Far from the Black-Hearted Academy, Sun Moon City

Having decided to head to Sun Moon Academy, Xu Tinglan immediately contacted Ning Mochen of the Nine Treasures Caravan.

The two had spoken before and had each other's contact information.

Once he made up his mind, he would no longer hesitate.

They hit it off immediately and decided to meet at the city gate.

Jiangshui City's thirty-meter stone walls stood tall and imposing.

Outside the city gate,

A line of luxurious carriages stood parked along the road, one after another, their carriages and horses connected in orderly fashion.

Xu Tinglan's group was seated inside, talking.

"Mochen, has anything changed regarding what we discussed before?"

The interior of this carriage was spacious and lavishly decorated. Even with ten people inside, it would not feel crowded.

Xu Tinglan looked at Ning Mochen.

The flaxen-haired young man seated beside him smiled elegantly.

"Taking you to Ming Capital definitely won't be a problem."

He appeared to be around seventeen.

The two raised their glazed fruit wine, clinked glasses, and drained them in one gulp.

"There's just one thing I don't want to hide from you. Let me make it clear first."

Ning Mochen set his wineglass on the table and crossed his index fingers.

"This was the referral fee Sun Moon Academy offered before."

"Oh?"

Xu Tinglan grew interested at the sight.

He then looked at Jiang Nannan, thinking that since they were traveling, it was always good to broaden her horizons.

"Nannan, how much do you think it is?"

The girl looked over the carriage's luxurious decorations, her manner somewhat restrained.

Hearing the boy's question, she hesitated, her voice uncertain.

"Maybe... ten Gold Soul Coins?"

Xu Tinglan could not help smiling when he heard that number.

The young man also smiled and shook his head.

"If it were only that much, wouldn't that make them a black-hearted academy handing out scraps to beggars?"

"There's a 'ten thousand' after it."

Jiang Nannan murmured it softly, astonished beyond measure.

"One... one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins!"

The number was far beyond anything she could imagine.

That was one hundred thousand!

The Shrek teachers had said that if she joined Shrek, they would give her ten Gold Soul Coins a year as a subsidy.

Just enough to offset the tuition.

Xu Tinglan looked at Jiang Nannan and formally introduced him.

"I forgot to tell you."

"Ning Mochen is a core disciple of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and one of the people in charge of the caravans traveling between Dou Ling and the Sun Moon Empire."

"Besides selling goods, he also recommends talented soul masters to academies in the Sun Moon Empire."

Ning Mochen admitted it openly.

"However, the soul masters I recommended before were at most Innate Soul Power Rank Eight. I've never encountered someone with Innate Full Soul Power."

"This time, the referral fee will only be higher."

Ever since the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect suffered a great calamity ten thousand years ago, it had learned to maintain good relations on all sides and place bets in every empire.

Its sect master understood even more clearly how greatly Soul Tools benefited the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

Starting four thousand years ago, the sect had openly maintained friendly ties with Shrek while secretly preserving trade relations with the Sun Moon Empire.

Ning Mochen could receive a referral fee for recommending talented individuals to Sun Moon Academy.

Under normal circumstances, he would keep all of those Gold Soul Coins for himself, with nothing going to the student.

But when faced with Innate Full Soul Power, Ning Mochen changed his approach.

He promised that no matter how much the referral fee was, he would not take a single coin and would give it all to Xu Tinglan.

The boy did not refuse his goodwill.

After so many years in the Mysterious Underworld Sect, he only had three thousand Gold Soul Coins to his name.

There would certainly be expenses at Sun Moon Academy, so naturally, the more money he had, the better.

Xu Tinglan knew that the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect did not lack Gold Soul Coins.

Their willingness to introduce students to Ming Capital was likely not for the referral fees either.

It most likely involved the trade and smuggling of rare metals and Soul Tools behind the scenes!

"Our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect has a chamber of commerce branch in Ming Capital. If you need anything, you can seek out the local person in charge."

Ning Mochen took out a parchment envelope.

Xu Tinglan accepted it and politely said, "Thank you, Brother Ning."

Seeing this, Jiang Nannan and Mother Jiang both felt dizzy. They were merely enrolling in an academy, yet there was such an enormous referral fee.

They had stumbled into a world beyond their station!

From what they had learned during the conversation,

Even Innate Soul Power Rank Eight could earn one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins!

Not to mention that they had Innate Full Soul Power.

Compared to Shrek's ten Gold Soul Coins a year, it was utterly insignificant.

Several days passed.

The caravan traveled all the way toward Ming Capital. Ning Mochen possessed both the Nine Treasures Token and the Sun Moon Token, so their journey was completely unhindered.

Over the years, relations between the Sun Moon Empire and the Dou Ling Empire had remained fairly good.

Trade between them never ceased.

Where some rejected it, others naturally welcomed it.

Soul Tools from the Sun Moon Empire had already become widespread for civilian use locally, while certain noble soul masters even competed in secret, taking pride in owning products made by Mingde Hall.

As for the historical conflicts between empires,

Only Star Luo and the Sun Moon Empire stood at swords' point due to their vast shared border and the rare metals recently discovered in the Mingdou Mountain Range.

Even so, both sides remained generally restrained.

The major empires had, on the whole, enjoyed peace for a long time.

During these days, the two got along more and more pleasantly.

As he took in the magnificent landscapes, Ning Mochen spoke without restraint.

"Ten thousand years ago, our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect gave so much to the Heaven Dou Empire, but what did we get in the end? They even confiscated our right to use hidden weapons."

He was slightly drunk, and his words carried a trace of dissatisfaction.

Xu Tinglan smacked his lips as he savored the costly fruit wine.

He had not expected the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to hold such a grudge. Even matters from ten thousand years ago were still dragged out from time to time and beaten to death again.

At this moment, only the two of them were in the carriage.

Ning Mochen smiled. "That is perfect. Heaven Dou fell, and hidden weapons declined as well."

"Anyone smart can see that Soul Tools are the trend of the times." Xu Tinglan nodded.

The two raised their glasses.

After clinking them, they drank them down in one gulp.

Ning Mochen's tone carried a hint of flattery.

"Once Young Master Xu becomes a Level 9 Soul Master, if you ever wish to sell Soul Tools, I hope you'll consider us."

"The price won't be a problem."

Xu Tinglan found that amusing when he heard it.

"A Level 9 Soul Master? You really think highly of me. Do you know that none of the Douluo Three Kingdoms have a Level 9 Soul Master?"

"I believe in Young Master Xu, and I believe in my own judgment." The young man spoke solemnly.

They arrived at their destination.

Still talking, the two got out of the carriage together.

Jiang Nannan jumped down from the carriage behind them and ran all the way to the boy, her pretty face flushed red.

She pointed at Ming Capital with her small hand, her expression excited.

Xu Tinglan stopped and gazed ahead, unable to suppress the surge of emotion in his heart.

The capital of the Sun Moon Empire was called Sun Moon City, also known as Ming Capital. It was the center of both politics and commerce.

Its sheer size far exceeded the combined capitals of the former Douluo Three Kingdoms.

Before their eyes,

Countless lights shone brilliantly, strewn densely like a river of stars, a spectacle beyond compare.

Looking at this glorious city, Xu Tinglan instinctively thought of impoverished Jiangshui Town.

The Mysterious Underworld Sect could not even dominate the Dou Ling Empire, so how could it possibly be compared to Sun Moon Academy?

That sect master uncle was probably still waiting for him to bow his head and admit his mistake.

He would never imagine that I had already arrived in Sun Moon City.

Ning Mochen gave a few instructions to the tall middle-aged man beside him.

He turned to Xu Tinglan and said, "I'll go with you to Sun Moon Square. People from the major academies are welcoming new students there."