Something very strange had happened in Nuoding City over the past half month.
People had seen two small figures at night.
They darted through every corner of Nuoding City at incredible speed, their appearances impossible to make out.
Some people connected the two figures to the recent improvement in public safety around the city.
At the same time, the children in the city had gained a king—and a queen.
That's right, Ying Chengfeng had gone and become king of the kids.
Qian Renxue, meanwhile, had become the second king.
One day, in a melon field spanning a full ten mu, a crowd of children gathered around a boy and a girl standing in the middle.
The boy was incredibly handsome, with a sharp gaze.
The girl was beautiful and elegant, her smile as lovely as a flower.
They were none other than Ying Chengfeng and Qian Renxue.
Just then, a chubby little boy with a runny nose said to them, "Big Boss, Second Boss, school starts tomorrow. We won't be able to play with you anymore."
"School's starting?" Ying Chengfeng was momentarily taken aback.
Come to think of it, the date was about right.
Normally, school began three months after the annual Martial Soul Awakening.
Those three months gave children who had just awakened their Martial Souls time to adjust. They also gave them time to decide where to study or prepare for school.
Besides, the school year began in autumn.
Ying Chengfeng said to the children, "It's getting cold. Dress warmly, and don't catch a cold."
After speaking, Ying Chengfeng looked toward Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy.
He wondered if Yu Xiaogang had recovered from the beating he'd given him half a month ago.
Tang San might be coming to Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy this year, too.
If Tang San was there, it wouldn't be convenient to lay a hand on Yu Xiaogang.
It wasn't that he was afraid of Tang San; he was worried Tang Hao might suddenly appear.
After all, he had brought Qian Renxue with him.
It would be bad if Tang Hao recognized her as a successor of the Angel God.
Just then, a child's voice interrupted Ying Chengfeng's thoughts.
"Big Boss, why don't you come to school with us?"
At that, Ying Chengfeng was taken aback again.
He turned to Qian Renxue and asked what she thought. "Do you want to go to school?"
"Would it be a lot of trouble?" Qian Renxue wasn't completely ignorant of how things worked.
To attend a Junior Soul Master Academy, they first needed a certificate issued by Spirit Hall.
It had to prove that they had awakened a Martial Soul and could cultivate Soul Power.
But neither Ying Chengfeng nor Qian Renxue had any of those documents.
And it wouldn't be convenient for them to register with Spirit Hall, either.
Ying Chengfeng wouldn't have too much trouble. He could summon his sword and pass it off as his Martial Soul.
Though reaching Level 26 Soul Power in a seven-year-old body was shocking enough.
Compared to Qian Renxue's circumstances, though, he had it easy.
The moment Qian Renxue revealed her Martial Soul, Spirit Hall would probably be shaken to its foundations.
As if she'd noticed Ying Chengfeng's hesitation, Qian Renxue smiled sweetly. "It doesn't matter whether we go to school. Junior Soul Master Academies only teach the basics."
Ying Chengfeng nodded.
That was true. They could learn what the Junior Soul Master Academy taught by reading books.
Generally speaking, though, another reason to attend school was to have the academy's teachers help hunt Soul Rings.
Of course, Ying Chengfeng didn't need that, either.
The teachers at a Junior Soul Master Academy couldn't help him hunt for a suitable Soul Ring.
Ying Chengfeng turned to the other children and asked, "Is anyone among you not going to school?"
It was a rather heavy question.
Not going to school often meant not being qualified to attend.
Being a Soul Master was a noble profession.
If they had the chance, who wouldn't want to become a Soul Master?
But the children Ying Chengfeng had gathered to play together all had Soul Power.
He'd gone to considerable trouble to bring this group together as playmates for Qian Renxue.
But one thin girl pressed her lips together before finally saying, "I might not go to school."
"Oh? Why not?" Ying Chengfeng looked at her.
The girl replied, "I only have two levels of Soul Power, and my Martial Soul is Ghost Fire. My parents told me I shouldn't go to school."
"Ghost Fire? That's wonderful!" Ying Chengfeng laughed.
The snot-nosed chubby boy from earlier frowned slightly. "Big Boss, Ghost Fire is a widely recognized Trash Martial Soul. It has no physical form and no offensive power. What's so good about it?"
Ying Chengfeng didn't answer the boy. Instead, he looked at the girl and asked, "What's your name?"
The girl lowered her head, not daring to meet Ying Chengfeng's eyes. She spoke timidly. "Yu Feiyan. My name is Yu Feiyan."
Ying Chengfeng nodded and asked, "Have you registered with Spirit Hall?"
Yu Feiyan was silent for a few seconds before answering, "I have."
"Mm, got it." Ying Chengfeng turned to the others. "You're all going to school, right?"
The chubby boy seemed to realize what was going on. "Big Boss, you're not leaving, are you?"
These past few days, apart from intimidating them with force that first time, Ying Chengfeng had taught them battle experience every day, along with the principles of strengthening their Martial Souls.
As someone their age who was also powerful, Ying Chengfeng's words carried a lot of weight.
They had all taken his "Martial Soul strengthening principles" as the truth!
Ying Chengfeng answered the chubby boy's question. "That's right. I've enjoyed getting to know you all, but we have to leave."
At that, several children looked deeply reluctant.
Children wore their feelings plainly on their faces.
Seeing their reluctance and disappointment written all over them, Ying Chengfeng smiled. "Once you've made something of yourselves, you can come find me. Remember, my name is Ying Chengfeng."
The children finally learned Ying Chengfeng's name. Until now, they had always called him "Big Boss."
The chubby boy asked again, "Boss Ying Chengfeng, where can we find you?"
"You'll find out someday. My name will ring across the continent!"
None of the children thought there was anything wrong with what Ying Chengfeng had said. Children were full of confidence—or, rather, they hadn't seen much of the world.
You could say they didn't know how high the sky was or how deep the earth.
"All right, it's time to say goodbye." Ying Chengfeng smiled gently at them.
The children all left reluctantly.
"Yu Feiyan."
The girl named Yu Feiyan had walked a dozen seconds away when she suddenly heard Ying Chengfeng call her name.
She turned around. Ying Chengfeng was standing right behind her.
"Is something wrong?" Yu Feiyan still kept her head lowered, not daring to look at him.
Maybe she was shy, or maybe Qian Renxue was so outstanding that she felt inferior.
Ying Chengfeng asked, "If you're not going to school, do you want to come with us?"
Yu Feiyan froze. After a long while, she said, "Are you asking me to run away from home and go with you?"
Ying Chengfeng looked at her and smiled. "That's right. I'll help you defy fate and change your destiny! Are you willing to come with us?"
"Defy fate...and change my destiny?" Yu Feiyan finally looked up at Ying Chengfeng.
She was very pretty, with a delicate, gentle beauty.
Ying Chengfeng told her, "Ghost Fire has no physical form and no offensive power because it's dead. Do you want to bring it to life?"
Yu Feiyan didn't understand.
Ying Chengfeng hadn't expected her to understand. Instead, he looked toward the distant east.
Looks like I'll have to sneak back to Spirit Hall.
Before you continue