Soul Master Certification

Tang San was not surprised that Director Su had exposed Ye Xinyu. As for himself, he was always extremely discreet whenever he cultivated the Purple Demon Eye. As long as he did not deliberately reveal it, there was basically no need to worry about being discovered at this academy.

Still, although Director Su's words made some sense, they differed from what his teacher had taught him. And for some reason, Tang San felt that Director Su seemed to be subtly making pointed remarks. He did not know if it was merely an illusion.

"In short, what matters in cultivation is the process, not the result. Hard work may not guarantee success, but those who succeed are destined to have put in more effort than others."

After his speech, Director Su checked the time and said,

"Alright, I've said enough for today. Class is about to end, but before that, I'll assign you some homework. The day's work begins in the morning. Finish washing up before six every morning, then complete an hour of exercise on the field before eight. How much you do is up to your own limits."

"And don't rush off to rest afterward. After exercising, the Soul Power in your body will become more active. If your Soul Power is heavily depleted, meditation will allow your body to absorb Soul Power faster. I'm not asking for much—at least one hour of meditation."

"You needn't worry about it affecting your classes. From now on, my lessons will run from around ten to eleven. If there's anything you don't understand, you can come ask me privately. As for the rest, it all depends on your own discipline. The road of cultivation is long, and the only person you can rely on is yourself. Whether you can take these words to heart is up to you."

"Alright, class dismissed."

Watching Director Su slowly leave the school building, Xiao Wu stood and stretched. She had been sitting for over an hour, and her waist was sore.

"This Director Su seems pretty decent. And the assignment he gave us isn't even that demanding. Wang Sheng, was there any need for you to react like that?"

Wang Sheng scratched his head.

"I'm not sure either. I just heard other students say that Director Su is the strictest. As for how strict, I don't know. But the classes he teaches rank among the best in the entire academy."

Ye Xinyu said,

"Alright, it's still early. Xiao Wu, how about I take you to Spirit Hall to get certified?"

Compared to that world where talent and endless competition were inseparable, this world was actually quite nice. There were no countless complicated courses. Aside from cultivation, they only taught reading and writing on the side. Being able to recognize words was enough; nothing else really mattered. She did not have to endure all kinds of classes every day like in her previous life, just to score a few more points and compete herself to death.

"Sure." Xiao Wu immediately nodded. She could get a Gold Soul Coin for free every month, which was far more than the ten Copper Soul Coins she earned from a day's work.

One hundred Copper Soul Coins equaled one Silver Soul Coin, while ten Silver Soul Coins equaled one Gold Soul Coin. By that calculation, it was equivalent to money that would take several months to earn. All they had to do was get certified—there was no reason not to take it.

"Xiao San, do you want to come too?"

An unpleasant expression appeared on Tang San's face. Just a few days ago, he had been targeted by two elders from Spirit Hall. Now he was going to Spirit Hall to collect a subsidy—what if they threw him out again?

"I'll pass. My father had some grievances with Spirit Hall before, so..."

Seeing that Tang San's expression was a little unnatural, Ye Xinyu thought for a moment and said,

"Tang San, you don't need to worry about that. The subsidy issued by Spirit Hall comes from the two great empires. Even if you have a grudge against some of their people, they have no reason to withhold such a small amount of money from you. Besides, you're only a level-ten Soul Master. Would they really go to all that trouble just to target you?"

Now that she thought about it, why would Spirit Hall have nothing better to do than notify everyone below them not to give subsidies to anyone named Tang? If they had that much time, would it not be easier to just kill Tang San directly?

"Besides, without the subsidy, think about how you'll eat for the next few years. With just the ten Copper Soul Coins a day that Work-Study Students receive? And I heard you don't even get that every day. By the end of the month, feeding yourself will be a problem."

Ten Copper Soul Coins a day. The academy's meals were cheap, but even one serving cost a Copper Soul Coin. If one serving was not enough, they could only buy another, which meant they would basically need five or six Copper Soul Coins every day.

Then there were clothes, bedding, and daily necessities—all of which cost money. With that little money, they could probably only barely stay alive.

After all, the academy was not a charity. It merely provided an opportunity. Once one became a Soul Master, even the lowest-ranked one-ring Soul Master received one Gold Soul Coin every month—roughly one thousand Copper Soul Coins.

"Exactly, Xiao San. Let's go together." Xiao Wu also urged him from the side.

After meeting Xiao Wu's gaze and hesitating for a moment, Tang San finally nodded.

In the end, Wang Sheng and the others could only watch their backs with envy. Although Wang Sheng had begun cultivating several years earlier than them, his Soul Power was still only at level nine. He would probably need another year or two before reaching level ten.

No matter the city, Spirit Hall was considered a landmark building. Not long after leaving the academy, Ye Xinyu and the others arrived at Spirit Hall's entrance.

Like Spirit Hall warrants, Spirit Hall's rank was distinguished by its emblem. The one before them had only a single emblem, making it the lowest-level branch hall.

Seeing this, Ye Xinyu once again confirmed her suspicions.

Sure enough, her mother had sent her here because she found her troublesome. What was so good about this damned place? It had neither cultivation resources nor anything else.

Her eyes flicked toward Tang San at her side, and Ye Xinyu could not help sighing again.

What a pity. If this person had been named Xiao Yan or something, she could at least have spent a few years building a good relationship with him and benefited from his success in the future.

But it had to be this guy. She did not know how she had offended him. She had clearly said nothing and done nothing, yet she could distinctly feel Tang San's wariness toward her. Whenever he was nearby, she even vaguely felt a chill down her back.

She was afraid that Tang San might suddenly say, "You have earned the right to die," one day. Then she would really be in trouble.

Mom, you really screwed me over.

Suddenly, a stern voice came from ahead.

"Brats, this isn't a place you should be. Leave immediately."

Seeing two armored guards emerge from the entrance, Ye Xinyu quickly said,

"Um, we're here to get our Soul Master ranks certified."

The two guards' faces immediately darkened.

"You little kids want to get certified as Soul Masters?"

Hearing that, Xiao Wu stepped forward, planted her hands on her hips, and said indignantly,

"What? Why can't we be Soul Masters?"

The guards did not take her seriously.

"At your age, you've only just awakened your martial souls. Get certified as Soul Masters? Do you think Innate Full Soul Power is as common as cabbage, everywhere you look? Besides, if there really were students with Innate Full Soul Power, who would choose to stay in Nuoding City?"

"Enough. I've seen plenty like you. Spirit Hall isn't a place for you to play around. Hurry up and leave. If the Bishop sees you, you won't get off easy."

Just then, a voice suddenly came from behind them.

"Eh, why are you here, kid? Don't tell me you've really already obtained a soul ring?"

Turning toward the voice, they saw a man and a woman in their twenties approaching. The man wore the uniform of a Spirit Hall deacon.

"Master Su Yuntao," Tang San called out before anyone else could react.

Su Yuntao? This was the legendary tool-man Su Yuntao?

At that moment, the woman beside Su Yuntao gave a soft sound of surprise.

"What? This is the kid you mentioned with Innate Full Soul Power?"

"That's right." Su Yuntao nodded slightly, then asked Tang San, "You came this time to get your Soul Master rank certified, right?" It was no wonder he recognized him so clearly. The child was simply too unusual. Calling him trash was not quite right, since he possessed Innate Full Soul Power; calling him a genius was not quite right either, since his martial soul was the useless Blue Silver Grass.

Tang San nodded slightly, but his guard rose sharply. He did not know what Spirit Hall would do after recognizing him, but with only these few people here, escaping would not be difficult.

In the original work, it was ten Copper Soul Coins a day, but one hundred Copper Soul Coins equaled one Gold Soul Coin. That exchange rate was too low. It meant sweeping the grounds for ten days could earn one Gold Soul Coin. That currency system was a little absurd.

So it was changed to one hundred Copper Soul Coins equaling one Silver Soul Coin, and ten Silver Soul Coins equaling one Gold Soul Coin.

That meant it would take one hundred days to earn one Gold Soul Coin, which was a little more reasonable.