After spending the morning wandering around,
Xia Yan spotted an inconspicuous shop in a secluded corner of the street.
There were no decorations on the outside.
The sign hanging above the storefront bore only a few strange symbols: a sword, a hammer, and a dragon.
An ordinary passerby would have no idea what the shop sold just by looking at it from outside.
Inside, the shop was a mess. All kinds of objects covered the four tables, the floor, and the walls. Quite a few even hung from the ceiling, ranging from swords and shields to bracelets and necklaces, and even skulls...
Unless a customer could sense the unusual Soul Power fluctuations emitted by these objects, they would surely think this was just an ordinary general store.
The owner had to be a lazy shopkeeper.
There was no counter in the shop. On the wall to Xia Yan's right, directly opposite the door, a middle-aged man was resting in a wicker chair.
He looked to be in his fifties, with a goatee, a hooked nose, long curly black hair, and black crystal glasses with square frames. Even just lying there, he seemed to exude a crafty air.
The cheap wicker chair beneath him looked as though it had been used for countless years.
As he rocked, it creaked and groaned—or perhaps it would be more accurate to say it was screaming.
It sounded as if it might collapse at any moment.
Xia Yan looked around and spotted a yellow crystal the size of a human head in the corner to his right. He approached and saw threadlike markings inside it.
There was no need to guess. It could only be a Dragon Whisker Needle.
Xia Yan had come here for it.
The thing was ridiculously powerful. A Soul Master at level twenty-nine could use it to deal with a Soul Saint at level seventy. Granted, it had only been a spar, so neither side could have gone all out, but that was still enough to show how powerful it was.
All it took was an injection of Soul Power to fire it. It was convenient, quick, and powerful.
Even if he couldn't aim properly at a distance, he could still use it to catch an enemy off guard in close combat.
Following the principle that it was better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it, Xia Yan had spent the whole morning searching before finally finding this place.
He picked up the yellow crystal. It was cold and surprisingly heavy.
"Boss, how much is this?"
Flender slowly opened his eyes and sat up. Through his black, square-framed crystal glasses, his crafty gaze traveled up and down Xia Yan.
Then he spoke in a hoarse, resonant voice.
"One hundred Gold Soul Coins."
Xia Yan took one hundred Gold Soul Coins from his Storage Soul Tool and stacked them in an empty spot on the table. They gleamed like gold, completely at odds with the shop's atmosphere.
It felt as though the place would suit Copper Soul Coins better.
Flender said nothing more. His crafty gaze continued to study Xia Yan until he left the shop.
Then,
Flender stood up, completely ignoring the gleaming pile of Gold Soul Coins, and walked out of the shop.
He watched Xia Yan's receding figure.
Beneath his brow, the eye beneath a dangling curl twitched uncontrollably.
Xia Yan found a hotel and checked in.
As expected—or perhaps surprisingly—he didn't run into Dai Mubai.
Early the next morning, Xia Yan set out.
The way was easy enough to find. After leaving Suotuo City through the city gate, he followed the main road south. Endless golden farmland stretched out on both sides.
It was June, after all.
The wheat would soon be harvested.
He kept walking until noon, when a small village came into view. As he drew closer, he saw a circle of wooden fencing around it, clearly weathered by years of wind and rain.
The worst-damaged sections had rotted completely black, with only half the stakes still planted in the soil.
Other sections looked brand-new, as though they had just been repaired.
It was impossible to tell how many households lived in the village.
At least a hundred people had gathered at the entrance, all parents accompanied by their children. The place was bustling, while a few villagers watched from a distance.
As one of the Balak Kingdom's two most important cities, Suotuo City sat amid the rich, vast Lima Plain and naturally had Soul Master Academies.
At this time every year, Suotuo City grew lively.
New students enrolled, while others graduated and left for different cities.
Some people left, and others came.
That was why these parents and children had come—and why Xia Yan had come, too.
When Xia Yan reached the village entrance, he saw a battered wooden plaque hanging from an archway made of logs. Like the wooden fence, it had clearly endured years of wind and sun.
Five simple green characters were carved into it: Shrek Academy.
In the lower-right corner of the plaque was the head of a green, humanoid monster. It was green and smiling. Setting aside the fact that it wasn't cute at all,
it was actually kind of adorable.
Beneath the plaque sat an old man in plain gray-brown clothes. He was short, with a full head of white hair, and sat behind a wooden table that looked to be at least five years old. Behind him lay nothing but a dirt road and some houses. Before him was a dense crowd of parents and children.
Xia Yan saw
a father lead his child forward and straighten his back proudly. "My kid is at level twenty-one!"
The boy looked just as proud. At around twelve years old, he had reached level twenty-one in Soul Power—a talent that would definitely be considered outstanding at an ordinary academy.
Li Yusong noticed Xia Yan and tilted his head toward the wooden box beside him.
The father took ten Gold Soul Coins from his pocket and dropped them in.
Li Yusong felt the boy's palm. Before even two seconds had passed, he said, "Not suitable. Next."
The father and boy froze, thinking they must have misheard. "Huh? My kid is at level twenty-one! He's a genius among geniuses!"
"You said yourselves that anyone over level twenty could enroll!"
Li Yusong said,
"You have to be under twelve and above level twenty to enroll. He's thirteen, so he doesn't meet the requirements."
The father wore a flattering smile. He took another Gold Soul Coin from his pocket and tried to secretly slip it to Li Yusong in his palm.
Li Yusong stopped him, his expression unchanged. "Next."
The father's face flushed red at once.
"Why?!"
"You set the rules yourselves! You're scamming people!"
"Give me my money back!"
As he spoke, he reached out to lift the lid of the wooden box and take his money.
Li Yusong's expression turned impatient.
A powerful aura erupted in an instant. Six Soul Rings—white, yellow, purple, purple, purple, and black—appeared, and the pressure of a Six-Ring Soul Emperor made the entire crowd tremble.
The bustling village entrance fell as silent as the grave.
He was actually a legendary Six-Ring Soul Emperor!
Li Yusong said, "The rules were stated in advance. Only those under twelve and above level twenty are eligible to enroll. The rest of you can go back where you came from."
The father stopped raging. His face pale, he hurriedly pulled his child away,
afraid Li Yusong would lose patience.
A level-twenty Soul Grandmaster received ten Gold Soul Coins a month in subsidies. The boy had just lost a month's worth.
Four-fifths of the crowd gradually left, leaving only a dozen or so people.
But after Li Yusong's display,
they all looked at one another, afraid to step forward.
Xia Yan walked up and put ten Gold Soul Coins into the wooden box.
Li Yusong immediately changed his tune, smiling warmly as he asked with eager anticipation, "Are you here to enroll, too?"
"Come, let me check your bone age first."
The sudden change left everyone completely baffled. What was going on?
What else could it be? Of course it was because Li Yusong had sensed Xia Yan's Soul Power fluctuations.
Good heavens, he was a Soul Elder!
This young man was undoubtedly a Soul Elder!
Xia Yan held out his hand. The instant Li Yusong felt his bones, his eyes widened. He jerked his head up and stared at Xia Yan in disbelief,
looking at him as if he were a monster.
Eleven?!
An eleven-year-old Soul Elder?!
What the hell, he was a monster!
Before you continue