Volume One

"Don't always talk about the Way of Seeking Death, use your brain!"

"Those soul masters from humble backgrounds, even if they go to an Advanced Soul Master Academy, find it very difficult to graduate smoothly. To graduate from an Advanced Soul Master Academy, one must obtain three spirit rings and reach level thirty in soul power. This is a height many soul masters never reach in their entire lives," Old Jack said, holding up three fingers.

After walking for about ten minutes, the three of them arrived at the gate of the Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.

After entering Nuoding City, the three of them had a simple lunch. Old Jack asked a passerby for directions and then led Su Xing and Tang San toward the Junior Soul Master Academy located in the west of Nuoding City.

Looking up, one could see four large characters right above the archway: "Nuoding Academy."

Hearing this, Old Jack froze for a moment, sighed, and said, "Little San, the admissions for Advanced Soul Master Academies are extremely harsh. Our Heaven Dou Empire sees fewer than a hundred students admitted to Advanced Soul Master Academies each year, and ninety percent of those spots are almost entirely monopolized by the children of the empire's nobles."

A single Gold Soul Coin is enough to cover the expenses of an ordinary family in Nuoding City for several months; it is also several months' salary for this guard.

Seeing that Su Xing held a small bag of Gold Soul Coins in his hand, the guard not only stopped his aggressive posturing, but his eyes went wide.

I am a transmigrator, after all; if I use my brain a little, wouldn't I be able to play a small fry like this in the palm of my hand?

However, compared to the various university gates Su Xing had seen in his previous life, the gate of this Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy was quite ordinary, perhaps even a bit underwhelming.

Talking as they walked, the three of them arrived at the city gate of Nuoding City. Like the other pedestrians, after a round of inspections, they entered Nuoding City.

While speaking, the guard raised his hand to push Old Jack, intending to drive the three of them away.

Although Holy Soul Village had developed quite well over the past few years and earned a bit of money, Old Jack still lived very frugally, so the clothes he and Su Xing wore were very plain, looking exactly like country folk, which led the guard to look down on them.

As soon as his voice fell, the young man guarding the gate reached out his hand and tapped his fingers together a few times, implying that Old Jack should show some "appreciation."

[Tang Sect Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, Rule Three: Once you determine your opponent is an enemy, as long as they have the Way of Seeking Death, do not show mercy, otherwise you will only add trouble to yourself.]

As for Tang San, it was even more ridiculous. Relying solely on the meager income Tang Hao earned from blacksmithing, the clothes he wore today were a series of patches, making him look a bit like a little beggar.

A six-year-old child suddenly taking out so many Gold Soul Coins left the guard filled with suspicion; could these people be some kind of big shots?

"..." Tang San was completely stunned, thinking, Could Brother Su have some kind of superpower? How could he peer into my inner thoughts?

Looking down at the ground at the two Spirit Proofs covered in footprints, with the words "Innate Full Soul Power" clearly visible, the guard's legs began to tremble.

Because Holy Soul Village had developed quite well over the years, Su Xing had managed to save up a little money—not much, but enough to have a few dozen Gold Soul Coins.

"..." The guard was dumbfounded, barely able to recover.

Old Jack led Su Xing and Tang San just to the front of the gate when they were stopped by the young man guarding it. "What are you doing here? Is this sacred place somewhere people like you country bumpkins can come?"

At this moment, Su Xing and Tang San struck almost simultaneously. Two thin figures, one punch and one kick, directly knocked the guard to the ground.

Seeing this, the guard's mouth twitched slightly, and a hint of anger appeared in his eyes. Without even looking at the Spirit Proofs in his hand, he deliberately made things difficult. "Work-study students? Your little backwater village can produce soul masters? You aren't fakes, are you?"

"..." Tang San.

As for Tang San, he wasn't that curious about spirit beasts, but instead asked, "Grandpa Jack, what are the admission standards for an Advanced Soul Master Academy?"

Su Xing pulled a bag of Gold Soul Coins from his chest.

Hearing Old Jack say this, Su Xing looked blank and curled his lips, though he felt a bit more curious about spirit beasts in his heart.

Through the iron fence, one could see the winding paths inside, with tall trees on both sides and a main road leading straight into the interior.

"Little Su, Little San, you..." Old Jack stared at the two in front of him, dumbfounded.

Hearing this, Old Jack stiffened, knocked Su Xing on the head, and said sternly, "You little brat, what do you mean 'only level thirty'? Do you know that once you reach an Intermediate Soul Master Academy, the instructors won't help you hunt spirit beasts anymore? You must rely on your own strength to hunt spirit beasts and obtain spirit rings."

Su Xing and Tang San had black lines on their foreheads, petrified on the spot.

Su Xing didn't want to fight with a brat like this; fighting such a person would lower his class and status.

"..." Su Xing.

From far away, Su Xing saw a tall archway. The arch was twenty meters wide and over ten meters high, all built from hard rock. Below it were two iron-grille gates, dark and imposing.

Seeing the guard's terrible attitude, Old Jack hurriedly explained, "Little brother, we are from Holy Soul Village. These two children are the work-study students our village sent this year. Look, what procedures do we need to handle?"

Tang San's left hand was already raised, and the safety on his Sleeve Arrow had been disengaged, but at that moment, Su Xing grabbed his left hand and reminded him, "San, it's just a verbal spat, don't go around talking about the Way of Seeking Death and killing people. Watch how your brother teaches him a lesson."

"Sigh, for those of us from commoner families, graduating from an Intermediate Soul Master Academy is already considered exceptionally outstanding. Your spirits—one Blue Silver Grass, one Sickle—if you can graduate from a Junior Soul Master Academy, Grandpa will be very happy," Old Jack laughed.

But interestingly, Old Jack didn't understand the guard's meaning at all and directly pulled two Spirit Proofs from his chest and placed them in his hand.

"Do you know how dangerous spirit beasts are? Every year, countless commoner soul masters in the Heaven Dou Empire die because they go to the Soul Hunting Forest to hunt spirit beasts."

Knocked to the ground by two children, the guard was stunned at first, then suddenly felt he had lost face. In a fit of rage, he climbed up from the ground, intending to rush at Su Xing and Tang San.

After all, Su Xing had never seen a spirit beast and didn't know what they tasted like. He wanted to try things like the Soft Bone Rabbit, the Azure Little Snake, or the Titan Little Ape.

"What? Not convinced? Look at the clothes the kid next to you is wearing—covered in patches! If you're looking for a place to beg, you've come to the wrong place!"

"You..." Old Jack's face changed abruptly, and he struck his cane against the ground several times. After all, the guard's words had touched upon his greatest pride.

After saying this, the guard threw the two Spirit Proofs in his hand directly onto the ground and even stepped on them twice.

"Little Su, Little San, you must listen to your teachers when you get to the academy. If you become soul masters by the end of this semester, Grandpa will set off firecrackers to celebrate when you return to Holy Soul Village."

As they walked, Old Jack said proudly.

"Only level thirty?" Su Xing chuckled.