"This is the registration office. You two can head straight in; I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."
"Thank you, Teacher Li!"
The woman who had guided Fang Qingshan and his nephew Duan Fan was a teacher in her early thirties. She had delicate features, a small pink mole between her brows, and wore a simple, moon-white robe. Her voice was soft and gentle.
When Fang Qingshan had been asking for directions to the registration office in the administrative area, she had happened to pass by. Seeing the uncle and nephew looking lost, she had asked a couple of questions and then offered to lead the way.
Along the way, she had even introduced several landmarks of the academy, being both kind and thorough.
Fang Qingshan thanked her and watched her leave before taking Duan Fan to knock on the door.
The registration office was much larger than they had imagined.
The floor was paved with bluestone, the four walls were painted snow-white, and the room was at least two hundred square meters in size.
Near the windows, a row of desks and chairs was arranged neatly, yet there was not a soul in sight.
Only one male teacher sat behind a desk directly opposite the entrance.
The teacher was in his forties with a receding hairline. His scalp was shiny, and the few remaining strands of hair were combed over from his temples, forming a bridge across his forehead that barely served to cover his baldness.
He wore a pair of round-rimmed glasses with lenses as thick as bottle bottoms. He was hunched over, writing something, and only looked up when he heard the door, squinting through his lenses to size up the newcomers.
Fang Qingshan led Duan Fan to the desk, but before he could speak, the teacher waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, show me your Spirit first."
He didn't waste a single word, not even asking for basic information, just jumping straight to that.
The uncle and nephew were both slightly taken aback.
Duan Fan reacted faster and immediately raised his right hand.
White light surged from his palm, rapidly condensing into a writing brush about thirty centimeters long.
The shaft was black with white patterns that differed from an ordinary writing brush, and the brush head was slightly bulbous, holding a tuft of pure white wolf hair.
At the same time, a yellow Spirit Ring rose from beneath his feet, slowly circling his body.
The teacher stared at the writing brush for two seconds, his expression remaining completely unmoved as he said flatly, "A writing brush Spirit; quite rare."
After speaking, he pulled a yellow crystal ball the size of a fist from his drawer and placed it on the desk.
"Put your Spirit away and place your hand on this."
Throughout the entire process, the teacher only gave a faint glance at the yellow Spirit Ring on Duan Fan, not mentioning it at all.
This century-old Spirit Ring, which would have drawn gasps of surprise and envy from the deacons at the Notting City Spirit Branch Hall, was merely the most basic threshold here.
Duan Fan retracted his Spirit and placed his hand on the yellow crystal ball.
In an instant, the crystal ball began to glow from the center, the light spreading outward, turning from pale to intense, and finally stabilizing at a bright level.
The teacher looked down, a hint of surprise finally appearing on his face: "Level fourteen."
He raised his head, his gaze lingering on Duan Fan's face for an extra two seconds, then extended his hand: "Let me see your hand."
Duan Fan obediently extended his hand.
The teacher gripped Duan Fan's palm, wrist, and finger bones, squeezing them one by one with a moderate amount of pressure.
After finishing, he sat up straight and asked, "Are you six years old this year?"
Duan Fan nodded: "Yes."
The teacher asked again: "Do you have Full Innate Soul Power?"
Duan Fan nodded again: "Yes, I do."
The teacher finally smiled, and the glasses on his nose shifted: "Just as I thought! Only those with Full Innate Soul Power can obtain their First Soul Ring at the age of six and raise their soul power to level fourteen."
As he spoke, he pulled a thick registration book from under the desk, opened to a blank page, and began to ask for Duan Fan's basic information, recording it diligently.
After finishing and closing the book, the teacher turned to Fang Qingshan, his tone much kinder than before: "Are you the child's guardian?"
Fang Qingshan nodded: "I am his uncle, here to register him."
The teacher stood up, walked around the desk, and extended his hand toward Fang Qingshan: "Greetings, Uncle of Duan Fan. I am Shang Heng from the Spirit Hall Academy registration office. Welcome your nephew to the Spirit Hall Academy!"
"I will now take you to familiarize yourselves with the academy grounds!"
With that, Shang Heng gestured for them to follow.
Over the next hour, Shang Heng led Fang Qingshan and Duan Fan through the important areas of the Spirit Hall Academy.
This included the teaching buildings, the cafeteria, the Spirit Fighting Arena, the simulated cultivation environment zones, and more.
Finally, Shang Heng brought the uncle and nephew to the academy's dormitory area, walking straight into the first building.
They arrived at the room at the very end of the third floor.
Shang Heng opened the door and introduced: "This is Duan Fan's dormitory. It's a single room."
"While we were learning our way around the academy earlier, I already had someone clean it up, so you can move in immediately."
Fang Qingshan and Duan Fan looked inside to see a room of over thirty square meters.
The windows faced south, and the glow of the setting sun spilled in, dyeing the wooden floor a faint orange.
A single bed stood against the wall, already made with brand-new bedding and sheets.
As the uncle and nephew surveyed the room, Shang Heng adjusted his glasses and spoke with a smile:
"Duan Fan's school uniform and ID badge need to be custom-made. They should be ready by tomorrow morning, at which point his teacher will deliver them and escort him to the classroom."
"Uncle of Duan Fan, if you have anything else you need to tell him, you may begin now."
"I will be waiting downstairs, and I shall see you out of the academy shortly."
Fang Qingshan asked, "Can I not stay here tonight? Just for one night."
Shang Heng shook his head, his expression calm. "According to academy regulations, parents are not permitted to stay overnight on campus."
"I must see you out before dark, otherwise, there will be security concerns."
Fang Qingshan stared straight at Shang Heng for several seconds, but the expression on Shang Heng's face did not change in the slightest.
Shang Heng spoke again, "If you have any other questions, you may ask me now."
"If not, I will go downstairs and wait for you!"
Fang Qingshan immediately asked, "Teacher Shang, may I ask what the tuition fees are for your academy?"
Shang Heng smiled. "Because student Duan Fan possesses Full Innate Soul Power, his tuition is fully waived. All of his expenses at the academy will be covered by the institution."
"Furthermore, as long as student Duan Fan works hard enough, he can also receive scholarships from the academy."
Fang Qingshan's face showed surprise, finding it hard to believe.
Shang Heng nodded gently. "I will go downstairs to wait for you. If you have any further questions later, you may ask me then."
With that, Shang Heng walked downstairs, leaving the time to the uncle and nephew, Fang Qingshan and Duan Fan.
Fang Qingshan looked at Duan Fan. "Xiao Fan, for the days to come, you will have to rely on yourself."
"Cultivate well in the academy and listen to your teachers."
"I will strive to come to Spirit City with your aunt to see you as soon as possible."
"You must take good care of yourself!"
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