"Teacher... don't think I'm that stupid, okay?"
Zhu Zhuqing kept walking and muttered under her breath.
Gu Chensha smiled and continued.
"It is just what Hu Liena said it is: a Soul Ascension Pill. Its main effect is to increase Soul Power, and this pill is indeed extremely precious."
As a transmigrator, even after living for several hundred years, the details of the Douluo World remained crystal clear in his memory.
He knew full well how difficult this Soul Ascension Pill was to make.
Only a handful of the top Plant-type Titled Douluo on the entire continent could refine it, and the annual yield was no more than twenty pills.
Even in the Peerless Tang Sect era, when Soul Tools were flourishing, it remained a priceless treasure that money couldn't buy. Countless Soul Masters would have gone bankrupt for just one.
Its medicinal properties were gentle, with no side effects. Besides steadily increasing Soul Power, it could also cleanse the meridians and transform the marrow.
A single pill provided all the Soul Power a Soul Master needed to go from level 30 to level 31.
Even a Soul King below level 50 would gain a genuine increase in Soul Power after taking it.
And for the countless Soul Masters stuck at a bottleneck, one pill could break through the shackles outright, saving years—or even more than a decade—of arduous cultivation.
Of course, it had its limitations.
A Soul Master could take only one in their lifetime. Taking more would have no effect and would damage their future cultivation foundation, cutting off the path to higher realms.
But for the vast majority of Soul Masters who would never reach the threshold of Soul Kinghood in their entire lives, owning even one was already an immense stroke of fortune.
At the thought, Gu Chensha couldn't help laughing.
He was reminded of Yu Xiaogang, the theoretical Grandmaster whose Innate Soul Power was only level 0.5. How many of these top-grade pills had he relied on to force his Soul Power all the way up to level 29? How many treasures that ordinary people could only dream of had he wasted, just to scrape together a cultivation level he could never break through?
He shook his head, casting aside his stray thoughts, and continued speaking to Zhu Zhuqing.
"The only thing she left out was that each person can take just one pill in their lifetime. Taking more won't do much."
"But that isn't all that important to mention."
"Should I take it now, or wait until later?"
Zhu Zhuqing asked at once. She could already see Teacher Lang and the others up ahead.
"No rush. We'll talk about that tonight, once we're in bed."
"For now, let's catch up with that cardinal."
There was a hint of mockery in Gu Chensha's voice. "Cardinal Lang deliberately slowed down to give Hu Liena plenty of time and space to win you over."
"We shouldn't keep them waiting too long, either."
"Understood, Teacher."
Zhu Zhuqing quickened her pace. After a few steps, she spotted a young woman standing not far ahead.
She was another of Teacher Lang's disciples, around the same age as Lei Xiang. Clearly, she had been left here to wait for Zhu Zhuqing.
As Zhu Zhuqing approached, the young woman hurried over, seeming rather nervous.
"T-Teacher told me to wait here for you and show you around the curriculum at Spirit Hall Higher Academy."
"Um... can I call you Zhuqing?"
Zhu Zhuqing nodded.
The young woman breathed a sigh of relief and quickly introduced herself.
"My name is Li Moyue. A-according to our ages and our seniority at Spirit Hall, you can call me Senior Sister or Second Senior Sister."
Zhu Zhuqing gave a slight nod and answered.
"Senior Sister Li."
"Ah, good."
Li Moyue's cheeks flushed slightly. She hesitated for quite a while before biting her lip and speaking in a small voice.
"Actually... I wanted to say that Senior Brother Lei Xiang, h-he's not a bad person. He just has a bit of a temper."
"He grew up in the slums and has always hated those noble scions who act high and mighty. That's why he treated you like that. He just... just wanted so badly to prove himself."
Halfway through, she saw that Zhu Zhuqing's expression hadn't changed, and hastily waved her hands, stumbling over her words.
"I-I'm not making excuses for him!"
"It's just... he got punished pretty badly by Teacher today, so he definitely, definitely won't bother you again."
"I-I'll apologize to you on his behalf. I'm sorry."
"It's fine."
Zhu Zhuqing's tone was cool, not betraying the slightest emotion.
Li Moyue opened her mouth as if to say more, but seeing that Zhu Zhuqing had no intention of continuing the subject, she wisely fell silent.
The two walked side by side along the white jade corridor, quiet for a while.
Li Moyue sneaked several glances at Zhu Zhuqing, her heart pounding.
She had never been good with words, and she was even less equipped to deal with someone so cool and unreadable, whose thoughts never showed on her face.
Lei Xiang might have had an explosive temper, but at least his emotions were written all over his face. In a way, that made him easier to get along with.
This new junior sister had cool, delicate features and had barely shown any expression from beginning to end. It was impossible to figure out what she was thinking.
She cleared her throat and, steeling herself, changed the subject.
"Um... shall I show you around the academy's courses and rules first?"
"Teacher specifically told me that you just joined Spirit Hall and don't know your way around yet, so I should explain everything carefully."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded. "Sorry for the trouble, Senior Sister."
"No trouble, no trouble!"
Li Moyue hurriedly waved her hands. It seemed she had finally found a familiar topic, and she relaxed considerably, her voice growing lighter.
"Actually, the core of our training at Spirit Hall Higher Academy is practical combat."
"Most of the students here have a cardinal from Spirit Hall as their teacher, but not every cardinal has time to teach their disciples."
"The Red Cardinals are powerful figures within Spirit Hall. Many of them also serve as masters of various branch halls and spend most of the year traveling. Some barely return to headquarters a few times a year, so they can't look after their disciples at all. Most of those disciples have to figure things out on their own."
"But Teacher Lang is different. He doesn't hold any outside positions, so he has plenty of time on an ordinary day. He also takes special care of us, making cultivation plans tailored to each person's Martial Soul and weaknesses."
"Do we mainly rely on classes for our regular training?"
Zhu Zhuqing asked her first question of her own accord.
"Not entirely."
Li Moyue shook her head. At the end of the corridor, she stopped and pointed toward a magnificent circular building on the right.
"Look over there. That's the Mission Hall at Spirit Hall Higher Academy."
"Spirit Hall values practical combat above all, so aside from our regular theory and cultivation classes, what we do most is take on Spirit Hall missions with our teacher and go out to gain experience."
"Missions range from one star to five, with the difficulty increasing from low to high."
"When we go with Teacher, we usually take two- or three-star missions. He stays with us the whole time, teaching us how to work together and handle unexpected situations..."
"And when we complete missions, we can earn two of the most important things."
Li Moyue held up two fingers, her tone growing more serious.
"The first is Contribution Points."
"Contribution Points are the hard currency for advanced students like us, far more useful than Gold Soul Coins."
"Pills, the Mimicry Training Ground, internal materials, and even a personal lesson from a Titled Douluo can all be exchanged for Contribution Points."
Before you continue