**Chapter 9: First Meeting with Tang San**
Aotian nodded slightly, letting out an "hmm."
He sized up the young man before him. He looked to be in his twenties, around 1.8 meters tall, strong and sturdy, and quite handsome.
"Are you Su Yuntao?" Aotian asked, his tone like that of a superior questioning a subordinate.
Su Yuntao had already prepared himself mentally and replied respectfully, "Yes, Young Master Ao."
Last night, Hall Master Li personally sought out Su Yuntao, instructing him to take an important figure from the Pope's Palace to Nuoding Academy today.
Moreover, Hall Master Li had speculated that Young Master Ao's true age might not be six and that his strength was unfathomable, urging Su Yuntao to be absolutely certain not to offend Young Master Ao.
Therefore, Su Yuntao dared not relax at all in front of Aotian, behaving with utmost respect.
"Young Master Ao, I'll take you for breakfast first, and then we'll head to Nuoding Academy. This way, please."
"Okay."
After breakfast, Su Yuntao summoned a carriage and personally drove Aotian toward Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.
"Su Yuntao, I heard you're pursuing Si Si?"
Aotian's words came from inside the carriage.
Su Yuntao hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yes."
He didn't know why Young Master Ao was asking this question, but he still answered honestly.
This wasn't a secret; everyone in the Nuoding City Branch Hall knew about it.
"I asked Si Si last night. She doesn't like you; she just thinks you have some use, which is why she hasn't refused you yet."
"Young Master Ao, you must be joking," Su Yuntao forced a smile, his expression souring.
"Hall Master Li was also present last night. If you don't believe me, you can ask her."
The smile vanished from Su Yuntao's face. He fell silent, a heavy, uncomfortable feeling tightening in his chest.
A small, fair hand stretched out from inside the carriage. In its palm rested a white bead the size of a thumb.
"This is a Spiritual Energy Pearl. Keep it with you; it will increase your cultivation speed when you cultivate. With your aptitude, it would be extremely difficult for you to break through to the Soul Elder realm in this lifetime. With this pearl, you can at least become a Soul King of level 50 or higher."
Su Yuntao was shocked. He quickly said, "Young Master Ao, I can't accept this. This is too valuable; I can't take it."
As he spoke, he tried to push Aotian's hand back, but his eyes lingered on the pearl overflowing with spiritual energy.
"Take it!" Aotian commanded.
Su Yuntao involuntarily opened his hand, and the pearl dropped into his palm.
"This is my tip for you, a reward for taking me to Nuoding Academy. With it, you won't have to suffer being looked down upon by others in Spirit Hall anymore. You'll have every opportunity to become a branch hall master, or even a sub-hall master of a higher rank."
Su Yuntao clutched the Spiritual Energy Pearl, took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and said gratefully, "Thank you, Young Master Ao. From now on, should you have any needs, I, Su Yuntao, am willing to go through fire and water for you without hesitation."
Aotian hummed in response. He thought Su Yuntao was a decent fellow, which was why he gave him this small reward.
The place where he used to slumber could be considered the most spiritually dense location on this planet. Items like Spiritual Energy Pearls were insignificant to him.
"Some women have little ability but great ambition. You should be careful," Aotian advised him again.
"Young Master Ao, I understand," Su Yuntao replied.
The two stopped talking. Half an hour later, they finally arrived at the gates of Nuoding Academy.
"Young Master Ao, we've arrived," Su Yuntao said, getting out of the carriage and pulling open the curtain.
Aotian stepped out.
Nuoding Academy's main gate was built quite grandly. The archway, twenty meters wide and over ten meters high, was constructed from sturdy stone.
Above the archway were four large characters: Nuoding Academy.
Beneath the archway were two large black iron gates, and a young man was sitting in a corner beside the gate, dozing.
"Let's go in," Su Yuntao said.
Aotian nodded and followed Su Yuntao forward.
After taking a few steps, a thought suddenly occurred to him, and he said, "Su Yuntao, I'll go in by myself. You can return to Spirit Hall. I'll find you if I need anything."
Su Yuntao stopped and turned around, saying, "Young Master Ao, I graduated from here and was an honor student. I'm on good terms with many of the teachers; I could help you put in a good word..."
"No need," Aotian raised a hand to stop him. "I'll go in by myself. You can go back."
"Okay, if you ever need help in the future, please come find me so I can repay your great kindness," Su Yuntao said earnestly.
Aotian waved his hand a few times. "Go on, go on."
Su Yuntao didn't linger. He drove the carriage away from Nuoding Academy.
Aotian didn't immediately enter Nuoding Academy. Instead, he stood at the edge of the Clearing in front of the academy gate, gazing down one end of the street outside.
There, two figures, one old and one young, were walking this way.
Aotian had just overheard their conversation, which was why he had asked Su Yuntao to leave first.
The older of the two had a head full of white hair and a snow-white beard, leaned on a walking stick, and wore a brand new set of clothes. His spirits were still quite high.
The younger one looked to be around six years old, with a slender build and a somewhat sallow complexion, but his eyes were remarkably bright, and his lower body was extremely stable as he walked.
Compared to the old man, the child's clothes looked rather shabby; they were washed almost white and had several large patches.
The child had excellent eyesight, spotting the four large characters of Nuoding Academy from several hundred meters away.
These two were none other than Old Jack and Tang San from Holy Spirit Village.
How could Aotian miss the chance to witness the protagonist from the original story?
He stood in an inconspicuous spot at the edge, his gaze scrutinizing Tang San.
He knew that in a moment, a show was about to start.
"Grandpa Jack, we're here. Nuoding Academy is right ahead," Tang San said, pointing at the academy.
"Oh, really? We've finally arrived," Old Jack chuckled.
Soon after, Tang San and Old Jack arrived in front of Nuoding Academy's gate but were stopped by the young gatekeeper.
Seeing Old Jack and Tang San looking like country bumpkins, the young man thought they would be easy to bully and tried to extort some money from them.
How could Old Jack, a simple countryman, understand the scheming ways of the city?
Especially when the young man sarcastically ridiculed Holy Spirit Village, Old Jack immediately became enraged.
The young man was also provoked by Old Jack's lack of cooperation and reached out to push him.
At this moment, Tang San took forceful action.
In his previous life, as an outer sect disciple of the Tang Sect, Tang San had, out of passion, secretly learned various inner sect ultimate arts, each of which was top-tier in the martial arts world. Dealing with a mere gatekeeper was as easy as flipping his hand.
The tall young man was sent flying by just a few moves from the six-year-old Tang San.
"Brat, you're courting death!" the young man roared in fury. Being knocked down by such a little runt, he felt he had lost all face and dignity.
He scrambled to his feet and charged toward Tang San, his mind clouded by rage. He wanted to teach Tang San a profound lesson.
Tang San's eyes gradually turned cold. He subtly raised his left hand, and the safety of the Soundless Sleeve Arrow hidden in his sleeve was already disengaged.
With just a slight twitch of the muscles in his arm, a short arrow would embed itself in the young man's throat.
[Tang Sect's Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, General Precepts, Third Article: If it is determined the opponent is an enemy who is courting death, show no mercy, lest you bring trouble upon yourself.]
In Tang San's view, given the young man's harsh nature and his disrespect toward Old Jack, he deserved to die!
"What a ruthless kid," Aotian thought to himself. He watched the scene with a smile, already forming an initial understanding of Tang San.
(end of chapter)