Chapter 3: The Road to Nuoding and the "Grandmaster"
The journey to Nuoding City was supposed to be a majestic start to an epic saga. In the stories, this was where the heroes looked out over the horizon with determined eyes and flowing capes.
In reality, it was just hot.
"Grandpa Jack, I love the enthusiasm, I really do," Ye Chen panted, wiping sweat from his brow. "But who designed this continent? Why is everything so far apart? We've been walking for three hours, and the scenery hasn't changed once. It's just grass, Jack. Infinite, mocking grass."
Old Jack, who was surprisingly spry for a man with a wooden leg, didn't even look back. "Stop complaining, Ye Chen. You said you were going to be a Title Douluo. Do you think they get carried everywhere in palanquins?"
"I mean, if I were one, I'd definitely look into it," Ye Chen muttered, glancing at Tang San.
Tang San was barely breaking a sweat, his breathing perfectly regulated by his internal cultivation. He looked like he could walk to the capital without pausing for a snack.
"Look at him," Ye Chen pointed a thumb at San. "He's a robot. He's not human. San, blink twice if the Tang Sect replaced your heart with a clock. It's unnatural."
Tang San offered a small, tired smile. "It's called physical conditioning, Ye Chen. Maybe if you spent less time 'charging' on a rock and more time running, you wouldn't be winded."
"Winded? I'm not winded! I'm... conserving energy," Ye Chen countered, straightening his back as the gates of Nuoding City finally appeared in the distance. "I'm like a high-end sports car. I don't just waste fuel on the highway. I wait for the track."
The Gates of Nuoding
Nuoding City was sprawling compared to their tiny village, but to a transmigrator from Blue Star, it looked like a very expensive Renaissance fair. The stone walls were thick, guarded by men in light armor who looked like they'd rather be anywhere else.
As they approached the entrance of Nuoding Junior Spirit Master Academy, a young guard with a sour expression stepped into their path.
"Hold it," the guard sneered, looking down at Old Jack's worn clothes and the two dusty kids. "This is an academy, not a soup kitchen. Move along."
Old Jack bowed slightly, holding out the certification papers. "Sir, these two children are work-study students from Holy Spirit Village. They've awakened their souls and—"
"Holy Spirit Village?" The guard laughed, tossing the papers back without looking at them. "A village of beggars. And what's this? Blue Silver Grass with Innate Full Soul Power? Do you think I'm an idiot? Get out of here before I use my stick to help you move."
Tang San's eyes went cold. His hand instinctively drifted toward his belt—the hidden weapon habit was hard to break.
But Ye Chen moved first.
He didn't attack. He just stepped forward until he was inches away from the guard's chest. Despite being a head shorter, Ye Chen's presence felt like a physical weight pressing against the man.
"Hey, Hair-Gel," Ye Chen said, his voice deceptively calm. "I'm gonna give you a choice. Option A: You read the papers, you apologize to the old man, and we all go inside and have a wonderful day. Option B: I get annoyed. And trust me, you don't want Option B. When I get annoyed, things start breaking. Expensive things. Like your pride. Or that wall behind you."
The guard bristled, his face turning red. "You little brat! You dare—"
"Enough."
A dry, calm voice cut through the tension. A middle-aged man with short, black hair and a faint mustache walked toward them. He looked unremarkable, dressed in simple black robes, but his eyes held a depth of knowledge that made Tang San freeze.
"Let them in," the man said.
"Grandmaster!" the guard stuttered, suddenly pulling his shoulders back. "But sir, their papers are clearly fakes—"
The man took the papers from Old Jack's hand, his eyes scanning the text. He paused at the "Blue Silver Grass" and "Innate Full Soul Power" line, then glanced at Ye Chen's section: Humanoid Soul: Superman. Innate Full Soul Power (Crystal Shattered).
The man's hand trembled, just a fraction. He looked at Tang San, then at Ye Chen, his gaze lingering on the latter for a long time.
"They aren't fakes," the man said quietly. "I'll take them from here."
The "Grandmaster" Yu Xiaogang
As they walked through the lush gardens of the academy, the man remained silent. Old Jack, sensing the weight of the situation, bid the boys a tearful goodbye and headed back to the village, leaving the two "monsters" alone with the scholar.
"You," the man said, looking at Tang San. "You have a second soul, don't you?"
Tang San recoiled, his hand flying to his chest. "How... how did you know?"
"The Blue Silver Grass cannot support Innate Full Soul Power," the man explained, his voice clinical. "It is a trash soul. To have that level of power, you must have a twin soul. One that is incredibly powerful."
He then turned to Ye Chen. "But you... you are the mystery I cannot solve. A 'Humanoid' soul? And a power level that shatters testing crystals? In all my years of researching the Ten Core Competencies of Souls, I have never seen a record of such a thing."
Ye Chen leaned back against a tree, crossing his arms. "That's because I'm the eleven-th competency, Professor. I'm the outlier. The glitch in the system. But don't hurt your brain over it. I'm just a guy who likes the sun and hates bullies."
The Grandmaster, Yu Xiaogang, stared at Ye Chen. He felt it again—that strange, radiating heat coming from the boy. It wasn't Soul Power. It was something... primal.
"I am called the Grandmaster," he said. "Not because I am strong, but because I know the truth of souls. Tang San, I wish to take you as my disciple. I can show you how to make that grass a weapon the world will fear."
Tang San looked at the man, then knelt and performed the formal three-bow ritual. "Teacher."
Ye Chen watched this with a smirk. "Touching. Really. I'm getting misty-eyed over here. So, what about me, G-Master? You got a slot for a guy who doesn't really 'do' meditation and thinks Spirit Rings are just fancy jewelry?"
The Grandmaster looked at Ye Chen, a spark of challenge in his eyes. "You don't need a teacher in the traditional sense. You need a limiter. If you truly have the power you claim, you will destroy yourself before you reach Level 30. But if you listen to me... I can teach you how to survive your own strength."
Ye Chen's smirk didn't fade, but his eyes sharpened. He knew the Grandmaster was right. His Kryptonian cells were absorbing solar energy at an alarming rate. Without the "bottlenecks" of the Soul Land system to ground him, he might just burn up.
"Limiter, huh? I like it. Sounds like a high-end car part," Ye Chen said. "Alright, Teach. I'll hang around. But I'm telling you now—I'm not doing any homework. And if the cafeteria food is bad, we're gonna have a serious talk about the budget."
The Grandmaster let out a rare, short breath that might have been a laugh. "Follow me. Let's get you settled into the dorms. Room 7. It's for the work-study students."
Ye Chen nudged Tang San as they followed. "Room 7, San. That's our lucky number. I bet it's a penthouse. Big windows, velvet curtains, maybe a mini-fridge..."
"It's a communal dorm, Ye Chen," Tang San sighed.
"Don't ruin the dream, San! Let me have this!"
As they walked toward the dorms, Ye Chen looked up at the sun, feeling the mid-day rays pouring into him. He was at 100% capacity. He felt like he could toss the academy building into the clouds.
Nuoding Academy, he thought. Prepare yourself. The Man of Tomorrow just moved in, and he's bringing a lot of attitude.
End of chapter