I Don't Want to Be a Nobody Anymore-The Soul Fragment of the White-Haired Martial Arts Saint

Mu Rong turned his head and saw a middle-aged man wearing the Ju Yuan City Martial Arts Hall's uniform hurrying toward him.

It was Duan Jun.

Back when Mu Rong first opened the Martial Arts Hall, Duan Jun had been the city's chief magistrate, a mighty figure who'd awakened a sixth-grade innate soul power.

"Little friend Mu Rong, it's you! We meet again."

Duan Jun smiled warmly as he hurried over.

He might have forgotten the ordinary people he'd met over the years, but he could never forget Mu Rong.

Over the years, Ju Yuan City had produced several geniuses with innate sixth-grade soul power. One had even become a Soul King, and was now on the verge of becoming a Soul Emperor!

"So, Duan Jun, have you made up your mind? You're really going to join my Martial Arts Hall?"

Duan Jun's eyes gleamed with the shrewd light of a master merchant, as though he were looking at a rare jade.

"Uh... Chief, could I think it over a little longer?"

Mu Rong looked a little embarrassed. He hadn't rejected the offer outright; instead, he wore the earnest, hopeful expression of a child.

"I'm still young. I want to see more of the world, learn more."

"Ha ha ha!"

Duan Jun laughed heartily. He wasn't angry in the slightest. He patted Mu Rong on the shoulder.

"That's fine. You're still young. Once you've had your fill of suffering and hardship out in the Soul Master world, you'll know how good you had it in my Martial Arts Hall."

He gave Mu Rong a smile that was both warm and sly, the sort of look that said, "You'll be begging to come back."

Mu Rong could only smile awkwardly.

The offer was indeed tempting, and the logic behind it was sound.

For an ordinary Soul Master without connections, the Martial Arts Hall was the best place to train and climb the ranks.

But he didn't want to become anyone's disciple again.

He'd already had enough of a life spent in blue-collar work clothes, toiling day after day in a factory, bound by rules and restraints.

He'd finally gotten the chance to cross over into another world. If he had to kneel and bow to some old man again, he might as well just die.

"Chief..."

Mu Rong stopped him, then hesitated, unsure how to begin.

"We're here today because I want to visit the Martial Arts Hall's library and read some books. The academy's collection is too limited. There's a lot of information I can't find there, so..."

"Oh? You want to read?"

Duan Jun thought for a moment.

This young fellow was Ju Yuan City's hope, a rare genius blessed by heaven. He needed to win Mu Rong over and secure his loyalty.

Besides, sooner or later, Mu Rong would join the Martial Arts Hall. Letting him experience its atmosphere and resources in advance could be a good way to pave the way.

All he had to do was let him read a few books!

"Of course! No problem!"

Duan Jun waved his hand and readily agreed.

"Come by whenever you like. You'll always be welcome! Come on, I'll take you there!"

"Thank you, Chief! You really are a good man!"

Mu Rong couldn't help blurting it out. His praise made Duan Jun's heart blossom with joy.

Duan Jun was in such a good mood that he even took Mu Rong by the hand and led him through the main entrance toward the Martial Arts Hall's library.

Across the street, in the corner of a teahouse, a young man watched them clearly.

The young man was Qin Lin, a prominent chief instructor of the Martial Arts Hall.

Duan Jun had actually been so courteous to that kid, and even led him by the hand?

That was unusual. The kid had to be someone important.

Could he be a top talent, then?

The young man wasn't some nobody who needed to rely on connections to get by. He'd probably joined the Martial Arts Hall ages ago and become a prodigy specially trained by it.

How dare he?

How dare he act so arrogant in the dormitory and talk back to him?

He'd dared to rely on the Martial Arts Hall to stand up to a senior instructor!

"Fine. You're tough, I'll give you that!"

Qin Lin spat out a curse.

But so what if he had the Martial Arts Hall backing him?

At the very least, Qin Lin would teach him a lesson today. As long as he was careful enough, Mu Rong would never know who'd done it.

He turned to the two underlings behind him, who were watching him eagerly, and ordered, "You two, go to the black market and buy three sets of inconspicuous clothes. Then get three masks that'll cover your whole faces. Finally, find the numbest, cheapest beggar you can!"

"Huh? Boss, why do we need to buy all that?"

"Yeah, Boss, when that kid comes out, we can just confront him and beat him up. Why go to all this trouble?"

"Idiots! Just do as I say. Don't ask so many questions!"

Qin Lin barked impatiently.

The two men were stunned into silence. They were clearly confused, but neither dared ask anything else. They split up and went to the black market.

Qin Lin watched them leave, a vicious smile spreading across his face.

Kid, even if you've got connections, what can you do?

Qin Lin would beat you until you were half-dead, then leave you in a sack. Even if you managed to crawl back alive, you wouldn't know who'd attacked you. How could you possibly suspect him?

The Martial Arts Hall's library was several times better than the academy's.

Row after row of tall shelves reached all the way to the ceiling. The air carried the lingering scent of old scrolls and ink.

Mu Rong hurried over to the Soul Fragment index.

The moment he picked up the first book, he was stunned.

It was the first volume of The Great Continent's Soul Beast Records. Even the first section contained more than thirteen species of soul beasts he'd never encountered in the academy's books.

What's more, the descriptions of every Soul Fragment were astonishingly detailed.

Their habitats, activity ranges, traits, and the soul skills they could grant... Every piece of information was more than ten times as complete as what he'd found in the academy's books.

As expected of the Martial Arts Hall. Its resources were truly impressive.

Mu Rong spent the entire afternoon immersed in a sea of knowledge.

Finally, in an ancient volume that described the soul beasts of the far north and the high, frigid mountains, he found what he'd been looking for.

"Cold Poison Ice Serpent."

A giant serpent appeared on the page, its body covered in black scales that resembled ice crystals, each scale patterned with a dragon-shaped design.

It was ice-aligned and possessed an ancient bloodline, though it was now exceedingly thin.

Its venom and serpent gall could greatly enhance the cultivation of ice-aligned martial souls.

It lived in the frigid depths beyond the Star Dou Great Forest and possessed exceptionally potent cold poison. Once someone was poisoned, their soul power would begin to freeze almost instantly, and their body temperature would plummet rapidly.

At the end of the entry, a line of red ink served as a warning.

The Cold Poison Ice Serpent is extremely dangerous to hunt. It is recommended that at least two Soul Masters above level twenty work together to have any chance of a successful hunt.

He'd found the Soul Fragment, but the hunt would be far more difficult than he'd imagined.

Still, he'd arrived early, after all.

Mu Rong closed the book. Every word on the page had been firmly etched into his mind.

After bidding Chief Duan Jun farewell amid his warm invitation to "come visit again," Mu Rong left the Martial Arts Hall.

The sky was already darkening. The evening sun dyed the long street a warm gold.

Mu Rong took a shortcut along a small alley on the way back to the academy.

Just as he stepped into the alley, three dark figures leaped out from the shadows and fiercely blocked his way.

They were all wearing thick hemp sackcloth masks.

"Kid, we've been waiting for you for a long time."