After passing through Nuoding Academy's timeworn gates, I found the scene within utterly different from the outside. Roads paved with bluestone crisscrossed in every direction, and many spirit trees suited for Soul Masters to rest beneath lined both sides. A faint trace of Soul Power hung in the air, and the students coming and going were all young Soul Masters in the academy uniform.
I gathered every bit of my focus and firmly suppressed my true twentieth-level Soul Power down to level ten. To anyone looking at me, I was no different from an ordinary Soul Master with Innate Full Soul Power.
[The memory abruptly broke off.]
Back in my previous life, when I watched this part of the story, Dorm Seven's rules had made for a classic scene: every new student had to beat everyone in the dorm before becoming its leader. Tang San had relied on concealing his strength and the foundation of the Mysterious Heaven Skill to easily claim the position, while winning Xiao Wu's favor along the way. With me here in this life, Tang San's little moment of glory was destined to be crushed beneath my heel. Besides, Dorm Seven was also where Xiao Wu and I would officially meet. In the original story, Xiao Wu had arrived here early—it wasn't during the Martial Soul Awakening in Holy Soul Village. I absolutely couldn't get that detail wrong.
[The memory came to an abrupt end, and my thoughts returned to reality.]
Following the directions of a work-study student, I soon found Dorm Seven.
I pushed open the wooden door. The dormitory was already bustling. A dozen or so boys of about the same age sat around, and in one corner, a pretty figure stood out.
She was a lively-looking girl with snow-white skin and a long scorpion braid: Xiao Wu, who had arrived at Nuoding Academy ahead of schedule.
She was curiously sizing me up, her large, limpid eyes blinking as they brimmed with innocent cheer.
My expression remained calm. I didn't approach her to start a conversation; I simply found an empty bed and set down my modest luggage. Keeping a low profile and lying low was the best way to survive right now. Getting involved with the original story's heroine too soon would only attract unnecessary attention.
Before long, footsteps sounded again. Tang San entered Dorm Seven, with Yu Xiaogang following close behind, looking rather pleased with himself.
"I've already explained the rules. Since time immemorial, Dorm Seven's tradition has been that new arrivals must beat everyone in the dorm to become its leader." Yu Xiaogang clasped his hands behind his back and put on a mysterious air. His gaze swept over everyone before settling on Tang San, clearly having already decided that his own disciple would take the position.
The older students in the dormitory perked up at once. They rubbed their fists and palms, ready to give the newcomers a taste of their own medicine.
"Hey, new kid. You know the rules, right? If you want to stay here in peace, you'll have to get past us first!" A sturdy-looking boy stood up. His Soul Power seemed to have reached level eleven, making him the strongest student in Dorm Seven.
The other boys chimed in, and the mood instantly grew tense.
Tang San's eyes flickered. The Mysterious Heaven Skill began to circulate quietly within him, and he was just about to take the initiative and claim the dorm leader's position, using it to establish his reputation.
At that moment, I slowly rose to my feet.
Since we'd already crossed paths, I might as well put Tang San in his place and make him face reality. But I would never reveal my trump cards. From start to finish, I would use only the level-ten Soul Power I showed on the surface and the Ink Shadow Spirit Cat, the only Martial Soul I let others see.
"No need to take them on one by one. Come at me together and save us all some time." My voice was calm, with a hint of lazy ease. A Sichuan accent slipped out without my noticing. "Quit dragging your feet. You're slower than an old lady wrapping her bound feet."
The instant I said that, Dorm Seven fell silent.
Nobody had expected this new student, who looked so ordinary and reserved, to talk so big.
Tang San raised his brows slightly, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes before turning into faint hostility. He could tell that I, too, had Innate Full Soul Power, and his subconscious had already marked me as a potential rival.
"Arrogant! Since you're begging for death, we'll grant your wish!" The sturdy older student shouted angrily. His Soul Power surged as he lunged straight at me.
Several other older students moved at the same time. Seven or eight currents of Soul Power swept toward me, their combined assault an impressive sight.
Off to the side, Yu Xiaogang curled his lip in disdain. In his eyes, an ordinary Beast Martial Soul with Innate Full Soul Power stood no chance against so many Soul Masters of the same level. It was the perfect opportunity to show just how extraordinary his disciple, Tang San, was.
Xiao Wu clenched her little hands nervously, watching me with curiosity.
Facing their combined attack, my expression didn't change in the slightest.
At a thought, faint black Soul Power curled around me, and the phantom of the Ink Shadow Spirit Cat quietly appeared behind me. Its small body was nimble and swift, the power of shadow flickering in and out of sight.
There was no earth-shaking pressure, no dazzling display of light—just the most ordinary manifestation of a Beast Martial Soul.
That was the illusion I had deliberately created.
I shifted my feet lightly, drawing on the Ink Shadow Spirit Cat's innate extreme speed. Like a ghost, I slipped through the gaps in their attacks, every strike missing by a hair.
Their vision blurred. None of them could catch sight of me.
Seizing the opening, I raised a hand and tapped them lightly. My level-ten Soul Power was concentrated to its utmost, precise and restrained. Every strike landed just right on a point along their meridians that left them aching and weak.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A series of muffled thumps rang out. The older students who had been charging at me just moments ago crumpled to the floor as if their strength had drained away. Their limbs turned weak, and they couldn't summon even a trace of Soul Power.
It had taken only a few short breaths to decide the victor.
Dorm Seven fell utterly silent. Everyone stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what they'd seen.
With nothing but an ordinary speed-based Martial Soul and level-ten Soul Power, I'd effortlessly taken out every older student in Dorm Seven?
Tang San's face darkened at once, and for the first time, deep wariness stirred in his heart. He could sense that my foundation was remarkably solid. I looked ordinary on the surface, but I was unfathomably deep.
Yu Xiaogang looked embarrassed, too. The words of praise for Tang San that he'd prepared were now stuck in his throat, and he regarded me with newfound solemnity.
I recalled the Ink Shadow Spirit Cat Martial Soul and remained calm, as though I'd just done something trivial. I hadn't released the slightest excess power from beginning to end, much less let slip the Heavy Profound Iron Sword hidden deep in my soul.
"Anyone else want to give it a try?" My gaze swept calmly over everyone before finally coming to rest on Tang San. My meaning was clear.
It was a crushing victory, delivered without a sound—a first warning to Tang San.
The talent you're so proud of is nothing in front of me. And I'll always keep you ten levels below me. It's a heavenly chasm you'll never cross in this lifetime.
Tang San clenched both fists, his pride stinging from the blow. But he still had his wits about him and knew that, as he was now, he might not be able to beat me, ordinary as I appeared. In the end, he forced down the urge to strike and chose to bide his time.
Xiao Wu's eyes sparkled from her corner, and her gaze toward me held a new, inexplicable fondness. Compared with my steady, mysterious manner, Tang San's deliberate act of maturity seemed rather forced.
I took it all in, inwardly sneering.
Tang San, Yu Xiaogang, this was only the beginning.
I would gradually devour every bit of your glory, take every opportunity meant for you, and grind you into the dirt. Hiding my strength, biding my time, and laying my plans in secret—that was the path of cultivation (Soul Master) that belonged to me.
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