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One year later...
The morning bell at Nuoding College no longer had its usual hurried pace, but rather carried a touch of the languor of the end of the semester.
Jiang Zhen walked calmly on the school path, blending steadily into the crowd. The water ripple pattern on his cuffs was a bit darker than last year, but it was still as understated as ordinary fabric.
That year, his soul power stopped at level 20.
Two months ago, he had already broken through, but he did not choose to immediately acquire a spirit ring.
He plans to go to Vast Sea City to look again.
After all, there are more water-attribute soul beasts over there.
He didn't go back to his dormitory, but went straight to the principal's office.
The door wasn't closed properly, and the principal and the dean of students could be heard talking inside. They were simply reviewing the students' performance, and their tone was full of praise when they mentioned Tang San and Xiao Wu.
Jiang Zhen raised his hand and knocked on the door, his voice calm: "Hello, Principal. I would like to apply for graduation."
The conversation in the office paused. The principal looked up and saw him, pausing for a moment: "You are... Jiang Zhen? You've only been enrolled for a year, why are you suddenly graduating?"
The dean of students next to him frowned as well: "The junior soul master academy takes at least two years to complete, unless you have already obtained a soul ring and met the graduation requirements."
Jiang Zhen didn't explain much, but simply condensed a wisp of light blue soul power at his fingertips. The soul power was faintly wrapped with the aura of a water-attribute soul ring—unassuming, yet enough to prove it.
As the principal, he knew that Jiang Zhen had innate full soul power.
He had also approached Jiang Zhen privately, saying he could help him obtain a spirit ring, but Jiang Zhen kept making excuses.
The principal's eyes widened instantly, and he reached up to adjust his glasses: "You...you've already absorbed a spirit ring? How come I've never heard of this before?"
Nonsense, how could I let you know?
"It was just good luck that we found a suitable soul beast," Jiang Zhen said calmly.
"I've already mastered most of the theoretical knowledge in my studies, so there's not much point in staying at the academy."
The principal stared at him for a few seconds, and seeing his resolute expression, finally nodded: "Since you meet the standards, I have no reason to refuse. Here is your graduation certificate; just sign it."
"Thank you, teacher."
Jiang Zhen took the pen, quickly signed his name, put away the certificate, and turned to leave.
The whole thing lasted no more than three minutes, with no extra small talk.
——
"...My family really doesn't have much to offer, just a dilapidated house." It was Tang San's voice, carrying the gentleness of a young man, and a hint of helplessness.
"What's there to be afraid of! I'm not picky!" Xiao Wu's voice was clear and crisp, with a touch of spoiled arrogance.
Tang San smiled helplessly, while Xiao Wu skipped and hopped beside him, her school uniform skirt swaying lightly.
"Alright, let's set off early tomorrow morning. It'll take two hours to get there," Tang San's voice came.
Xiao Wu cheered and patted Tang San on the shoulder. The two chatted and laughed as they packed their things.
——
Before dawn the next day, the morning mist in Nuoding carried a touch of coolness, clinging to the cobblestone streets, making them feel soft underfoot.
Jiang Zhen stood under the old locust tree at the city gate. He looked up at the intersection not far away and soon saw two figures.
Tang San was wearing a faded school uniform, with Xiao Wu beside him. Her braids swung lightly, and she was holding a freshly bought meat bun in her hand. She had a little oil on the corner of her mouth from biting into it. Every now and then, she would reach out and tug at Tang San's sleeve, telling some jokes that made Tang San feel helpless and amused.
"Let's go, let's go! If we dawdle any longer, the sun will be high in the sky!" Xiao Wu swallowed the last bite of her bun and reached out to grab Tang San's cloth bag, but Tang San easily dodged her.
The two chatted and laughed as they left the city, heading towards Holy Soul Village, their figures quickly disappearing into the morning mist.
Jiang Zhen waited until they had been gone for about fifteen minutes before setting off.
Instead of taking the main road that Tang San and his companions took, he circled around the forest paths and field ridges outside the city.
He knew that Tang San's senses were sharper than those of ordinary people, so he had to keep a sufficient distance to avoid being detected by him.
They didn't encounter many people along the way, only early-rising farmers carrying hoes passing by. When they saw Jiang Zhen, they only casually asked, "Where are you going?" Jiang Zhen only vaguely replied, "Visiting relatives," and then quickened his pace to pass by.
By the time the outline of Holy Soul Village finally came into view, the sun was already quite high in the sky.
The old locust tree at the village entrance was still lush and leafy, and several children were chasing and playing under it. Jiang Zhen bypassed the village and went straight to the back mountain.
The vegetation on the back hill is much denser than outside the city. Vines entwine the tree trunks, and sunlight filters through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled light spots on the ground.
After walking for about half an hour, the roar of the waterfall reached our ears.
Jiang Zhen slowed his pace, pushed aside the bushes in front of him, and suddenly a waterfall opened up before him—a waterfall cascaded down a cliff several dozen feet high, crashing into the pool below, the splashing water carrying a cool mist that rushed towards him.
He didn't rush to get closer, but instead walked around the pool first, carefully scanning the waterfall's flow with his eyes—unlike ordinary waterfalls, the water flow near the cliff seemed to be "softer" than elsewhere, as if it were being blocked by something.
Jiang Zhen made sure no one was around before quickly walking to the cliff face. He raised his hand and conjured a pale blue water curtain in front of him, blocking the splashing water, then bent down and crawled into the cave.
Perhaps due to the waterfall outside, the cave was very humid. It was about three meters high and two meters wide, extending inwards, and was very dark inside.
Jiang Zhen took out a tinderbox from his storage ring, lit it, and held it in front of him, illuminating the interior of the stone cave.
Upon reaching the innermost part, everything around them lit up. Looking up, a stone hole appeared at the top of the cave wall, revealing a stone chamber of only about ten square meters.
The stone chamber was empty, devoid of any furnishings. However, directly below the stone opening above, there was a small mound of earth, upon which a slender blue silver grass swayed in the wind.
The blue silver grass looked longer than ordinary grass leaves, and what was most peculiar was the fine golden veins on the leaves.
Jiang Zhen's breath hitched slightly, and he tightened his grip on the tinderbox—yes, this was the Blue Silver Emperor.
More noticeable than he had imagined, the gentle fluctuation of soul power could be clearly felt even from several steps away.
He slowly walked forward, squatted down, and gently touched the Blue Silver Emperor's leaves with his fingertips. The flowing light on the leaves swayed gently, as if responding to his touch.
He didn't rush to take action, but first checked the surroundings of the cave—there were no traps, no residual soul power imprints, so it seemed that Tang Hao hadn't left any defenses here.
Jiang Zhen breathed a sigh of relief, but still dared not be careless. He took out the prepared flowerpot from his storage ring and carefully transplanted the Blue Silver Emperor plant with its roots intact.
——
Meanwhile, at Nuoding College .
The master was reading a book in his room.
Bang, bang, bang, just then, a knocking sound suddenly rang out.
The master frowned. Normally, apart from Tang San, no one would come to his place.
"Please come in," the master said calmly, putting down the book in his hand.
The door opened, and a tall figure walked in from outside.
He wore a simple gray robe, his messy black hair was draped over his shoulders, his aged face was etched with the marks of time, and his cloudy eyes seemed to indicate that he was already in his twilight years, which did not match his appearance of being only about fifty years old.
"Hello, Master." The newcomer's voice was deep...
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