Le Bai and Oscar had been brought to Shrek Academy by Dean Flender the day before.
"The weather is nice today, too."
Le Bai pushed open the window of his room, took a breath of fresh air, and gazed at the azure sky with heartfelt appreciation.
"Next, I need to make some proper plans."
While his mind was still relatively clear after waking up, Le Bai made a simple plan for what he needed to do over the coming period:
"First, improve my Soul Power. Since my Innate Soul Power isn't zero, I can raise it through cultivation. With the Panel's data-based effects, even if I only have Rank Two, I should be able to cultivate past Level 100... right? Even in the worst case, reaching Rank Ninety shouldn't be a problem."
"Right now, I don't have a method for cultivating Soul Power. I can't count on Tang San for the time being. The Tang Sect's Mysterious Heaven Skill isn't passed on to outsiders, and pretending to be a Tang Sect disciple would probably be exposed easily. If things turned awkward after that, it would only be worse."
"So the only path currently available for obtaining a cultivation method is Shrek Academy. I wonder whether Oscar will be able to teach me after he learns it."
"If that fails, I can only turn to Spirit Hall. Even if I can only obtain a basic cultivation method, the Panel's effects should be able to level it up."
"There's also the ultimate option: slowly conducting experiments on Soul Power Cultivation myself... No matter how I looked at it, that would be a massive project requiring an absurd amount of time. I'll leave it as a backup option for now."
"Then there's money. After Oscar becomes a Soul Master, he can collect a subsidy from Spirit Hall. Shrek Academy—or rather, Flender—will probably provide some support as well. So for now, I only need to make sure I can cover my own living expenses."
"Suotuo City is nearby. Should I do woodworking for wealthy families in the city? No, this body is too small right now. It's hard to say whether anyone would even hire me. Besides, if all my time goes into earning money, I won't have time for Soul Power Cultivation. I need to find a way to balance both..."
Even while making breakfast, Le Bai never stopped thinking.
But there was no need to worry about accidents, because two years earlier, when Le Bai was four, the Panel had already displayed the skill [Parallel Thinking]. Perhaps "Distraction Dual-Use" described the effect of Parallel Thinking more simply.
Parallel Thinking was currently Lv12. While concentrating on one matter, Le Bai could also handle things that did not require much thought.
Just as Le Bai had more or less finished considering things and was preparing to take action, Oscar arrived.
"Le Bai! I came to play!"
Oscar pushed open the door and walked in. "Wow! You repaired and tidied everything up so quickly. Just as expected of you!"
"I washed the floor too. Sit wherever you like."
Le Bai came down from upstairs and brought two cups of water out of the kitchen. "I only have water here for now, so make do with it."
Gulp, gulp, gulp.
Oscar drained his cup in one go and excitedly showed off, "Le Bai, Dean Flender said he'll take me hunting Soul Beasts tomorrow morning to get my first Soul Ring! Then I'll be a Soul Master!"
"That's wonderful!"
Le Bai smiled and congratulated him. "Did the Dean teach you anything else? Did he say when I can go to the academy for classes?"
"Ah, I almost forgot because you didn't ask."
Oscar remembered what Flender had said before he came to find Le Bai. "The Dean said that starting today, you can visit Shrek whenever you're free and get acquainted with Shrek's teachers. The classes and classrooms you can sit in on are fixed, so you can just go by yourself."
"Alright, I understand."
Le Bai nodded, then asked, "Did the Dean teach you how to cultivate Soul Power?"
"Yeah, and he told me to get familiar with it today."
Oscar said with a headache, "It's all those Meridians and things the Dean talked about. I can't remember them. So far, I can only make the Soul Power inside me move a little."
"Did the Dean warn you not to teach anyone else the method for cultivating Soul Power?"
Le Bai asked.
This was very important. If Flender had instructed him not to, Le Bai would not press the matter and would obediently look for another way.
"No."
Oscar answered decisively. "And the Dean said you'd definitely need it, Le Bai, so he told me to study hard. Only after I learn it can I teach you!"
"Dean Flender is absolutely right."
Le Bai nodded in firm agreement. "You have to master it first before you can teach me."
"Alright, I'll work hard to master it as soon as possible!"
Oscar now had a goal. "Then I'll head back first!"
"Go on."
Le Bai waved. "Rest early tonight, or you won't be able to get up tomorrow morning."
"Okaaay—"
Watching the hurried Oscar leave, Le Bai began sorting through the things in the room. He planned to use the leftover wood from the repairs to make something:
"The cultivation method issue is more or less settled. For now, it's just the money problem."
"When I left yesterday, I had two Silver Soul Coins on me. After spending ten Copper Soul Coins on ingredients from the villagers last night and this morning, I have one Silver Soul Coin and ninety Copper Soul Coins left. If ingredient prices don't change over the next few days, I'll need about fifteen Copper Soul Coins a day for meals. That means it will only last thirteen days. I need to start earning money before then."
"While I haven't learned a method for Soul Power Cultivation yet and still have time, I should look for a suitable way to make money."
By the time Le Bai finished thinking it through, he had also finished the work in his hands.
After clearing away the wood shavings, he pulled some vines from the nearby grass and wove them into a basket. He packed away the two Huarong Roads, one Kongming Lock, and one Luban Ball he had made, then headed out.
The village near Shrek was not large, but the people could be considered simple and honest.
When Le Bai bought ingredients yesterday and this morning, the villagers had not raised prices just because he was a child and an outsider—before buying anything, Le Bai had hidden in a corner and watched for quite a while.
In addition, Le Bai had noticed that most of the children in this village were smarter than those in Meat Fragrance Village.
That was probably the benefit of having a neighbor like Shrek Academy.
Though the village was small, it had set aside a suitable area as a market to make daily trade more convenient for the villagers. Le Bai had bought his ingredients there yesterday.
When he came yesterday, Le Bai had already asked around. There was no fee to set up a stall in the village market, nor were there fixed spots. Usually, whoever arrived first could claim a better location.
However, most of the time, familiar villagers settled such matters through discussion.
Le Bai was not there to buy or sell ingredients, so he casually found a spot near the market entrance that would not obstruct passersby. He laid out the wooden toys he had just made, sat down on the ground, and played with a Huarong Road while trying to control the meager Rank Two Soul Power within him.
Soon, a child was drawn to the things Le Bai had displayed. Tugging his mother over after she had bought vegetables, he asked, "What are these? Are you selling them for money?"
"They're all toys. Toys that smart children will like."
Le Bai smiled and demonstrated how to play with them. The child's eyes immediately sparkled, and he clung to his mother's hand as he repeatedly begged her.
Unable to refuse her child, the mother asked Le Bai, "Kid, how much are these toys?"
"They're all made of wood, so they aren't worth much."
Le Bai pointed at the three smallest ones. "These three small ones are ten Copper Soul Coins each. These two larger ones are fifteen Copper Soul Coins each. If you buy them all, I'll give you this basket for free."
The mother was not a Soul Master and had already passed the most beautiful years of her life. With her daily housework, she looked considerably older than she really was. When such a young child called her big sister rather than Aunt, her mood instantly improved greatly. "You sweet-talking child, you really know how to do business!"
Then she decisively gave him sixty Copper Soul Coins, placed the four toys into the basket Le Bai had given her, and stuffed the smallest Huarong Road into her son's hands.
"Big Sister, I just arrived here and don't know the area well. Do you know where in the village I can buy Iron?"
Le Bai asked with a smile.
"Iron?"
The mother thought for a moment, then pointed in one direction. "Only Master Huang's place at the village entrance sells it. His family runs a Blacksmith Shop."
"I understand. Thank you!"
Le Bai thanked her sincerely, rose to his feet, and walked in the direction she had indicated.
Before long, Le Bai could faintly hear the sound of hammering Iron ahead of him, and he quickened his pace.
Following the sound, Le Bai successfully found the Blacksmith Shop.
An elderly man who looked frail but was actually quite sturdy was forging Iron. However, the Blacksmith Shop looked rather small in scale, making Le Bai somewhat worried.
Le Bai stood nearby and attentively watched the old man forge Iron without making a sound, until the old man finished his current task.
"Kid, you've been watching from the side for quite a while. What do you need?"
The sturdy old man raised his head and asked Le Bai.
"Grandpa, are you taking apprentices at your shop?"
Le Bai asked directly. "I want to learn some blacksmithing."
"Learn blacksmithing? With that tiny body of yours?"
The old man laughed and shook his head, refusing him. "Kid, this is the first time I've seen you. You're not from our village, are you?"
"I came with the Dean of Shrek Academy. He took a liking to my brother's talent."
Le Bai gave a brief explanation. "Unfortunately, my talent isn't enough to enter Shrek. I want to find some work and earn money now, or I'll go hungry."
"Oh, Shrek."
The old man picked up a waterskin beside him and took a swig. "Then why isn't your brother supporting you? Anyone who can enter Shrek is basically already a Soul Master. I heard they can collect one Gold Soul Coin from Spirit Hall every month. Isn't that far more comfortable than learning blacksmithing from me?"
"I can't depend on my brother for my whole life."
Le Bai shook his head and continued promoting himself. "Grandpa, I may look small, but I'm quite strong, and I learn things quickly."
"Oh? You're really strong, and you truly want to learn blacksmithing?"
The old man asked, seeming unconvinced.
"Really!"
Le Bai answered very seriously, meeting the old man's eyes as he spoke.
"Fine. Then start by learning Fire Stoking here."
The old man narrowed his eyes. "When you can tend the fire to my satisfaction, I'll teach you how to hold a hammer."
"Alright! Thank you!"
Le Bai hurried over to the old man's side, gripped the Controller of the bellows with one hand, and pulled—pushed—the flames in the furnace immediately surged high.
"Well, look at that. You really do have some strength!"
The old man could tell at a glance that Le Bai was using considerable force. "But that's not how you work the bellows, and that's not how you tend a fire. Watch carefully. You do it like this..."
As the sun gradually sank westward, Le Bai finished his half-day apprenticeship at the Blacksmith Shop and prepared to go home to rest.
Before he left, the old man said to Le Bai, "Kid, you learned well today. Remember to come early tomorrow."
Le Bai looked at the 14/100 progress bar for [Fire Stoking], which had already reached Lv2 on the Panel, and nodded repeatedly. "Alright! I will!"
Thanks to [Monster Fang] for pointing out a bug. This chapter's content received a minor revision of a few words.
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