Master Yu Xiaogang glared at Li Shen, his eyes full of anger.
"Kid, you may not know me, but I am the master who developed the Ten Core Spirit Theories that shook the entire world!" he declared proudly.
Tang San, standing beside him, glanced sideways and thought to himself, 'Maybe it was my Mysterious Heaven Art that gave me innate full spirit power… not my Martial Spirits. Yes, How can someone be called grandmaster be wrong while kid like him can be right.'
Li Shen crossed his arms and scoffed. "Whatever. I don't want to waste my breath on someone who proudly says 'there are no useless Spirit Masters, only useless Martial Spirits.' Do you even realize the contradiction in that?"
He narrowed his eyes. "You're only level 29 after all these years. Doesn't that make you useless by your own logic?"
Yu Xiaogang's face twitched violently, like it was about to explode from suppressed rage.
"Enough! What would a brat like you even understand?" Tang San couldn't hold it in anymore and shouted.
Li Shen looked at him calmly, then said coldly, "You must be a country bumpkin who got tricked by this old fraud. He claims he can make you great, but the truth is—you already had that potential from the beginning."
He pointed at Tang San. "You were born with innate full spirit power. Even if he stood aside and did nothing, you'd still end up titled, as long as you didn't waste your life."
Li Shen turned to Master Yu. "What can a man teach you… if he can't even teach himself to rise?"
"It's like asking a monkey to teach you how to swim. No matter how much he jumps around in a tree, he'll drown in water. So how can someone like you guide someone whose Martial Spirit you can't even understand?"
Yu Xiaogang's face flushed with fury. "Enough! Even if I'm weak, my theories are respected!"
Li Shen smirked. "Oh? Then why is it that the same man who claims there's no useless spirit, no useless soul master, refuses to take in a child born with level 1 soul power and Blue Silver Grass?"
"Would you still be praising Blue Silver Grass if it came from someone without innate full power? If so, show me. Go find a kid with level 1 power and a blade of grass… and raise him to be titled too. Can you even do that?"
Master Yu's face darkened, his fists clenched tightly, unable to respond—because he couldn't.
'Damn it… why is this kid so sharp?' Master Yu Xiaogang thought, clenching his fists behind his back as his face twitched with restrained fury. But then, forcing a smile, he said, "Maybe you're confident in yourself—so how about we make a little bet?"
Li Shen tilted his head, his expression indifferent. "What kind of bet? And what's the reward?"
Yu Xiaogang's smile deepened as he felt a plan forming. "Since you're here to get your first spirit ring, let's make it simple. You get your ring, and I'll have Tang San get his too. After one week, the two of you will fight—before the eyes of the whole academy."
He continued, voice dripping with mock concern. "If my disciple wins, you'll acknowledge me and apologize. Then, you'll become my disciple as well. I can't bear to see a promising child like you walk the path of ruin because of pride."
Li Shen raised an eyebrow. "And if I win?"
Master Yu paused for a moment, then laughed softly. 'As if that could happen,' he thought. Still, he replied, "If you win… I'll publicly renounce the title of 'Master' and say I am fraud master."
Tang San's eyes widened. "Teacher! You don't have to go that far!" he said quickly.
Master Yu nodded slightly, but Li Shen scoffed. "What use is that to me? Why would I care about your little ego trip? If you want me to take this seriously, offer something of value."
Yu Xiaogang stiffened, then sighed. He reached into his robes and pulled out a delicate silver belt. "This belt has been with me for years. It's a high-grade soul guide—it contains 24 gem and each gem have space of 1 cubic meter. If you win, it's yours."
Li Shen eyed the belt. "Hmph… at least this is better than your useless master title," he said, then gave a faint nod. "Fine. One week from now, at Nuoding Junior Spirit Academy. If you dare, come and face me then."
Yu Xiaogang nodded. "Deal," he said.
Tang San stepped forward. "I'll look forward to our fight," he said with a respectful tone, though his eyes were sharp. Then, the two left, walking toward the Soul Hunting Forest to get Tang San's spirit ring.
A short while later, Ma Nuo and Su Yuntao arrived. Ma Nuo looked suspicious as he approached Li Shen.
"We saw you arguing with that guy from a distance… what happened?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "Did he threaten you? If he did, I'll beat him until he regrets it!"
Li Shen chuckled. "That useless fraud wanted to take me in as his disciple, but I called him out for what he is—a fraud. It bruised his ego, so he proposed a bet. I accepted, since he's offering up a storage-type soul guide belt as the reward."
Master Ma Nuo listened intently, then grinned. "He dared to challenge you? Alright then—just make sure to beat him cleanly next week. I wouldn't mind you walking away with a free soul guide."
Su Yuntao suddenly spoke up. "Wait… I think I know that kid. Yes, it's him—the boy with innate full soul power but a useless Martial Spirit," he said, frowning slightly. Then he added, "Still, be careful. Even if his Martial Spirit is weak, his soul power is full from birth, just like yours. He must have some potential hidden away like yours."
He gave Li Shen a serious look. "It's best to stay cautious—then crush him completely and be done with it."
Li Shen nodded calmly. "Don't worry. I won't underestimate him… but I definitely won't lose."
"Anyway," Ma Nuo added, "let's get your spirit ring first. The sooner you're done with that, the more confidence you'll carry into that match."
With that, the guards at the Spirit Hall's Spirit Hunting Forest respectfully stepped aside to allow them entry—unlike their behavior with Master Yu and Tang San, who had been stopped for a thorough document check before being let in.
****
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