Advice

As she looked at the letter in her hand, she was stunned for a moment. She had known all along that her mother would leave today, but she had never imagined it would be like this—without even saying goodbye, she had simply gone back.

At that moment, the afterglow of the setting sun streamed through the window and fell over her, stretching her shadow long. She stood there blankly, clutching the letter tightly, a trace of disappointment on her face.

Seeing that Ye Xinyu had remained silent for so long, the young teacher impatiently urged her on.

"Alright, it's almost dark. Hurry up. The sooner I finish your paperwork, the sooner I can get off work." As he spoke, he sorted through the documents on his desk, his brows slightly furrowed.

Ye Xinyu came back to her senses and handed over her Soul Martial Certificate with an apologetic expression. She then carefully folded up the letter and tucked it into her pocket.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was soft and tinged with guilt. Even though no one was waiting behind her, it still seemed improper to delay someone from getting off work.

As soon as she finished speaking, a somewhat older teacher beside them could not help but scold him.

"You've been a teacher for years. Can't you show a little professional ethics? You need to remember that you're a teacher now. Stop thinking about getting off work all the time." Director Su had slightly graying hair and wore glasses, his expression stern.

The young man shrugged, looking utterly unconcerned.

"If you're not eager to get off work, there's something wrong with your head. I only get paid that much every month, so why should I take this so seriously? Director Su, I'm telling you, don't be so rigid either. Your monthly salary isn't even as much as the subsidy Spirit Hall gives you. If I were you, I'd have retired long ago and started enjoying life."

He knew that Director Su was already in his fifties or sixties and had a Soul Power Level of thirty-two. His monthly subsidy alone was one hundred Gold Soul Coins, far more than the academy's meager salary.

"You really are rotten wood that cannot be carved! Forget it, do as you please." Director Su shook his head with an expression of disappointment, then continued organizing his notes. Everyone had their own aspirations, and he could not control what others thought. He shook his head helplessly and ignored the young teacher.

After taking the certificate, the young teacher noticed the envelope tucked inside. Coupled with the little girl's expression, he could roughly guess what had happened.

"Alright, it's not like you've been separated by life and death. There's no need to be like this. The other kids I've seen are all thrilled after their parents leave. Without elders nagging beside them at the academy, isn't that great?" The young teacher curled his lip, clearly unconcerned.

Ye Xinyu said nothing in response. She merely lowered her head slightly and gently bit her lip. Perhaps people treasured most what they lacked. Having lived two lives, this was the first time someone had cared for her, the first time she had felt the warmth of a home. With that suddenly gone, it was only natural that she felt reluctant to part.

The young man looked at the certificate in his hand and froze for a moment, his eyes filled with surprise.

"This certificate?"

Ye Xinyu nodded and asked softly.

"Teacher, what is it? Is there a problem with the certificate?"

The young teacher shook his head slightly, though curiosity surfaced in his eyes.

"There's no problem. Spirit Hall issued this certificate, and it has a seal, so it's real. But what kind of Soul Martial is this Emerald Swan? And it's Innate Full Soul Power too. Why have I never heard of it before?"

"I see." Ye Xinyu let out a sigh of relief, and her expression relaxed somewhat. Thank goodness. She had thought he was going to say the certificate was fake and send her away.

"Teacher, my mother said that my Soul Martial is a mutated variety of swan called the Emerald Swan. It's a Support-type Soul Martial. Although there aren't many of them, Spirit Hall has records of it." Ye Xinyu raised her head and explained earnestly.

The young teacher lifted his gaze slightly and asked tentatively.

"By the way, have you already added your first soul ring?"

The young teacher's eyes remained fixed on Ye Xinyu.

Innate Full Soul Power, and she had only come to register more than a month later. In all likelihood, she had already obtained a soul ring. Otherwise, how could she be so certain of her Soul Martial's attributes?

Ye Xinyu nodded slightly.

"Yes. A few days ago, my mother took me to the Star Dou Great Forest. I gained a recovery-type soul skill that can restore Soul Power and stamina for other people."

The young man's eyes held both shock and envy. Innate Full Soul Power was truly wonderful. The moment one awakened a Soul Martial, one could add a soul ring and immediately surpass peers by years. After all, plenty of academy students only reached level ten by graduation. This was the only student he had ever seen who was already a Soul Master upon enrollment.

"If your mother could take you to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for a soul ring, she must be a powerful Soul Master. Would it be convenient for you to show me your soul ring?"

Ye Xinyu shook her head repeatedly without even thinking.

"No, it wouldn't."

What a joke. Her first soul ring was already a thousand-year one. If anyone saw it, it would probably cause plenty of trouble. She had no intention of inviting trouble for herself.

Seeing this, the young teacher shook his head in disappointment.

"If it's inconvenient, then forget it. But you have a mutated Soul Martial, Innate Full Soul Power, and you're Support-type too. With such excellent talent, why did you come all the way here from Spirit City?"

Innate Full Soul Power Soul Masters were already rare across the continent, and Support-type ones were even more so. If someone awakened such a Soul Martial in Spirit City, how could Spirit Hall possibly let such a genius leave?

Moreover, Support-type Soul Masters cultivated very slowly. In a place like Spirit City, where any resource was available, why come here? It was simply incomprehensible.

Though he was only a teacher in this small place and his level was merely in the twenties, he still knew such basic common sense.

Ye Xinyu hesitated briefly before answering.

"I don't know. My mother awakened my Soul Martial for me at the time. Later, she said there was a Grandmaster here who was especially knowledgeable about Soul Martial research, so she wanted me to come here and study under him."

"Grandmaster?" Upon hearing Ye Xinyu's words, Director Su was also taken aback and could not help asking.

"You mean you came here to study under Grandmaster?" He set down his pen and looked up at Ye Xinyu.

Rather than answering directly, Ye Xinyu blinked and asked.

"Teacher, is there a problem with that?"

Director Su shook his head.

"There's no problem. It's just that, as someone with Innate Full Soul Power, you should devote all your energy to cultivating Soul Power rather than studying Soul Martial theory. That is the only way to avoid wasting your talent. Of course, if you only want to learn some basic knowledge and decide how your Soul Martial should develop, that's fine too. Still, I suggest you go to Spirit Hall and seek out Bishop Ma. That old fellow should be able to offer you some advice. After all, nowhere is more authoritative than Spirit Hall when it comes to knowledge about Soul Martials."

"Uh..." Ye Xinyu froze for a moment, then explained.

"Yes, I know. My mother already told me before we came. She analyzed the general types of soul rings my Soul Martial will need in the future. I only came here to see whether Grandmaster could offer any additional suggestions."

Only then did Director Su relax, nodding.

"Good. It's good that you already have some direction for cultivation. For a Soul Master, Soul Power is the highest priority. You're still young, so you should focus your energy on cultivation. As for theoretical knowledge, a general understanding is enough. There's no need to study it specifically. For ordinary Soul Masters, it isn't particularly useful."