More Things to Prepare

However, with their Soul Power sealed this time, the two of them were clearly much slower than before. It took them around thirty minutes to finish, and they were both exhausted. Especially Ye Hongling—without the support of Soul Power, just one lap had left her sprawled on the ground. She was now sitting there, gasping heavily, her face flushed red.

"Ah, no more. I really can't do this. If I keep running, I'm going to die of exhaustion."

"Really? I actually feel pretty okay." Hearing Ye Hongling's complaint, Tang Chenfeng said he had no problem. After all, a Body Martial Soul strengthened the body itself. But he quickly stopped smiling, because Village Chief Ye said—

"Oh, really? Then good. Xiaofeng, keep running until you can't stand anymore. I'll be following you, so don't slack off."

"What?! From that day onward, Tang Chenfeng learned never to show off carelessly..."

Thus, under Village Chief Ye's supervision, Tang Chenfeng ran another six full laps before stopping. By the end, he was in the same state Ye Hongling had been in earlier, looking as if he might lose his breath at any moment. Fortunately, morning training was over. Based on their current performance, Village Chief Ye devised a new training plan. Basically, no matter how much exercise Ye Hongling did, Tang Chenfeng had to do five times as much. Tang Chenfeng's face went pale when he heard it.

Still, they could at least enjoy a delicious lunch first. However, having just run five and twenty-five kilometers, their stomachs still felt unsettled, so they ate less than usual today. Village Chief Ye simply said, "You'll get used to it."

The afternoon task was much easier: meditation cultivation. At first, Tang Chenfeng had asked Village Chief Ye what they should do if they entered Deep Meditation again. Village Chief Ye had replied helplessly, "If everyone could enter Deep Meditation whenever they wanted, there probably wouldn't be any geniuses left in this world..."

The two of them tried it, and sure enough, while they could meditate for a long time, they could only last until around midnight at most. Reaching the same state as before would probably be difficult. Still, cultivating within the Spirit Domain allowed them to improve rapidly. Tang Chenfeng had already reached level twelve. Ye Hongling still lacked a Soul Ring, so her Soul Power remained at level ten, but she could feel the Soul Power within her growing increasingly full.

After that, their daily routine basically consisted of physical training in the morning and meditation cultivation in the afternoon. Before long, their morning training included plenty of new activities besides running. As their physiques improved, Ye Hongling was able to do more and more, but Tang Chenfeng, who had to do five times her exercise volume, suffered miserably. She could endure it now, while he collapsed onto the ground from exhaustion every time. At least their cultivation had indeed improved. This life continued for about a month...

That morning, the two were still running laps. Before this, Ye Hongling had already done fifty push-ups, fifty pull-ups, fifty sit-ups, and fifty squats. Naturally, Tang Chenfeng had done five times that amount. She could now run around ten laps without Soul Power, meaning he had to run fifty. But today, they might have to end early, because while running, they encountered an acquaintance—the Federation's professional Awakening Master, Haofan, who had helped them awaken their Martial Souls.

The first thing they did upon seeing him was greet him, then ask, "Master, what brings you here today?"

Haofan smiled when he saw the two of them. He had come specifically because of them. "Ye Hongling, Tang Chenfeng, I came to see your grandfather today. Is he here?"

"Yes, he's at home. We'll take you there." The two of them immediately led Haofan back.

When they reached the entrance to the house, Village Chief Ye spotted them at once. "Oh, isn't this Master? What brings you to our home today?"

Haofan looked at Tang Chenfeng and Ye Hongling before replying, "It has been a long time, Village Chief Ye. I came today to discuss these two children. I previously reported their situation to the higher-ups, and based on their current performance, it has been decided that both of them may attend a Soul Master Academy together."

"Really? That's wonderful! I was worried that only one of them would be able to go." Village Chief Ye was overjoyed. He truly hoped the two could go out and see the world together.

But Haofan continued, "However, it isn't possible for two people to share one special admission slot. It can only be divided into two Work-Study Student slots."

"Work-Study Student slots?" This time, the two standing nearby were the ones asking questions.

Haofan explained, "Normally, after regular students pay their tuition, the academy takes care of their meals, lodging, and daily needs. But Work-Study Students need to work at the academy to earn living expenses. The benefit is that you don't have to pay tuition, while the academy will still teach you."

After hearing Haofan's explanation, Tang Chenfeng and Ye Hongling felt that even if they had to become Work-Study Students, being able to attend the academy was not bad at all, even if they had to work. Village Chief Ye, however, was troubled. It was not that he did not want them to go—it was a matter of money. Normally, official students would not need to worry about this, but Work-Study Students had to pay for food. Given that these two could eat six months' worth of food in a single month, even if they took on every job at the academy, it probably would not be enough to feed them.

This is going to be difficult. But they absolutely had to secure the Work-Study Student slots. Therefore, all three agreed to accept Haofan's suggestion. Once he received their definite answer, Haofan left.

After Haofan departed, Tang Chenfeng and Ye Hongling resumed their earlier training. Village Chief Ye remained where he was, thinking, Looks like I'll have to save wherever I can. Hiss... I should also have at least one of them learn some other skills.

Another day ended. Late at night, the two children had already fallen asleep, but two others were still discussing what would happen next.

"Are you sure? It could be very dangerous."

"Don't worry. You'll go with them. If they truly encounter danger, I'll use every bit of my strength without holding back."

"Ah, all right. At least when it comes to strength, I absolutely trust you. Also, have you found a place for Chenfeng?"

"For that, I'll have to trouble an old friend. Xiaofeng's Innate Divine Strength makes him an absolute expert in this field. He won't refuse."

Another night passed.

Dawn had just arrived. It was still the familiar pair, the familiar courtyard, and the familiar Village Chief Ye, but today seemed a little different.

Village Chief Ye hesitated before saying, "Training is suspended for today. Ling'er, come with me. I'm taking you to Sunset Great Forest to obtain a Soul Ring. Xiaofeng, stay at home for now."

The moment he said this, both of them were shocked. Naturally, they understood what it meant.

Ye Hongling asked in surprise, "Grandpa, why are we suddenly going to Sunset Great Forest to obtain a Soul Ring? Can't we just buy a Spirit Soul?"

"There's no helping it. Since you can only become Work-Study Students, you'll have to spend quite a lot on food and clothing. Your grandfather and grandmother are useless—our savings are only enough to buy you a Ten-Year Soul Spirit. If we really do that, it will waste your talent, so we decided to take you to Sunset Great Forest and have a look." Hearing Grandpa Ye's helpless tone, Ye Hongling knew she had to do this. Otherwise, just as Grandpa Ye said, it would limit her future development.

Suddenly, another voice came from beside them. "Village Chief Ye, take me with you too. More people mean more help." Naturally, the voice belonged to Tang Chenfeng.