A few months flashed by, and before they knew it, the opening day of Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy had arrived.
Holy Soul Village had already become a prosperous village famous throughout the surrounding area thanks to Lin Yue's improved farming methods. Old Jack regarded the two children as the pride of the entire village and had long since bought them brand-new outfits.
Tang San changed into a dark navy cloth outfit. Its stitching was fine and its fabric soft, making his lean frame look considerably more spirited.
Lin Yue chose a neat white martial outfit, with tightened cuffs and trouser legs that made it convenient for her to practice with her spear at any time. Her high ponytail was tied tidily with a new red cord, and she looked valiant and full of energy.
Both of them looked very spirited.
Old Jack led the two children onto the best carriage in the village, and they swayed their way to Nuoding City.
Looking at the imposing words "Nuoding City" above the gates, Lin Yue could not help weighing the Evil Repeller Battle Spear hidden in her bundle, her eyes brimming with excitement—
Her journey through Douluo Continent was finally about to officially begin.
But the moment the three of them arrived at the gates of Notting Junior Soul Master Academy, they were stopped.
The academy gates were exceptionally grand. Copper studs adorned the pair of black-lacquered doors, and two uniformed gatekeepers stood outside, looking Old Jack and the children up and down with slanted eyes, their gazes filled with undisguised contempt.
"What are you here for? This is Nuoding Soul Master Academy, not some place for country bumpkins to wander around. Get lost, now!"
The gatekeeper on the left waved his hand and impatiently barked at them as though shooing flies, his tone brimming with arrogance.
Old Jack hurriedly stepped forward, smiling ingratiatingly as he presented the certificate issued by Spirit Hall. "Sirs, we're from Holy Soul Village. These two children are the Soul Masters who awakened in our village this year. Both have Innate Full Soul Power, and they've come to enroll in the academy."
"Holy Soul Village? Never heard of it."
The gatekeeper took the certificate and glanced over it. When he saw the words "Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, Innate Full Soul Power," he immediately sneered and looked up at Tang San with utter disdain.
"Blue Silver Grass? Innate Full Soul Power? Who are you trying to fool? That useless Martial Soul has Innate Full Soul Power? Looks to me like you country folk found some shady way to forge a fake certificate!"
The other gatekeeper joined in the laughter. He swept his eyes over the three of them and said mockingly, "Exactly. Can a golden phoenix fly out of a grass nest? One has a useless Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, and the other is some wild girl who hasn't even stated her Martial Soul. You want to enter Nuoding Academy? I'd say you're here to scam food and lodging! Get lost, or we'll set the dogs on you!"
As he spoke, the gatekeeper grinned viciously and shoved Old Jack hard in the chest. The elderly man was already unsteady on his feet, and the push sent him staggering backward. He was about to fall onto the hard stone pavement.
Tang San's pupils contracted. Almost instinctively, he darted behind Old Jack and firmly supported the old man's back, steadying him.
But the instant he caught Old Jack, the gentleness in his eyes vanished, leaving only piercing chill and killing intent.
The fundamental rules of the Tang Sect from his previous life were etched into his bones—once an opponent was confirmed to be an enemy, no mercy could be shown. They had to be killed in a single strike, lest trouble linger and future disaster be left behind.
These two gatekeepers had not only insulted them verbally, but had also viciously attacked the elderly Old Jack. If he let this go today, they might well cause trouble for them again in the future, or even target Grandpa Jack.
His right hand silently slipped into his sleeve, his fingertips already touching the Silent Sleeve Arrow he had painstakingly crafted from Blacksmith Shop scraps over half a month.
The arrowhead was coated with powerful anesthetic he had gathered from the back mountain. It would not be fatal, but it could instantly rob someone of the ability to move. Yet if aimed at the throat, it was enough to kill in a single blow.
His fingers had already gripped the trigger mechanism, his gaze locked tightly onto the gatekeeper who had shoved Old Jack. The next second, he was about to pull the trigger.
But at that moment, a figure moved faster than he did, stepping in front of him and firmly blocking him from the two gatekeepers, perfectly obstructing the firing angle of his sleeve arrow.
Lin Yue pulled Old Jack behind her in one swift motion. Her clear eyes instantly turned cold as she stared at the two still-arrogant gatekeepers, her voice carrying an icy edge. "Watch your mouths. That certificate was personally issued by a deacon from Spirit Hall headquarters. Are you questioning Spirit Hall's authority? Or do you two gatekeepers think you understand Martial Souls better than Spirit Hall's deacons?"
"Oh? This little girl's got quite the attitude?"
The gatekeeper was stunned by her retort, then flew into a rage out of humiliation. "You're obviously all con artists! You dare use Spirit Hall to pressure us? You're not getting through these gates today!"
As he spoke, he reached out to shove Lin Yue again. But the instant his hand extended, the sight before him frightened him rigid.
Lin Yue flipped her right hand, and an intense black radiance burst forth. A completely black Battle Spear etched with dark red patterns appeared in her palm. Cold light glimmered at its tip, and fierce battle intent rushed at them.
At the same time, a yellow Hundred Year Soul Ring slowly rose beneath her feet, gently revolving around her body. The patterns on the Soul Ring were clearly visible, and rich Soul Power fluctuations instantly swept across the entire entrance.
"A... a Martial Soul! And a Soul Ring?!"
"A Hundred Year Soul Ring! Her first Soul Ring is a Hundred Year one?!"
The two gatekeepers went pale at once. Their legs gave way, and with a thud, they dropped to their knees in unison, trembling like sieves and not daring to lift their heads.
They had guarded the academy gates for many years and had seen plenty of geniuses, but they had never seen a six-year-old who already possessed a Hundred Year first Soul Ring!
What did that mean? It meant she was a top-tier genius who ranked among the best across the entire continent!
Let alone two insignificant gatekeepers like them, even the academy's headmaster would have to treat such a genius politely!
They had actually dared to mock such a genius and even lay hands on her. Wasn't that courting death?
"M-Milady, spare us! We were blind! We judged people by appearances! Please forgive us this once!"
The two gatekeepers knelt on the ground and frantically kowtowed, their foreheads bleeding as they did not even dare breathe too loudly.
They had only wanted to extort a little entrance fee.
Lin Yue gave them a cold glance, then withdrew her Martial Soul and Soul Ring without bothering to argue further with such minor characters.
Behind her, Tang San had already silently retracted the sleeve arrow into his sleeve. The killing intent in his eyes had completely faded, and he returned to his calm, well-behaved appearance. Yet when he looked at Lin Yue's back, his eyes held a trace of complicated emotion.
He was both surprised by how quickly Lin Yue had reacted and faintly relieved.
If he had truly fired the sleeve arrow just now and injured someone at the academy gates, it would inevitably have caused unnecessary trouble and might even have exposed his Tang Sect Secret Arts. Lin Yue's actions had solved that problem for him and protected his secret as well.
He had truly come dangerously close to losing control.
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