Financial Aid

That evening, darkness had fallen completely. After what felt like forever, Huo Yuhao lay in bed with his mother, turning the gray card over and over in his hands. The other man had only said it was a reward for him, but had never explained what it was for.

It wasn't hard to guess. It probably let him exchange it for resources at Spirit Hall or something like that.

He and Dai Huabin had already made a powerful enemy today. If they stayed here, just as they had in his previous life, the Duchess would definitely use this as an excuse to make trouble. Their lives might even be in danger.

What should they do...? Should he and his mother leave the White Tiger Duke Mansion? The two of them had less than one Gold Soul Coin to their names. Finding somewhere else to live was out of the question; they might not even be able to find a place to sleep on the street.

Just then, Huo Yun'er was drawn by a knock at the door. She found the housekeeper, Zhu Shan, standing outside.

"Uncle Shan, what brings you here so late?"

"Um... I came to remind you that you and your son had better leave the Duke's Mansion tonight."

"Yuhao taught Dai Huabin a lesson, and even with Spirit Hall intervening, Dai Huabin couldn't vent his anger. The Duchess will definitely use this opportunity to come after you."

Huo Yun'er's legs began to tremble uncontrollably when she heard this.

"G-go where?" Of course she knew they should leave, but what were they supposed to do once they left the White Tiger Duke Mansion?

If they stayed, the Duchess might torment her, but at least they could survive. And Huo Yuhao had awakened with Innate Full Soul Power. She herself didn't matter, but Huo Yuhao had undoubtedly earned the right to stay in the White Tiger Duke Mansion.

But if they left... she could only take Huo Yuhao to sleep on the streets. They might even die sooner.

"During the day, Lord Zhang Peng gave Little Yuhao a card. You might not know this since you're not a Soul Master, but it serves as proof of a One-Ring Soul Master's allowance. He can use it to collect a stipend from Spirit Hall every month."

"Or he can give up the stipend in exchange for temporary housing in the Martial Soul Community for a month." Zhu Shan explained slowly. Huo Yuhao leaned closer to listen carefully.

"If you find some odd jobs in the Martial Soul Community, you should be able to feed yourselves. Huo Yuhao will also be able to cultivate there in peace. That Martial Soul Envoy gave Little Yuhao the card specifically so you'd have a way out at Spirit Hall."

That night, Huo Yun'er and Huo Yuhao left the White Tiger Duke Mansion together in a carriage Zhu Shan had hired. With Zhu Shan covering for them, no one noticed.

Huo Yuhao leaned against his mother's shoulder, holding up the gray card and examining it from every angle.

Spirit Hall hadn't existed in his previous life, so he didn't know what the Soul Master World would be like with Spirit Hall in it. He had only heard a little about it in passing from his ancestors.

But now, this little card alone was enough to make him realize what a colossus Spirit Hall was in the Soul Master World.

Just by becoming a One-Ring Soul Master, you could get a place to live and a job that would keep you alive. The manpower and resources needed to make that happen had to be astronomical.

He couldn't figure out what Spirit Hall hoped to gain by doing this.

He tucked the card away, then leaned out the carriage window and looked back the way they had come.

In his previous life, he had left the White Tiger Duke Mansion alone at the age of eleven, both to become a Soul Master and survive, and to exact his revenge on the White Tiger Duke Mansion.

Now, he was leaving just after awakening his Martial Soul. He was doing it so his mother could have a better life, and for the sake of his own future.

At least things had started changing for the better, Huo Yuhao thought.

At daybreak, the carriage arrived at its destination. Zhu Shan had paid the fare in advance. Mother and son climbed down with their belongings and soon noticed the orderly rows of buildings before them, along with a small, somewhat incongruous hut in front of them.

Above the hut's window hung a sign that read "Martial Soul Community Resident Registration Office." A man in black was dozing behind it.

"Hello, is this the resident registration office?" Huo Yuhao walked up to the window. Hearing someone, the man in black yawned, then immediately perked up.

"Hello, I'm Li Ye, a Black-Robed Martial Soul Envoy of Spirit Hall. Please show me your identification. Thank you."

"Sure... This is it, right?" Huo Yuhao found the gray card Bai Mo had given him and handed it to Li Ye. Li Ye looked at Huo Yuhao in surprise, then at Huo Yun'er beside him.

"This card... someone gave it to you, right?" Li Ye asked as he entered the information on the card into the register.

"Is that not allowed?"

"It is allowed, but... it's a little strange that someone with Innate Full Soul Power would come to the Martial Soul Community for a place to live instead of going to the Soul Hunting Forest to find a Soul Ring." Li Ye explained it to the two of them. The Martial Soul Community had been established by Pope Chen Mo over ten thousand years ago to take in Soul Masters who had Innate Soul Power but lesser talent, and no hope of advancing further.

"By the way, this card has secret writing that only Spirit Hall can see. It tells us this child's Soul Power Level."

"Most people who come here are middle-aged men who've reached the Soul Grandmaster level and have no hope of breaking through. Children... are rare here, let alone a child with Innate Full Soul Power."

Hearing Li Ye's words, Huo Yun'er looked at Huo Yuhao and sighed. "If I could, I'd want Yuhao to cultivate too, but... we don't even have a single Gold Soul Coin between us. If a kind-hearted Martial Soul Envoy hadn't given us this card... we might not even be able to survive."

Huo Yuhao was silent too. With the memories of his previous life, cultivating Soul Power wouldn't be difficult for him, but the other cultivation resources were still a problem.

If he had to say, an academy really was the easiest way to get cultivation resources.

"Hm? Didn't that Martial Soul Envoy tell you that you could apply for financial aid from Spirit Hall?" Li Ye asked, puzzled. He'd given them a card and filled in the information, but hadn't told the child to apply for financial aid?

Huo Yun'er and Huo Yuhao were just as baffled. Financial aid was a completely unfamiliar concept to them.

"All right, it seems you really didn't know." Li Ye cleared his throat and began explaining:

"Over ten thousand years ago, Pope Chen Mo established the Spirit Hall Welfare Institution to help poor Soul Masters who were young but had some talent. Anyone with Innate Soul Power—even just one level—can apply for a work-study position at the Martial Soul Primary Academy and receive a monthly scholarship."

"But there are conditions: unlike ordinary students, work-study students have to complete academic assignments and prove to Spirit Hall that they aren't just here to freeload."

"And if they do more than required, they can claim even greater rewards. Gold Soul Coins, cultivation resources, things like rare treasures from heaven and earth or Soul Rings of a suitable age."

"It'd be such a waste for someone with Innate Full Soul Power to stay in the Martial Soul Community and work. If you allow it, ma'am, I'll arrange this for the child."

Huo Yun'er swallowed, unable to believe that such a wonderful opportunity could exist...

Huo Yuhao had lived two lifetimes, so he saw things differently from Huo Yun'er. To him, this only confirmed his suspicions: Spirit Hall wasn't merely a colossus; it was even more intricate and far-reaching than he had imagined.

On the surface, it was charity, but in reality, it allowed Spirit Hall to weave itself through the entire cultivation careers of these Soul Masters.

And whether it was the Martial Soul Community, which took in Soul Masters with nowhere else to go, or this financial aid, all of it had been established by that Pope Chen Mo over ten thousand years ago. It was hard not to be suspicious.

Just who was this Chen Mo...?

He pushed down his doubts. Looking only at the situation before him, applying for financial aid was undoubtedly the best choice. It would let his mother, Huo Yun'er, live without worry, and help him obtain more precious cultivation resources.

If he wanted Huo Yun'er to live well, out in the sunlight, he had to grow faster than he had in his previous life. To do that, relying on Spirit Hall's power was unquestionably the best course.