"Tang Yin, I'm telling you, you have a very serious flaw."
"And you need to correct it right away."
Xiao Wu clasped her hands behind her back, striking the pose of an elder as she spoke in the tone of someone educating a junior.
"Oh? What flaw?"
Tang Yin's expression shifted. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he looked at Xiao Wu with interest.
"The flaw is that you're too easygoing and too nice!" Xiao Wu pointed toward the academy entrance. "Take what just happened, for example. If it were me, I'd be fine with it once or twice, but after that, I wouldn't keep putting on a hot face just to press it against Yu Xiaogang's cold backside!"
Tang Yin understood. He smiled faintly. "When I first enrolled, the gatekeeper stopped me from coming in. Yu Xiaogang got me out of that situation. But you have a point. Next time I see him, I'll pretend I didn't."
At that, a smile finally returned to Xiao Wu's face.
They had only been back at Notting Academy for a short while when the second year's break arrived.
"Um... Tang Yin, I won't be going home with you this break. I have some private business to take care of."
Inside Dorm Seven, Xiao Wu came over to Tang Yin. She fidgeted as she spoke.
Tang Yin froze, then asked instinctively, "What is it? Do you need my help?"
"No, no, no! I don't need it. I can handle it myself!" Xiao Wu waved her hands repeatedly, then lowered her head guiltily, not daring to meet Tang Yin's eyes.
Tang Yin studied Xiao Wu for a long moment, then took out a purse and pressed it into her hand. "There are a hundred Gold Soul Coins in here. Take them for the trip."
The corners of Xiao Wu's mouth lifted slightly. She didn't refuse. "I'll be back soon."
Tang Yin watched Xiao Wu leave Dorm Seven, but didn't insist on going with her.
He knew Xiao Wu's identity was special.
And as far as he knew, Xiao Wu had broken through to level nineteen three months ago. At her "current" rate of cultivation, she had very likely reached level twenty by now.
If so, her so-called "private business" was probably finding a secluded spot where no one would find her, then condensing a Soul Ring herself to break through.
A little while later, Tang Yin left Dorm Seven alone, bought some gifts in town, then returned to Holy Soul Village to visit Old Jack.
Three days later, Tang Yin returned to Dorm Seven. He waited another seven or eight days before Xiao Wu finally came back.
"Tang Yin!" Seeing him in Dorm Seven, Xiao Wu greeted him with a smile.
"Did you take care of everything?" Tang Yin asked with a smile.
"Mm, I did." As Xiao Wu spoke, she instinctively scratched her cheek. A flush crept over her face as guilt washed over her.
"Oh, and I ran into a dying demon fox in the wilderness."
"By coincidence, I broke through to level twenty, so I absorbed the demon fox's Soul Ring. I'm already a level-twenty-one Soul Grandmaster."
Tang Yin listened to Xiao Wu recount her incredible adventure, doing his best not to laugh.
"I didn't expect you to have so many amazing experiences in just a few days. Still, congratulations."
Xiao Wu smiled sheepishly.
Tang Yin continued, "Xiao Wu, since you're a Soul Grandmaster now, I have a suggestion."
Xiao Wu froze, her expression curious. "What suggestion?"
Tang Yin thought for a moment. "We've already met the graduation requirements, and now we're both Soul Grandmasters. Why don't we leave Notting Academy and study at a higher-level Soul Master Academy? When we need Soul Rings in the future, we'll have teachers there to help us."
"I've looked into it. At intermediate and advanced Soul Master Academies, the academy's teachers help students obtain their Soul Rings."
"Leave Notting Academy?" Xiao Wu stared at him, stunned. For a long while, she didn't react.
"I've been thinking about this for a long time, but I never brought it up. Besides, you hadn't reached the Soul Grandmaster level yet," Tang Yin said.
"Tang Yin, how about we... wait another couple of years before leaving?" Xiao Wu paused, then smiled. "You're only level twenty-two, after all. You still have a long time to train before you reach level thirty."
Tang Yin nodded thoughtfully. "You have a point. Then we'll wait until we're close to level thirty before we leave."
Since Xiao Wu didn't want to leave just yet, he could wait. Besides, he still hadn't decided where to go after they left.
At his answer, Xiao Wu smiled radiantly.
She felt wonderful having her opinion agreed with.
Two years passed in the blink of an eye.
Inside Dorm Seven.
Tang Yin and Xiao Wu were packing their belongings.
They were now the only ones left in the entire Work-Study Student dormitory.
During their four years at the academy, all the other Work-Study Students had graduated one after another, and no new ones had enrolled.
Now,
Tang Yin and Xiao Wu were packing to leave Notting Academy and Nuoding City.
Just then,
a figure appeared in the doorway of Dorm Seven.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
A series of knocks echoed in Tang Yin and Xiao Wu's ears.
They both looked over.
Yu Xiaogang stood in the doorway, watching them.
Tang Yin and Xiao Wu exchanged glances, both looking a little confused.
"Are these the graduation applications you submitted?"
Yu Xiaogang raised the two applications in his hand and asked coolly.
Tang Yin and Xiao Wu froze slightly.
Xiao Wu looked at Tang Yin, who answered, "That's right. Xiao Wu and I are planning to leave Notting Academy and head to Suotuo City in the Balak Kingdom. An intermediate Soul Master Academy there invited us."
Yu Xiaogang frowned and said coolly, "Tang Yin, I'd like to talk with you. Come here alone."
Tang Yin knitted his brows. He glanced at Xiao Wu, then looked up at Yu Xiaogang. "If you have something to say, Grandmaster, just say it. Xiao Wu is the person I trust most."
At that, Xiao Wu smiled sweetly, then shot Yu Xiaogang a smug glance.
Yu Xiaogang lowered his eyes and said in a deep voice, "What I'm about to tell you concerns your father."
Tang Yin replied, "That makes no difference."
Yu Xiaogang glanced at Xiao Wu, took a deep breath, then said, "Your father and I crossed paths a few times in the past. He came to see me before and asked me to look after you. I've been keeping an eye on you ever since."
Tang Yin raised an eyebrow.
He hadn't expected Tang Hao to approach Yu Xiaogang even though he hadn't taken Yu Xiaogang as his master.
The only possibility was that Tang Hao thought Yu Xiaogang knew how to cultivate Twin Martial Souls.
After all, Twin Martial Souls had appeared several times throughout the history of Soul Masters, but only one person had successfully cultivated to the rank of Titled Douluo: the current Pope of Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong! And Yu Xiaogang happened to have a close relationship with Bibi Dong!
All Tang Yin could say was that Tang Hao was overthinking things.
"Since you want to study in Suotuo City in the Balak Kingdom, I can recommend an even better academy. It's called Shrek Academy, and its dean is a friend of mine."
"The academy has a very strong faculty, stronger than that of many advanced Soul Master Academies. You also won't have to worry about obtaining your third Soul Ring."
Tang Yin considered it briefly, then asked, "Is this Shrek Academy really that impressive?"
Yu Xiaogang heard him and at last managed a stiff smile on his rigid, corpse-like face. He nodded and said, "Everything I've said is true."