Douluo Dalu - Volume 01 - Douluo Continent

by Tang Jia San Shao

  Tang San nodded, and suddenly moved back a step, opening up the distance between him and Grandmaster. Immediately after, he fell to his knees, and respectfully kowtowed three times towards Grandmaster.

  This time, it was Grandmaster’s turn to be dumbfounded,

  “What are you doing?”

  “Teacher.”

  Tang San respectfully called,

  “Please accept me as a student.”

  Grandmaster smiled a very satisfied smile, stooping to pull Tang San back up,

  “Muddleheaded boy, why kowtow to formally become a pupil, don’t you know this is only courtesy when acknowledging the emperor and parents? You need only to bow for this.”

  Douluo Continent customs are of course not the same as circumstances in Tang San’s first life, but Tang San certainly did not think his courtesy was too much, and solemnly said:

  “A teacher for a day is a father for life. You should receive my kowtow.”

  Tang sect’s teachings regarding courtesy were extremely severe. Having received that kind of education when originally grew up, it had a long time ago had been branded deeply into the core of Tang San’s heart.

  Grandmaster was moved and looked at Tang San,

  “Teacher for a day, father for life, good, good, it appears I as expected have not chosen wrong.”

  What is called ‘one tiny clue reveals the general trend’, the details determined success or failure. Even though this pair of master and apprentice had not met for long, but Grandmaster already had no small understanding of this child before his eyes.

  “Let’s go, I will bring you to report to the dean’s office.”

  Grandmaster again dragged Tang San’s hand. His originally dry big hands were faintly perspiring because of excitement.

  Nuoding primary spirit master academy was not as big as it appeared outside, and mainly divided into a few areas: the main school building, a sports ground and a dormitory to the east of the sports ground.

  Even though it was only an elementary spirit master academy, this place’s requirements towards students were extremely strict; even if the home was near the academy, students must still live in the academy under a unified regime.

  At the dean’s office on the main school building’s first floor, was a sixty year old teacher who was in charge of dealing with new students, and two additional teachers in their thirties who assisted him.

  Grandmaster placed the certificate he held on the desk, and said towards that elderly teacher:

  “Director Su, this is this year’s working student delivered by Holy Spirit village, I will trouble you to help him register at once.”

  Director Su with his face covered by a smile said:

  “Why Grandmaster, you have come, a rare visitor, ah! Please have a seat.”

  Grandmaster shook his head, and said towards Tang San:

  “You enroll here on your own, these several teachers can tell you what to do. I’ll leave first, I will go find you later.”

  Tang San nodded, and respectfully said:

  “Goodbye teacher.”

  Grandmaster revealed a smile, stroked his head, then turned and left.

  Hearing how Tang San addressed Grandmaster, director Su appeared very interested,

  “Lad, you called Grandmaster teacher? He is not our academy’s teacher.”

  Tang San said:

  “But he is my teacher.”

  Director Su stared blankly,

  “You acknowledged Grandmaster as your teacher?”

  His expression was somewhat queer, a kind of expression as if holding back laughter.

  Tang San Said:

  “Is something not proper? Teacher.”

  Director Su repeatedly shook his head, smilingly said:

  “Not at all, not at all. I did not think Grandmaster also could accept disciples. Only, you are still originally an academy student, and hereafter equally must comply with the academy’s system of regulations, you understand?”

  Tang San nodded.

  The two teachers to the side of director Su did not have as much self-restraint as him, one of whom grabbed the spirit hall certificate for a look, smiling said,

  “Tang San, right. As an academy teacher, I must instruct you at once. A master cannot be acknowledged casually. Any one spirit master, not to mention deny academy graduation, also can only acknowledge a spirit master, otherwise one cannot be accepted by the common people. Do you really believe Grandmaster is quite suitable? Oh, you have innate full spirit power. What a pity, the spirit is blue silver grass.”

  Looking at the words innate full spirit power on the certificate, the faces of all the teachers present displayed astonishment, but blue silver grass caused their awe to turn into pity.

  Tang San looked somewhat baffled at the three teachers facing him,

  “Is there something inappropriate?”

  Director Su glared at the younger teachers beside him, and said:

  “Even if Grandmaster has somewhat eccentric disposition, but from some kind of point of view, with respect to spirits he is nevertheless an ‘unequalled’ existence. Even if your spirit is blue silver grass, acknowledging him as master is of no concern. Well, that’s how it is. These are your things, provided free by the academy. You live at the dormitory, room seven. The teacher responsible there can arrange your work as a working student. Go.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Taking the things director Su handed over, Tang San after making his courtesies turned and left the administration office.

  What Director Su gave him was a standard Nuoding primary spirit master academy uniform, white texture looking very neat. Just now when leaving the administration office, Tang San vaguely heard from inside the office the words spoken by those younger teachers.

  Part 3

  “Grandmaster really is ‘unequalled’, only, unequalled in theory. Of course, he still must put those theories to actual work. Director, I still remember Grandmaster had some ten great core spirit competences theory, right. That was simply too ridiculous.”

  “Enough, Grandmaster is the dean’s friend. You must not make such presumptuous evaluations. Although there is no proof his theory is correct, but no one has proved his theory wrong. In the spirit world, Grandmaster is indeed a brilliant and famous person.”

  “Incorrect, director, a brilliant and famous clown should be correct. Everyone just acts if he is a joke, nothing more.”

  Hearing the sound of the conversation inside, Tang San’s footsteps only halted for a moment, then proceeded to leave. The corners of his mouth exuded a trace of disdain; of course it was not directed at his just acknowledged master, rather at the three teachers in the administration office.

  From barely a simple certificate he could see that he had twin spirits, and further conclude that his other spirit was a formidable one, could that only be a joke?

  Theory unequalled? Right now his biggest necessity was theory. A master’s physical strength could not be passed on to the disciple - what was passed down was knowledge. Those people did not understand even this little, even though they were academy teachers.

  There was only one dormitory building, easily found, where academy students and teachers all lived. Just like what old Jack said, those who could become spirit masters were very few, and it was especially so in a remote city like Nuoding. The amount of students and teachers were certainly not many, and a single dormitory building could already bear the burden.

  The student dormitory altogether only had seven rooms. Because the elementary spirit master academy students were all comparatively young, in order to better supervise them together every year’s students lived together in a big dormitory room. Each year’s Nuoding primary spirit master academy students were only approximately forty people.

  The dormitory building’s lower three floors held seven big student dorm rooms, and every dorm room had a teacher in charge.

  Room seven among these seven student dorm rooms was a comparatively unusual place. The
circumstances were also the most different: it was a place especially for working students. After all, the academy was not a charity and even though the tuition for working students was lowered, the treatment could not be as good as that of ordinary students.

  Room seven was also the only mixed age dormitory, so no matter what grade, all working students lived here.

  Just when Tang San reached the door of room seven he could hear loud noises from inside. The door open, he walked up and looked inside.

  This was an expansive room, in excess of three hundred square metres. Inside altogether fifty beds were lined up, but only the beds: only eleven had bedding. Right now, inside there were seven or eight to twelve year old students making a ruckus.

  Tang San knocked on the door, and the children arguing inside immediately turned their gazes in that direction. Among them an older comparatively large kid looked at Tang San in clothing covered with patches, then walked towards him.

  This kid compared to Tang San was nearly two heads taller, and this kid’s body could be regarded as comparatively tall and sturdy for his age. Walking up in front of Tang San, he somewhat towered above him and said:

  “A newly arrived working student?”

  On Tang San’s face was a slight good intentioned smile,

  “Hello, I am a working student from Holy Spirit village.”

  “I am called Wang Sheng, my spirit is a future war tiger battle spirit. Also the head of this place. Boy, what’s your name? What’s your spirit?”

  “I’m Tang San, spirit is blue silver grass.”

  “Blue silver grass spirit? Since when could a blue silver grass spirit cultivate?”

  Wang Sheng appeared absolutely startled, the kids in the dormitory all broke out in a huge laugh, looking at Tang San as if he was an idiot.

  Tang San was still smiling,

  “Please let me by, ok?”

  Wang Sheng did not comprehend Tang San’s words,

  “Little Third, I’m the boss here, hereafter you listen to me, got it?”

  The smile on Tang San’s face gradually disappeared,

  “My name is Tang San, not little Third.”

  If the seniors called him little San he would not take it to heart, or if it was a good intentioned form of address it was also no matter, but the so called boss before his eyes obviously meant it to be a show of strength towards him.

  Wang Sheng raised his hands to push at Tang San’s shoulders, pushing him back several steps,

  “I’m calling you little Third, so what? Not satisfied?”

  Tang San smiled, lightly shaking his head, placing the school uniform in his hands on a bed to the side, while Wang Sheng was somewhat bewildered at whyever for. Suddenly, Tang San vanished from in front of him.

  The other students clearly saw Tang San take an extremely fast step, and unexpectedly already arrived at Wang Sheng’s back. Without turning his head, his right arm curved up, a single elbow strike at Wang Sheng’s waist, meanwhile, his right foot also happened to be by Wang Sheng’s right foot.

  Wang Sheng could not even react, he had already completely tumbled out, bouncing through the open dormitory door. Fortunately the strength of his footwork was not bad, and unexpectedly he had not fallen down, otherwise he would have fallen flat on his face.

  “Stinking brat, you dare strike me?”

  Wang Sheng indignant, pounced at Tang San in a wink like a fierce tiger.

  Tang San had hoped that on coming to live at the academy he would not encounter too many troubles, or at least live normally without disturbances. However, he certainly thought he should give this ‘boss’ before him a little lesson. What is called ‘killing the chicken to warn the monkey’.

  Looking on passively as Wang Sheng pounced, aiming one punch at the pit of his stomach, Tang San did not retreat and conversely advanced, taking a step to meet Wang Sheng. His step was just enough to put him in front of Wang Sheng, at the same time stretching out his left hand, the right hand following along. Completing a simple yet effective motion.

  Wang Sheng only felt as if his waving right fist was pulled by an exceptional force, and the circumstances unexpectedly changed. Meanwhile a great force came from Tang San’s right hand, the foot below again just enough to trip, a body immediately flying out a second time. This time the balance could not be grasped so well. Tang San’s both hands simple motions already made use of Tang sect secret lore Controlling Crane Catching Dragon skill, taking advantage of Wang Sheng’s own physical strength, in addition to his own physical strength. Wang Sheng with a thump, immediately fell to the ground.

  Part 4

  If the first time could be called fortunate, then the second time Wang Sheng fell out was clearly not that easy. The expression in the eyes of the other children looking at Tang San suddenly changed a bit.

  A sound that distinctly should not appear in a child’s mouth rose from Wang Sheng’s throat as a muffled roar, and it could faintly be seen that his body a emitted a layer of pale yellow light. The body on the ground pounced and shot up in a flash; whether speed or strength, they clearly could not be compared to before.

  Spirit. He employed the spirit’s strength. This thought flashed through Tang San’s mind like a lightning bolt.

  However, what spirit again?

  Seeing that Wang Sheng grabbed at his shoulders with both hands, Tang San similarly raised both his hands, equally taking the shape of a claw and receiving Wang Sheng’s hands. Both feet with toes simultaneously facing in, knees slightly bent, taking a clamping goat standard horse stance.

  Four hands connected. If a moment ago could be called using skill, than that before one’s eyes completely transformed into a contest of physical strength. Two pairs of hands not alike in size already grabbed together.

  Wang Sheng was clearly already infuriated by Tang San, his face revealing a trace of savagery. Right now he employed his spirit war tiger’s strength, and although he knew he could not really injure Tang San, he at least wanted to rely on his physical strength to push this little devil to the ground for making him lose face.

  Tiger claw emitting force, Wang Sheng believed he was completely justified. Relying on the power from his previous five years as a student, overwhelming this brat before him should be an easy matter.

  But, was it truly like that?

  Though Tang San was thin and small, he could continuously swing the forging hammer every day nearly a thousand times, how could his physical strength be ordinary?

  At the same time as Wang Sheng was emitting force, he could distinctly feel that both those clearly smaller than his hands are unexpectedly as solid as steel. Almost in a split second, physical strength obtained overwhelming victory. Both Tang San’s thumbs simultaneously used their strength, Wang Sheng only felt a peal of numbness between the thumb and index finger as his spirit strength was completely neutralized by the other side. Immediately afterward Tang San pulled his hands in a backward leap.

  Wang Sheng pounced from overhead to begin with, Tang San’s leap backwards immediately caused him to lose his balance. He watched helplessly as Tang San’s knee enlarged in front of his face, in his heart immediately loudly crying in alarm.

  Tang San’s knee was approaching his nose. Wang Sheng knew, even if discounting Tang San’s physical strength, just his own body weight smashing down like this probably couldn’t protect his nasal bone. In this split second, in his heart he couldn’t help but feel somewhat regretful.

  But when about to maul his opponent, Tang San’s both hands abruptly released, and the physical strength he held Wang Sheng naturally disappeared. Furthermore, the bent right knee came completely open, turning into a kick with the right foot instep at the pit of Wang Sheng’s stomach.

  This snap kick, while the motion is not long, the instantaneous burst of power is certainly not weak; even if Tang San put more strength into the kick, this would still be the case.

  The dormitory students could only stare as Wang Sheng’s body in the air uncontrolledly performe
d an extremely difficult backflip, and with a peng sound, landed on the ground with his whole body already prostrate on his stomach.

  Although Tang sect was famous for its hidden weapons, in truth, Tang sect’s grappling was also extremely fierce, only it was concealed by the excessively dazzling halo of the hidden weapons, that’s all. Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon was not only a carrying strength method, but at the same time a kind of extraordinarily potent grappling technique, among them were some extremely diabolical muscle splitting bone displacing techniques. Of course, Tang San could not use those under these kinds of circumstances.

  This time, Wang Sheng did not fall so lightly, and he struggled for a long time to clamber off the ground. Looking at Tang San the expression in his eyes already became fear and anger simultaneously. No matter what he said, he was only a twelve year old boy; when facing a person even more powerful than him, fear still was much greater than impulse.

  Tang San picked up his school uniform,

  “Now can you step aside?”

  Staring at Tang San walking towards him, Wang Sheng subconsciously got out of his way. Tang San found a bed not far from the doorway and put his school uniform on it.

  “Little-, oh, no, Tang San, was what you used just now a spirit ability?”

  Wang Sheng asked a probing question.

  “Spirit ability?”

  This was already not the first time Tang San had heard this term,

  “What is a spirit ability?”

  Wang Sheng scratched his head, saying:

  “Precisely relying on a technique used with the spirit. Only, is your spirit really blue silver grass?”

  Raising his right hand, cold blue light gushing out from the palm, Tang San showed the dormitory students he certainly didn’t lie.

  Hearing the two words spirit ability, the other students although awed by Tang San’s ferocity, still began to gather around,

  “Was that really a spirit ability? So ferocious, even Wang Sheng dage was no match.”

  Tang San shook his head,

  “That was no spirit ability, only a kind of fighting technique, that’s all. Don’t we have bedding here?”

  A student at worst a few years older than Tang San had a gloomy expression in his eyes,