Huo Wu's Invitation, Heading to Blazing Academy

"No problem, I don't need this soul beast anyway." Ling Yun nodded and agreed; only a fool would turn down easy money.

"Besides, I'm no senior expert. I'm just a second-ring Soul Grand Master."

With that, Ling Yun ended his transformation. When the three saw his youthful face, they were all stunned; they hadn't expected Ling Yun to be so young.

Huo Wu, in particular, had mistaken the Flame Crane for Ling Yun's Martial Soul Avatar, assuming he was a Soul Saint.

When the three saw the thousand-year second soul ring at Ling Yun's feet, their expressions shifted. Even Feng Xiaotian, who was usually never serious, wore a look of shock.

"A second soul ring at the thousand-year level? How is that possible..."

"I just got lucky." After brushing them off with a casual remark, Ling Yun pointed at the Flame Berserk Lion and said, "Aren't you going to make your move? That Flame Berserk Lion is about to die."

At these words, Huo Wu was the first to react, hurriedly saying, "Friend, I don't know who you are, but thank you."

"You're welcome. Just remember to give me five hundred Gold Soul Coin later."

"No problem, I will definitely keep my word."

Huo Wu ran quickly toward the dying Flame Berserk Lion, drew a dagger, and thrust it in with force, ending its life with a single strike.

After the Flame Berserk Lion died, a purple soul ring emerged above its corpse.

Seeing this, Huo Wu's eyes lit up. She sat down cross-legged to absorb the soul ring, while Huo Wushuang and Feng Xiaotian stood guard to protect her.

As for Ling Yun, he sat on a clean boulder to meditate and recover his soul power.

Two hours passed quietly. Huo Wu slowly opened her eyes, then released her martial soul. Two yellow and one purple soul ring appeared in succession, and a powerful soul pressure spread in all directions!

After absorbing the Flame Berserk Lion's soul ring, her cultivation had reached level thirty-two!

Sensing Huo Wu's cultivation, the sycophant Feng Xiaotian immediately stuck to her side like a shadow, giggling foolishly, "Congratulations, Sister Huo Wu! Now all three of us are Soul Elder, hehehe..."

"Feng Xiaotian, please stay away from me!"

Watching Feng Xiaotian's unserious behavior, Huo Wu shook her head helplessly. She walked over to Ling Yun, took out a bag of Gold Soul Coin, handed it to him, and smiled.

"Little brother, thank you for letting me have the Flame Berserk Lion. There are five hundred Gold Soul Coin in here; you can count them."

Ling Yun took the bag and released his soul power to sense it, finding exactly five hundred Gold Soul Coin inside.

"The amount is correct. If you three have no further business, I'll be on my way."

Ling Yun prepared to leave and continue his journey, but Huo Wu suddenly called out to him.

"Wait a moment, little brother. Have you joined an academy yet?"

"Not yet, but I am currently on my way to Heaven Dou Royal Academy to study, improve my strength, and become stronger!"

Ling Yun understood that Huo Wu was asking only to recruit him into Blazing Academy, so he refused directly.

However, upon learning he was headed to Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Huo Wu frowned in surprise. "Little brother, judging by your attire, I assume you aren't a noble, right?"

"Yes, that's correct." Ling Yun nodded without denying it.

"Then do you know that Heaven Dou Royal Academy only admits children of nobles? For a commoner soul master like you, unless you know one of the three education committee members or a Tiandou Level teacher, you probably won't even be able to get through the front gate."

Hearing this, Ling Yun couldn't help but frown inwardly.

Huo Wu was right. The teachers at Heaven Dou Royal Academy were divided into three ranks, from lowest to highest: Tianwei Level, Tianzhi Level, and Tiandou Level.

To become a top-tier Tiandou Level teacher, one first needed the cultivation of a six-ring Soul Emperor. In the original story, Qin Ming was a Tiandou Level teacher.

But then again, if he knew a Soul Emperor, why would he be walking from Five Elements Village to Heaven Dou City?

After a pause, Huo Wu continued, "Furthermore, although Heaven Dou Royal Academy is nominally the empire's premier academy, in reality, it's full of spoiled brats. They possess superior cultivation resources, yet their strength is pathetic!"

At this point, Huo Wu's eyes flickered. She looked straight at Ling Yun and invited him with a smile.

"Little brother, why not join our Blazing Academy? We are one of the Five Elements Academies, and our teaching standards and student benefits are no less than those of Heaven Dou Royal Academy."

At these words, Ling Yun raised the corner of his mouth and chuckled, "Heh, sister, I see this was your true goal all along, wasn't it?"

"So what if it was?"

After being called out, Huo Wu showed no embarrassment. Instead, she continued, "I did want to invite you to join Blazing Academy, but what I just said is also the truth."

Ling Yun nodded slightly; he knew everything Huo Wu said was true.

"To be honest, I have considered Blazing Academy before, but I am not a pure fire-attribute soul master. Besides, as far as I know, Blazing Academy also only admits nobles, right?

On that point, you and Heaven Dou Royal Academy are six of one and half a dozen of the other; neither is better than the other."

"That's true, I won't deny it. But I can tell you that my father is the dean of Blazing Academy. As long as you are willing to join, I can get you admitted at any time.

As for you not being a pure fire-attribute soul master, as long as your talent is outstanding enough and your strength is sufficient, what does such a small issue matter?"

After a pause, Huo Wu added, "If you are willing to join Blazing Academy, I can have my father waive your tuition and miscellaneous fees, provide you with top-tier meditation techniques, and I can even teach you a secret technique called 'Ring Fusion Secret Technique' to make you even stronger!

And, considering you helped me today, when you grow up, I can even find you a beautiful girlfriend~"

"Top-tier meditation techniques! And Ring Fusion Secret Technique!"

Ling Yun's eyes lit up instantly. Aside from immortal herbs, these were the two things he needed most right now.

He was currently using a basic meditation technique, and his cultivation speed was agonizingly slow. Even after consuming the Whale Rubber, it would take a long time to reach the next level.

If he had a top-tier meditation technique, he could increase his cultivation as quickly as Tang San, and the Ring Fusion Secret Technique would allow his strength to soar.

As for Huo Wu's final remark, he chose to ignore it entirely.

Seeing the way Ling Yun's eyes lit up, Huo Wu couldn't help but be speechless. He really is just a little kid, she thought, his head is filled only with becoming stronger, with no interest in girls whatsoever.

Seeing that Ling Yun was tempted, Huo Wu quickly urged, "How about it, little brother? Are you willing to join our Blazing Academy?"

"Hmm..."

Ling Yun hesitated for a moment, pondering inwardly. He was not a noble, so he likely wouldn't be able to get into the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

As for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, although they possessed the Ring Fusion Secret Technique and Heart Separation Control, those were secret arts reserved only for core disciples.

If he joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect now, there was no telling how long it would take for him to become a core disciple.

Joining the Blazing Academy, however, would grant him immediate access to top-tier meditation methods and the Ring Fusion Secret Technique; for the time being, this was indeed the best choice.

With this in mind, Ling Yun decided to go check out the Blazing Academy and spoke up immediately.

"Alright, I'll go take a look at the Blazing Academy. If it's truly as excellent as you say, sister, then I wouldn't be opposed to joining."

"Hehe, yay! Welcome, little brother!"

Huo Wu jumped for joy. Having become a Soul Grand Master at such a young age and possessing the ability to absorb soul rings beyond his level, Ling Yun's future was limitless, and he would surely shine in the upcoming Soul Master Tournament.

Perhaps he could even lead the Blazing Academy to win the tournament championship.

Thinking of this, Huo Wu smiled and said, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Huo Wu. Welcome to the Blazing Academy."

"My name is Ling Yun."