Academy Life

The Martial Soul Elementary Soul Master Academy had been established when the Spirit Hall was first founded. It was a place dedicated to nurturing the next generation of talent for the Spirit Hall.

Many public officials within the Spirit Hall also chose to send their children there.

With Qian Daoliu's instructions, Lin Beiya arrived that very day at the Soul Master Academy located south of the Spirit Hall.

Like the rest of the area, the academy's buildings weren't luxurious. Their overall style leaned toward the austere.

He went straight to the principal's office, where a white-haired old man looked up at him with a smile.

"You must be Lin Beiya. The Grand Pontiff has already spoken to me. You'll be in the first-year Elite Class. I'll take you there in a moment."

"If you have any questions or requests during your studies, feel free to bring them to me."

Lin Beiya raised an eyebrow, thinking, It sure helps to have someone powerful backing you. No matter how talented you were, before you had a chance to grow, you were still just a junior. They had likely seen plenty of promising geniuses meet an early end. The principal's courteous attitude toward him was probably thanks to Qian Daoliu's word.

Though the former Pope had withdrawn from the center of power long ago, his influence still lingered.

Perhaps people wouldn't forget the powerhouse known as invincible beneath the heavens until Bibi Dong had taken complete control.

"Thank you, Principal. If I run into any difficulties, I'll let you know."

"Good. Come with me to your class. You're not late—the registration period only just ended, and today is their first official day of lessons."

Lin Beiya nodded and followed the principal toward the classroom.

The meaning of Elite Class was easy enough to understand: it was made up of the most talented students among those who had awakened their Martial Souls this time. If his guess was right, little Fatty Shi Nuo would be in this class too.

Two figures, one tall and one short, arrived at the classroom door, drawing the attention of the students and teacher inside.

The teacher was a middle-aged man in his forties. Perhaps he'd been informed in advance by the principal, because he showed no surprise. He smiled and nodded to both the principal and Lin Beiya.

The nearly thirty students below wore all kinds of expressions: surprise, disdain, and, of course, delight.

The one waving and cheering was Lin Beiya's fellow orphanage resident, little Fatty Shi Nuo. With his Great Strength Demon Bull Martial Soul and Innate Soul Power of Rank 8, he had also made it into the academy's Elite Class.

"Bei Ya, over here!"

There was an empty seat beside the Fatty. After getting permission from the principal and the homeroom teacher, Lin Beiya chose it as his own—the very spot hailed as the birthplace of a king.

He was just about to head over when the homeroom teacher raised a hand to stop him.

"Lin Beiya, how about giving everyone a quick introduction? Your classmates don't know you yet."

He wasn't particularly interested in getting to know them, but Lin Beiya didn't want to make himself out to be a troublemaker at the academy. He nodded and returned to the front of the classroom.

"Lin Beiya. Martial Soul: Stone Statue. Soul Master, Rank 12!"

With that, Lin Beiya walked toward the seat beside the Fatty under the homeroom teacher's helpless gaze, leaving the classroom in an uproar.

His brief introduction had stirred up a storm. Not one of the first-years had entered the academy with a Soul Ring and become a Soul Master. And regardless of whether the Stone Statue Martial Soul was any good, Lin Beiya's talent for Innate Full Soul Power was already obvious.

"Is he joking? I thought I was a genius with Innate Soul Power of Rank 7, but someone here already has a Soul Ring."

"Exactly! Did he get held back?"

"I think that's possible."

People were always quick to make wild guesses about things they couldn't understand and didn't want to believe. In just a few minutes, the students had nailed Lin Beiya to the pillar of shame as a repeat student.

As they whispered among themselves, a boy in the middle rows with a pair of eagle eyes slowly turned around and looked disdainfully at the children who loved to wag their tongues.

"Hmph. Just because you can't do it doesn't mean nobody else can. Lin Beiya's first Soul Ring was hunted with my father's help. He definitely awakened his Martial Soul at the same time as the rest of us."

At the boy's words, the others swallowed their slander and fell silent, afraid to offend the son of a Platinum Bishop.

The boy was Yu Quan, Yu Lin's son. His own boy just happened to be in this age group, and Yu Lin, already convinced Lin Beiya had a bright future ahead of him, had told him early on to get along with Lin Beiya. His son's future depended on it.

That was why Yu Quan had immediately stepped in to dispel the rumors. He looked back toward Lin Beiya, seated at the rear of the room, and smiled at him.

Lin Beiya was a little puzzled, but he wasn't about to turn away a friendly smile. He returned the boy's obviously well-meaning grin.

Shi Nuo, who had been fuming because his good friend was being slandered, saw that the others had backed down and asked Lin Beiya, curious,

"Bei Ya, do you know Yu Quan? Why did he speak up for you?"

"No idea. I got here even later than you did. I don't know a single person."

"That's strange. He's the son of a Platinum Bishop. Why would he stick up for a commoner like you?"

"Hmm?"

Lin Beiya hadn't heard what Yu Quan said, but Shi Nuo's bits and pieces had given him some useful information.

The son of a Platinum Bishop, surnamed Yu. There was only one answer: he was the son of Yu Lin, the middle-aged man who had taken Lin Beiya Soul Hunting. No wonder the boy had seemed so friendly when they first met.

Though Lin Beiya hadn't revealed much in front of Yu Lin, the talent he had shown was already enough to make the Yu family seek his friendship.

"His father took me to hunt my first Soul Ring. That's probably why."

"Oh, I see!"

"But Bei Ya, you're incredible! You're already a Soul Master. I'll need a while longer to reach Rank 9!"

The envy in little Fatty's eyes as he looked at Lin Beiya was plain as day, and it made him chuckle.

"Don't worry. You'll get your first Soul Ring before long. What's the rush?"

"Hehe, true. A few days ago, I went to the library to look through the picture books, and I've already picked the Black Stone Giant Bull for my first Soul Ring."

Lin Beiya pursed his lips. Did he think Soul Beasts would just appear because he'd picked one? Still, he didn't want to dampen his spirits. Maybe he'd get lucky and find one.

On his first day of class, everything felt new to Lin Beiya. The teacher didn't cover Soul Master cultivation, but simply introduced the academy's rules and regulations, class schedules, and other such matters. By the time he finished, the school day was over.

The academy's schedule was quite relaxed. In the mornings, new students learned which paths suited different Martial Souls: Control System, Power Attack System, Agility Attack System, and Support System. The afternoons were left free for the children to cultivate their Soul Power.

After all, Soul Power was the foundation of a Soul Master.

After class, Lin Beiya followed little Fatty around the academy, familiarizing himself with its facilities. Then he went with him to the dormitory.

Unlike the communal dormitory at Nuoding Academy, the accommodations at the Martial Soul Hall Primary Academy were much better.

At the very least, Shi Nuo, as a student in the Elite Class, had been assigned a two-person room. The other bed was conveniently vacant and went to Lin Beiya. He wondered if it was because Old Qian had pulled some strings.