Gu Han couldn't help but reflect on the conspiracy theories involving the God of Shura he had seen in his previous life.
If it were just netizens overthinking things, that would be fine. But if everything truly traced back to the schemes of the Shura God, then he had to seriously consider the future of the Martial Soul Hall — and ensure he had enough strength to face any looming crisis.
That was why he chose to compress his soul power to the absolute limit before breaking through each small realm. He was never in a hurry.
Sure, he'd once considered the idea: if he just eliminated Tang San or Tang Hao early, wouldn't all those future calamities be avoided?
But what if Tang San's transmigration was directly manipulated by the Shura God? In that case, even if Tang Hao were killed, Tang San might still be reborn through someone else. That would only create more instability and risk.
Killing Tang San directly might be one method — but in the original plot, even after being beheaded, Tang San was resurrected through some divine skill.
And if he truly were to hide in the dark after reincarnation, Gu Han wouldn't even know he existed until it was too late.
The enemy in the shadows, and Gu Han in the light — that was too dangerous a scenario.
So, Gu Han wasn't afraid of Tang San — he feared the Shura God behind him.
Of course, he might be overthinking it all. But that didn't mean he wouldn't prepare for the worst-case scenario.
Gu Han stood by the window, clenching his fist. No matter what came in the future, he would never abandon the Martial Soul Hall.
Without the Martial Soul Hall, he didn't know how long it would've taken to awaken his martial soul. That unknown cultivation method wouldn't have appeared.
Without it, he wouldn't have today's cultivation environment.
For Gu Han, the Martial Soul Hall was the great tree under which he had grown strong. Now that he was developing his own strength, he would never forget its shelter.
---
Suddenly, a figure descended from the sky, landing outside Gu Han's window and blocking the morning sun.
"Senior Yueguan."
Gu Han recognized the visitor at a glance and respectfully greeted him.
"Come with me, kid. I'll take you to school."
"Senior, please wait a moment. Let me get ready."
"No rush. I'm free anyway."
Yueguan waved his hand casually. He was in a relaxed role now and didn't mind waiting.
Gu Han nodded, closed the window, quickly washed up, dressed, and stepped outside.
"Senior Yueguan, sorry to have kept you waiting."
"You're good in all ways, but you're too cautious. Let's go."
Yueguan naturally noticed Gu Han's reserved attitude, even toward him and the Pope. He pointed it out kindly.
"Senior, this is just how I treat my elders. I'm used to it."
Gu Han understood the message in Yueguan's words, but he wasn't going to grow overly familiar. He knew there were boundaries.
"Fine, whatever suits you."
Yueguan waved it off, not offended at all. In fact, he liked Gu Han's respectful demeanor.
"By the way, Senior, when we traveled together, I noticed your deep knowledge of flowers and plants. I thought it was from the Martial Soul Hall's teachings, but when I checked the library, I couldn't find anything about the herbs and flowers you mentioned."
Gu Han needed to pave the way for obtaining celestial herbs. While he could wait until he reached Soul King rank, the herbs would be far more effective now.
"Those come from my martial soul's affinity. Later, I'll give you a plant compendium I wrote myself. Read through it, and come ask if anything's unclear."
Yueguan was generous with his knowledge. He appreciated seeing a young man who shared his passion for botany — someone who might become a worthy successor.
That's also why Yueguan held Gu Han in such high regard.
A sensible, hardworking, respectful young man with shared interests — that was rare.
---
The Martial Soul Hall Academy, while called a "college," was really an elite training camp. Only top-tier geniuses were allowed in — almost all had innate soul power of level 7 to 9.
Even so, this term's intake was especially small. Only twenty students had been admitted, and more than half were children of elders or bishops.
So far, Gu Han had only met one other person with full innate soul power — Bibi Dong. Even Guangling, who was quite talented, had only innate soul power of level 9.
Of course, Qian Xunji also had full soul power, but that was because of his angel-god-gifted spirit.
Still, Gu Han couldn't help but feel their foundations were a little weak — likely from rushing too quickly through their early levels without proper consolidation.
There would be others later — Tang San, Feng Xiaotian, Oscar. But even so, in a continent of hundreds of millions, to have even one such genius in an era was rare.
That's how rare full innate soul power was.
At this moment, the students had gathered in the academy's open plaza, standing neatly in two rows. The teacher in front wore a black robe and looked thin and stern.
"Teacher Ghost Leopard, this is the new student I mentioned yesterday — Gu Han."
Yueguan glanced at Gu Han and said again, "Kid, this is your future teacher. Don't judge by appearance — he's an 84th-level Soul Douluo, no weaker than me."
"Greetings, Teacher Ghost Leopard."
Gu Han offered a polite bow. The man before him was a notable figure — Elder Ghost Leopard, a future Titled Douluo who would be slain by Dustheart the Swordsman with his eighth soul skill.
A respectable character — not just a plot device to be discarded.
Ghost Leopard didn't know what Gu Han was thinking. He simply looked him over and gave a nod.
"Got it. Yueguan, I'll take it from here."
Unexpectedly, the moment he said that name, Yueguan's demeanor shifted. His usual elegance vanished, replaced by a glare.
"How many times do I have to say it? Don't call me Chrysanthemum Guan!!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't ruin my class."
Ghost Leopard waved him off nonchalantly. He didn't really care, but wasn't going to provoke a quarrel right here.
Still, he couldn't help muttering to himself: "What's wrong with calling you Chrysanthemum Guan? The students say it, the teachers say it, but when we do, you act like someone stepped on your tail."
Yueguan sighed, calming himself. Then he turned to Gu Han.
"I'm off. Train hard. Come find me if anything comes up."
"Thank you for your care, Senior Yueguan. I will."
Gu Han gave a slight bow and sincerely accepted the kindness.
---
End of Chapter 20
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