The First Public Lecture

Notting City's Martial Soul Hall Primary Academy had been built quickly.

It wasn't very big.

There was a main hall, two side rooms, and a small courtyard.

A newly made wooden sign hung at the entrance. It read:

Martial Soul Hall Holy Fire Primary Academy.

The Branch Hall Master had originally wanted to write only "Martial Soul Hall Primary Academy."

But the documents sent from above happened to include the words "Holy Fire."

He didn't know why.

But since the Pope's Palace had approved it, that was what they put on the sign.

Su Yuntao stood at the entrance, looking at the wooden sign with some unease.

"Holy Fire..."

He couldn't help feeling that those two words had something to do with the rumored Lord Holy Cat.

Still, he didn't dare think too much about it.

Today was the academy's first Public Lecture.

Not only were formal students welcome, but Work-Study Students from Notting Academy could attend as well.

Tang San and Xiao Wu had naturally come too.

Wang Sheng followed behind with several Work-Study Students from Dorm Seven. The children looked at the new academy with curiosity in their eyes.

"So this is the new academy opened by Spirit Hall?"

Wang Sheng scratched his head.

"It looks a lot cleaner than our Dorm Seven."

Xiao Wu laughed. "You're comparing a dormitory to an academy?"

Wang Sheng looked a little embarrassed.

Tang San said nothing.

He looked at the wooden sign by the entrance, his eyes thoughtful.

Ever since Spirit Hall had sent over those textbooks, he had been reading them almost every day.

Much of the content was basic.

But the more basic it was, the more clearly it showed the author's expertise.

The books weren't full of empty talk.

They covered many real problems that Low-Rank Soul Masters would encounter.

For example, Soul Power running wild during cultivation.

Choosing the wrong First Soul Ring.

And how, when facing a Soul Beast, one shouldn't run around recklessly or act rashly.

These things might be common knowledge in great clans.

But for Work-Study Students, they could save years of wasted effort.

Tang San even felt that Spirit Hall's textbooks explained things more clearly than some of the courses at Notting Academy.

Of course,

there were also capable people at the academy.

The Grandmaster, for example.

It was just that Tang San still hadn't become his disciple.

The Grandmaster hadn't urged him again.

But the two occasionally discussed Martial Souls and Soul Rings.

The Grandmaster's theories certainly had their merits.

But Tang San had gradually noticed that sometimes the Grandmaster presented his judgments as too absolute.

That made him even more cautious.

He didn't reject the Grandmaster's advice.

But he wouldn't follow all of it blindly.

Just then, Su Yuntao's voice came from inside the academy.

"Today's Public Lecture will cover three things."

"First, what is a Martial Soul?"

"Second, what is Soul Power?"

"Third, how should Soul Masters and Soul Beasts coexist?"

The children took their seats one after another.

Xiao Wu paused slightly at the third question.

She sat beside Tang San, looking casual, but her ears had quietly perked up.

Su Yuntao stood at the front, holding a piece of white chalk.

The chalk had also been sent from Spirit City.

The Branch Hall Master had given him specific instructions.

Use it for the Public Lecture.

Do not lose it.

Do not lend it out.

At first, Su Yuntao hadn't understood what was special about a piece of chalk.

But when he actually held it, he realized something was wrong.

The lecture he'd been planning, which had been somewhat muddled in his mind, suddenly became much clearer.

It was as if someone had already helped him organize his thoughts.

Su Yuntao was startled.

This thing was no ordinary chalk.

But he didn't dare show it, so he simply began teaching from the textbook.

He wrote four characters on the board.

Martial Soul Origin.

As the chalk touched the board, the four characters seemed to glow faintly.

The children looked at them, and the meaning, which had seemed difficult to understand, suddenly became much easier to grasp.

"A Martial Soul isn't just a name,"

Su Yuntao said.

"Two people might both have a hoe Martial Soul. One might be no more than an ordinary farming tool, while the other might have an affinity for earth."

"Two people might both have a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul. One might truly have ordinary Blue Silver Grass, while another might follow a different path because of their bloodline, mutations, or the nature of their Soul Power."

Tang San's eyes shifted slightly.

Xiao Wu looked at him too.

The Work-Study Students from Dorm Seven all turned to look at him as well.

Tang San remained calm.

But inside, he was not calm at all.

Spirit Hall's lecture clearly wasn't labeling Blue Silver Grass as a Trash Martial Soul.

That was different from what many people believed.

Su Yuntao continued:

"So when judging a Martial Soul, you can't look only at its name."

"You have to look at its Soul Power response, its characteristics, and what kind of Soul Ring suits it."

"The sooner you understand your Martial Soul's nature, the less time you'll waste taking the wrong path."

At the back of the classroom,

the Grandmaster stood with his brows slightly furrowed.

He had only come to see what Spirit Hall's so-called primary academy taught.

But by now, he could no longer dismiss this lesson as an ordinary introduction.

The ideas weren't profound.

But they were accurate.

Especially for Soul Masters just starting out.

The Grandmaster felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Some of these things were what he should have told Tang San himself.

But now Spirit Hall had said them first.

And it had done so in front of all the common Soul Masters.

Su Yuntao soon moved on to Soul Power.

"The faster you push your Soul Power, the better it is not."

"Low-Rank Soul Masters must cultivate steadily."

"Your bodies are still small, and your meridians are fragile. Forcing your Soul Power will only hurt you."

Wang Sheng lowered his head.

Several other Work-Study Students lowered their heads too.

Tang San couldn't help glancing at them.

It seemed these words would be useful to many people in Dorm Seven.

Su Yuntao wrote a second line on the board.

Soul Power is water; the Martial Soul is its channel.

"If the channel is blocked, the faster the water flows, the sooner it breaks."

"So when you cultivate, you must first follow the nature of your Martial Soul."

"Beast Martial Souls and tool Martial Souls are different. Plant Martial Souls and Body Martial Souls are different."

"You can't force someone else's cultivation method onto yourself."

Xiao Wu rested her chin on her hand, seeming not to listen much, but her eyes were quieter than usual.

She suddenly realized that these ideas applied to Soul Beasts too.

Soul Beasts faced similar problems in cultivation.

The Soft Bone Rabbit clan relied on agility and speed. They couldn't cultivate the way the Vajra Bear did.

If they forced themselves to imitate one, they would only harm themselves.

So humans don't cultivate without any sense after all.

Xiao Wu muttered to herself.

Then Su Yuntao began talking about Soul Beasts.

He wrote a third line on the board.

Soul Beasts are not materials.

The entire academy fell silent for a moment.

The Grandmaster also raised his head slightly.

Xiao Wu's eyes widened a little.

Su Yuntao held the chalk. His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear.

"Soul Masters need Soul Rings to advance."

"That's the rule of the Douluo Continent."

"But needing Soul Rings doesn't mean you can slaughter Soul Beasts indiscriminately."

"Before Soul Hunting, you must make sure your target is suitable."

"If it isn't necessary, don't hunt young Soul Beasts."

"Unless you're defending yourself, don't kill Soul Beasts that have nothing to do with you."

"If a Soul Beast attacks someone, a Soul Master can fight back."

"But if you kill just to show off, for amusement, or to get a better look at a Soul Ring's color, that isn't a Soul Master's glory."

"It's a Soul Master's disgrace."

The children listened, somewhat stunned.

They had always known that Soul Masters were powerful.

Powerful Soul Masters could hunt Soul Beasts and obtain Soul Rings.

But few people had ever told them this:

Soul Masters shouldn't kill indiscriminately.

Wang Sheng asked quietly, "Doesn't that mean we'll have a lot to consider when we go Soul Hunting?"

Su Yuntao nodded.

"Of course you will."

"Your Soul Ring will stay with you for the rest of your life."

"If you kill any Soul Beast at random and absorb a Soul Ring that doesn't suit you, you won't be the only one harmed. The Soul Beast will suffer too."

Tang San listened intently.

He didn't object to this idea.

In fact, he thought it made sense.

The Tang Sect also taught that one had to know when to use restraint.

A Hidden Weapon could kill, but that didn't mean you killed everyone you saw.

The same was true of Soul Beasts.

Xiao Wu lowered her head and lightly pinched the corner of her clothes.

She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt less weighed down.

Spirit Hall was still dangerous.

But she didn't dislike this class.

At least, she didn't dislike the person who had written that sentence.

Su Yuntao continued:

"In the future, Spirit Hall will explore a new path of cultivation."

"The Soul Pact."

As soon as he said this, Grandmaster's eyes narrowed sharply.

Tang San also raised his head.

"What's a Soul Pact?" one child asked.

Su Yuntao didn't go into too much detail.

It was still being tested internally by Spirit Hall, so they couldn't reveal everything to the public.

But during a Public Lecture, they could give the children a general idea.

"A Soul Pact is a way for a Soul Master and a Soul Beast to establish a connection of their own free will."

"If it becomes viable in the future, Soul Masters might not have to hunt Soul Beasts every time they break through."

"Through a Soul Pact, Soul Beasts could also receive feedback from a Soul Master's cultivation."

"Of course, this path is still difficult."

"Not every Soul Beast is suited to it."

"And that doesn't mean Soul Masters will never need to go Soul Hunting again."

"But Spirit Hall hopes that, in the future, there will be more than just slaughter between Soul Masters and Soul Beasts."

When he finished, the classroom fell silent.

Xiao Wu was completely stunned.

More than just slaughter between Soul Masters and Soul Beasts?

To her, those words carried more weight than all the theories that had come before.

Tang San glanced at Xiao Wu.

He noticed that her expression was a little strange.

She didn't look curious, as an ordinary child might be upon hearing something new.

It was more like something had touched her deeply.

Standing at the back, Grandmaster's expression had also grown extremely complicated.

A Soul Pact.

Spirit Hall had already begun researching something like this?

If this path truly worked, it would shake the existing cultivation system of the Douluo Continent to its core.

And the person who had come up with it was certainly not Su Yuntao.

Nor was it the Branch Hall Master of Notting City.

A rumor suddenly came to Grandmaster's mind.

There was a Holy Cat in Spirit City.

Many of Spirit Hall's changes in recent years had been connected to it.

Could that cat have come up with the Soul Pact, too?

Grandmaster fell silent.

He had once studied the relationship between Soul Beasts and Soul Rings.

But he had never considered connecting Soul Masters and Soul Beasts through Soul Rings without either side dying.

It was an audacious path.

And an extremely difficult one.

But if it succeeded, it would be an event capable of reshaping the Soul Master World.

When the Public Lecture ended, the children still hadn't fully come around.

Su Yuntao put down the chalk and felt a weight lift from his shoulders.

The class had gone more smoothly than he'd expected.

A few times, the words he'd spoken had even come out more clearly than he'd imagined they would.

He glanced down at the chalk.

Lord Holy Cat's things really were extraordinary.

After the children had left, Xiao Wu didn't leave right away.

She stood at the classroom entrance, looking at the board that read, "Soul Beasts are not materials."

Tang San came over to her.

"Does that sentence matter a lot to you?"

Xiao Wu's body stiffened slightly.

"I just think... it's kind of strange."

"What's strange about it?"

"Don't Soul Masters all have to kill Soul Beasts?"

Tang San looked at the board.

"That's how it is now."

"But maybe it won't always be."

Xiao Wu turned to look at him.

"Do you believe in that Soul Pact?"

Tang San thought for a moment.

"I don't know yet."

"But if it really works, I think it'd be a good thing."

Xiao Wu blinked.

"Why?"

"Because it could save a lot of Soul Beasts' lives."

Tang San answered naturally.

"And it would give Soul Masters another path."

Xiao Wu didn't say anything else.

She suddenly felt that Tang San seemed like a pretty decent person.

Though he was sometimes too quiet and too cautious.

But when he said that, he didn't seem to be lying to her.

Grandmaster watched the two of them from a distance.

He had heard their conversation.

His brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

This class at Spirit Hall had already left its mark on Tang San.

It had even left its mark on Xiao Wu.

This was more troublesome than he'd imagined.

Because it wasn't forced indoctrination.

It was simply placing what seemed like a gentler, broader path before the children.

Letting them see for themselves and think for themselves.

That kind of influence ran deeper than orders.

Grandmaster lowered his head and looked at his hands.

He suddenly felt that if he kept teaching Tang San only those old theories, it might not be enough.

Spirit City.

Meow Meow lay sprawled across the desk in Pope's Palace, his tail swishing happily.

"Not bad, not bad."

"Su Yuntao did better than I expected."

Bibi Dong was looking over the feedback records sent in from the classroom.

"The chalk helped a lot."

"Of course."

Meow Meow proudly lifted his chin.

"My chalk."

Bibi Dong glanced at him.

"You only helped by sleeping."

Meow Meow froze.

"I provided moral support."

Bibi Dong didn't call him out.

After finishing the records, she set the file aside.

"Things went well in Notting City."

"We can gradually expand this to other cities."

Meow Meow nodded.

"But don't rush."

"Train the teachers first."

"Teaching isn't just reciting from a book."

"If the teachers themselves don't understand the material and can only read it aloud, the children won't get anything out of it."

"I'll have Spirit Hall Academy select a group of young Soul Masters for training," Bibi Dong said.

Meow Meow thought it over.

"Hu Liena and the others could teach a few classes, too."

Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow.

"Them?"

"Yeah."

Meow Meow said seriously, "The Golden Generation can't just focus on cultivation."

"If they're going to represent Spirit Hall in the future, they need to know what ordinary Soul Masters are like."

"Having them teach classes to children from common families could help temper their character, too."

Bibi Dong pondered for a moment.

"Fine."

Meow Meow added, "Especially Yan."

"Have him teach Soul Master Ethics and Martial Soul Hall Statutes."

Bibi Dong looked at Meow Meow.

"Are you sure you're not just messing with him on purpose?"

Meow Meow blinked.

"Why would I?"

Of course he was doing it on purpose.

Yan had a fiery temper, so he was the perfect person to start by learning the Statutes.

It would also help him understand that Spirit Hall wasn't supported by powerful people alone.

Bibi Dong didn't object.

And so it was settled.

Just then, a system notification rang out.

[ Ding! The Notting City Public Lecture has been successfully completed. ]

[ Ding! Tang San's understanding of Spirit Hall's basic system has improved. ]

[ Ding! Xiao Wu's hostility toward Spirit Hall has decreased slightly. ]

[ Ding! Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang's state of mind has fluctuated. ]

[ Reward: Soul Pact research progress +5%, Meow Wish Value +150. ]

Meow Meow's eyes lit up when he saw the last line.

Did Yu Xiaogang's state of mind fluctuating earn rewards, too?

This system really got him.

"What is it?" Bibi Dong asked.

"Nothing."

Meow Meow lowered his tail.

"I just have a feeling Notting City's going to get pretty lively."

Bibi Dong looked at him and guessed that he'd gotten something out of it again.

But she didn't ask.

Meow Meow suddenly remembered something. "By the way, keep observing Xiao Wu, but don't capture her."

Bibi Dong glanced at him.

"You've said that many times already."

"Important things need to be repeated."

Meow Meow was very serious.

Bibi Dong looked at him quietly for a moment.

"I know."

Only then did Meow Meow relax.

He was most afraid that one day Bibi Dong would suddenly be affected by the Rakshasa Aura again and send people to capture the rabbit in Notting City.

That wouldn't just spell disaster for Xiao Wu; Tang Hao would blow his top, too.

And Tang San went without saying.

The story would go straight from academy life to the Clear Sky Douluo battling Spirit Hall.

It wasn't time for that yet.

"Let's take it slowly."

Meow Meow flopped back down on the cushion.

"Let them go to school first."

"This cat's going to sleep."

Bibi Dong said, "Weren't you going to organize the Soul Pact guidelines?"

Meow Meow closed his eyes and played dead.

Bibi Dong added, "And the lesson plans for Holy Fire School."

Meow Meow's tail didn't move.

"The Advanced Class arrangements for Hu Liena and the other two."

Meow Meow rolled over and covered his ears with his paws.

Watching him act like this, Bibi Dong couldn't help smiling.

"Lazy cat."

Meow Meow muttered under his breath.

"This cat is engaging in strategic hibernation."

Though he said that, it wasn't long before he really fell asleep.

The Soul-Calming Bell chimed softly.

The Pope's Palace was utterly quiet.

Meanwhile, far away in Notting City, the wooden board in the schoolroom still hadn't been erased.

The same words were still written on it.

Soul Beasts are not materials.

Xiao Wu secretly came to take another look the next day.

She stood in the empty schoolroom and looked at it for a long time.

At last, she gave a soft snort.

"I'll keep an eye on things for now."

With that, she turned and ran back to Notting Academy.

The wind blew in through the window.

The chalk writing glimmered faintly.

As if a cat somewhere in the distance had blinked.