Work-Study Student Slots

Huang Fei had, for once, not slept in.

It wasn't because he'd suddenly seen the light. Old Jack had come knocking early that morning, making enough noise to tear the door off its hinges.

"Huang Fei! Huang Fei! Get up! I've got wonderful news!"

Huang Fei rolled over beneath his blankets, trying to smother his ears with a pillow.

But Old Jack's voice was so powerful that it came through loud and clear, even through the pillow.

"If you don't get up, the slots will be gone!"

Slots?

Huang Fei jolted upright.

He threw on his coat and opened the door. Old Jack stood outside, his face glowing red and his beard trembling. He clutched two sheets of paper in his hand and looked as excited as an old man who'd just found a gold ingot.

"Grandpa Jack, what's going on?" Huang Fei asked, rubbing his eyes.

Without a word, Old Jack stuffed the two sheets of paper into his hands. "See for yourself!"

Huang Fei looked down.

Martial Soul Awakening Certificate.

There were two of them.

One bore Tang San's name, and the other bore his own.

Both carried Su Yuntao's signature and the seal of Spirit Hall, certifying that they had Innate Full Soul Power and Blue Silver Grass Martial Souls.

"Su Yuntao left these with me before he went." Old Jack rubbed his hands together, his face creasing into a broad smile. "He said you two were geniuses and shouldn't be buried in the village. I've been going out all this time to arrange your enrollment."

Huang Fei was stunned. Warmth welled up in his heart.

Old Jack was over seventy, and his legs weren't in good shape. Yet he'd been running around for the two of them, a pair of orphans. That kindness...

"Holy Soul Village has one work-study slot, and I gave it to Xiao San."

Old Jack counted on his fingers as he spoke. "Then I went to the neighboring village and borrowed another slot for you. At Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy, work-study students attend for free! Both of you can go!"

"Grandpa Jack..." Huang Fei opened his mouth, wanting to say something to thank him.

Old Jack waved a hand, cutting him off. "Don't give me any of that 'thank you' business. You two came from Holy Soul Village. When you make something of yourselves, just don't forget the village."

Huang Fei swallowed the "thank you" on the tip of his tongue and replaced it with a solemn promise.

"Grandpa Jack, don't worry. Once I make something of myself, I'll repay the village."

He meant every word.

He might be lazy most of the time, but he knew exactly who treated him well.

Old Jack was over seventy, yet he'd gone to all that trouble for two orphans. He couldn't forget such kindness.

"All right, all right. Enough of this empty talk."

"School doesn't start for another three months. You two should get ready."

"I've already told Xiao San. Go have a chat with him."

Old Jack waved a hand, though the corners of his eyes were unmistakably moist.

After saying that, Old Jack turned and left, his steps much lighter than when he'd arrived.

Huang Fei stood in the doorway, watching Old Jack's stooped back disappear into the morning light. Suddenly, the sunshine in this world seemed especially warm.

He put the two certificates away and ambled over to the low wall around Tang San's home.

Tang San was sitting in the courtyard, meditating and cultivating. At the sound, he opened his eyes.

"Grandpa Jack told you?" Huang Fei asked, leaning over the low wall.

"He did."

"Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy. I checked in a book—it's one of the top-ranked junior academies in the Empire."

Tang San nodded, excitement showing in his eyes.

"Rankings don't matter," Huang Fei said with a yawn. "The important thing is that it's free."

Tang San: "..."

He'd known it.

"By the way."

Tang San suddenly remembered something, his expression turning serious. "I've been meditating and cultivating for the past two months, but my Soul Power's been stuck at level ten. It hasn't increased at all. The books say I need to obtain my First Soul Ring before I can advance."

He looked troubled as he said it.

"That's normal." Huang Fei leaned over the low wall, resting his chin on his arms. "Before you absorb a Soul Ring, your Soul Power ceiling is locked. You're like a cup that's already full. Unless you add a Soul Ring to make the cup bigger, you can't pour anything else in."

Tang San nodded. "That's what I thought too. Once we're at the academy, can we apply to go hunt for a Soul Ring?"

"Of course." Huang Fei said, "There's a Soul Beast Forest near Nuoding City. The academy should arrange for students who meet the requirements to hunt their First Soul Ring, but..."

He changed tack and looked Tang San in the eye.

"Remember what I told you before? The higher the age of a Soul Beast with life-force attributes, the better."

Tang San nodded solemnly. "I remember. I've thought about it a lot over the past two months, and you're right. The essence of Blue Silver Grass is life. I should follow that path."

Huang Fei smiled with satisfaction.

Tang San was clever; he understood with just a hint.

Unlike the Tang San in the original story, who let Gangzi mislead him with all kinds of nonsense and ended up following a path that was neither one thing nor another.

Blue Silver Grass awakened its imperial bloodline later on. In theory, it should have been reborn from the ground up. Yet the Blue Silver Emperor in the original story still didn't seem strong enough, or tough enough. It snapped after just a few hits.

Huang Fei strongly suspected that Tang San had taken a wrong turn early on and failed to build a solid foundation. That was why, even after his awakening, he was still malnourished.

It was like planting a tree.

If you bent a sapling as it grew, then even if it later gained an imperial bloodline, its trunk would still be crooked. It could never grow into a towering tree.

This time, with him keeping an eye on things, he absolutely wouldn't let Tang San take the wrong path.

"Xiao San, there's something I need to tell you." Huang Fei suddenly lowered his voice.

Tang San leaned closer.

"When you absorb a Soul Ring, don't blindly trust the age limits in the books."

Huang Fei said, "Your body is much stronger than an ordinary Soul Master's, so your limit is far higher than 423 years. When the time comes, listen to your body, not the books."

Tang San nodded thoughtfully.

"All right, go back to cultivating."

Huang Fei pulled away from the low wall and dusted himself off. "I'm going back to sleep."

Tang San watched him go, the corner of his mouth twitching.

It was already broad daylight, and he still wanted to sleep?

But when he thought about what Huang Fei had just said, warmth spread through his heart.

His neighbor might be lazy, but at the crucial moment, he always knew how to say something reassuring.

The next two months flew by.

Tang San still got up before dawn every day to cultivate the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, and his Hidden Weapon techniques.

Although his Soul Power was stuck at level ten and couldn't improve, he devoted more energy to building his physical strength and control.

Huang Fei still slept until he woke naturally, ate the meals Tang San brought him, went to enjoy the shade beneath the big tree at the village entrance, and then went back to sleep.

Now and then, he'd get up to stretch his limbs, wander around the village, tease the children, and scare the chickens and ducks. He lived more comfortably than a retired bureaucrat.

The system's notification chimed from time to time.

"Ding! Target Tang San's physical fitness has improved; Soul Power limit remains at level 10. Host's physical fitness has improved; Soul Power remains at level 20."

Every time he heard that notification, Huang Fei would roll over, the corners of his mouth lifting without him realizing it.

Cultivate?

Not a chance.

Once Tang San obtained a Soul Ring and started leveling up, he'd level up right along with him.

What was there to hurry about?