Lin Mo soon spotted his destination in the distance.
What caught his eye was a towering archway, twenty meters wide and over ten meters tall, built from solid rock.
Below it stood two iron gates, dark and imposing, clearly forged from the finest refined iron.
A broad road stretched from behind the gates straight into Notting Academy, lined on both sides with tall, ancient trees.
At the very center of the archway were four large characters: "Notting Academy."
Lin Mo stood at a distance and looked it over for a while. He had come to scout the place a month ago, so he was fairly familiar with it.
Today was the first day of the school year at Notting Academy.
That was why, following the time he had arranged with Su Yuntao, Lin Mo had gone to Spirit Hall early to collect his Martial Soul certificate and work-study student ID from him.
After confirming he had come to the right place, Lin Mo quickened his pace. He soon reached the gate, only to be stopped by the young man on guard.
"Hold it. What are you here for?"
But it was easy to hear that the young gatekeeper's voice held less of its usual force and more than a little unease.
"Hello, big brother gatekeeper. I'm a new work-study student this year. Here are my documents."
Lin Mo pulled the two certificates he had prepared in advance from the bundle he was carrying and handed them to the gatekeeper.
The gatekeeper's sudden one-eighty change in attitude left Lin Mo curious.
Could Tang San have already come by?
Otherwise, why was the gatekeeper acting so differently from the last time Lin Mo had wandered over?
"Another Innate Full Soul Power?" The young gatekeeper took the documents and looked them over, a clear note of wariness flashing in his eyes.
What was going on today? First, one with Innate Full Soul Power and a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, then another with Innate Full Soul Power and a rabbit Martial Soul...
And now they weren't even trying to hide it: Innate Full Soul Power with some unknown Mutated Martial Soul? What the heck?
Were geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power really so common these days?
"All right. Since your documents are genuine, go on in."
To Lin Mo's surprise, he didn't run into the kind of situation where the King of Hell was easy to see but his underlings were hard to deal with. The gatekeeper simply let him through.
"Thanks, big brother gatekeeper."
Lin Mo gave a slight nod, then carried his bags inside.
Watching Lin Mo walk away, the young gatekeeper couldn't help exclaiming in amazement, "As expected of someone with Innate Full Soul Power. He really was born with divine strength.
A kid that small carrying so much stuff, and he makes it look that easy."
Notting Academy did a good job of guiding new arrivals.
Following the signs, Lin Mo soon found the Academic Affairs Office.
That was where new students registered and enrolled.
Notting Junior Spirit Master Academy wasn't very large. Its students and staff numbered just over three hundred, and the campus was divided into several areas: the main teaching building, the athletic field, and the dormitory building east of the field.
The academy also had strict requirements for its students. Even those who lived nearby had to stay on campus and follow the same rules as everyone else.
The Academic Affairs Office was on the first floor of the main teaching building.
The teacher in charge of welcoming new students was an elderly man known as Director Su.
Director Su's hair was white, and his face was covered in wrinkles, but his eyes were remarkably bright. Beside him stood a young man and a young woman, both Soul Masters, who were there to assist him.
The young man checked Martial Soul certificates, while the young woman handed out uniforms.
Soon it was Lin Mo's turn.
He handed over his two certificates.
But when Director Su took them and read what was recorded on them, his pen paused. He instinctively looked Lin Mo over a couple more times.
"Welcome to Notting Academy."
After confirming that everything was in order, Director Su wrote Lin Mo's name in the register, then gestured for the young woman to hand him his uniform.
Having completed the identity check and received the uniform issued to new students, Lin Mo followed the young male teacher's directions toward Dorm Seven.
After thanking them, Lin Mo carried his uniform and luggage out of the Academic Affairs Office.
Notting Academy had only one dormitory building, with three floors. Both students and teachers lived there.
There were only seven student dormitories. Because the students were young and needed to be managed easily, each year's students lived together in one large room.
Dorm Seven, where the work-study students stayed, was an exception. It was set aside specifically for them.
It was also the only dormitory with students of mixed ages, housing work-study students from every year.
Before long.
Outside Dorm Seven.
As soon as Lin Mo arrived, he saw a scene that caught him completely by surprise.
A boy and a girl who looked about his age were grappling with each other.
The little girl braced her hands against the ground and hooked her legs around the boy's neck. With a slight push, she kicked him away.
The boy landed flat on his back.
But his expression made it clear that he wasn't hurt.
He'd simply been caught off guard, not used to her moves.
When they noticed someone approaching, the two brushed the dust off their clothes and stood up again.
Taking the opportunity, Lin Mo got a good look at the boy and girl.
The boy wore a patchwork coat covered in mending, and he looked especially thin, almost malnourished.
The little girl was bright and lively, with a pretty face like a ripe peach, fair and rosy.
Her clothes were plain, too, but neat. Her long black hair was braided behind her into a long scorpion braid that fell past her hips.
After seeing their faces, especially the girl's distinctive scorpion braid, Lin Mo understood who they were.
Tang San and Xiao Wu.
"Hello, I'm Lin Mo. I'm a new work-study student."
Lin Mo smiled and greeted everyone.
"I'm Xiao Wu."
"Tang San."
"Wang Sheng."
The others there introduced themselves to Lin Mo one by one as well.
Wang Sheng was the leader of the older boys. He was a head taller than the rest and spoke in a booming voice.
After the introductions, Lin Mo put on a curious expression and looked at Tang San and Xiao Wu, whose clothes were still somewhat disheveled.
He feigned curiosity. "What were you doing? Was that... some kind of special welcoming ceremony?"
"Of course not."
Wang Sheng was the first to respond. "It's the rule in Dorm Seven. New work-study students have to show what they can do. Whoever's strongest becomes the boss."
At that, Wang Sheng pointed at Xiao Wu. "You saw it just now. Xiao Wu beat Tang San, so she's our new boss."
But Xiao Wu was clearly displeased when she heard them call her "boss." Frowning, she said:
"Don't keep calling me boss. You're making me sound old. From now on, just call me Sister Xiao Wu."
Pleased with the title she had chosen for herself, Xiao Wu looked up at Lin Mo, who was quite a bit taller than her. Her pink eyes were full of fighting spirit.
"What about you, Lin Mo? Want to spar with me and see who gets to be Dorm Seven's boss?"
At Xiao Wu's invitation, Lin Mo froze for a moment, but quickly came back to himself and nodded. "Sure, but you'll have to wait until I put my things away."
"All right."
Xiao Wu nodded in agreement, then finally glanced at the things behind Lin Mo. A clear look of surprise crossed her face.
The pile of luggage was almost taller than Lin Mo himself. She had no idea how he'd carried it all here alone.
And from the way he spoke without getting out of breath or turning red, it was obvious that the luggage weighed next to nothing to him.
The others quickly stepped aside to make room. Lin Mo picked a bed that looked reasonably clean and put his belongings on it.