahem, Vice-Dean, the person beside you is probably a gatekeeper, right? I would like to request a few days off, and he can help me with the registration."
The Vice-Dean almost burst out laughing when he heard the term "gatekeeper." He glanced at Yu Xiaogang, whose lips were twitching uncontrollably. To be honest, the "Master's" outfit and demeanor did indeed make him look like an old dorm manager.
The Vice-Dean chose not to clarify and instead asked warmly, "Zuzong, you just started yesterday, and now you're asking for leave. What do you plan to do?"
"I'm planning to hunt for my first spirit ring."
The Vice-Dean nodded after hearing this.
"You're right. You awakened your martial soul three months ago, and the delay could affect your progress. I happen to be free for the next few days, so I can accompany you."
Zuzong thought for a moment and didn't refuse. This arrangement could save him some trouble. He might be able to bluff Su Yuntao for a pass, but the guards and other adventurers in the Soul Beast Forest wouldn't take him seriously as a kid.
"Thank you, Vice-Dean!"
The two began their conversation, completely ignoring Yu Xiaogang, who was racking his brain on how to accept Zuzong as his disciple. Every time Yu Xiaogang tried to speak, Zuzong would shut him down with a "Gatekeeper, wait for your turn."
The Vice-Dean and Zuzong continued their discussion until they left for breakfast, leaving Yu Xiaogang without a chance to speak a single word.
Standing in front of the door, Yu Xiaogang watched Zuzong's figure disappear into the distance. His fists clenched tightly inside his sleeves.
"No, I can't give up. I, Yu Xiaogang, must prove myself. Right! I still have Xiaosan. Tomorrow, I'll take him to get his spirit ring, and when we return, I'll have Xiaosan compete with him. When he sees the difference, he will naturally come to me."
Far away, walking with the Vice-Dean, Zuzong glanced back at Yu Xiaogang, who was gesturing wildly. Unsure of what he was doing, Zuzong asked the Vice-Dean, "Vice-Dean, that gatekeeper was just waving his arms around. Could he be mentally unstable?"
To be honest, Blanklin despised the self-proclaimed "Master." At forty or fifty years old, he still hadn't broken through to level 30. That would have been fine, but he went around boasting about being "unmatched in theory." If it weren't for the fact that he was the Dean's quirky friend, Blanklin wouldn't have tolerated his freeloading. Just yesterday, he'd even tricked Tang San, an excellent talent, into becoming his disciple. Blanklin feared Zuzong would follow in Tang San's footsteps, so he didn't correct Zuzong's "misunderstanding" of Yu Xiaogang.
Without much hesitation, Blanklin replied, "It's nothing serious, probably just a midlife crisis."
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As I am a newbie translator, so if any of you find any error in the chapter, please point it out in the paragraph comments and I will correct it as soon as possible.
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