All I Came Here For Was to Learn!

Though he was past fifty and only the head of a small village, Grandpa Jack might not have seen much of the world, but every word he said still gave Tang San plenty to think about. "Sounds easy enough," Wang Feng agreed with a nod. "Grandpa Jack, if there are junior and intermediate academies, there must be advanced ones too, right?" Soul Beasts were so dangerous. Countless commoner Spirit Masters had been injured or even killed by them. Did he think it was easy? Only noble children, accompanied by their family's warriors, were much safer than the rest of them. Just wanting to hunt Soul Beasts on their own was enough to stop many Spirit Masters in their tracks. He felt that the energy inside him had probably already carried him past level twenty. Wang Feng smiled. The world of Douluo Continent had an overall structure much like the Middle Ages. Except there were no Soul Rings. Did they all go crunch, tasting like chicken...? Wang Feng coughed a few times and looked away. "Some people are born into wealth, as if everything has already been arranged for them. They lack for nothing. But for commoners like us, every step is unbearably difficult..." As for anything else, they would have to figure it out themselves. Uh... "You can graduate from an intermediate academy once you reach level twenty?" Tang San asked in surprise. Eyes: No, you wish! Old Jack rapped Wang Feng on the head. "It's not that easy! You two have Innate Full Soul Power, and you can ask an academy instructor to help you hunt for your first Soul Ring. But you'll have to hunt for your own level-twenty Soul Ring!" Feels like my head and eyes have split apart... Damn it. Head: No, I came here to learn. I don't want to look! "Advanced?" Old Jack continued. "Even among those who get into an advanced Spirit Master academy, only about a third or a quarter actually graduate. Let's not talk about what comes after that yet. It's too far off. The further you cultivate, the stronger the Soul Rings you need, and the more powerful the Soul Beasts you have to hunt. It only gets more dangerous! Otherwise, how many people could truly become Titled Douluo? You could probably count them on one hand." Wang Feng pursed his lips. Soul Beasts... He didn't want to arrive at the academy knowing nothing. He wasn't interested, so Wang Feng listened closely. "Not bad. Pretty." Ordinary people really did have a hard time getting in. Compared with Spirit Masters, how big was the gap? He looked around. How had his thoughts somehow turned to eating? Old Jack held up two fingers. "You need to reach level twenty and obtain your second Soul Ring. Then you'll earn the title of Soul Grandmaster!" He wondered how strong these Soul Beasts were. Old Jack paused, then sighed. "An advanced Spirit Master academy is beyond the reach of commoners like us... It's incredibly difficult to get in. The Heaven Dou Empire has only two advanced Spirit Master academies, and they admit fewer than a hundred students a year. Most places go to noble children. But anyone who graduates from one of them is a Spirit Master that all sorts of people and organizations compete to hire. The empire even grants them noble titles." He couldn't bring out his full strength. "You must make us proud and become Spirit Masters. When the term ends, I'll hire two carriages and personally bring you home!" For countless young people, a house and a car might be all they could hope to achieve in their lifetimes. Many things were things they could only yearn for, envy, and dream about through a few words online... Wang Feng shook his head, took a deep breath, and settled down. An advanced Spirit Master academy was probably like Peking University, Tsinghua, Harvard, or Cambridge in his previous life. Old Jack had told the two little ones what he'd learned in advance. And the legacy and training that came with a family—compared to Douluo Continent, that was hundreds of millions of times more realistic. As they went back and forth, Wang Feng's head turned from side to side. Besides, country folk who came to the city were easily looked down on. Back then, Wang Feng had no cheat, and Holy Soul Village was shabby and run-down, so he hadn't felt like going all the way to Notting City just to be looked down on. People could work their whole lives and still only reach someone else's starting point. He really wanted to see it for himself. By afternoon, the three of them had reached Notting City. "And what they teach at an intermediate Spirit Master academy is much more advanced." "Wait, I'm here to study, not to look at pretty girls." After that, Old Jack fell silent. But looking for a couple of seconds won't hurt, will it? "To graduate from an advanced Spirit Master academy, you need to reach level thirty and obtain your third Soul Ring. Once you pass that threshold, you'll be a Soul Elder, also known as an Earth Spirit Master. There are even restrictions on Soul Rings and age. You can't graduate with just any old Soul Ring." Wang Feng had hardly ever been to Notting City. It was too far, and he couldn't be bothered to make the trip. Tang San wasn't thinking about as much as Wang Feng and asked curiously. He couldn't help marveling: without a face plastered with makeup, those cheeks were full of collagen, pure and natural. Even if a girl wasn't especially pretty, she was still a pleasure to look at. Holy Soul Village had improved quite a bit over the past two years, but the three of them were still plainly dressed, with no fancy clothes. Wang Feng shook his head and glanced around, spotting a few pretty young women. Honestly, when he'd read Douluo I, he'd usually skimmed over these explanations. After all, when reading a novel, he tended to focus on the important parts. "Junior Spirit Master academies teach some basic things, like the history and culture of our continent, introductions to different Martial Spirits, and simple information about Soul Beasts. The course lasts six years. If you haven't made any progress by the time you're twelve, you can only become an ordinary Spirit Master. You'll have to settle for an ordinary profession. That depends on the strength of your Martial Spirit, but you don't need to worry. With Innate Full Soul Power, you're sure to become Spirit Masters quickly! Even if your Martial Spirits are a little weak..." Old Jack shook his head gently. Even in my previous life, wasn't it just the same? Wang Feng grumbled inwardly. "Easy? You little rascal!" But now, Wang Feng strode into the city with his head held high. There were plenty of people on the streets, and the ground was smooth and comfortable to walk on. On the way, Old Jack slowly told Tang San about Notting City's junior Spirit Master Academy. No resources, no connections, no status. "An advanced Spirit Master..." Tang San murmured. Wang Feng thought to himself. "Look at me. Even after six years here, I'm still acting just like a Chinese person..."