"No problem. I don't need this Soul Beast anyway." Ling Yun nodded and agreed. Who would turn down a chance to make money? Only a fool.
"Besides, I'm no senior. I'm just a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster."
With that, Ling Yun ended his transformation. When they saw his youthful face, the three of them were all taken aback. They hadn't expected him to be so young.
Huo Wu in particular had mistaken the Flame Crane for Ling Yun's Martial Soul Avatar and thought he was a Soul Saint.
But when the three saw the thousand-year Second Soul Ring beneath Ling Yun's feet, their expressions changed again. Even Feng Xiaotian, who was usually so unserious, looked utterly shocked.
"His Second Soul Ring is already a thousand years old. How is that possible...?"
"I was just lucky." After brushing them off, Ling Yun pointed at the Flame Berserk Lion. "Aren't you going to get moving? That Flame Berserk Lion is about to die."
At that, Huo Wu immediately snapped back to her senses and hurriedly said, "Friend, I don't know who you are, but thank you."
"You're welcome. Just remember to give me five hundred Gold Soul Coins in a bit."
"No problem. I'll honor our agreement."
Huo Wu hurried over to the dying Flame Berserk Lion, drew her dagger, and drove it in hard, ending its life with a single strike.
After the Flame Berserk Lion died, a purple Soul Ring appeared above its corpse.
Huo Wu's eyes lit up. She quickly sat cross-legged and began absorbing the Soul Ring, while Huo Wushuang and Feng Xiaotian stood guard beside her.
As for Ling Yun, he sat on a clean boulder and meditated, recovering his Soul Power.
Just like that, two hours slipped by. Huo Wu slowly opened her eyes, then released her Martial Soul. Two yellow Soul Rings and one purple Soul Ring appeared in succession, and a powerful wave of soul pressure swept out around her!
After absorbing the Flame Berserk Lion's Soul Ring, her cultivation had reached level thirty-two!
Feeling Huo Wu's cultivation, Feng Xiaotian, her lovesick puppy, immediately latched onto her with a foolish grin. "Congratulations, Huo Wu! Now all three of us are Soul Elders. Hehehe..."
"Feng Xiaotian, please stay away from me!"
Looking at Feng Xiaotian's ridiculous behavior, Huo Wu shook her head helplessly. Then she walked over to Ling Yun, handed him a pouch of Gold Soul Coins, and smiled.
"Little brother, thank you for letting me have the Flame Berserk Lion. There are five hundred Gold Soul Coins in here. Count them to make sure."
Ling Yun took the pouch and used his Soul Power to check its contents. There were exactly five hundred Gold Soul Coins.
"The amount's right. If none of you need anything else, I'll be on my way."
With that, Ling Yun was about to continue on his journey, but Huo Wu suddenly called out to him.
"Wait, little brother. Have you joined an academy yet?"
"Not yet. I'm heading to Heaven Dou Royal Academy to study, improve my strength, and become stronger!"
Ling Yun understood that Huo Wu was asking because she wanted to recruit him into Blazing Academy, so he turned her down outright.
But when she learned he was going to Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Huo Wu frowned in surprise. "Little brother, judging by how you're dressed, I'm guessing you're not a noble?"
"Right, I'm not." Ling Yun nodded without denying it.
"Then do you know that Heaven Dou Royal Academy only accepts noble students? As a commoner Soul Master, you won't even get through the academy gates unless you know one of the three education committee members or a Tiandou-level teacher."
At that, Ling Yun couldn't help but frown to himself.
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 teacher of the highest rank, Tiandou Level, one first needed to be a Six-Ring Soul Emperor. Qin Ming in the original story had been a Tiandou-level teacher.
But then again, if Ling Yun knew a Soul Emperor, why would he have walked all the way from Five Elements Village to Heaven Dou City?
After a pause, Huo Wu continued, "And although Heaven Dou Royal Academy is nominally the empire's top academy, in reality, it's full of spoiled young nobles. They've got excellent cultivation resources, yet their strength is downright poor!"
As she spoke, Huo Wu's eyes flickered. She stared straight at Ling Yun and smiled as she invited him, "Little brother, why not join our Blazing Academy instead? We're one of the Five Elements Academies, and our teaching standards and student benefits are every bit as good as Heaven Dou Royal Academy's."
At that, Ling Yun raised the corners of his mouth and smiled. "Heh, sister, isn't that your real goal?"
"So what if it is?"
Though she'd been found out, Huo Wu showed no embarrassment. Instead, she continued, "I do want you to join Blazing Academy, but what I said just now is true, too."
Ling Yun nodded slightly. He knew Huo Wu had been telling the truth.
"To be honest, I've considered Blazing Academy before. But I'm not a pure fire-attribute Soul Master. And as far as I know, Blazing Academy only accepts nobles, too, right?
"On that score, you and Heaven Dou Royal Academy are birds of a feather. Neither of you can criticize the other."
"True, I won't deny that. But I can tell you that my father is the headmaster of Blazing Academy. If you're willing to join, I can get you admitted whenever you like.
"As for not being a pure fire-attribute Soul Master, as long as your talent is good enough and your strength is great enough, what's a little issue like that?"
After a pause, Huo Wu added, "If you join Blazing Academy, I can also get my father to waive your tuition and miscellaneous fees and provide you with the very best meditation technique. I can even teach you a secret technique called Ring Fusion to make you stronger!
"Considering you helped big sister out today, once you're older, I can even find you a pretty girlfriend~"
"An advanced meditation technique! And Ring Fusion!"
Ling Yun's eyes lit up at once. Aside from Immortal Herbs, those were the two things he needed most right now.
He was still cultivating with a basic meditation technique, and his progress was painfully slow. Even after taking Whale Rubber, it would take him a long time to gain a single level.
With an advanced meditation technique, he could raise his cultivation quickly, like Tang San. And the Ring Fusion Secret Technique could greatly increase his strength.
As for Huo Wu's last offer, he automatically ignored it.
Seeing Ling Yun's eyes light up, Huo Wu was at a loss for words. As expected, he's just a little kid. All he thinks about is getting stronger. He isn't interested in girls at all.
Seeing that Ling Yun was tempted, Huo Wu quickly urged him, "Well, little brother, are you willing to join Blazing Academy?"
"Hmm..."
Ling Yun hesitated for a moment, thinking it over. He wasn't a noble, so there was an eighty percent chance he wouldn't be able to attend Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
As for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, it had Ring Fusion and Heart Separation Control, but those secret techniques could only be cultivated by core disciples.
If he joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect now, who knew how long it would take him to become a core disciple?
If he joined Blazing Academy, he could get an advanced meditation technique and the Ring Fusion Secret Technique right away. For now, it really was the best choice.
After weighing it all, Ling Yun decided to take a look at Blazing Academy and said, "All right, I'll go see Blazing Academy. If it really is as good as you say, then I might join."
"Hehe, great! Welcome, little brother!"
Huo Wu jumped for joy. Ling Yun had become a Soul Grandmaster at such a young age and could absorb Soul Rings beyond his level. His future was limitless, and he could shine at the Soul Master Tournament.
Maybe he could even lead Blazing Academy to the championship.
Thinking of that, Huo Wu smiled. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Huo Wu. Welcome to Blazing Academy."
"I'm Ling Yun."
Before you continue