The village had produced two Soul Masters, so Old Jack insisted on buying a good meal to celebrate. That afternoon, he went to town himself and bought two jin of meat.
Huo Yuhao went to the stream and caught a few fish, then invited Tang San over for dinner.
During the meal, Old Jack brought up the idea of sending the two of them to a Soul Master Academy. The village only had one Work-Study Student spot, but they could ask a neighboring village to lend them another.
He'd made some inquiries that afternoon. None of the nearby villages had a child with Innate Soul Power this year.
Innate Full Soul Power!
Even among Soul Masters, that made someone a genius among geniuses. If the village could produce another Soul Saint, it would have enough to brag about for the rest of its days.
If they reached just a little higher, the village could change its name to Douluo Village, or even Title Village. That would be like smoke rising from the ancestors' graves!
"Grandpa, what will you do after I leave?"
Huo Yuhao couldn't help worrying about Old Jack.
Old Jack glared at him. "I'm not so old I can't get around!"
"Yuhao, becoming a Soul Master is a big deal. It'll bring you endless glory, and you'll be a person above the rest. If you're really worried about me, just come back and visit during the holidays."
Huo Yuhao understood what the older generation hoped for their children. Though he was reluctant to leave his grandfather, he still nodded and agreed to Old Jack's suggestion.
Tang San said he would go back and ask his father for his opinion.
Old Jack grew anxious. "There's no way that fellow Tang Hao would refuse! This is a wonderful opportunity. Other villages have to share a single spot between two or three villages."
"No, I'll go talk to Tang Hao myself."
As he spoke, he pulled Tang San along toward his house.
Before long, Huo Yuhao saw Old Jack return with a deep sigh. He realized things hadn't gone smoothly.
Still, Huo Yuhao wasn't too concerned. Tang San's story was common knowledge at Shrek in his previous life. Things would surely take a turn.
Though his goal was to compete with Tang San for godhood, he wouldn't interfere with Tang San's choices or trip him up. That was beneath him.
Even in a fair contest, Huo Yuhao believed he had the advantage.
As far as he was concerned, going to a Soul Master Academy was an excellent choice.
First, he'd have more freedom. After all, he still needed to find a chance to go to the Star Dou Great Forest and search for Brother Sky Dream.
Second, he could start making things with Soul Tools from his previous life and sell them for money.
And so the day came when Old Jack would escort the two boys to enroll. As expected, Tang Hao agreed to let Tang San attend Notting Academy.
Old Jack seemed to have endless things to say along the way, constantly reminding the two of them of this and that.
"Once you become Soul Masters, you'll be people above the rest. You'll get a monthly allowance from Spirit Hall, and your lives will improve quite a bit. I hear that if you become a Soul Grandmaster like an executive, you'll be even more impressive."
Huo Yuhao couldn't help being stunned. The policies of Douluo Continent ten thousand years in the future had already been in place at this time?
The academy records from my previous life never mentioned this. They said Spirit Hall launched a war across the continent, bringing ruin to countless lives, and was defeated by the Shrek Seven Devils. Only then was the world freed.
Huo Yuhao glanced at Tang San. In his previous life, he hadn't been able to learn what happened ten thousand years ago. But now that he'd come to this era, he could witness everything for himself.
The distance between Holy Soul Village and Nuoding City wasn't great. After half a day on the road, they could already see the city walls in the distance.
After a brief inspection, the gate guard waved them through. Just like that, one old man and two children entered the city.
This was Old Jack's first time there, too. He asked a few passersby for directions before finally reaching the academy gates with the boys.
A tall stone archway stood over an iron gate, with the words "Notting Academy" in the center. It looked imposing.
Even an academy in such a remote place seemed wealthy beyond measure. It was clear just how high Soul Masters' status was in society.
"This is where I'll be spending the next six years..."
Huo Yuhao felt a wave of emotion. In his previous life, he hadn't attended a junior Soul Master Academy. He'd trained on his own at the Duke Mansion.
He'd only gone to Shrek Academy at the age of eleven. Looking at the name of this academy before him, he couldn't help feeling a little excited about school life.
As they approached the entrance, a young gatekeeper stepped in front of them. Seeing their clothes, he looked at them with disdain.
Old Jack went forward and spoke with a deferential smile, then took out their certificates and handed them over. The young man glanced at them and said something with a mocking look on his face.
They were too far away for Huo Yuhao to hear, but it didn't sound like anything good.
Old Jack's expression grew a little angry. He turned and led the boys away, saying, "We'll go find the executive at the Martial Soul Branch Hall. I'm sure he'll give us justice."
Huo Yuhao understood what had happened. He hadn't expected to run into someone like this; even a lowly gatekeeper could be so snobbish.
He looked back, his gaze icy. The gatekeeper shivered, his legs trembling.
With the spiritual power of a god-king, even one look from Huo Yuhao was more than an ordinary person could withstand.
The gatekeeper already believed the certificates were genuine and was about to say something to salvage the situation when another voice spoke up.
"Please wait a moment. What happened here? Could you tell me?"
When the gatekeeper saw who it was, his expression changed. He said ingratiatingly, "Grandmaster, you're back."
Huo Yuhao heard the gatekeeper's form of address and turned to look at the newcomer. He was a little taken aback. The man was of average height and somewhat thin, and looked to be in his forties or fifties.
He looked a little different from the statue at Shrek Academy in Huo Yuhao's previous life, but the outline was recognizable. So this is Grandmaster?
Old Jack could tell this was an important person. He immediately handed over the certificates and explained what had just happened.
The man looked over both certificates and nodded slightly.
"The certificates are genuine. Sir, I apologize on behalf of the academy. I'll take these two children inside."
Seeing an important person apologize to him, Old Jack flushed red and waved his hands repeatedly.
"No need to apologize, no need. It's a small matter. Grandmaster, I'll leave these two children in your hands. Yuhao, Xiao San, behave yourselves once you're inside. Don't cause trouble."
Huo Yuhao thanked Grandmaster, but continued studying the man before him, one of the founders of Shrek Academy.
Grandmaster felt Huo Yuhao's unabashed stare and looked puzzled. Does this child know me?
Tang San nodded, secretly putting away his Sleeve Arrow.
After watching Old Jack leave, Grandmaster shot the gatekeeper a glare and reprimanded him. The gatekeeper responded with an ingratiating smile, and Grandmaster led the two boys into the academy.
It was a trivial little incident. There was no point wasting time on someone like that.
Along the way, Tang San took the initiative to talk with Grandmaster, while Huo Yuhao followed behind quietly, with no intention of joining in.
When he heard Grandmaster point out that Tang San had Twin Martial Souls, he silently nodded.
The accounts of Grandmaster in my previous life weren't baseless. His research into Martial Souls really is profound.
Though Grandmaster was clearly showing off in an attempt to get Tang San to become his disciple, his knowledge was indeed ahead of its time. It had plenty of flaws, but the general direction was right.
His knowledge laid the foundations for many theories ten thousand years later. But to call himself Grandmaster and cling so firmly to his theories just because of that... he's a little too conceited.
Huo Yuhao had spent decades with Tang San in the Divine Realm, so he knew Tang San wasn't simply someone with a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul. Grandmaster's discovery that Tang San had a Second Martial Soul had been largely a matter of luck.
Unfortunately, later generations had held up the saying "There are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters" as a classic.
Huo Yuhao shook his head slightly, remembering Tang Ya from his previous life. She was a poor soul whose life had been ruined by that very saying.
Unable to face her own mediocrity, she couldn't accept having so little talent as the sect master. In the end, she went down the wrong path and became an Evil Soul Master. It took years before she was rescued.
Looking back now, the person Huo Yuhao felt most sorry for was Senior Brother Bei Bei.
As Grandmaster explained his theories to Tang San, he kept a surreptitious eye on Huo Yuhao. Seeing that he remained expressionless, he couldn't help wondering to himself.
Doesn't he understand the value of my Ten Great Theories? What Soul Master could stay calm after learning about them?
Seeing that Huo Yuhao had no interest in his theories, Grandmaster gave up trying to impress them with his knowledge and focused on explaining things to Tang San. If he could win over one of them, that was better than nothing.
Grandmaster spoke at an unhurried pace, and his explanations were easy to understand. After hearing him explain the origins of Mutated Martial Souls, Tang San recognized how capable he was. He took a step back, dropped to both knees, and kowtowed three times, asking Grandmaster to accept him as a disciple. Grandmaster happily agreed.
Once Tang San had stood up, Grandmaster looked at Huo Yuhao with an expectant gaze.
Your good friend was convinced by my theories and became my disciple. What about you?
Grandmaster imagined the scene of two geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power joining his tutelage.
Tang San also tried to persuade him.
"Yuhao, Grandmaster is incredibly learned. Just listening to his explanation has already taught me so much. Why don't you become his disciple too? I'm sure his guidance would help us avoid a lot of detours."
Huo Yuhao was caught off guard when the conversation suddenly turned to him. He came back to himself and met Grandmaster's expectant gaze, then remembered Elder Yi and Mu En, who had guided him in his previous life. Smiling, he shook his head.
"I've seen how knowledgeable Grandmaster is, but I'm not especially interested in theoretical knowledge. I think I'll pass on becoming your disciple."
"Becoming a disciple should be a mutual choice. If this student isn't willing, I won't force him."
Grandmaster was a little disappointed, but Huo Yuhao had put it politely, so he wasn't angered. He'd already taken in a genius with Twin Martial Souls and didn't think as highly of Huo Yuhao.
He believed that under his guidance, Tang San would soon leave Huo Yuhao far behind. By then, Huo Yuhao would realize what a mistake he'd made.