The Name of the Tyrant

"You've worked hard. Honestly, I'm not that particular."

"Not hard at all, not hard at all! Qin Ming, after such an intense Soul Fighting match, you should get some proper rest." Bai Heng gripped the mop with both hands, shaking his head like a rattle-drum.

"Qin Ming, you defeated Angel Qi this time and really brought honor to us students from outside. The details of that match will probably spread throughout the entire academy before long." Bai Heng looked at Qin Ming with anticipation.

"There's really nothing to envy. The more famous you are, the more trouble follows." Qin Ming had always adhered to the principle that he would not offend others unless they offended him first.

If someone simply challenged him to a Soul Fighting match for sparring, he naturally would not respond with harsh words. But if they came at him with contemptuous provocation like Qi had, then he naturally would not show them a pleasant face either.

This battle had also served to establish his authority. For quite a long time, no one would likely come looking to make trouble for him deliberately, saving him quite a bit of hassle.

Qin Ming then turned his gaze toward the black box on the table. Back when he had been at the Martial Soul Main Hall in Suotuo City, the Main Hall had also provided him with extra cultivation resources every month, mostly spiritual fruits and the like.

He wondered what Spirit Hall Academy had provided this time.

Qin Ming walked over to the table in the living room and reached out to open the box. However, the black box seemed as though it had been glued shut and did not budge in the slightest.

"Qin Ming, you need to use the Soul Tool the academy gave us." Bai Heng jogged over and pointed at a groove in the center of the box. The surface of the groove was just the right size to fit the Mirror Soul Tool the academy had given them.

"So that's how it is." Qin Ming took out the Mirror Soul Tool and pressed it into the groove in the center of the box.

With a flash of light across the mirror's surface, Qin Ming's basic information appeared. The runes on the box's surface flickered, and it opened.

Qin Ming nodded approvingly. There was even a dedicated identity verification system. Spirit Hall Academy had truly considered everything carefully.

Inside the black box were three small cases, which Qin Ming opened one by one.

One of the cases contained more than thirty yellow pills.

Another case was filled with a paste as translucent as jade.

The final case contained numerous small cloth packets, more than thirty in all. When he leaned closer and sniffed them, he caught a fragrant herbal scent.

Bai Heng explained, "Qin Ming, those pills are Soul Nourishing Pills specially refined by the academy for us. They're made from the bone powder and essence blood of various Millennium Soul Beasts. Taking one while cultivating can speed up the circulation of Soul Power in our bodies and increase our cultivation speed."

Qin Ming nodded. Having read the original work, he knew that Douluo Continent actually had quite a few pills, such as Mystic Water Pills and Soul Ascension Pills.

"Then there's the ointment, which is Body Tempering Paste. Each person gets one portion per month. Just apply it to your torso and limbs when using it."

"As for those little packets, they're the materials needed for Medicinal Baths. They're the academy's exclusive secret formula, and prolonged use can temper the body and nourish the meridians."

"I understand."

The Body Tempering Paste was issued once a month, while the Soul Nourishing Pills and Medicinal Bath herbs were enough for a full month's use.

One set of basic resources included materials for body tempering and Soul Power cultivation. But basic resources were still just basic resources. If he truly wanted good items, he would have to climb the Genius Ranking for Exchange Points, then trade them in at the academy.

Still, there was nothing to complain about. They were free, after all.

"By the way, Bai Heng, what's your Martial Soul?"

"Uh..." Bai Heng spread his hands, and a translucent, multi-faceted crystal phantom roughly a meter tall slowly rose before him. Seven-colored light flowed across its surface, while two yellow Soul Rings settled beneath the crystal.

"My Martial Soul is the Glazed Sky Crystal, a Control Type tool Martial Soul. In battle, it can split into many crystal walls to obstruct an enemy's movements."

"That sounds highly versatile in actual combat." Qin Ming gave an approving assessment.

"Ah... The Glazed Sky Crystal Martial Soul may be high-quality, but I'm too useless to bring out its true strength."

"Controlling it in battle consumes a huge amount of Mental Power, and my Mental Power gets drained almost immediately." Bai Heng lowered his head, his tone dejected.

"I see..." Qin Ming sighed. It was somewhat like Qi's Holy Light Silk: powerful, but costly to maintain and unable to last long.

As for whether Qin Ming had any solution? What solution could he possibly have? He himself had yet to find a proper method for cultivating Mental Power and was still feeling his way forward. He could only save up Exchange Points from the Genius Ranking and trade them for some techniques.

As for why he currently possessed Mental Power far beyond others of the same rank, that was purely because he had been lucky. He had the soul of someone who had lived two lives, the enhancement from the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, and the nourishment of the Angel Meditation Method.

After helping Bai Heng clean the house, Qin Ming returned to his dormitory to cultivate.

In the days that followed, Qin Ming returned to the high-intensity cultivation routine he had maintained in Suotuo City: theory classes in the morning, Soul Fighting in the afternoon, and cultivation at night.

After taking one of the Soul Nourishing Pills issued by the academy, Qin Ming's cultivation speed increased by roughly ten percent, about the same as the bonus currently provided by the three-thousand-year Sun Vine Core.

As for the Body Tempering Paste, perhaps because Qin Ming had already been enhanced by the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, it was almost useless to him.

The Medicinal Baths, however, still had some effect with prolonged use.

Just as Qin Ming had expected, those who had mocked him alongside Qi in the classroom now kept far away whenever they saw him, like mice spotting a cat.

Qi himself had also become much more low-key. Qin Ming did not know whether that punch had shattered his pride and arrogance, but he was much more obedient now and kept his distance whenever he saw Qin Ming.

As for the Genius Ranking, Qin Ming was unquestionably far ahead in first place. After challenging Cang Ao, he had not stopped. Instead, he challenged nearly every student in the class one after another.

Because of this, Qin Ming gained a nickname—the Tyrant!

The Tyrant of the Soul Fighting Arena, the Crimson-Gold Tyrant...

For a time, he basked in boundless glory, but it also drew all kinds of attempts to recruit him.

Qin Ming understood after thinking it over. As the greatest power, Spirit Hall spanned the entire continent, but it was not a unified whole internally. Different factions stood everywhere.

Joining the Genius Class meant Qin Ming was deeply tied to Spirit Hall. Upon graduation, he would automatically enter the Spirit Hall system.

You were a member of Spirit Hall, one of their own—no problem. But who would become your direct superior? Whose orders would you obey directly? That was a major question.

Faced with a genius like Qin Ming who had suddenly emerged, every faction took the initiative to court him, offering generous terms and investments. Even Cang Ao personally came to recruit him and brought up his grandfather, the Hall Guard Douluo.

Because of this, Qin Ming specifically went to see Ling Yuan. Ling Yuan simply waved a hand and said that he did not need to concern himself with those recruitment attempts.

So Qin Ming rejected every overture, saying that he wanted to focus wholeheartedly on cultivation for now.

Just like that, Qin Ming's first month at Spirit Hall Academy was about to end. The first thing to arrive at month's end was the theory examination. Qin Ming unsurprisingly scored full marks and claimed all three hundred points.

As for the other event, it was the Genius Class's customary End of Month Team Battle.