Beating Up Nobles, First Pot of Gold!

Chen Lang glared, wanting to say something, but when he met Yun Tian's utterly cold eyes, he swallowed every curse in his throat.

Trembling, he pulled a gleaming gold soul coin from the money pouch at his waist and placed it on the ground.

The other lackeys hurriedly followed suit, placing one gold soul coin after another on the ground, where they glinted enticingly in the afternoon sunlight.

Yun Tian counted them. There were seven in total.

He picked up six of them and tossed them to Wang Sheng and the others, then kept one in his hand, weighing it before turning back toward the work-study students' table.

"Today's lunch is on me. We're eating on the second floor."

The work-study students froze for a moment before erupting into thunderous cheers.

Wang Sheng clutched the gold soul coin, his eyes reddening. He had been a work-study student at the academy for two years, and this was the first time he had ever known what it felt like to hold his head high.

The group crowded around Yun Tian and headed for the second floor, as lively as if they were celebrating the New Year.

Just as they stepped onto the stairs, a steady male voice came from the cafeteria entrance.

"Causing trouble in the cafeteria? What kind of conduct is this?"

Everyone turned around to see a middle-aged man in a plain gray robe standing at the entrance. His face was lean, his gaze calm and deep, and a badge representing a theory teacher hung at his waist.

He held several books in his arms, clearly having just passed by.

The moment Tang San saw him, his eyes lit up, and he blurted out, "Teacher!"

Yu Xiaogang nodded slightly. His gaze passed over the crowd and landed on Yun Tian, who was heading upstairs.

A faint trace of inquiry flashed through his eyes, too subtle to detect, but his expression revealed nothing. He merely stepped forward and patted Tang San on the shoulder. "Come with me. I have something to tell you."

Then he turned to Yun Tian, his tone neither warm nor cold. "You can eat upstairs, but don't cause any more trouble."

Yun Tian looked back at him and nodded.

Yu Xiaogang said nothing more. He led Tang San toward a corner of the cafeteria, casually taking two chicken legs and a bowl of meat soup from a server and placing them before Tang San.

Tang San held the chicken leg, his nose stinging slightly as he recalled how his teacher had prepared bedding for him on the first day of school. Warmth surged in his heart.

Yet as Yu Xiaogang sat across from him, his gaze drifted unconsciously toward the second floor again.

That work-study student named Yun Tian...

Interesting.

I'll investigate him at the principal's office after lunch.

After everyone had eaten their fill, satisfied smiles spread across their faces.

Wang Sheng wiped the grease from his mouth and sighed. "I've eaten at this academy for two years, but this is my first time on the second floor. This meat is really good... Boss, we'll follow you from now on!"

The other work-study students nodded in agreement.

Xiao Wu patted her round little belly and let out a full burp. For once, she did not argue with Yun Tian. She merely snorted, tacitly acknowledging the favor of this meal.

Tang San had also eaten quite a bit. He felt much more relaxed now, and a faint smile remained on his lips.

Yun Tian put away the remaining gold soul coin and stood up. "All right, now that we're full, let's get to business. There should be class this afternoon, right?"

"Right, right, right!" Wang Sheng smacked his forehead. "Theory class is this afternoon. All new students have to attend, so we'd better get to the classroom. That theory teacher is especially fierce if you're late."

The group hurried out of the cafeteria and followed the academy's stone-paved path toward the teaching building.

The course schedule at Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy was not particularly demanding. Mornings were generally devoted to soul power cultivation and foundational martial soul classes, while afternoons covered theoretical knowledge, including soul beast guides, herb identification, and precautions for absorbing soul rings.

For work-study students, these lessons were actually more important than cultivation, because accumulated knowledge could likewise determine a soul master's future limits.

Yun Tian found a seat by the window. Xiao Wu sat on his left, Tang San on his right, while Wang Sheng and the others scattered themselves among the rows behind them.

Students gradually filed into the classroom. Most were children who had enrolled that day, chattering away noisily.

The teacher soon entered. He was a middle-aged man wearing square-framed glasses and carrying a thick textbook.

He first called roll and registered the students. When he read the names "Yun Tian," "Tang San," and "Xiao Wu," his gaze lingered on each of them for several seconds. Clearly, he had already learned that all three possessed innately full soul power.

"All right, today we'll be covering the fundamentals of soul rings..."

Yun Tian already knew most of the lesson's content. After all, he had done plenty of studying during the three months since he had transmigrated here.

But Tang San and Xiao Wu listened with rapt attention. Tang San, in particular, carefully committed every word to memory, occasionally writing and drawing on the paper he carried with him.

Though Xiao Wu appeared to be absentmindedly spinning her pen, her ears remained perked up. The theoretical knowledge regarding soul beasts and soul rings was extremely important to her, and she did not dare miss a single word.

The lesson lasted nearly forty minutes.

Meanwhile, after Yu Xiaogang parted ways with Tang San outside the cafeteria, he did not return to his residence. Instead, he headed straight toward the academy's administrative building.

His pace was unhurried, but his eyes remained thoughtful. Clearly, he was still turning over the scene he had witnessed in the cafeteria.

He arrived outside the principal's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Pushing the door open, he saw Principal Lin of Nuoding Academy sitting behind his desk, reviewing student files. When he saw Yu Xiaogang, he greeted him with a smile. "Master, what brings you here?"

"Principal Lin, I'd like to look over the files of several work-study students who enrolled this year." Yu Xiaogang got straight to the point. "Especially the child named Yun Tian."

Principal Lin paused, then searched through the stack of files on his desk before pulling one out and handing it over. "Here it is. His enrollment procedures were completed today. His martial soul awakening certificate and work-study student documents are all in order."

Yu Xiaogang accepted the file, opened the first page, and quickly scanned Yun Tian's personal information.

When he saw the line:

"Martial soul: Earthstone. Innately full soul power."

His pupils contracted slightly.

"Earthstone... innately full soul power?"

He repeated the words quietly, his brows slowly furrowing.

In Soul Land's system of soul master theory, the quality of a martial soul was extremely closely connected to innate soul power.

Powerful beast martial souls or tool martial souls were often accompanied by innately full soul power, while weak, useless martial souls could almost never possess level ten soul power.

Blue Silver Grass possessing innately full soul power had already astonished him beyond belief, yet now another stone martial soul had appeared with innately full soul power?

That wasn't normal.

Yu Xiaogang closed the file, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

He had studied the field of soul master theory for decades and knew well that this world contained countless unsolved mysteries. The boy named Yun Tian before him was clearly one of them.

That piece of earthstone was definitely not as simple as it appeared. It had to be some special type of martial soul, perhaps even a powerful mutated martial soul.

"Besides Yun Tian, there's also a Xiao Wu."

"She's also innately full soul power."

Principal Lin spoke up and handed Xiao Wu's file to Yu Xiaogang.