You followed the map to a door and looked at the list for Dorm Seven written on the paper in your hand.
You knocked, then opened the door and walked in. A fist flew straight at you. Your eyes turned cold, and you threw a punch. Your fists collided.
The attacker's fingers crackled. Your punch had shattered the knuckles in his hand.
Wang Sheng, the dorm leader, immediately stood up. He had thought Zhang Liang would agree to his challenge easily, but he hadn't expected Jiang Huai's punch to be so powerful that it would shatter Zhang Liang's knuckles.
Wang Sheng walked over to Jiang Huai and held out his hand. "Hello, I'm Wang Sheng, the dorm leader here. I acknowledge you now. You're qualified to be my underling."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Sheng threw a punch at your abdomen. As if he'd anticipated it, Jiang Huai pulled Jiang Ling from his Soul Tool and swung the sword.
Wang Sheng struck the sharp blade directly. Two fingers on his right hand fell off.
Wang Sheng seemed to forget the pain as he stared at his right hand in disbelief. He quickly came to his senses, only to see his two fingers lying on the ground.
In the end, he was still just a child. Frightened, he picked up his fingers and bowed respectfully. "Wang Sheng greets the boss."
Jiang Huai put away his sword, storing it in his Soul Tool. Looking at Wang Sheng, he asked, "Is there a spot with good light?"
Wang Sheng pointed to the bed he'd been sleeping in. Jiang Huai went over and moved Wang Sheng's bedding onto an empty bed.
Wang Sheng didn't dare complain until a girl with rabbit ears and a silver-haired girl arrived. Jiang Huai laid out his bedding on his own bed.
Wang Sheng said to you, "Big brother, our rule is that whoever wins becomes the boss. Just like I did earlier, the boss has to fight any newcomer who arrives to keep the position."
Jiang Huai nodded. "I understand."
After speaking, Jiang Huai put his belongings into his Soul Tool and slowly walked over to the rabbit-eared girl and the silver-haired girl.
"Are you two work-study students too?"
The rabbit-eared little girl nodded repeatedly. "Mm-hmm, we're work-study students too."
Jiang Huai nodded. "There's a rule here: every newcomer who enters the academy has to defeat the current boss."
The rabbit-eared girl asked excitedly, "Sure! Sure! What if I win?"
Jiang Huai looked at Wang Sheng. Wang Sheng understood and said, "If you win, you'll be the new boss of the work-study students. Of course, being the boss comes with responsibilities—you have to protect us underlings."
The rabbit-eared girl smiled. "That sounds like fun."
Jiang Huai held out his right hand. "Make your move."
Xiao Wu immediately sprang into action, kicking at him with a Waist Attack. Jiang Huai crossed his arms in front of his chest and blocked the strike.
Xiao Wu pretended to put all her strength into her legs and crash into him. Jiang Huai continued to defend himself with both hands, watching for an opening.
Then Xiao Wu left herself open. As she attacked Jiang Huai, she hadn't protected her waist. Jiang Huai suddenly exerted his strength and drew Jiang Ling from his Soul Tool.
He didn't draw the sword. Instead, he gripped the sheath and swung it, sending Xiao Wu flying.
Xiao Wu stumbled backward several steps before the silver-haired girl caught her from behind. Once she had regained her balance, Xiao Wu pointed at Jiang Huai. "Why did you hit me so hard? What if I'd fallen? You really don't know how to treat a lady!"
The silver-haired girl walked up to Jiang Huai and held out her right hand. "My name is Gu Yue. What's yours?"
Jiang Huai relaxed his guard and shook her hand. "Jiang Huai."
As soon as he said it, Gu Yue grabbed his right hand and slammed him hard into the ground. Jiang Huai endured the pain and struggled to use Jiang Ling to brace himself against the floor.
Wang Sheng and the other longtime residents of Dorm Seven were dumbfounded. Wang Sheng was especially shocked. He thought back to how badly Jiang Huai had beaten him, and now this silver-haired girl was slamming Jiang Huai into the ground.
Downstairs in the Sixth Dormitory, Tang San hadn't been challenged by anyone. The students there didn't think a new arrival was worth challenging.
Tang San quickly made his bed, then climbed the stairs and arrived outside Dorm Seven. As soon as he got there, he saw you bracing yourself against the floor with your sword while Gu Yue held your right hand.
Tang San's eyes turned cold, and he was about to step forward when he saw Jiang Huai wrench his right hand free from Gu Yue's grasp. He gripped his sword with his left hand and swung, sending out a blade of sword energy.
Gu Yue casually waved her hand in front of herself, conjuring an ice wall that blocked the sword energy. Jiang Huai was startled. Not wanting to lose to this woman, he released his Martial Soul, which had already obtained a Soul Ring.
A Hundred-Year Soul Ring lit up beneath Jiang Huai's feet. A steaming, fragrant hamburger appeared in his palm.
Jiang Huai chanted, "One layer of cheese on the burger, Soul Power weaves with speed!"
The burger's aroma soon filled all of Dorm Seven. Many of the children there began to drool.
Xiao Wu was drooling too. She didn't care that you were in the middle of a fight. A pink streak flashed past, and she snatched the hamburger from Jiang Huai's hand.
Stars lit up in Xiao Wu's eyes as she took a bite. Soon, she seemed to have entered a paradise of delicious food, waving her hands around where she stood.
Jiang Huai looked at where his Martial Soul was supposed to appear and rubbed his head, as if he'd just touched it there.
Seeing Xiao Wu like that, Gu Yue dropped her act and held out her hand to Jiang Huai. "I want one too."
Jiang Huai was taken aback, then chanted the spell again. "One layer of cheese on the burger, Soul Power weaves with speed!"
Soon, a fragrant hamburger appeared. Gu Yue picked it up politely, thanked him, then stuffed it into her mouth and took a bite.
Like Xiao Wu, Gu Yue seemed to sink into a sea of delicious food. She waved her hands in the air, and her Soul Power recovered to its peak.
But Gu Yue and Xiao Wu didn't notice their restored Soul Power. They were too busy savoring the delicious hamburgers.
Jiang Huai summoned a hamburger for himself and took a bite. Chewing, he said, "It tastes pretty average. You think it's good?"
Gu Yue stepped forward and pointed at Jiang Huai. "You don't understand what delicious means."
Jiang Huai and Tang San exchanged a look and shook their heads helplessly. "Fine. If you want more, just come to me."
While Jiang Huai, Tang San, Gu Yue, and Xiao Wu were chatting, a teacher walked into Dorm Seven. He looked at Tang San. "You're Tang San, right?"
Tang San nodded and asked in confusion, "Is something the matter, teacher?"
The teacher said, "The Grandmaster asked me to bring you a set of bedding. I put it on your bed in the Sixth Dormitory. I'm here to deliver Jiang Huai's bedding. Which one of you is Jiang Huai?"
Jiang Huai stepped forward. "That's me."
The teacher handed him the bedding. "This is yours. The Grandmaster asked me to bring it. I also need to tell you about the work-study students' job."
He addressed Jiang Huai and the others. "The work is simple: help clean the academy. You'll earn seven Copper Soul Coins a day. The mainland's currency system is one Diamond Coin to ten thousand Gold Soul Coins, one Gold Soul Coin to one thousand Silver Soul Coins, and one Silver Soul Coin to ten thousand Copper Soul Coins. Remember that."
The four of them nodded. "Understood."
Tang San stepped forward. "Teacher, can we go outside and find work instead of doing the work-study job?"
Jiang Huai's eyes lit up. "Little San, why'd you steal my line?"
Tang San scratched his head awkwardly. The teacher looked at them. "You're only six years old. No one will hire you. But the academy won't stop you from working, either. If you want to look for work outside, go ahead."
With that, the teacher left Dorm Seven and went back to the Academic Affairs Office to report. Inside the office, the bespectacled female teacher pushed up her glasses.
She was the teacher who had handled Jiang Huai and Tang San's enrollment. She taught at Notting Junior Academy, and she was Ning Fengqi, the elder sister of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's leader.
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