Ye Family Tomb

Holy Soul Village was a place of clear waters, lush mountains, singing birds, and fragrant flowers.

The ancestors of Holy Soul Village who had passed away were buried in the mountains behind the village.

According to burial customs, a tombstone had to bear the deceased's birth and death dates, along with information about their parents and children. Yet on the mountain behind Holy Soul Village stood two very strange graves. Only four simple words were carved upon them: Ye Family Tomb.

An old man who looked to be in his sixties stood before the two graves.

He was lean and tall, yet full of energy. His clothes were clean and neat, and his hair was combed without a single strand out of place.

Looking at the tombstones, the old man sighed to himself. "You two, I truly had no choice. I've beaten him, and I've scolded him. Yet he still insists on becoming a Soul Master. Today, I don't even know who he took as his master, but he brought out a Black Card and declared that he wanted to go to Notting City to enroll in school himself!"

"Before you passed away, I promised you that I would not let him become a Soul Master. But things have developed far beyond anyone's expectations. I truly can't control him, so I can only let him attend Notting City Junior Soul Master Academy."

"His talent really is excellent. Innate Full Soul Power at level twenty. Perhaps our Holy Soul Village will produce a second Soul Saint! This time, let me make the decision. If you want to blame someone, blame me."

The more Old Jack spoke, the more emotional he became. Unable to help himself, he raised two fingers toward the tombstones.

"So you finally agreed!"

The sudden voice startled Old Jack badly.

Old Jack looked toward the source of the voice and saw that, seven meters away, a child had somehow climbed up a large tree.

"Ye Feng, get down here," Old Jack shouted.

"You should have let me go to school long ago." Using both hands and feet, Ye Feng nimbly climbed down from the tree. Standing beside Old Jack, he asked, "Grandpa Jack, are you still not going to tell me how my parents died?"

"How did they die? Naturally, they died of illness." Old Jack's eyes flickered, clearly concealing something. He then added, "Ye Feng, make your own lunch. I'm going to make a trip to Notting City."

"What are you going into the city for?" Ye Feng asked doubtfully.

"Of course, it's for your enrollment. This time, I hope to secure another Work-Study Student spot. After all, our village did produce a Soul Saint once," Old Jack replied.

"Grandpa Jack, I have money for enrollment!" Ye Feng took out the Black Card Ning Fengzhi had given him.

A Black Card was a symbol of status. Only those whose assets had reached a certain level would be gifted such a savings card by financial institutions.

"Grandpa knows you have money." Old Jack patted Ye Feng's head with a kind gaze and continued, "But you still have a long life ahead of you, and there will be many places where you need money. Becoming a Work-Study Student can save you five Gold Soul Coins every semester!"

Three months later

Tang San persuaded Tang Hao to let him attend school. Old Jack had also secured two Work-Study Student spots. Together with Ye Feng, they happily arrived in Notting City.

Ye Feng had originally insisted on not becoming a Work-Study Student, but he could not win against Old Jack's frugality. In the end, he could only reluctantly agree to Old Jack's request and enter the Junior Soul Master Academy as a Work-Study Student.

"Xiao San, Ye Feng, after you enter the academy, do not leave without permission. When the term ends, Grandpa will come pick you up."

"Grandpa Jack, are you leaving so soon?"

"An inn isn't somewhere poor people like us can afford to stay. You two must work hard. When Grandpa sees you again, I hope you'll have already become Soul Masters."

Old Jack stretched out his hands, patting Tang San's hair with one hand and Ye Feng's with the other. Right beside them stood a rather upscale hotel.

Yes, a hotel a level above an inn.

"Wait for me here." Ye Feng pulled free from Grandpa Jack's touch and quickly entered the hotel. Before long, he came back out.

"Ye Feng, what did you go in there for?" Old Jack asked curiously.

"Take this!" Ye Feng extended his hand and handed Old Jack a card.

"What is this?" Old Jack asked curiously.

"A key card. It opens the hotel room door," Ye Feng answered.

"A key card? You booked a room?" Old Jack froze, staring at Ye Feng in astonishment.

"Obviously. Can't you see it's going to rain? If you catch a cold and get a fever, wouldn't I have to take care of you? What a hassle. Listen to me, stay the night before leaving. Even if you set out now, you won't make it back to the village before dark." Ye Feng's tone was stern.

For a moment, Old Jack felt that the six-year-old before him did not seem like a child, but an adult.

"Nonsense. This is a hotel. I heard it costs one Gold Soul Coin a night." Old Jack's heart ached.

"Not one. Two," Ye Feng corrected him.

"What? Two?" Startled, Old Jack hurriedly tried to hand the key card back to Ye Feng, but Ye Feng would not take it. Left with no choice, he angrily scolded, "Go return it right now. Do you know how much food two Gold Soul Coins can buy?!

"That's impossible. Once this hotel receives payment, it takes no responsibility. Even if you want to return it now, you can't." Ye Feng smiled.

Ye Feng did not say that it was not actually impossible to get a refund. He had merely threatened the clerk: if someone else came to refund the room using the key card and the clerk dared to issue the refund, he would leave a bad review and file a complaint against the clerk.

"You rascal!" Old Jack looked at the key card in his hand, unsure whether he should feel happy or heartbroken.

Before long, Old Jack, Tang San, and Ye Feng followed the main street to the only Junior Soul Master Academy in Notting City.

From afar, Ye Feng and the others saw a towering archway. It was twenty meters wide and over ten meters tall, built entirely from hard stone.

Beneath the archway were two black iron gates, forged from fine iron. Through them, they could see a winding road leading deep inside, with tall trees lining both sides.

At the center of the archway were four large words: Notting Academy.

The moment Old Jack led Tang San and Ye Feng to the gate, they were stopped by a young gatekeeper.

"What are you here for? Is this a place country bumpkins like you can come to?"

Although Old Jack's clothes were neat, in Notting City, he looked completely like a rural villager.

"Sir, we're from Holy Soul Village. These two children are the Work-Study Students our village is sending this year. Could you please tell us whether there are any other procedures we need to complete?" Old Jack hurriedly said with an ingratiating smile.

"Can a golden phoenix really come out of a grass nest? Can a tiny village produce someone with Soul Power? I've been a gatekeeper for four years, and the academy hasn't had Work-Study Students in years. You aren't fakes, are you?" the young man questioned mockingly.

"These are certificates issued by a Spirit Hall deacon." Old Jack handed the gatekeeper two certificates.

"Oh, Spirit Hall. Blue Silver Grass? And Innate Full Soul Power? How laughable, truly laughable... Pear Blossom martial soul, Innate Full Soul Power at level twenty... Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. I've been a gatekeeper for so long, and I've never heard of a student with Innate Full Soul Power. The other one even has Innate Full Soul Power at level twenty. Why don't you just forge one with Innate Full Titled Douluo?" The gatekeeper took the certificates and looked them over a few times. His tone was dripping with mockery. In the end, he unceremoniously threw both certificates onto the ground.