The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Tang Ziran pulled Tang Wulin out of bed.
Today was the day he would enroll in the Soul Master Class at Red Mountain Academy.
Long Yuan watched in amazement. He never would have guessed that students on Douluo Continent had it so rough—they started the early-to-bed, early-to-rise grind at just six years old.
According to the Sun Moon Federation's regulations, primary and middle schools provided free compulsory education. Primary school lasted three years, while middle school lasted six.
Red Mountain Academy, where Tang Wulin was headed, was a primary school.
There were several ways to advance to a senior academy. One could either get in with excellent grades or pay a hefty sum to buy a place.
In short, there were regular admissions and special admissions. Everyone knew the drill.
Alternatively, one could attend a specialized academy and learn a trade.
Tang Ziran escorted Tang Wulin to the academy entrance. He watched his son go inside before hurrying off.
The Soul Master Class had a teacher waiting at the entrance to welcome its students. The treatment was clearly much better than in the regular classes. In addition to the standard academic subjects, they would also learn about Soul Masters and how to cultivate.
There were only fifteen students in this year's Soul Master Class. They soon all arrived, and their teacher led them back to the classroom.
"Hello, everyone. I'm your homeroom teacher, Lin Ximeng. For the next three years, I'll teach you the fundamentals of Soul Masters. First, why don't you introduce yourselves? Tell us your names, Martial Souls, and Innate Soul Power levels."
Sure enough, when it was Tang Wulin's turn to introduce himself, the students burst into laughter as soon as they heard "Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul."
Tang Wulin's face flushed bright red. He returned to his seat, simmering with anger.
"Uncle Long Yuan, is the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul really that bad?" Tang Wulin asked dejectedly.
[Why are you suddenly thinking that?]
"Everyone's making fun of me."
[They're just a bunch of short-sighted fools. Don't let it bother you. I'll help you—you'll accomplish far more than they ever will.]
The classroom was spacious, with several empty desks. Long Yuan sat by the window in the back row, admiring the scenery outside as he chatted with Tang Wulin through divine sense.
After testing it, he discovered that his divine sense could travel no more than ten meters away from Tang Wulin. Any farther, and it wouldn't work.
Of course, unless he wanted him to, even Tang Wulin couldn't see this manifestation of his divine sense.
Before long, Lin Ximeng began teaching them about the Soul Master World. Tang Wulin gradually became absorbed in the lesson, eagerly soaking up every bit of knowledge he heard.
Once Long Yuan had seen enough of the scenery, he returned to the mental space and began digesting his power.
That afternoon, Lin Ximeng set aside the academic subjects and handed out a small booklet to each student. Printed inside was the basic cultivation method the Federation had publicly distributed to all academies.
"All right, this afternoon I'll teach you how to cultivate. First, listen as I explain the key points. Then try to sense the natural energy around you and cultivate."
Tang Wulin had just gotten ready to listen when Long Yuan interrupted him.
[Wulin, there's no need to learn this low-level method. It's just the most basic stuff the Federation provides. It barely lets you cultivate at all and offers no benefits.]
"Huh? But..."
[All right, I have something much better. Just listen to me, and I'll tell you how to cultivate with this technique.]
[*...*]
Tang Wulin listened intently. He didn't understand cultivation yet, but Uncle Long Yuan's technique already sounded far more complicated than the one the teacher had taught.
In his simple way of thinking, the harder something was to understand, the stronger it must be, so he focused on Long Yuan's words.
This technique wasn't some traditional cultivation method. It was merely a collection of insights Long Yuan had drawn from the way the energy flowed through his own body.
But the knowledge came from studying a God King, so naturally, it was countless times better than the common, run-of-the-mill method Lin Ximeng had taught.
Before long, Long Yuan finished explaining. To help Tang Wulin even more, he secretly released an even smaller amount of Golden Dragon King's essence than he had during Tang Wulin's Martial Soul awakening. Under Long Yuan's control, it guided Tang Wulin's Soul Power to circulate on its own.
Such a small amount of Soul Power wouldn't trigger the seal, and Tang Wulin could absorb it. It was the perfect choice.
The loss was no concern for Long Yuan's true body, either. It recovered within a few breaths.
Simply perfect!
With Long Yuan's help, Tang Wulin quickly got the hang of it. Soon, his Soul Power circulated on its own without any guidance.
Lin Ximeng watched it all, stunned.
I can't believe he was the first to get into the groove!
She looked at the others, who were practically fidgeting in their seats, and sighed to herself. "What a pity his Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass. With his talent for understanding things, he could have achieved so much otherwise."
Time flew by, and the end-of-class bell soon rang, pulling Tang Wulin out of his cultivation.
[Wulin, how does it feel?]
Tang Wulin opened his eyes, visibly delighted.
"Uncle Long Yuan, you're amazing!"
[Hmm? Still calling me Uncle? I taught you the Golden Dragon Breathing Technique. Shouldn't you address me differently now?]
"Um... Teacher?"
[That's more like it. Remember to cultivate diligently from now on. Your Innate Soul Power is on the low side, but as long as you work hard, you'll still achieve plenty.]
"Yes!"
Tang Wulin left Red Mountain Academy in high spirits. All he wanted now was to hurry home and keep cultivating his Soul Power. The feeling he'd had during his earlier practice had thrilled him.
The only downside was that he seemed hungry again.
Tang Wulin rubbed his stomach, completely baffled.
Red Mountain Academy provided lunch, and there was no limit on how much students could eat. Tang Wulin had stuffed himself, yet he was hungry again as soon as school let out.
[That's normal. You've cultivated a stronger technique, so you use energy more efficiently and digest food faster.]
Tang Wulin nodded. "I understand, Teacher."
Just then, a small figure by the roadside caught his attention.
It was the dazzling flash of silver in the sunlight.
A little girl was crouching by the road. She seemed even younger than him, yet she had short silver hair. Sunlight hit that rare-colored hair and made it gleam.
Long Yuan had noticed her too.
As expected, Na'er has arrived, Long Yuan thought.
Just then, Na'er looked up at him. Her amethyst eyes caught Tang Wulin's at once.
"Hey, little girl, where are your parents?" Just then, several shady-looking young men were drawn to her silver hair too and gathered around her.
Na'er ignored them and silently lowered her head.
The young men exchanged glances. One of them said, "Silver hair like that is rare. Maybe she's from one of the other two continents. If we grab her, we might get a good price for her at the underground black market."
The men exchanged glances again and nodded emphatically, greed glinting in their eyes.
"Teacher, what do we do? What do we do?" Tang Wulin had seen everything and grew frantic.
He already felt quite fond of the girl.
Long Yuan smiled.
[Wulin, do you trust me?]