Harvest

Two days later, the group finally completed their soul hunt, and everyone obtained relatively satisfactory Soul Rings.

After leaving the forest, they retrieved their carriage and finally returned to the academy by evening.

"It's already getting late. Tomorrow, everyone will go to Spirit Hall together to register as Soul Masters. For today, go back to the Dormitory and rest," the Principal instructed.

After saying goodbye to the others, Xiaofei headed straight back to the Blacksmith Shop. The people there were already preparing to close for the day. He hurriedly greeted Iron Bull. "Xiaofei, you're finally back! How did the soul hunt go? Did you get a satisfactory Soul Ring? From now on, you're a Soul Master—you can collect the Soul Master subsidy from Spirit Hall."

"This time, we were very lucky. With our Principal's help, I obtained a pretty good Soul Ring. Tomorrow morning, the Principal is organizing us to register at Spirit Hall," Xiaofei replied.

"Wonderful! Xiaofei is a Soul Master now. Tonight, let's all have a few extra drinks and celebrate properly," Iron Bull said happily. The people around them gathered together and burst into hearty laughter.

Dinner was far more lavish than usual, and everyone was extremely happy. Several of them emptied multiple jars of wine. It was also Xiaofei's first time drinking since coming to this world. Looking at the simple, honest people around him, Xiaofei felt grounded and happy. He thought to himself, These are ordinary commoners, ordinary people. All they want is the simplest, most unpretentious life.

That night, after the Blacksmith Shop closed, Xiaofei was the only one sitting in the backyard. He was sorting through the gains from this soul hunt.

First, Xiaofei had obtained his first Soul Ring, and it exceeded the normal age limit. He felt that his flames had become stronger, as though the fire on his body had grown more intimate and familiar. When he summoned his Fire Phoenix Martial Soul, he could clearly feel that the phoenix had become more solid, and its flames seemed stronger as well. With a casual strike at the surroundings, he felt that even an ordinary attack now carried fire damage. After thinking it over carefully, it seemed similar to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, whose attacks came with lightning effects.

"First Soul Skill, Phoenix Flame." Xiaofei activated his first Soul Skill and felt the flames around his body increase by fifty percent. Moreover, it was a sustained effect. The Soul Power in his body made the fire damage even stronger, though it continuously consumed Soul Power. Based on the amount of Soul Power within him, Xiaofei estimated that the skill could last around twenty minutes. As his Soul Power increased in the future, its duration would grow longer. It was roughly comparable to many Soul Masters' third Soul Skills.

Next, Xiaofei dismissed the Fire Phoenix Martial Soul possession and summoned his right-hand Martial Soul. Its appearance had not changed much, but its strength seemed to have increased by around twenty percent.

This probably was not a Secondary Awakening of his Body Martial Soul. At most, it meant that this hand showed signs of awakening without having fully awakened—only about twenty percent. To truly awaken it, he would probably need to obtain his sixth or even seventh Soul Ring. It might be even harder to awaken than he had imagined. In any case, his physical constitution had grown stronger, especially his right hand.

Finally, there was his palm. Over the past few days, Xiaofei had constantly felt a tingling sensation in his hand, as though something were trying to burrow out. But there had been too many people around, so he had deliberately suppressed that feeling. Now that no one was nearby, he could finally use his palm without worry.

After Xiaofei channeled Soul Power into his palm, five claws suddenly appeared from his fingers. On closer inspection, they were quite sharp and carried faint traces of flame. Moreover, these claws looked especially similar to those of the Blazing Lion King. Xiaofei was so excited that his entire body trembled slightly.

"Could this be the legendary External Soul Bone? The Blazing Lion King Palm External Soul Bone! Hahaha, I finally have my first Soul Bone—and it's a growable External Soul Bone."

With that, he had finished taking stock of all the gains from his first Soul Ring. The harvest had been enormous. It could be said that no one's first Soul Ring had brought them greater gains than his. Perhaps this was the benefit of absorbing a Soul Ring beyond the normal age limit. Of course, it also carried tremendous risk. If not for the existence of his right-hand Martial Soul, Xiaofei would likely have exploded and died.

That night, Xiaofei continued meditating in the Blacksmith Shop. He kept feeling that his Meditation Speed seemed faster than before. What's the reason for that? Xiaofei scratched his head, completely baffled. Whatever. Faster meditation is a good thing, anyway.

Thus, the night passed in a muddle. The next morning, the Principal took the six of them to Spirit Hall. As soon as they entered, the Principal asked directly, "Is Master Ma Xiunuo here? Take us to see him." Clearly, the Principal was quite familiar with the people here. After all, in a small place like Nuoding City, many Soul Masters had graduated from Soul Master academies.

Led by a staff member, they arrived at Spirit Hall's main hall. Master Ma Xiunuo and several staff members were there, including Master Su Yuntao. The two of them hurriedly nodded to Master Su Yuntao in greeting.

Master Ma Xiunuo said, "Principal, what brings you here in person today? Did your academy produce some promising talents?"

The Principal laughed heartily. "Not bad. This time, six students became Soul Masters." It was clear that the Principal was genuinely delighted. For an academy principal, what could be more gratifying than outstanding students?

"Very well. Congratulations to you all. I'll test your Soul Power first," Master Ma Xiunuo said.

Everyone lined up for the Soul Power test, and most of them were Level 11. Ma Xiunuo tested them one by one. After each test, he gave them an iron badge, then took out a small black booklet. It clearly recorded their Martial Souls, Soul Power Levels, Innate Soul Power, and other personal information. After stamping it, he personally handed it to each student. He also gave every student one Gold Soul Coin and offered a few words of encouragement. Everyone was visibly excited. After all, from this day onward, they were Soul Masters.

Wang Xiaofei was the last to be tested. Seeing the brightly glowing crystal ball, Master Ma Xiunuo was clearly somewhat excited. "Level 13. You're already Level 13 right after obtaining your Soul Ring—not bad. What Soul Beast did you hunt?"

The Principal hurriedly said, "I led the team personally this time. We hunted a Blazing Lion King, a Soul Beast over four hundred years old." Earlier, the Principal had already discussed it with Xiaofei. If they had to explain this Soul Ring, they would say it was four hundred years old. Saying six hundred years would likely bring trouble to everyone. Xiaofei also disliked trouble, so he readily agreed.

In truth, Xiaofei felt that he had already touched the threshold of Level 14. At most, he would break through to Level 14 within a week.

"Little friend, you're only six years old and already Level 13. Are you interested in studying at our Martial Soul Hall Academy? You would have better prospects there in the future, and Soul Emperors or even Soul Saints could guide you."

"Get lost! He's a student of my Nuoding Academy. How dare you poach him right in front of me?" the Dean snapped furiously.

"It's for the child's future. Let the child choose for himself, or let his family decide. It would be better for their future development," Master Ma Xiunuo said with a kind and benevolent smile.

"I'm sorry, Master Ma Xiunuo. My home is in Holy Soul Village. My grandfather and I depend on each other, and I can't bear to leave him or the villagers. Besides, the Dean has been very good to me. So, for now, I don't want to attend another academy," Xiaofei said earnestly.

Master Ma Xiunuo looked disappointed. "All right. When you graduate from the junior Soul Master academy, consider it carefully again. Spirit Hall Soul Master Academy is absolutely the best choice for commoners like us."

And so, Xiaofei received his Soul Master certification and one Gold Soul Coin. From then on, he would receive one Gold Soul Coin every month as well, temporarily solving his financial problems.