Physical Deliverance

Su Yu held Tang Wu's hand as they stood before the towering archway of Nuoding Primary Soul Master Academy.

On either side of the archway stood two imposing stone lions, carved so lifelike that they seemed to bare their fangs and claws at everyone who approached.

Inside the academy, trees formed a lush canopy. In the distance, they could make out several tall classroom buildings and a broad athletic field.

It was a world apart from the bustle of the streets outside, carrying the cool elegance and nobility of Soul Masters.

Tang Wu looked up at the magnificent building, a hint of fear flickering in her wide eyes.

Her grip on Su Yu's hand tightened of its own accord.

"Don't be afraid. Let's go in."

Su Yu reassured her softly, then led her toward the entrance.

They had just stepped onto the stairs when a contemptuous voice suddenly rang out beside them.

"Stop! What are you doing here? You think you can just walk in whenever you please?"

A young man in a gray doorman's uniform strode out of the gatehouse and planted himself directly in their path.

He looked to be in his twenties, tall and thin, with a pair of sharply slanted eyes and an expression full of arrogance.

The doorman folded his arms across his chest and tilted his chin up, brazenly sizing up Su Yu and Tang Wu.

When he saw their coarse clothes, faded from washing and patched in places, and their straw sandals caked with mud, the disdain in his eyes deepened.

"Where'd you little country beggars crawl out from? Go beg somewhere else. Are you blind? Can't you read what it says up there? This is Nuoding Primary Soul Master Academy, where the noble Soul Master lords stay. If your stench reaches the noble young masters inside, you couldn't pay them back even if they sold you!"

The doorman mocked them without the slightest restraint, his voice loud enough for every passerby to hear.

Several townspeople stopped and pointed at Su Yu and Tang Wu, their eyes just as full of amusement.

The doorman's menacing appearance frightened Tang Wu. She bit her lower lip, her eyes reddening, and hid behind Su Yu in hurt silence.

Su Yu stopped, his gaze turning cold in an instant.

He knew Douluo Continent was a world of rigid hierarchy, where commoners were worth less than dogs in the eyes of Soul Masters and the powerful.

But he hadn't expected that a mere lackey guarding the gates would dare act so brazenly.

Su Yu didn't even feel like activating his Eye of Truth to check whether the doorman had a system.

There was no need to waste Soul Power or use his Martial Soul on a small fry who didn't know when to quit.

"We're work-study students here to enroll. This is proof from Holy Soul Village."

Su Yu spoke calmly, taking from his clothes the paper Old Jack had issued with the village chief's seal and holding it out.

The doorman glanced sideways at the paper but made no move to take it.

"Holy Soul Village? What kind of lousy village is that? Never heard of it. With your shabby looks, you think you can become Soul Masters? I bet you're waving around fake papers to scam people! Get lost, or I'll beat you myself!"

As he cursed, the doorman rolled up his sleeves and moved to shove Su Yu.

Laughter broke out among the onlookers.

Su Yu looked at the doorman's punchable face, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold smile.

He had no intention of wasting time arguing with the likes of him. Reasoning with a dog that bit everyone was a waste of time.

He tucked the papers back into his clothes and reached into his pocket.

When his hand came out again, a gleaming coin was pinched between two fingers.

It was a Gold Soul Coin he'd recently taken from the bodies of two bandits in the wilderness.

Sunlight struck the coin, flashing brightly and dazzling the doorman.

The doorman froze. So did the onlookers.

No one had expected a ragged little kid to casually produce a Gold Soul Coin.

One Gold Soul Coin was enough to let an ordinary family of three live comfortably for several months.

The disdain in the doorman's eyes instantly turned to greed. He swallowed and reached out instinctively to grab the coin.

At that moment, Su Yu moved.

Innate Full Soul Power surged through his body, a powerful force rushing down his arm and into his fingertips.

Su Yu's fingers snapped forward. The Gold Soul Coin between them shot out like a bullet, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle.

It flew so fast that it left a golden streak behind it.

"Thwack!"

A crisp, heavy impact rang out at the academy entrance.

The Gold Soul Coin struck the center of the doorman's forehead with pinpoint accuracy.

The tremendous force left a deep red mark on his brow, and the flesh around it swelled in an instant.

The doorman didn't even have time to cry out.

His eyes rolled sharply upward, showing a broad expanse of white, and his body went rigid.

Then he toppled backward, stiff as a felled tree.

"Thud!"

The doorman slammed into the hard flagstones, kicking up a cloud of dust. He lay unconscious and motionless.

Silence fell over the scene.

The passersby who had been laughing moments before stared wide-eyed, drawing in sharp breaths.

They couldn't believe that a little kid who looked barely six years old had knocked out a grown man in his twenties with a single coin.

That strength, that accuracy—it was terrifying!

Tang Wu was stunned too. She stared open-mouthed at the doorman on the ground, then looked up at Su Yu, shock written across her wide eyes.

Su Yu remained calm, as if he'd done nothing more than swat a fly.

He walked over to the unconscious doorman, bent down, and picked up the Gold Soul Coin, now dusted with dirt.

He blew the dust off it, wiped it on his clothes, and slipped it back into his pocket.

"A good dog knows not to block the road."

Su Yu tossed out the words coldly.

He turned, took the still-dazed Tang Wu by the hand, stepped over the doorman's splayed body, and strode into the academy.

The passersby and several students inside the academy watched them go, quickly clearing a path. None dared step in their way.

Once inside, the view opened up before them.

A broad, tree-lined path stretched straight into the depths of the academy. Tall parasol trees lined both sides, and sunlight filtering through their leaves dappled the ground.

The air carried a faint fragrance of flowers and grass, and the surroundings were peaceful.

Su Yu took out the proof Old Jack had given him and studied the directions carefully.

The dormitories at Nuoding Primary Soul Master Academy were divided into several areas. Ordinary students and nobles each had their own buildings, while work-study students like them, admitted through their villages' quotas, were all assigned to the most remote and poorly maintained dormitory: Dorm Seven.

Su Yu led Tang Wu down the tree-lined path.

After they passed several luxurious classroom buildings and the teachers' offices, the surroundings began to look more and more rundown.

Before long, an old, long, single-story building appeared in front of them.

Its exterior walls were mottled, and moss grew thickly in the corners.

A wooden plaque hung above the doorframe, with the words "Dorm Seven" painted on it in black.

This was where all the academy's work-study students lived.

Su Yu led Tang Wu to the entrance of Dorm Seven.