Volume One

A purple radiance scattered from his palm, and immediately after, a purple-black Sickle slowly emerged, emitting a dense aura of death.

"Child, step into the center of the patterned markings on the floor, then release your martial soul," Ma Xiunuo said with a gentle smile.

Hearing this, Su Xing remained calm and composed, feeling no surprise. In the original story, Tang San had jumped from level ten to level thirteen after absorbing a four-hundred-year-old Datura Snake; it stood to reason that he himself could reach level fifteen after absorbing a seven-hundred-year-old soul beast.

The Nuoding Academy cafeteria was divided into two floors. The first floor was generally where common work-study students and self-funded students ate, while the second floor, due to its higher prices, was mostly frequented by noble children.

"Who is it? If you have business, come on in," a somewhat aged voice drifted out from within the room.

"Hello, Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo, my name is Su Xing. I am here to register as a Soul Master."

Following this, Ma Xiunuo let out a long sigh, struggling to calm the excitement in his heart. He then picked up a yellow crystal ball from the desk beside him, walked over to Su Xing, and said, "Child, channel your soul power into this and let's see what your Soul Power Level has reached."

"This, you have actually reached... level fifteen soul power." Ma Xiunuo looked at Su Xing as if he were looking at a little monster. "Child, could you show me your Spirit Proof?"

When they arrived at the end of the corridor, three tall arched doors appeared before Su Xing.

Ma Xiunuo was greatly shocked and said, "It is actually the most terrifying of the low-level soul beasts, the Blood-Devouring Demon Spider. No wonder it has such an effect. No, that's still not right. Even if you had Innate Full Soul Power, it would be impossible to absorb a seven-hundred-year-old soul beast for your first soul ring. Child, you didn't misremember, did you?"

The biggest difference between the second floor and the first was that the first floor served ordinary food, while the ingredients on the second floor all came from soul beasts, their nutritional value far exceeding that of common poultry.

"Bang!" A spicy rabbit head, made from the head of a ten-year-old Soft Bone Rabbit and seasoned with the fruits of a ten-year-old Red Sea Chili, braised together to create a delicious and exquisite delicacy.

"Come in, child. This is where the Martial Soul Hall conducts Soul Master assessments." As he spoke, Ma Xiunuo pushed open a door and led Su Xing inside.

Su Xing had a bit of money on him, so he naturally went to the second-floor cafeteria and ordered a few dishes he liked.

While speaking, Ma Xiunuo rose from his office and led Su Xing along the second-floor corridor toward the inner side of the Martial Soul Hall.

Stepping inside and closing the door behind him, Su Xing found himself in a bright office. Ma Xiunuo sat behind a large desk, his neat Soul Master uniform and the standard three-sword emblem on his person indicating that he was a Soul Grand Master level battle soul master.

Hearing this, Ma Xiunuo looked at Su Xing with a smile and said, "Child, I can hardly be called a grandmaster. I am truly surprised that you have obtained your first soul ring at such a young age. Come, I will take you to conduct the Soul Master assessment."

On the floor, a massive token emblem was engraved, with a long sword pointing vertically downward toward the entrance of the hall.

A moment later, Ma Xiunuo's expression suddenly turned serious. He asked with a sunken face, "Little Su, would you be willing to join the Martial Soul Hall?"

Hearing this, Su Xing walked to the center of the patterned markings on the floor and stood still. He raised his right hand, held his breath, and focused, channeling his soul power to emerge from his palm along with his Sickle martial soul.

When Su Xing left the Martial Soul Hall, preparing to return to Nuoding Academy, his Eternal Star Domain Soul Tool already contained a Soul Master Badge and a Gold Soul Coin.

"It is actually a... hundred-year soul ring." Ma Xiunuo rubbed his eyes to ensure he hadn't seen wrong. The gaze he turned back toward Su Xing was now filled with admiration.

Immediately, a bright yellow hundred-year soul ring rose from beneath Su Xing's feet, its dazzling, brilliant light swirling up and down with his body as the center.

Upon entering the room, Su Xing found it spacious and tall, covering a full two hundred square meters. Above, a massive floor-to-ceiling window provided the room with ample illumination.

After hearing Ma Xiunuo's words, Su Xing didn't know how to answer for a moment. He couldn't exactly say he had an eighty-thousand-year soul bone to enhance his physique, so he hurriedly changed his story, claiming it was a four-hundred-year-old soul beast.

After entering the first-floor lobby, Su Xing did not see the old man Ma Xiunuo, so he followed the stairs to the second floor of the Martial Soul Hall.

"Child, you actually... have Innate Full Soul Power, but even after absorbing your first soul ring, you shouldn't have jumped five levels. Can you tell me what soul beast you hunted to get this soul ring?" Ma Xiunuo asked, looking at the Spirit Proof in his hand in astonishment.

Arriving at the second-floor corridor, Su Xing discovered an office that looked directly out over the first-floor lobby; clearly, this was the administrative area of the Martial Soul Hall.

Su Xing did not hide the truth, saying, "A seven-hundred-year-old Blood-Devouring Demon Spider!"

Hearing this, Ma Xiunuo revealed a gratified smile and said, "Congratulations on becoming an outstanding Soul Master. In a moment, I will issue your Soul Master Badge and this month's subsidy. The monthly subsidy for a Soul Master is one Gold Soul Coin, ten for a Soul Grand Master, and one hundred for a Soul Elder. Next time you come to the Martial Soul Hall, you only need to present your Soul Master Badge to collect it."

"Oh, I see. In that case, it is indeed a step too late. Even our Martial Soul Hall has no reason to forcibly poach people from an academy. But it is not without a solution. When you graduate from Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy and need to study at a more advanced Soul Master academy, you can come find me at the Martial Soul Hall. By then, you can join the Martial Soul Hall directly and enter the school established by the Martial Soul Hall to study." Ma Xiunuo sighed, then his eyes lit up as he added.

Su Xing knocked on the half-open door.

Hearing Ma Xiunuo say this, Su Xing pondered for a moment, smiled slightly, and said, "In that case, that is a matter for six years from now. Very well, it is a deal, Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo. I will come find you after I graduate and join the Martial Soul Hall."

A dish of stir-fried Blue Silver Vine Heart, taken from a ten-year-old Blue Silver Grass. After peeling the skin of the Blue Silver Grass, the tender core was blanched in boiling water to remove the bitterness, then stir-fried with high-quality yellow chili peppers. It was sweet, crisp, and extremely delicious.

Su Xing nodded, channeled his soul power to retract his Sickle martial soul, and raised his hand to touch the crystal ball. As his soul power was injected, the crystal ball's light surged, instantly filling the entire hall.

Su Xing had long known this old man would ask, so he wasn't particularly surprised. He said, "Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo, I'm afraid that won't be possible for now; I am already studying at Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy."

Ma Xiunuo had worked at the Martial Soul Hall for decades, after all, and understood the conditions for adding soul rings better than anyone; he immediately realized the crux of the matter.

Returning to Nuoding Academy, it was just time for dinner, so Su Xing did not return to his dormitory but went straight to the academy's largest cafeteria.

After all, in this life, Su Xing intended to lead the Martial Soul Hall to defeat the evil Tang San; he could never let this guy turn back the wheels of history again.

A serving of roasted Colorful Void Chicken wings, taken from the wings of a ten-year-old Colorful Void Chicken. Processed by the chef, they were golden and translucent, with golden grease glistening on the plump meat—it could be called a peerless delicacy.

Thus, Su Xing took the Spirit Proof from his Soul Tool and handed it to Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo.

"Alright, thank you, Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo," Su Xing said with a smile.

Su Xing scratched his head, gave an awkward smile, and hurriedly explained, "Uh... Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo, perhaps I remembered wrong. It seems it was a Blood-Devouring Demon Spider of about four hundred years."

Hmph, it's a good thing I didn't encounter a thousand-year soul beast, otherwise, if I had ended up with a purple thousand-year soul ring, wouldn't I have scared you to death? Su Xing thought to himself.