Grandmaster

"If selling Grilled Fish was this profitable, then when I came to Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy to study in the future, I could set up a stall in my spare time..."

There were not many students at Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy, and even fewer teachers. Basically, most of them had tried Huo Yuhao's Grilled Fish.

Although they all praised the taste of the Grilled Fish, not everyone could afford to eat it every day. Whenever he had a large batch to sell, Huo Yuhao would take some to Spirit Hall. Soul Masters had money, and the Grilled Fish tasted good, so plenty of people were willing to pay to try something new.

After selling out and packing up, he had earned another eight Gold Coins today.

"I'll be reporting in tomorrow. I'll take my Grilled Fish equipment back today. I won't be selling Grilled Fish tomorrow—I should familiarize myself with the academy first..."

Huo Yuhao slung the Grilled Fish equipment onto his back and strode away casually.

Just after leaving the entrance of the Soul Master Academy, someone called from behind him, "Yuhao, you're packing up so early today?"

Huo Yuhao turned around and saw Su Yuntao.

Over the past few months, Huo Yuhao had occasionally sold Grilled Fish outside Spirit Hall in Nuoding City, so he naturally ran into Su Yuntao. After a while, the two had become acquainted.

Su Yuntao would sometimes come to the Soul Master Academy as well, supporting Huo Yuhao's Grilled Fish business.

Huo Yuhao had discovered that Spirit Hall's Soul Masters were generally decent people. Though they possessed the pride common to all Soul Masters, Soul Masters outside Spirit Hall were the same. Spirit Hall's Soul Masters were not particularly overbearing.

Although Huo Yuhao knew Spirit Hall would eventually be destroyed, he could not help developing some goodwill toward it.

Huo Yuhao smiled and said, "Brother Tao, it's you. I sold out early today, so I'm closing up and heading home. I'll be reporting to the academy tomorrow, so I need to go back and get ready."

Su Yuntao nodded. "That's true. I nearly forgot you're a Soul Master too... Once you enter the Soul Master Academy, make sure you cultivate properly. If anyone bullies you, tell me. I'll deal with them!"

"Thanks!" Huo Yuhao thanked him and turned to leave.

That day, Huo Yuhao carried his luggage, bid Old John farewell, and came alone to Nuoding City.

Over the past three months, Huo Yuhao had become thoroughly familiar with Nuoding City. He made his way to the Junior Soul Master Academy with ease.

The moment he arrived at the academy entrance, Huo Yuhao heard a harsh voice.

"What? You don't agree? I said you came from Beggar Village. Was I wrong? Look at your clothes, nothing but patches. You'd better hurry up and find somewhere to beg. Our Nuoding Academy isn't a charity!"

Huo Yuhao looked closely and saw that the speaker was Nuoding Academy's gatekeeper. Since Huo Yuhao had sold Grilled Fish here, he naturally knew the gatekeeper, who had even eaten his Grilled Fish before.

Standing off against the gatekeeper were an old man and a child. The Old Man had a head full of white hair, while the child looked to be only around six, with an utterly ordinary appearance.

As Huo Yuhao watched, the child suddenly moved, shoving with his palm and hooking out a leg, directly tripping the gatekeeper to the ground.

"You little brat, you're courting death!" Having been shoved down by a child, the gatekeeper flew into a rage. After scrambling to his feet, he charged toward the child.

Just as Huo Yuhao was about to stop him, a hoarse voice rang out. "Enough. Stop."

Huo Yuhao could not help turning to look. It was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, of average height and somewhat thin build.

He had short black hair and an ordinary face. His hands were clasped behind his back, and his expression carried a hint of laziness and despondency.

Huo Yuhao frowned slightly. He had sold Grilled Fish outside Nuoding Academy for three months and had seen nearly every student and teacher, yet he had never seen this man before.

"M-Master, you've returned?" the gatekeeper immediately said with a fawning nod.

Grandmaster?

Huo Yuhao looked puzzled. Was there really someone with that name?

Huo Yuhao studied the middle-aged man carefully. The man gave him a faintly familiar feeling. Have I met him before? Maybe I've met too many people and simply forgotten?

Huo Yuhao did not dwell on it and walked straight over.

At that moment, the middle-aged man said calmly to the Old Man, "Sir, may I see Spirit Hall's certificate?"

The Old Man hurriedly handed over the certificate in his hand. The middle-aged man took it and nodded slightly. "The certificate is correct. Sir, leave this child to me."

Then, after giving the gatekeeper a deep look, the middle-aged man brought the child into Nuoding Academy.

Seeing that no real conflict had occurred, Huo Yuhao walked over and said to the gatekeeper, "Gatekeeper, this is my certificate. I'm here to report in."

The gatekeeper naturally recognized Huo Yuhao. He said in surprise, "Little One, you're here to report in too? Do you have Innate Soul Power?"

Huo Yuhao chuckled and handed over his certificate. "You'll know when you look at it."

The gatekeeper took the certificate and glanced at it casually. Smiling, he said, "You really do. But your Innate Soul Power is only rank one... Heh, even rank one is better than me. All right, little one who might become a Soul Master someday, go report in."

The gatekeeper made a joke and let Huo Yuhao through.

The Old Man was about to leave when he saw the gatekeeper joking with Huo Yuhao and was immediately dumbfounded. Was this really the same vicious gatekeeper from before? This child's clothes were even more tattered than theirs, so why had the gatekeeper not called him a beggar?

How strange!

After entering Nuoding Academy, Huo Yuhao saw the middle-aged man and the child ahead stop walking, as though they were discussing something.

Curious, Huo Yuhao could not help moving closer.

Once he was near enough, Huo Yuhao heard the middle-aged man say flatly, "There are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters."

Hearing those words, Huo Yuhao halted, an odd look appearing on his face. He did not understand why this middle-aged man would say something like that.

The quality of one's Martial Soul determined a Soul Master's upper limit. If someone only had a hoe Martial Soul and rank-one Innate Soul Power, then no matter how talented Huo Yuhao was, even he would not dare claim he could cultivate to become a Title Douluo.

If Huo Yuhao had not possessed Innate Soul Power, he would not even have been able to become a Soul Master.

A Martial Soul was the foundation. Every higher structure rested upon it. If one had a useless Martial Soul, then no matter how gifted a Soul Master was, there was nothing he could do.

The reason Huo Yuhao found the statement strange was that it did sound rather passionate.

Though it made little sense, hearing it still made one's blood boil.

If a teenager had shouted those words, Huo Yuhao would have found it perfectly natural. After all, who had not gone through an embarrassing youthful phase?

But this middle-aged man appeared to be in his forties or fifties. Logically speaking, he should not have said something so juvenile.

"Could it be that this middle-aged man relied on his own strength and an ordinary Martial Soul to cultivate to a very high realm?"

"If that's the case, then it makes sense..."

A guess formed in Huo Yuhao's heart, and he suddenly understood. With a trace of respect on his face, he quickly asked, "Sir, may I ask what rank you are? Are you perhaps a powerful Soul Sage or above?"