Time

Tang San, Yu Xiaogang's future disciple, would never have reached Innate Full Soul Power upon awakening if he had not possessed the Mysterious Heaven Skill. His Twin Martial Souls might even have died in the womb.

Tang Hao had neglected Tang San since childhood, caring only to drown his sorrows in drink. Once Tang San could walk, he had even needed to cook and care for Tang Hao.

Tang San had eaten terribly since childhood and was likely malnourished. Only because the Mysterious Heaven Skill had allowed him to cultivate early and make up for his physical development had Tang San avoided being ruined by Tang Hao.

It was precisely because Tang San had the cheat-like Mysterious Heaven Skill, which let him cultivate early, absorb soul power, and replenish the nutrients his body lacked, that he had been able to attain Innate Full Soul Power.

As for whether the Mysterious Heaven Skill could improve one's talent, Ye Lan did not think so. Tang San had awakened with Innate Full Soul Power only because his father was the Clear Sky Douluo and his mother was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form.

Tang San had been born with his parents' talent; the Mysterious Heaven Skill had merely made up for the nutritional deficiencies of his upbringing.

If the Mysterious Heaven Skill could allow ordinary people to awaken with Innate Full Soul Power, then the Tang Sect would have unified the continent long ago, ten thousand years later.

Yet in reality, ten thousand years later, the Tang Sect had declined so badly that it needed the Sea God's arrangements to rise again. Thus, Ye Lan had no particular interest in Tang San's cultivation method.

Perhaps the Mysterious Heaven Skill's cultivation speed could rival the continent's finest cultivation methods, but Ye Lan would not go groveling to Tang San for it. A tree lived for its bark, and a man lived for his pride.

Ye Lan would not abandon his self-respect. More importantly, he simply did not care for Tang San, seeing him only as a hypocrite who clung to feudal sect rules.

Yu Xiaogang's voice interrupted Ye Lan's thoughts. "Innate Soul Power at rank three can still be cultivated. I hope you become a Soul Master soon."

Then Yu Xiaogang closed his eyes and dozed off.

Ye Lan put away his token and stopped paying attention to Yu Xiaogang. He had no need for Yu Xiaogang's teachings, nor would he rush to take Yu Xiaogang as his master. Ye Lan headed down another road, one Yu Xiaogang could not see.

Before long, he arrived at the Academic Affairs Office in the teaching building. A man in his sixties was there to receive the new students, with two young assistants beside him helping handle miscellaneous matters.

Although Nuoding Academy was only an elementary Soul Master Academy, it was still a cradle for nurturing Soul Masters, and its administrative system was therefore quite comprehensive. Martial Souls awakened at the age of six, and some children, like Ye Lan, came from remote countryside areas. Some of them could not even read.

Thus, besides assisting with cultivation, elementary Soul Master Academies were also responsible for teaching knowledge and caring for students' daily lives.

After listening to the old man explain the many arrangements, Ye Lan began to accept the student life ahead of him. His inner maturity and calm outward expression stood in stark contrast to the other children, who were reluctant to leave their parents.

Seeing how composed Ye Lan was, the old man said approvingly, "If everyone were like you, I wouldn't have nearly so much to do. This is your student identification. You're a Work-Study Student at the academy. Ye Lan, you'll be responsible for cleaning the academy garden and training ground. Twenty Copper Soul Coins a day will be enough for your daily expenses."

The currency of the Douluo Continent was divided into Gold Soul Coins, Silver Soul Coins, and Copper Soul Coins. 1 Gold Soul Coin = 100 Silver Soul Coins = 10,000 Copper Soul Coins. The purchasing power of one Copper Soul Coin was roughly equivalent to 2 yuan in later generations. (The original novel's currency system was far too inconsistent, so it was standardized here. In the original, 100 Copper Soul Coins sometimes equaled 1 Silver Coin, while at other times 10 Copper Soul Coins equaled 1 Silver Coin. Prices were equally chaotic: hiring a carriage cost 5 Silver Soul Coins, while a boxed meal cost 2 Copper Soul Coins.)

Ye Lan was not short on money; becoming a Work-Study Student had been Su Yuntao's idea. Su Yuntao hoped Ye Lan would learn to be self-reliant. Ye Lan did not refuse. He only had to sweep fallen leaves, an easy task to complete. In fact, this was a benefit the academy gave Work-Study Students; manual labor outside did not pay nearly as well.

After purchasing his daily necessities from the academy shop, Ye Lan carried a large bundle of belongings on his back and reached the academy dormitories before night fell.

Ye Lan's dormitory was the Work-Study Student dormitory of Nuoding Academy: the Seventh Dormitory.

Holding a huge pile of things that blocked his vision, Ye Lan could only squeeze through the dormitory door. From the side of his large bundle, he spotted an empty bed and hurried over to put down his bedding.

At that moment, a rather simple-minded voice called out to Ye Lan. "A new Work-Study Student?"

Ye Lan studied the sturdy-looking youth before him. He was half a head taller than Ye Lan, looked about eight years old, and had round, bright eyes full of spirit.

"That's right. I'm this year's Work-Study Student. Just call me Ye Lan."

"My name's Wang Sheng! My Martial Soul is the War Tiger, and I'll be a Battle Soul Master in the future!" Wang Sheng proudly told Ye Lan about his Martial Soul, then asked, "What's your Martial Soul?"

"Just Blue Silver Grass. Innate Soul Power at rank three." Ye Lan paid no mind to Wang Sheng's desire to show off and answered blandly.

"Blue Silver Grass can be cultivated too? Forget it, no matter what kind of grass you are, you'll have to fight me first. I'm the boss of the Seventh Dormitory! If you beat me, you're the boss of the Seventh Dormitory. Those are the Seventh Dormitory's rules." Wang Sheng raised his arm and flexed his muscles.

The others, who seemed to be Wang Sheng's lackeys, began jeering as well, loudly shouting about how many moves Wang Sheng would need to defeat the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.

Faced with the raucous atmosphere, Ye Lan felt not the slightest ripple within. Instead, he raised both hands and pretended to surrender.

"Wang Sheng, you win. I have no interest in being the boss of the Seventh Dormitory."

Ye Lan had no desire to play boss games with a bunch of children. Making the most of his time to cultivate was the proper path. He then asked, "Wang Sheng, how old are you this year?"

"Tch, no fun. I'm eight this year, and my soul power is already rank seven! Why?" Wang Sheng put away his competitive spirit and answered Ye Lan.

"Nothing."

Though Ye Lan said it was nothing, he was calculating Tang San's age in his heart. Wang Sheng was five years older than Tang San and two years older than him. In other words, Ye Lan was three years older than Tang San!

Ye Lan let out a breath in relief. Good, he had caught up to the main storyline of Douluo Continent. He also had several more years to develop than the original protagonist, though with Innate Soul Power at rank three, they could not really be called years of development—only years spent catching up.

Three years would not be enough to catch up to the soul power Tang San had awakened with. He needed to make money, plan for Whale Rubber, and improve his cultivation methods.

As Ye Lan considered all this, he continued speaking with Wang Sheng and learned about the academy's various details, as well as its conflicts with noble students. Ye Lan did not offer any opinion on the matter, but Wang Sheng confidently promised to look after him.

Looking at Wang Sheng's boss-like manner, Ye Lan did not crush his confidence. He then announced, "Dinner for the Seventh Dormitory is on me today. My treat—eat as much as you like."

Handling a few little brats came naturally to Ye Lan. After all, they would be sharing a dormitory for the next several years, and a harmonious atmosphere was better than anything else. A good cultivation environment affected cultivation speed. In the future, he would also need the people of the Seventh Dormitory to provide cover while he cultivated. Nuoding Academy was managed quite strictly and conducted headcounts from time to time.