Mu Rong's fingers twitched slightly. Ice Phoenix let out a snort.
"You're cruel!"
Qin Lin didn't even look back. He turned and ran, still shouting angrily:
"Just you wait! This isn't over!"
The two little dogs chased after him, yapping loudly.
The old steward let out a dry laugh.
"Serves him right!"
Suo Ling gave a respectful bow.
"Could the Cold Poison in Ice Phoenix's body really make someone's meridians freeze?"
"That's right."
Mu Rong put Ice Phoenix away, his expression calm.
The Cold Poison was certainly there, and it could numb the spirit, but it wasn't anywhere near the level of that poisonous beast.
Even so, for a young master whose body had been drained by wine and women, it was more than enough to make him suffer.
The dining hall.
The tableware clattered.
The dishes prepared by the kitchen staff filled the table, but there was only one plate of meat and a bowl of clear soup.
The second dish was a plate of blackened food, burnt to a crisp.
Mu Rong sat in the corner with the plate of meat. The sunlight fell on him, while the shadow of a figure stood beside the second-floor railing.
Qin Lin was wolfing down his food, his table piled high with dishes.
"Now that's a real meal!"
Mu Rong took a bite of the tough meat, chewing it slowly.
He didn't complain.
Without money, there was no cultivation. Without high-quality food, cultivation would only progress more slowly.
After all, money was what funded cultivation. How could he cultivate without it?
Whether in the fantasy world or the world of cultivation, those without money could only wait at the bottom. There was no way they could rank among the best.
Besides, the young master of this city had a panel showing his attributes: his innate constitution was only 30, his soul power was 26, and his Spirit Seed was an ordinary grade.
That was the problem with having no resources. Just look at Qin Lin's younger brother, whose innate constitution was clearly inferior. With plentiful cultivation resources, he could still go from an ordinary grade to a high grade at around age twenty...
If Mu Rong wanted to turn his life around, he would have to take down that young master, Qin Lin. His innate constitution was only six, and based on his current soul power, he was still far from becoming a Soul Venerable...
For now, he still needed to learn more about the Demon Blade and its methods. Once he had learned enough, he could deal with Qin Lin.
In the original story, Tang San had the Tang Sect's hidden weapons, while Yu Xiaogang was a useless fool. But he had a complete guide to the soul beasts on the continent.
The resources Mu Rong had access to were all held by the great clans. What he could get from the academy was only ordinary food. Even if he had a high-grade soul beast manual, that still wasn't something an ordinary person could obtain...
What did he have?
Two Spirit Seeds.
That was all. He didn't even have half a Soul Fragment.
If he wanted to get ahead, he needed money.
And the young master in front of him, eating and drinking to his heart's content, wasn't that a golden opportunity delivered right to his door?
"Boss, what are you muttering about?"
Suo Ling was hunched over her food, her mouth full.
"Nothing."
Mu Rong swallowed a mouthful, then set down the tough meat in his bowl.
"I was thinking about how to get that young master Qin Lin to give us some money."
Suo Ling's eyes widened.
"Get him to give us money? Why not just get someone to beat him up?"
"Beating people up? That's how thugs do things."
Mu Rong used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of cabbage.
"Sometimes, your brains are more useful than brute force."
After they finished eating,
they returned to the Seven Stars.
The old steward, who had been working hard all morning, walked over and handed them a form.
"Your work assignment has been arranged. The academy doesn't keep freeloaders. This is your work schedule."
"Mu Rong, Suo Ling."
The old steward called their names.
"You two will help with the flowers in the southern garden. You must clear the weeds every day, then spend the rest of the day meditating on your Spirit Seeds."
Meditating on their Spirit Seeds.
That meant meditating for an entire month.
But insect legs were meat, too.
Even a bit of meat was better than going hungry, but it still didn't fill the stomach.
One month of meditation.
Even if he went without food or drink for three years, he probably still couldn't make it from Ju Yuan City's lowest slums to the academy's cheapest dormitory.
It would take far too long.
Night fell.
The Seven Stars dormitory quieted down.
Mu Rong lay on the hard wooden bed near the entrance, one hand propping up his cheek.
In the darkness, those sparkling eyes looked strangely bright.
If he wanted to get ahead, working alone wouldn't do it.
Not even a gifted child could manage that.
He needed to make money.
There was a small mushroom-growing business on an asteroid, where a merchant had collected several kinds of rare mushrooms.
Demon Blade.
It used human greed and the nature of spirits, turning something small into something much bigger.
As long as "Truth, Kindness, and Beauty" were printed deeply enough in people's minds, they would never doubt them.
Even if only one person out of ten thousand believed in it, that would be enough to keep them from doubting.
In this chaotic continent, that was how you made a fortune.
The idea was flawless.
The only problem was that Mu Rong was just a student worker, with no money and no background. He was only a commoner.
Would anyone believe that a poor kid like him could pull it off?
He needed a backer.
Or rather, a wealthy fool with money, a kind heart, and a trusting nature to play the part of the "outstanding partner."
Qin Lin.
That fool of a young master of Ju Yuan City.
His status was right, and he had more than enough money.
Most importantly, he had no idea how dangerous the world really was.
Mu Rong sat up. A tempting smile crept across his face.
He only needed to scare him a little.
The kid was already afraid of him. It was because he feared getting beaten up.
Even if he could dodge Mu Rong for a while, he couldn't hide from everyone forever.
He just needed to get the other twenty-five students on his side.
He needed to win them over. If he got along with Qin Lin and could eat and drink well, he wouldn't need to worry about them interfering with his plans. Otherwise, there was no guarantee he could keep the money.
Once the time was right, he could take back that twenty-five silver coins! For now, those coins were his starting capital.
The next morning.
A shaft of sunlight shone through the thin curtains.
The lecture hall.
"The cultivation of soul power is about balance and control..."
At the front of the room, the old steward spoke with great enthusiasm.
The students below were all drowsy.
For these twelve-year-old children, the dry lecture had none of the thrill of a battle between soul masters.
Mu Rong sat in the first row.
He sat straight-backed.
The quill in his hand moved quickly over the coarse paper, carefully recording each key point.
"Steward."
Mu Rong raised his hand.
The old steward stopped, looking surprised.
He hadn't expected the student worker to have questions, too.
"Mu Rong? What's your question?"
"When a soul master's soul power reaches a bottleneck, is the success rate of breaking through directly proportional to the soul beast's age?"
Mu Rong stood up, speaking quickly and clearly.
"If a soul master's innate constitution is weak, would they need to rely on specific medicinal herbs to boost their physical strength and help them break through?"
The entire classroom fell silent.
The other students opened their mouths, unable to understand what he was talking about.
The old steward was taken aback.
That question was far too advanced.
It even touched on soul master breakthroughs, something only students at the Soul Master Academy could learn about.
"Well..."
The old steward pushed his glasses up. His expression grew serious as he considered the question.
"Very good. That's an important point. For ordinary students, the age of a soul beast does indeed affect how much strain a soul ring places on the body..."
The explanation that followed was nearly a lecture in itself.
The classroom fell quiet.
Mu Rong closed his notebook.
The students around him looked at him with different eyes.
Their fear of him as a monster was gone. Now they looked at him with admiration.
Some even showed a hint of reverence.
Mu Rong didn't care.
Knowledge was power.
That old saying was true in any world.
Before you continue