"Yao Lao, how long was I absorbing the Golden Dragon King seal this time?" Tang Wulin asked as he got dressed.
"By now, it should have been a little over a day!"
"What?" Hearing Yao Lao's answer, Tang Wulin dressed much faster. "I'm done for, I'm done for! Today's the first day of class! How late am I? The academy won't expel me, will it?"
After getting dressed, Tang Wulin opened the workshop door. But the moment he stepped outside, his legs went weak. He was hungry.
And not just a little hungry. Tang Wulin already had a huge appetite, and now he'd gone more than a day without eating. Absorbing the Golden Dragon King seal had also taken a lot out of him. He was so hungry he felt like he could devour an entire restaurant.
But there was no time to eat. If he didn't get to class soon, he was genuinely afraid they'd expel him.
Just then, Yao Lao walked over and placed a pitch-black pill in Tang Wulin's hand.
"You're hungry, aren't you? Eat this pill, and you shouldn't feel hungry for a few hours."
Half-skeptical, Tang Wulin popped the unappetizing-looking pill into his mouth.
"It tastes awful."
That was Tang Wulin's first thought. But as soon as he swallowed the pill, a warm sensation flooded his meridians, and his hunger vanished.
"Yao Lao, what kind of pill is this? Do you have any more? One of these feels more effective than a hundred buns."
Yao Lao stroked his beard and smiled. "It's just an ordinary Satiety Pill. If I had the ingredients, I could make hundreds in a few minutes. But this is the only one I have, so once you've eaten it, that's it."
"Okay."
He was a little disappointed, but at least Tang Wulin wasn't hungry anymore. He took off running toward the academy.
As he ran, Tang Wulin realized that he was faster and had more stamina than before. It seemed the Golden Dragon King's essence was responsible.
Fortunately, the workshop wasn't very far from the academy. Twenty minutes later, Tang Wulin arrived at the academy gates.
The awkward part was that after Tang Wulin showed his student ID, the guard refused to let him in.
It was class time, the guard explained. Why would a student be outside the academy? Tang Wulin's homeroom teacher had to come and get him.
The guard then demanded that Tang Wulin provide his homeroom teacher's contact number.
But how could Tang Wulin know his homeroom teacher's number? He didn't even know who his homeroom teacher was!
"I'm done for, I'm done for!" Tang Wulin paced anxiously at the gate.
Just then, a cool male voice came from inside the academy gates. "Are you Tang Wulin?"
Though he didn't know who was speaking, Tang Wulin still replied, "I am. May I ask who you are...?"
The academy gates opened.
A handsome young man walked out.
Tang Wulin had never seen anyone so handsome. Even the stars on television couldn't compare.
Tang Wulin was fairly good-looking himself, but he was still a child and hadn't grown into his features yet. The man before him was an adult, fully grown.
He stood over 1.9 meters tall and wore a fitted white outfit that made his figure look even more upright. Long blue hair fell down his back, his nose was high-bridged, and his dark green eyes fixed on Tang Wulin.
"Teacher Wu, is this the child you were waiting for?" the guard asked.
The young man nodded and looked at Tang Wulin. "I'm Wu Zhangkong, your homeroom teacher."
Tang Wulin paused before reacting. "Hello, Teacher Wu. I'm Tang Wulin."
"I know who you are. You didn't attend the opening ceremony, and you didn't attend the first class of the school year either," Wu Zhangkong said coldly, as if listing Tang Wulin's crimes.
Hearing this, Tang Wulin hurriedly bowed to Wu Zhangkong. "I'm truly sorry, Teacher Wu. Something really did come up and delay me."
"Come with me!" Wu Zhangkong tossed out the words and walked into the academy.
"Yes, Teacher Wu." Tang Wulin hurried after him.
But then the guard stopped Tang Wulin.
"Teacher Wu, students who skip class without permission have to be dealt with by the dean. And it's the first day of school, too. You see..."
Wu Zhangkong glanced back at the guard and said in a deep voice, "I'll take responsibility for any consequences. Let him in."
The guard looked as if he wanted to say something more, but at the sight of Wu Zhangkong's sharp gaze, he shut his mouth and stepped aside.
Only then did Tang Wulin catch up with Wu Zhangkong.
Wu Zhangkong didn't say a word along the way. Tang Wulin naturally didn't dare speak first, so he could only follow behind him carefully.
He glanced to the side and saw that Wu Zhangkong was heading toward the academy's faculty apartments.
A short while later, Wu Zhangkong stopped in front of a door and took out a key to unlock it.
"Come in."
"Oh! Okay!"
Tang Wulin followed him inside. This must have been Wu Zhangkong's apartment.
It was an ordinary apartment, without any special decorations, furnished only with everyday necessities.
Wu Zhangkong walked over to a table and sat down.
"Tell me. Why did you leave the academy yesterday, and why were you gone for a whole day and night?" Wu Zhangkong's voice was icy, seemingly devoid of emotion. "If your answer doesn't satisfy me, you can leave my class. My class is Class Five. Once you leave it, no other class will take you, so you can understand that this means expulsion!"
Expulsion!
Tang Wulin had worked so hard just to make it to Eastsea City. How could he possibly accept being expelled? He hurriedly began to explain.
"Teacher Wu, yesterday something went wrong with my cultivation, and I had no choice but to go outside the academy to find a way to treat it. The treatment took a long time, so I missed today's opening ceremony."
A glint flashed in Wu Zhangkong's eyes. Then he said, "Your body appears to be perfectly fine. Your blood and qi are abundant, your vitality is strong, and your physical condition is better than that of most people your age. I can't accept that excuse!"
Tang Wulin fell silent. He couldn't very well tell Wu Zhangkong that he had eighteen layers of seals inside him, and that he'd left to absorb one of them.
Seeing Tang Wulin say nothing, Wu Zhangkong sighed softly and picked up a file from the table to read.
"Tang Wulin, if you don't have a suitable reason, then you can..."
But before Wu Zhangkong could finish, a small, deep-blue blade of grass appeared on his desk.
"This is... Blue Silver Grass?"
Wu Zhangkong looked up and saw that Tang Wulin had already released his martial soul.
But then, for the first time, Wu Zhangkong's face—calm as still water—showed an expression of shock.
"A Thousand-Year Soul Ring!"
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