"Looks like my First Martial Soul isn't simple," Jiang Siming thought.
He had asked the system to conceal the drop in his Innate Soul Power that day. He didn't want to join Spirit Hall; if he did, hiding his abilities would be far too difficult. It would be trouble if he caught Bibi Dong's attention. And if the system's secret were discovered, there would be no escaping.
Night gradually fell. After being in this world for so long, Jiang Siming finally slept soundly for the first time.
Three days later.
Old Jack brought Jiang Siming to Tang San's home. As soon as they entered, he shouted, "Tang Hao, you drunkard! You're going to spend the rest of your life like this, but you can't hold the child back! Xiao San has such a fine talent. He should become a great Soul Master."
"Grandpa Old Jack, please keep your voice down. Father's asleep. He agreed to let me attend a Soul Master Academy," Tang San said quietly.
"Good boy. Come with me."
Jiang Siming stood there, dumbfounded. So I was just some freebie, was I? They didn't even bother to say goodbye to me.
He smiled helplessly and followed them.
Maybe it was because he had the system, but Jiang Siming's outlook had changed greatly without him even noticing.
The era that belonged to Jiang Siming was about to begin.
The day Xiao San met Xiao Wu
Inside Notting City.
"Siming, Xiao San, you're both children from our village. When you get to the Soul Master Academy, you must look out for each other. You have to become the hope of Holy Soul Village. I'm old, and I hope I'll live long enough to see you achieve great things."
"We know, Grandpa. We won't let you down," Jiang Siming and Tang San said together.
Old Jack had a deeper yearning for Soul Masters than ordinary people. On this continent, where Soul Masters held sway, they ruled over life and death. To ordinary people, Soul Masters were objects of faith, almost like gods. Perhaps Old Jack, too, had once had an unforgettable dream.
"Children, we're here. This is Notting Academy." Old Jack let out a long breath. His eyes brimmed with longing as he gazed at the four gleaming golden characters.
Jiang Siming took it all in. He secretly vowed that he wouldn't let Grandpa Jack down. He had the system, and his future held endless possibilities.
"Hey, young man. I've brought the work-study students from our village to enroll. Here's the certificate from Spirit Hall," Old Jack said with a hint of pride.
"Get lost, you old lunatic! A Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul with Innate Full Soul Power? Do you think I'm an idiot? Get out of here and stop bothering me!" the young man said arrogantly.
Jiang Siming and Tang San, standing behind Old Jack, immediately grew cold-eyed. Tang San was about to speak, but Jiang Siming beat him to it. Though he knew how the story went, he couldn't bear to let Old Jack be humiliated.
"What are you, to be so sure we aren't Soul Masters? Who would dare forge a certificate from Spirit Hall? Are you looking to die?" Jiang Siming said coldly. His First Martial Soul quietly appeared, and a wave of killing intent flooded the area. Tang San, beside him, was startled, too.
"So this is Brother Siming's Martial Soul? It's so powerful."
"Apologize," Jiang Siming said again, his voice icy. His killing intent grew even stronger.
"I said, apologize!"
The young man jumped in fright. He knew he'd gotten himself into serious trouble. Jiang Siming looked only six or seven, but ordinary people couldn't afford to offend Soul Masters. Now he was truly afraid.
"What's going on?" A middle-aged man with a somewhat weathered face, whose good looks still shone through, walked over slowly.
Jiang Siming abruptly snapped out of his killing-intent-fueled state.
"What happened to me? Looks like my Rusty Sword is all about killing."
"Teacher, we're work-study students, but this man won't let us enroll," Tang San said.
"Here's our certificate from Spirit Hall."
"The certificate is fine. You may go in," Grandmaster said.
"Wait. I want him to apologize," Jiang Siming spoke up again.
Grandmaster looked at the trembling young man and glared at him.
"I'm sorry," the young man stammered.
"Not to me. To my grandpa."
"I'm sorry."
"I'll let it go this time. If there's a next time, you'd better keep your neck clean." Jiang Siming gave a cold snort.
After saying goodbye to Old Jack.
"Sir, could you take us to enroll?" Tang San asked.
"I'm not a teacher, but you can call me Grandmaster. By the way, you have Twin Martial Souls, don't you?"
Tang San was startled. He had only told Tang Hao, yet Grandmaster had figured it out from a single certificate.
The rest is the usual stuff, so I won't go into it. Tang San became Grandmaster's disciple.
Jiang Siming and Tang San were both assigned to Dorm Seven.
"Stop right there! I'm Wang Sheng. Fight me! Whoever wins becomes the boss of Dorm Seven." Wang Sheng blocked Jiang Siming and Tang San.
Jiang Siming grumbled to himself. This was way too chuunibyou. Was this some kind of hot-blooded high school drama?
"Fine, I'll fight you. Xiao San, I know I'm still no match for you, so if I can't handle him, you can step in, right?" Jiang Siming knew his limits. Without using the Donghuang Bell, he couldn't beat Tang San at his current level. But he had the system; it was only a matter of time before he surpassed Tang San.
"Make your move."