Three Months Later, School! Huh! The Plot Is a Bit Off...

In the blink of an eye, three months passed.

Early that morning, at the entrance of Holy Soul Village.

Old Jack hitched the carriage and loaded the luggage belonging to Tang San and Huang Fei.

There wasn't much luggage—just two small bundles, a few changes of clothes, and a set of iron tools belonging to Tang San.

He had insisted on bringing them, claiming they would be useful.

A large crowd of villagers gathered, offering advice in a flurry of voices.

"Tang San, study hard once you reach the academy!"

"Huang Fei, stop sleeping all the time; you still need to cultivate when it's time to cultivate!"

"Both of you are good children; you'll surely have a bright future!"

Tang San responded to each one, polite and attentive.

Huang Fei, however, looked as if he hadn't fully woken up. He leaned against the side of the carriage, eyes half-closed, muttering vague "mm-hmms," "alright," and "got it" in response.

Old Jack sat in the driver's seat, gripping the reins. He glanced back at Holy Soul Village, then at the two children about to embark on their journey, his eyes turning slightly red.

"Sit tight, we're off!"

The carriage started slowly, rolling along the dirt road toward Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.

Tang San sat inside the carriage, opening the book on soul masters that Tang Hao had given him, studying the content regarding soul beast types and soul ring characteristics with focus.

Huang Fei leaned against the pile of luggage, covering his face with his coat, preparing to continue his "roadside napping."

The carriage jolted, and the dust kicked up by the dirt road danced in the morning light.

"Huang Fei, are you really not going to read?" Tang San couldn't help but ask.

"No, no, no." Huang Fei's voice came from beneath his coat, muffled: "Wake me up when we get there."

Tang San sighed and lowered his head to continue reading.

Old Jack, driving the carriage in front, listened to the two children—one reading and one sleeping—and couldn't help but shake his head.

Both possessed Innate Full Soul Power, so why was the gap between them so large?

The carriage headed south.

Along the way, they passed several small towns and traversed stretches of farmland and woods.

Tang San would occasionally stop to observe the plants by the roadside, noting which areas grew which herbs and which spots were suitable for Blue Silver Grass to thrive.

Huang Fei remained in "shutdown mode" for the entire trip, only briefly rebooting when Tang San called him for meals, before shutting down again immediately after.

After two days of travel, the silhouette of Nuoding City finally appeared in their field of vision.

"We're here." There was undisguised excitement in Old Jack's voice: "That ahead is Nuoding City, and the academy you're going to is inside."

Tang San lifted the carriage curtain, looking at the gray-white city in the distance, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes.

Huang Fei finally removed the coat from his face, squinted at the direction of Nuoding City, and then closed his eyes again.

"It's quite big," he commented, then went back to sleep.

Tang San: "..."

They entered Nuoding City, and Old Jack, familiar with the route, found the location of Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.

The academy was situated in the east of the city and occupied a significant area; its blue-gray walls appeared solemn and dignified under the sunlight.

Old Jack stopped the carriage at the academy gate and helped the two children unload their luggage.

"Go on."

Old Jack patted Tang San on the shoulder, then patted Huang Fei on the shoulder: "Study hard, and don't bring shame to Holy Soul Village."

Tang San nodded solemnly.

Huang Fei didn't brush him off this time; he said earnestly, "Grandpa Jack, travel safely on your way back."

Old Jack's eyes turned red again. He turned away quickly, jumped onto the carriage, and left without looking back.

Even when the carriage was far away, Huang Fei could still hear him sniffling.

"Let's go." Tang San took a deep breath, picked up his bundle, and walked toward the academy gate.

Huang Fei picked up his own bundle and followed behind him.

After a few steps, he suddenly remembered something, hurried to catch up with Tang San, and lowered his voice: "Tang San, once we get to the academy, find out about hunting for soul rings. You've been stuck at level ten for too long; you need to break through as soon as possible."

Tang San was stunned: "Aren't you stuck too?"

"Me?" Huang Fei yawned: "I'm not in a hurry. I'll wait for you."

Tang San: "..."

He always felt that when Huang Fei said this, his expression was strange, as if he were suppressing a laugh.

But he didn't dwell on it and strode through the gates of Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.

Huang Fei followed behind, looked up at the academy gate, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Notting Academy, Yu Xiaogang, Xiao Wu, and that guy Wang Sheng...

The plot is about to begin.

But none of that matters; what matters is this.

Tang San is finally about to start leveling up.

Huang Fei stretched his arms wide and sauntered into the academy.

After waiting three months, this day has finally arrived.

The gates of the Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy were far more imposing than he had imagined.

The grey-blue stone pillars were carved with patterns of soul beasts, the iron gate stood a full two zhang high, and four gilded characters were inscribed on the lintel.

Notting Academy

Tang San stood at the entrance, looking up at the characters with a flicker of longing in his eyes.

Huang Fei, meanwhile, was watching the guard at the gate.

No one stopped them.

The old gatekeeper sat in the guardhouse, cradling a teapot and dozing off, not even lifting his eyelids.

Huang Fei followed Tang San into the academy, lost in thought, a strange feeling rising in his heart.

Something is wrong.

In the original story, when Tang San and Old Jack came to register, weren't they given a hard time by the guard?

Old Jack even got into an argument with the guard, saying things like "work-study students are students too,"

And later, it was Yu Xiaogang who came out to smooth things over, showing off his "invincible theory" skills and tricking Tang San into becoming his apprentice.

But now?

The guard didn't even glance at them.

Huang Fei looked back at the dozing guard.

The person is wrong, too.

In the original story, that guy was a young man with a sharp, monkey-like face.

But here, it's an old man...

He then looked at Tang San beside him, and a thought popped into his head.

Could it be that his own arrival has caused a butterfly effect?

Or perhaps...

Since he and Tang San are both work-study students and Old Jack didn't come along, there was no one to argue with the guard, and naturally, no one came out to intervene.

So what about Yu Xiaogang?

According to the original timeline, Yu Xiaogang should already be in the academy by now.

His research project on "useless martial souls" keeps him wandering the academy all day, looking for "suitable" test subjects.

Tang San, with his Blue Silver Grass martial soul and Innate Full Soul Power, is a "freak" that is exactly the "perfect lab rat" Yu Xiaogang dreams of.

But now, none of that has happened.

Huang Fei scratched his head; he couldn't figure it out, so he stopped trying.

Regardless of whether Yu Xiaogang appears or whether Tang San takes him as a master, it makes no difference to him, Huang Fei.

He doesn't need to cultivate, nor does he need to study any martial soul theories; he just needs to stick with Tang San.

"Huang Fei, what are you thinking about?" Tang San's voice came from ahead.

Huang Fei snapped back to reality, realizing he had fallen several steps behind.

"Nothing, just looking at the scenery."

He quickened his pace to catch up with Tang San.

The academy's scenery was indeed quite nice.

The main road, paved with bluestone slabs, led straight to the teaching building, lined on both sides with neatly planted ginkgo trees.

Golden leaves covered the ground. In the distance, the outline of the training field was visible, where a few senior students were sparring, the glow of their soul power flickering in the sunlight.

The teaching building was a three-story brick and stone structure with large windows and excellent lighting.

Looking further back, one could see the roofs of the dormitory buildings and a fairly large garden.