While Old Jack and the gatekeeping young man were arguing, not far away stood a middle-aged man with a frown, silently watching.
This middle-aged man was none other than Yu Xiaogang. He had short hair, an ordinary appearance that hadn't changed much since the past—only more worn by time.
He carried a hint of laziness and despondence.
When he saw the young man get up and rush at Tang San, Yu Xiaogang finally spoke:
"Enough. Stop."
The young man, hearing the voice, halted his forward motion and angrily turned to look at the person who interrupted him.
He was about to curse out loud, but upon seeing who it was, the rage on his face disappeared instantly, replaced by a fawning smile.
"Master, it's you."
In front of the Master, the young gatekeeper didn't dare act recklessly anymore.
Tang San coldly glared at the young man before lowering his arm.
Had no one intervened, that young man would already be a corpse.
Tang San turned to look at the newcomer but said nothing.
If this middle-aged man was also the bullying type, he wouldn't mind sending him to the afterlife as well.
Yu Xiaogang glanced at the young man and snorted coldly before turning to Old Jack:
"Elder, may I see the proof from the Spirit Hall?"
Old Jack quickly handed over Tang San's awakening certificate.
Yu Xiaogang examined the certificate, occasionally casting curious glances at Tang San, his eyes filled with surprise, then slowly changing to a trace of delight.
Tang San frowned. The look in this middle-aged man's eyes made him uncomfortable.
Yu Xiaogang gave a small bow:
"The certificate is real. Elder, I apologize on behalf of the academy for the gatekeeper's behavior earlier. Please, leave the boy to me. I'll take him in to register."
Old Jack quickly replied:
"No need to apologize. We were also partly at fault."
Then, he gave Tang San a few parting words before leaving.
Yu Xiaogang glanced at the young gatekeeper again and said flatly:
"If it happens again, you're out."
The young man paled in fear, hurriedly saying he wouldn't dare, then stepped aside.
Yu Xiaogang looked down at Tang San, forcing a smile onto his stiff face, as though he hadn't smiled in years.
"Wait here for a moment," he said.
Then he looked into the distance at Ao Tian, motioning to him:
"Child, come over here."
This beautiful child had caught Yu Xiaogang's eye the moment he approached.
Ao Tian's appearance and aura were so captivating that even the experienced and world-weary Yu Xiaogang was stunned.
He assumed the child must also be here to enroll. With such an extraordinary appearance and temperament, he grew curious—what kind of spirit could this child have?
Ao Tian, hearing the call, was a little puzzled but still stepped forward.
Yu Xiaogang, still wearing his awkward smile, looked at the boy in front of him and asked:
"You're here to enroll too, right?"
Ao Tian nodded, saying nothing.
"Can I see your Spirit Awakening Certificate?" Yu Xiaogang asked.
Ao Tian took out his certificate and handed it over. He was curious to see what Yu Xiaogang was up to—perhaps planning to "mentor" him.
As Ao Tian approached, Tang San's gaze never left him.
He had noticed this child earlier and had also been struck by how extraordinary he looked.
Now, seeing him up close, Tang San inexplicably felt a sense of inferiority.
The boy's luxurious clothes and unmatched looks made Tang San feel like a mere background character—dull and unremarkable.
"When did I start caring about appearances? Strength is everything. Looks mean nothing." Tang San was startled by his own thoughts and quickly reprimanded himself.
When Yu Xiaogang saw Ao Tian's certificate, he was stunned.
"Another innately full spirit power!" he couldn't help but exclaim.
He had already been shocked seeing Tang San's certificate earlier. And now, another one? It was almost too much.
Based on his research, across both the Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire, there had only been nineteen people with innate full spirit power in the past century.
Yet today, he encountered two.
With a population in the hundreds of millions, the odds of meeting two such children at once were astronomically low—one in hundreds of millions.
"Could this be destiny? Heaven's compensation for all the injustice I've suffered?" Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but look up at the sky.
He had already made up his mind: no matter what, he had to take these two as his disciples. Such talent must not be wasted.
As Yu Xiaogang exclaimed, Tang San was also staring at Ao Tian, stunned.
Not only did this boy look outstanding, his talent wasn't beneath Tang San's either. At that moment, Tang San felt defeated.
Compared to this dazzling child, he truly felt dim and insignificant.
"Why am I even comparing myself to a kid? I have other advantages—my second spirit, the Tang Sect techniques... I'm not inferior to anyone." Tang San quickly gathered his thoughts.
Just after exclaiming, Yu Xiaogang frowned, staring at Ao Tian's spirit in confusion.
Golden Dragon Spirit—he had never heard of it.
Despite his weak strength and poor cultivation aptitude, Yu Xiaogang had once worked in the Spirit Hall. By a stroke of luck, he met Bibi Dong, and thanks to his unique insights into spirits, he gained her favor.
Later, leveraging Bibi Dong's power, he accessed vast research data within the Spirit Hall, eventually formulating his theory on the Ten Core Competencies of Spirits.
He knew hundreds, even thousands of spirits, but he had never heard of a Golden Dragon.
Among dragon-type spirits, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was considered top-tier—the strongest beast spirit. He suspected the Golden Dragon spirit was inferior to that.
"Your name is Ao Tian, right? Child, may I see your spirit?" Yu Xiaogang asked hopefully.
He had devoted his life to spirit research, and now that a new spirit appeared, he was beyond excited.
"Sorry, I don't show my spirit to just anyone," Ao Tian refused.
He hadn't come here to study under Yu Xiaogang, so why should he be obedient?
He guessed Yu Xiaogang was trying to recruit him as a disciple.
Yu Xiaogang froze. The atmosphere grew a little awkward.
"Don't worry, I live right here in Nuoding Academy. Everyone calls me Master," Yu Xiaogang quickly explained. He felt the child was overly cautious.
"I don't care if you're the Pope. I don't want to show you, and that's that," Ao Tian replied bluntly.
"You brat! No manners at all? He's a teacher at this academy. You'll be studying here soon," Tang San couldn't help but scold.
"Alright, alright. I won't look then," Yu Xiaogang said quickly.
There would be plenty of chances to see Ao Tian's spirit in the future. No need to make things unpleasant now.
"Let me take you inside," he said, reaching out to pull Tang San along.
He extended his other hand toward Ao Tian, but Ao Tian didn't respond.
Yu Xiaogang didn't mind and withdrew his hand, leading Tang San ahead.
Ao Tian followed behind, a faint smile on his lips. If nothing unexpected happened, he'd soon witness Tang San kneeling to become a disciple.
(End of Chapter)