First Hearing of Douluo Continent's First Junior Academy (2)

The carriage stepped onto the main road, its speed increasing steadily. It was smooth and comfortable, not bumpy at all.

During this time, Exquisite Dice had told Li Changsheng and the other boy everything she was able to share.

Li Changsheng had finally gained a clear understanding of the Shrek Pre-Academy, a place he had previously known nothing about.

According to Exquisite Dice, it would take them roughly seven days to reach the location of the Shrek Pre-Academy.

It was going to be a long journey.

At this moment, the previously talkative Exquisite Dice was leaning against the carriage wall, silent, lost in thought. No, was she meditating?

Li Zishuo had already fallen asleep inside, his breathing steady. He had spent some time meditating earlier, trying hard to improve his own soul power.

Li Changsheng pulled back the curtain from time to time, watching the lush, verdant scenery of the mountains and forests outside.

They had been away from Spirit Soul City for about five or six hours now.

He snapped back to reality, suddenly noticing that the Seven Absolute Zither Master sitting opposite him was staring right at him.

Li Changsheng touched his face, surprised, and asked, "Is there something on my face?"

This was not the first time he had caught the Seven Absolute Zither Master staring at him like this.

The Seven Absolute Zither Master shook her head. Her expression was hidden behind her mask as she spoke, "I can sense that you are very special."

What an ancient way to strike up a conversation.

Li Changsheng chuckled, "Oh? How am I special? On that note, may I ask you a few questions?"

The Seven Absolute Zither Master did not seem like the cold, aloof type; perhaps she even had a bit of a natural, airheaded quality. This immediately piqued Li Changsheng's interest.

"Fine. Ask, but I cannot answer private questions." The Seven Absolute Zither Master raised her hand slightly and, under Li Changsheng's gaze, covered her neck—or perhaps her chest!

Li Changsheng's face darkened. You've got nothing there, what are you covering?

He then smiled and said, "You are quite mature in your thinking."

"You aren't so bad yourself."

"Heh."

"Heh."

Li Changsheng was startled. His expression shifted slightly as he scrutinized the Seven Absolute Zither Master.

Although the world line was developing rapidly, his own way of speaking was still quite avant-garde.

Yet, how could the conversation with this Seven Absolute Zither Master be so fluid? Wasn't the other party a seven-year-old child? It felt very similar to chatting with an ordinary person from his past life.

It must be an illusion.

Li Changsheng thought to himself that perhaps he had been isolated for too long, and the culture of the outside world had already developed by leaps and bounds.

"Are you really only seven years old?"

"No." The Seven Absolute Zither Master shook her head, then answered very seriously, "Six."

"Wait, six? Didn't you say you were seven when we were at the Spirit Soul Grand Soul Fighting Arena?"

Li Changsheng was surprised at first, but then he understood.

If she truly possessed innate soul power of level twenty, she was an absolute genius.

How could it be possible that she had only increased her soul power by one level in a year?

The Seven Absolute Zither Master said, "That was just to avoid some trouble. However, to demonstrate the Pre-Academy's ability to cultivate students, I should mention that my innate soul power is actually level twenty. Pretty impressive, right? Actually, I think I'm pretty impressive too."

Although he had already guessed it, hearing her say it herself still made Li Changsheng feel a little envious.

God of Wisdom, is her Seven Absolute Zither martial soul really that powerful? Can it grant her innate level twenty soul power?

With a thought, he asked the God of Wisdom.

He knew that even his own Genesis Book had only granted him an innate soul power of level nine.

The God of Wisdom replied:

[Notification: It is very powerful. It does not exclude the possibility that the target possesses twin martial souls.]

Twin martial souls?!

Upon hearing this, Li Changsheng's breathing grew heavy.

He gave a dry laugh and praised, "Innate soul power of level twenty, that is truly unheard of. Impressive, truly impressive."

"But why does your expression not look very surprised?"

"Then how should I be surprised? Should I stand up and shout?" Li Changsheng asked upon hearing this.

"Well, something like that."

Li Changsheng: "..."

He chose to abandon the topic and asked with interest, "What is your name?"

"Seven Absolute Zither Master." She replied with those four simple words.

"That's a title, not your actual name. Look, 'Seven Absolute Zither Master' is such a mouthful. You already know my name is Li Changsheng; it wouldn't be too much to tell me your name, would it?"

Li Changsheng put on an innocent, guileless smile, the kind that belonged to a child of his age.

The Seven Absolute Zither Master shook her head. "Academy rules state that within the academy, one must not reveal their true face, must not use their real name, and must only be addressed by their title. Besides, you haven't even been admitted to the Pre-Education Academy yet."

Isn't this outside the academy? Right? Huh? Li Changsheng felt that this Seven Absolute Zither Master was definitely a slow-witted girl. Did she feel easy to trick?

The Seven Absolute Zither Master hesitated for a moment, then shook her head, refusing firmly: "No."

Seeing her resolute demeanor, Li Changsheng suddenly felt bored and didn't press the issue; he would know sooner or later.

"Wearing a mask for six years and having to go by a title, what a sadistic school rule," Li Changsheng muttered under his breath.

For a while after that, Li Changsheng chatted with the Seven Absolute Zither Master again.

He managed to learn some basic information about her.

She had also awakened her martial soul this year.

The dates for martial soul awakening varied from place to place.

After all, the Spirit Hall no longer existed, so there was no need for unified awakening ceremonies; one could even perform the awakening at home, provided that at least one parent possessed soul power above the level of a Spirit Master.

She was born in a town closest to the Far North, and perhaps due to genetics, her hair was silver-white.

After awakening her martial soul, she entered the Pre-Education Academy to study and immediately became a student of the academy's headmaster. Within the following half-month, she had already attached two soul rings.

After that, at the age of six, she followed the students of the soon-to-graduate Heavenly Pride Class here. The purpose was unknown, but Gu Feibai had simply mentioned a battle.

Of course, this was what the Seven Absolute Zither Master had told him herself.

The reality might be even more legendary than that, right?

Exclamations and praises were likely endless; after all, she was someone with innate full soul power of level twenty.

As a side note, according to the Seven Absolute Zither Master, Li Changsheng and his group were just one batch. Many other soul masters who awakened their martial souls elsewhere would also go to the Pre-Education Academy to register.

In her words, it was sure to be very lively.

Near dusk, they arrived at a town.

Under Gu Feibai's arrangements, the group checked into a hotel.

Two people to a room.

Li Changsheng and Li Zishuo shared a room.

As everyone stepped off the carriage, Li Changsheng felt that the atmosphere was somewhat tense.

At the same time, he could sense overflowing soul power from the other children, and every child's face bore a hint of exhaustion.

After inquiring, Li Changsheng understood.

It turned out that after hearing about the Pre-Education Academy's terrifying requirements, they had started working hard on their cultivation while on the road.

If they could increase their soul power by one level or even half a level before the assessment, they could improve their chances of being admitted to the Pre-Education Academy.

Even Li Zishuo, who was exempt from the exam, was trying his best to meditate.

But clearly, his talent wasn't very good, and he didn't have methods like the Mysterious Heaven Skill, so his meditation relied entirely on "rote memorization."

Li Changsheng wondered if he should teach him the Mysterious Heaven Skill.

Of course, he himself needed to be familiar with it for a while longer before he dared to help Li Zishuo clear his meridians.

After all, he had only learned it himself thanks to the God of Wisdom's omniscience. Trying to teach it to others just like that was clearly difficult; if he messed up and crippled the other person, that would be a problem.

Of course, he could also have the God of Wisdom initiate parallel processing to control his body to do it.

It was just that Li Changsheng hadn't made up his mind yet...

After resting for a day, Li Changsheng and the others continued their journey.

The Seven Absolute Zither Master and Exquisite Dice still shared the carriage with them.

Compared to yesterday, there was almost no conversation, as everyone was busy meditating and cultivating.

Li Changsheng had nothing else to do, so while gradually familiarizing himself with the other legacies of Tang San, he also began to accelerate his own meditation.

That afternoon, accompanied by a low rumble within his body, Li Changsheng opened his eyes. A dense purple light seemed ready to burst forth from his pupils. He exhaled slowly, feeling the surging soul power flowing through his body, and clenched his fist:

"Level fourteen!"

The God of Wisdom's ability to mask others' perception, the Formless Cycle, revealed its power at this moment.

It completely shielded the perception of everyone else.

Even when Li Changsheng broke through, the Seven Absolute Zither Master and the others didn't notice a thing; they only felt an invisible pressure erupt within the carriage's interior space.

If they weren't on a long journey, Li Changsheng would have really wanted to release his Immortal Execution Painting martial soul and give it a try.

Moreover, not practicing his spear for a day made him feel even more uncomfortable.

Having broken through, he stabilized his cultivation while taking out the notes of a level ten soul master to read and pass the time.

Because they were written in simplified characters, he wasn't afraid of anyone recognizing them.

Just like that, six days passed.