Tang San Enrolls, Yu Xiaogang Seeks Revenge

On the way back to Notting Academy, Wang Xian was still experimenting with the new functions of his Blue Silver Grass.

He condensed a short segment of the main vine in his palm. With a thought, a row of fine, dense barbs immediately sprouted from the surface of the vine.

With another thought, the barbs vanished, replaced by several blade-like branches as thin as cicada wings.

He withdrew his Soul Power, the vine dissipated, and everything returned to normal.

"Not bad." Wang Xian nodded in satisfaction and quickened his pace.

If he could master these functions, they would prove incredibly useful in combat.

The silhouette of Notting Academy had already appeared ahead.

Wang Xian walked through the school gate and went straight to the Academic Affairs Office to report his return to Director Su.

Director Su was sitting at his desk drinking tea. Seeing him push the door open, he paused, "Back so soon?"

"I finished handling things at home, so I came back early." Wang Xian handed over his leave slip.

Director Su took the slip, wrote a few words on it, and stamped it, officially clearing his leave.

He tucked the slip into a drawer and looked up at Wang Xian, feeling that something about the boy seemed different.

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but just standing there, the boy felt more composed and possessed a stronger presence than before he left.

However, he didn't dwell on it. With Innate Soul Power of level three and a Blue Silver Grass, the boy had been cultivating for less than a year at most; how much could he really change?

It was probably just that he had grown up a bit from being out on his own.

"Alright, go back and get some rest. Remember to attend class tomorrow."

"Thank you, Director Su." Wang Xian offered his thanks and turned to leave the Academic Affairs Office.

When he returned to the dormitory and pushed the door open, Wang Sheng was sprawled on his bed rummaging through something. Hearing the commotion, he looked up and immediately jumped to his feet.

"The boss is back!"

The other Work-Study Students also scrambled off their beds, swarming around him and asking questions all at once.

"Boss, where did you go? You were gone for almost a month."

"We thought you weren't coming back."

"Did you get everything sorted out?" Wang Sheng squeezed to the front, looking curious.

Wang Xian placed his bundle on the bed and said with a smile, "I had some family matters to attend to. I went back to handle them, and everything is settled now."

He didn't elaborate, and Wang Sheng and the others didn't press him. They just chatted with him for a while longer before dispersing.

Wang Xian tidied up his bed briefly and then sat cross-legged to begin his cultivation.

More than two months passed in the blink of an eye, and Wang Xian had already spent a full semester at Notting Academy.

During this time, he hadn't just been cultivating; he would occasionally slip out of Notting Academy, concealing his identity to head to the Notting City Soul Fighting Arena for battles.

He did this to hone his practical combat skills while earning some gold coins.

After all, cultivation required resources, and Old John and the villagers back in Emperor Soul Village also needed gold coins for support.

With his combat prowess at the Soul Scholar level, he was essentially unrivaled, and he naturally enjoyed a string of victories in the arena.

This earned him quite a few gold coins, and his diet had improved significantly as a result.

During the break, he had also taken the time to return to Emperor Soul Village, where he gave the majority of his earnings to Old John.

He had also specifically gone to see Zhao Dazhuang in the village.

Because he had captured Zhao Dazhuang's Martial Soul and subjected it to extreme training, Wang Xian wanted to see what changes would occur after the quality of the Martial Soul declined.

In the end, he saw Zhao Dazhuang looking thin, pale, and radiating weakness from head to toe.

It seemed that the decline in Martial Soul quality had a massive impact on his body, leaving him completely frail.

However, this situation might only apply to someone like Zhao Dazhuang, who possessed no Soul Power.

For other Soul Masters who possessed Soul Power, even if their Martial Soul quality declined, they likely wouldn't end up like him as long as they still had their cultivation.

What was certain, however, was that their strength would definitely suffer a significant drop.

Inside the Work-Study Student dormitory at Notting Academy.

Wang Xian emerged from his meditative state, opened his eyes, and turned to look at Wang Sheng nearby.

"Is today the day the new students enroll?"

Wang Sheng was tidying his bed and nodded upon hearing this, "Yeah, the new students are reporting today. They should all be here by the morning."

The corners of Wang Xian's mouth curled up slightly. He had finally waited for this day.

Tang San was coming.

At the main gate of Notting Academy, people were coming and going.

Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands behind his back inside the gate, his gaze sweeping over each new student who walked in, his expression as serious as if he were picking out some precious treasure.

He had arrived earlier this year than in previous years.

Ever since he was left speechless by Wang Xian in public and forced to slink away, his life at the academy had become rather difficult.

The way the students looked at him had changed, the whispers behind his back had increased, and even a few teachers wore mocking expressions whenever they saw him.

"Grandmaster? Hah..."

Yu Xiaogang's face turned slightly pale as he recalled those gazes.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the displeasure in his heart, straightened his chest, and his eyes became even more eager.

He had to take on a talented apprentice this year and train them well; once they became a peerless powerhouse in the future, he would see who dared to look down on him, Yu Xiaogang.

That ignorant and arrogant brat Wang Xian would have to kneel and beg him to take him as an apprentice then.

Just as he was thinking this, a commotion broke out near the entrance.

The guard was shouting something in a rough voice, accompanied by the voice of a child—not loud, but clearly very calm.

Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up; he adjusted his collar, changed his expression, and walked quickly toward the gate.

At the main entrance, a youth dressed in coarse linen clothes with an ordinary appearance stood before the guard, holding a Martial Soul Certificate with a calm expression.

The guard was blocking his entry, frowning as he looked at the certificate, muttering, "Blue Silver Grass? And Innate Full Soul Power? Is this a fake?"

Old Jack hurriedly explained to the guard that this had been issued by an envoy from the Martial Soul Hall.

However, the guard remained unmoved, as he had never seen Blue Silver Grass with Innate Full Soul Power before.

The blue-clad youth's eyes darkened slightly.

His right hand lifted slightly, and something moved faintly within his sleeve, resembling the glint of metal.

This person has already invited his own death, the youth thought silently.

Just as he was about to take action, a hand reached out and took the Martial Soul Certificate from the guard's grasp.

"Let me see."

Yu Xiaogang stood between the two, glanced down at the certificate, then looked up to size up the youth, a gentle smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

"This certificate is genuine; let the child in."

The guard opened his mouth, but seeing that it was the academy's "Grandmaster," he didn't dare say anything else and waved his hand to let them pass.

Yu Xiaogang turned around, handed the certificate back to the youth, and let his gaze linger on the youth's face for a moment, his smile deepening.

"Xiao San, you go in with this teacher," Old Jack said hurriedly.