After temporarily leaving the donkey cart at a roadside stall,
The village chief and Lin Yang, carrying their luggage, asked for directions along the way until they reached the Primary Soul Master Academy in the western part of the city.
A tall arched stone gate towered over them, its black iron bars polished and gleaming.
Above the stone gate, four bold characters read "Nuoding Academy", giving off an air of steady dignity.
Looking through the iron bars, a wide bluestone path led straight into the academy. Tall trees rose on both sides, casting patches of cool green shade.
"Who goes there? No loitering near the gate."
Before they could get close, a young gatekeeper stepped out, waving his hand as if shooing flies.
So arrogant—how are you still alive?
Lin Yang was about to say something, but the village chief quickly grabbed his shoulder.
With a hint of deference, the village chief smiled and said,
"Little brother, we're from Red Maple Village. This child is our village's working student. I'm here to bring him to enroll."
As he spoke, he produced the Spirit Hall's certificate.
"A working student?"
The gatekeeper frowned and took the certificate. He saw that it read "innate rank-5 soul power".
His first reaction was that it had to be fake. In all the years he'd been there, he'd never seen a working student with more than rank-3 innate soul power.
Could a golden phoenix really fly out of a grass nest?
He was just about to harshly reprimand them when he noticed Lin Yang calmly summon a one-meter-long blade and swing it lightly through the air, producing a fierce whistle.
The cold gleam off the black blade stung his eyes.
Martial soul: blade. Innate rank-5 soul power. It matched the certificate exactly.
Gulp.
He swallowed.
Like changing masks, his attitude flipped. He handed the martial soul certificate back with both hands.
"Haha… Please, come in, come in."
He not only stepped aside, but also enthusiastically explained where Lin Yang should go to register.
Completely different from his earlier nose-in-the-air posture.
Such was the privilege of Soul Masters. Even though Lin Yang was only a rank-10 Soul Scholar at best, he was still someone a mere gatekeeper couldn't afford to offend.
Seeing the gatekeeper's change in attitude, Talon realized this was all due to Lin Yang's status as a Soul Master. His confidence rose, and even his back straightened a little.
They soon found the place for new-student registration—the Academic Affairs Office.
With his working-student status, Lin Yang smoothly completed the enrollment procedures.
"You're a working student. Your dorm will be in Dormitory Building Seven. From now on, you'll need to complete tasks assigned by the academy to earn pay," the teacher handling the registration said kindly.
"As for the specific work, the dorm teacher will arrange it."
Lin Yang nodded. "Thank you, Teacher."
He took the student uniform and textbooks, then left the office swiftly with his arms full.
Watching his departing figure, the teacher muttered under his breath,
"Is this kid really six? He looks so sturdy…"
Once the paperwork was done, the village chief prepared to leave.
Before going, he urged Lin Yang to study hard. When the term ended, he would come to pick him up. If he needed anything, he should write a letter.
Watching Talon's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Lin Yang took a deep breath. From this moment on, his life as a Soul Master was beginning.
On the Soul Master's path, he was destined to walk alone.
After all, he didn't have a Title Douluo father backing him up.
Carrying his bedding and belongings, he went to Dormitory Building Seven.
The working students' living conditions were naturally poor, but Lin Yang didn't mind.
He opened the door to see a few slightly older children roughhousing with each other.
His appearance immediately drew all their attention.
"New working student?"
A sturdy boy stepped forward, tilting his chin at Lin Yang, his gaze appraising.
Lin Yang nodded. "Yes."
"Good." The boy pointed at himself.
"I'm the boss of Dorm Seven. Name's Zhao Bufan. The rule for working students is simple: the strongest is the boss. You gonna challenge me?"
"I can."
Lin Yang nodded. A bit of strength on display could spare him a lot of trouble in the future, without attracting too much attention. Why not?
"Kid, you've got guts."
Zhao Bufan was stunned for a moment, then grinned viciously. He crossed his arms and rolled his neck, making a series of cracking sounds.
"I won't go easy then. I'm a rank-9 Soul Scholar. Martial soul: Wild Wolf."
As he spoke, Zhao Bufan activated his martial soul. A layer of gray light spread across his body.
Most noticeably, his teeth sharpened, and his nails turned into claws.
Lin Yang nodded lightly. "Lin Yang. Rank-7 Soul Scholar. Martial soul: blade."
Zhao Bufan asked, "Why aren't you using your martial soul?"
"No need."
"Arrogant!"
Zhao Bufan felt thoroughly underestimated. With a roar, he turned into a gray blur and lunged at Lin Yang.
Seeing that posture full of openings, Lin Yang's expression didn't change.
When Zhao Bufan's claws were about to touch him, Zhao smirked inwardly. So this guy wasn't anything special after all.
But at that moment, Lin Yang moved.
He didn't seem to do much—just stepped in and grabbed Zhao Bufan's arm like lightning, then turned and bent his back.
Smack!
A textbook-perfect shoulder throw. The world spun, and Zhao Bufan crashed to the floor, arms and legs sprawling.
The pain in his back sparked anger in his eyes.
He was just about to get up for another round when Lin Yang twisted his arm gently, sending a wave of searing pain lancing up his arm.
"Aah—it hurts, it hurts…"
"Is that enough?"
Lin Yang's expression stayed calm. Bullying a kid hardly gave him any sense of accomplishment.
"I yield." Zhao Bufan was straightforward enough and conceded immediately.
Once Lin Yang released him, Zhao Bufan got up with a pained look.
"You win. From now on, you're the boss of Dorm Seven."
He turned to the other kids, who were all staring, stunned.
"Call him Boss!"
"Boss…"
Lin Yang waved his hand. "Introduce yourselves."
"Boss, I'm Wang Sheng, fourth year. Martial soul: Battle Tiger. I want to become a Battle Soul Master."
"My name's Iron Bull. Martial soul's a hammer."
"I'm Zhao Xiaodao. Same as you, Boss, my martial soul's a blade."
Lin Yang looked at Zhao Xiaodao a bit more carefully. To call it a blade was generous; it was more like a little dagger. Even so, rank-5 innate soul power was pretty good for this academy.
They were all eight or nine, too young for intricate scheming.
They were wholly convinced by a boss who had earned his spot with strength, so Lin Yang blended into Dorm Seven easily.
At the same time, in the principal's office—
Principal Su Hong wore a gentle smile as he pushed Lin Yang's file toward the middle-aged man sitting opposite him.
The man looked to be in his thirties or forties, plain-looking with a short buzz cut. His eyes were filled with both weariness and laziness.
"Grandmaster, take a look at this child, Lin Yang. His innate soul power is rank 5. He's had the highest innate soul power among our academy's intakes in recent years."
Yu Xiaogang glanced at the file quickly and murmured,
"Martial soul is a blade, but innate soul power is only rank 5…"
In his eyes, rank-5 innate soul power hardly qualified as a "good seedling".
But in this primary academy where most students only reached rank-1 or rank-2, Lin Yang was already outstanding.
And stuck in this tiny school, Lin Yang was the most gifted child Yu Xiaogang had seen so far.
After thinking for a bit, Yu Xiaogang's eyes narrowed again and his expression cooled.
"Sigh… Let's observe him for now, see if he's worth cultivating…"