"Luo Sanpao, help me bite through this Blue Silver Grass."
Under Yu Xiaogang's command, Luo Sanpao began tearing at the Blue Silver Grass entangling him. But this Blue Silver Grass had already crystallized; its hardness was comparable to metal. How could Luo Sanpao possibly bite through it?
"Ah!!"
Suddenly, Yu Xiaogang let out a scream and cursed at Luo Sanpao, "You stupid pig! Aim properly!"
Hearing his master's curses, Luo Sanpao's eyes were full of grievance. The Blue Silver Grass was wrapped so tightly; no matter how careful he was, he couldn't avoid biting flesh.
"Stop wasting time. You can't break free," Tang San said, extremely impatient.
After witnessing this, Tang San's contempt for Yu Xiaogang grew even stronger. Even if his martial soul was a pig, he shouldn't berate it like that.
Thank goodness he hadn't taken this old fool as his master. Otherwise, his future reputation would have been ruined by this trash. How utterly humiliating.
As the saying goes, "A teacher for a day is a father for a lifetime." He certainly didn't want two trash fathers at the same time.
Perhaps influenced by Lin Mu, Tang San harbored a trace of resentment towards Tang Hao.
After being bitten several times by Luo Sanpao, Yu Xiaogang finally gave up, instead venting all his anger on Luo Sanpao.
If his martial soul hadn't mutated into this pig-like form, would he have become trash?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Yu Xiaogang furiously cursed Luo Sanpao. Faced with his master's abuse, Luo Sanpao felt nothing but immense grievance.
Seeing Yu Xiaogang's helpless, furious display, Lin Mu couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
He couldn't even cooperate with his own martial soul in unity, yet he still had the nerve to call himself a master.
"Brother Xiaogang, I gave you a chance, but you weren't up to it."
Lin Mu picked up the soul tool and money pouch from the ground nearby, sneering lightly. "The outcome is decided. These belong to us now."
Seeing his possessions being taken away, Yu Xiaogang felt his heart turn to ashes. Now he was completely penniless.
Suddenly, Yu Xiaogang seemed to remember something and hurriedly shouted, "I want to bet with you again!"
"You have nothing left now. Why should I bet with you?"
Seeing Yu Xiaogang already addicted, a mischievous smile curled at the corner of Lin Mu's mouth, though on the surface he pretended not to care.
"I have a brother—no, two. They can give me money."
Yu Xiaogang spoke urgently.
Hearing this, Lin Mu immediately guessed who he meant: probably Flender and Liu Erlong. He just didn't expect that in Yu Xiaogang's words, Liu Erlong had become a "brother" he could borrow money from.
He truly couldn't understand why women would like such a person.
"Then let's talk when you've gathered the money."
"No... Let's make the bet first. We'll bet on whether Tang San can reach level thirty within six years. If he can't, both you and Tang San must cooperate with my research and publicly declare yourselves as my disciples. Conversely, I'll give you ten thousand gold soul coins."
A gleam of shrewdness flashed in Yu Xiaogang's eyes. He didn't believe this guy could resist the temptation of ten thousand gold soul coins.
To this, Lin Mu only used two words to describe it.
"Idiot."
Although ten thousand gold soul coins was a lot, in six years, he would have at least reached the Soul Emperor level. Would he still lack these ten thousand gold coins?
Moreover, this trash actually wanted to push his luck. It was one thing to have designs on Tang San, but he was also scheming against Lin Mu himself. His skin was as thick as a city wall.
Hearing Lin Mu's insult, Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but flush. He continued, "Then how about a hundred thousand gold soul coins?"
In truth, Yu Xiaogang didn't know if Flender and Liu Erlong could come up with a hundred thousand gold soul coins. But at this point, he couldn't care less.
In his view, reaching level thirty within six years was simply impossible, especially since Tang San was a Blue Silver Grass soul master.
As long as he won, he could gain two genius disciples in one go. And Lin Mu was already ready-made; he wouldn't even need his guidance to earn him plenty of face.
"Brother Xiaogang, just give up on this idea. It's impossible for me to get involved with you."
Lin Mu's tone was absolutely firm, leaving no room whatsoever.
Forget about the inequality of the bet; just the idea of him becoming Yu Xiaogang's disciple was absolutely impossible.
Seeing this, Yu Xiaogang could only choose to compromise. "Change it to Tang San publicly declaring himself as my disciple. Is that alright?"
"Fine. A hundred thousand gold soul coins. Sign and fingerprint it."
Lin Mu was cautious, lest Yu Xiaogang renege later. With a written agreement, he could go to Liu Erlong and Flender for the money.
In no time, both parties completed the signing and fingerprinting.
Yu Xiaogang looked at the written agreement in Lin Mu's hand. It already bore his own fingerprint, but he didn't have one. An inexplicable sense of foreboding arose in his heart.
"Why is there only one copy? Where's mine?"
"One copy is enough," Lin Mu stated unyieldingly.
Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang instantly realized he'd been scammed. But the arrow was already on the bowstring; he had to shoot. Even for a sliver of possibility, he had to gamble.
"Xiao San, this soul tool is for you."
Lin Mu walked forward slowly, placing the soul tool in Tang San's hand.
He already had one soul tool. Although it had less than five cubic meters, it was sufficient for now.
"Master..."
Looking at the soul tool in his hand, Tang San was deeply moved. Simultaneously, a surge of guilt welled up inside him.
Earlier, he had been somewhat dissatisfied with his master's actions. He never expected his master had done all this to secure this storage soul tool for him.
Moreover, his master surely wanted to teach him a lesson through this: as long as the action is right, the process doesn't matter.
After this self-brainstorming, Lin Mu's status in Tang San's heart rapidly soared, even subtly surpassing Tang Hao's.
One was an irresponsible biological father; the other was a master who wholeheartedly wished him well. Anyone would know which was better.
[Main Quest completion reaches ten percent. Reward: Soul Power increases by one level.]
Feeling his soul power break through to level 48, a slight smile touched Lin Mu's lips. Compared to a mere object, an increase in strength was the most important.
Lin Mu patted Tang San's shoulder, his expression turning serious, speaking earnestly: "Xiao San, as long as you cultivate diligently, that is the best repayment for me."
"Master, I will definitely cultivate hard in the future and heed your teachings carefully."
Seeing his master care for him so much, Tang San was moved beyond words. He secretly vowed to repay his master's kindness well in the future.
Witnessing this deep master-disciple bond, Yu Xiaogang felt utterly superfluous and turned to leave.
But he hadn't gone far when he realized something was off.
Lin Mu won the soul tool from him in a bet and then gave it to Tang San. He alone got to be the good guy.
"After living for decades, I was actually outsmarted by a young brat."
Yu Xiaogang, slow on the uptake, was filled with shock and disbelief. Was this guy really only in his teens?
Lin Mu watched Yu Xiaogang's retreating figure, a smile lingering at the corner of his mouth. The good show was yet to come.