"Did I... did I really stand up?"
Yao's legs trembled slightly, and his tone was filled with disbelief.
Yao Shi said excitedly from the side, "It's true, Grandpa. You can stand now!"
Yao looked at the small Yao Shi before him. Thinking back on the past three years, his eyes grew damp, and he said hoarsely, "Pebble, you've really suffered these past three years."
He immediately added, "Now that you've awakened your Martial Soul and my injuries have healed, you don't need to keep yourself so busy. Go to school, learn about Soul Masters, and become a real Soul Master."
"And look at me now—I don't need you to take care of me anymore. I can look after myself just fine. Pebble, your soul skill is truly incredible."
As he spoke, Yao even flexed his muscles at Yao Shi.
"..."
Yao Shi fell silent for a while. He had originally wanted to stay and continue caring for Yao, because Yao had already been over seventy when he found him. On Douluo Continent, even high-level Soul Masters could only live two or three hundred years at most, while ordinary people lived even shorter lives. He did not know how much longer he could stay by Yao's side. But now, he discovered that the healing from his first soul skill did not merely mend wounds—it seemed to have a slight rejuvenating effect as well.
Yao's body had originally been over eighty years old, nearly thin and withered, with graying hair. Yet now, his gray-white hair had fallen out, replaced by a dense growth of black hair. His body had filled out as well. To an outsider, he did not look like an old man with one foot in the grave at all; he looked like a robust man in his thirties.
"Alright, I'll go to school."
Seeing Yao showing off like this, Yao Shi felt certain that he would live for a long time. He immediately nodded in agreement. Besides, if they wanted to live better lives, becoming a powerful Soul Master was undoubtedly the quickest way to earn money.
"Hahaha, that's more like it." Yao let out a hearty laugh full of vigor. Yao Shi's soul skill made him feel as though he had been given a new life.
Yao Shi still had fifteen silver soul coins on him, the last of their living expenses. Since Yao's original plot of land had been sold, he planned to find work in town. After all, he was now in the prime of his strength. So Yao Shi gave Yao eight silver soul coins and kept seven for his registration fee.
The next day, the two set out together for Bluestone Town. To save money, they still chose to walk. However, since both of them ran the whole way, they reached Bluestone Town before noon. It was understandable for Yao Shi, a Soul Master, to run quickly, but Yao himself was astonished by his speed.
"Good heavens, Pebble! I feel like I'm almost as fast as a carriage, and I'm not even out of breath!"
Yao Shi was curious too. Could a healing soul skill really achieve this? Not only rejuvenating someone, but also increasing their endurance?
After arriving in Bluestone Town, the two parted ways. Yao Shi went alone to register at Bluestone Town Junior Soul Master Academy, while Yao hurried off to find work. Those dozen or so silver soul coins were not enough to support them for long.
When Yao Shi arrived at the academy gates, he saw that Bluestone Town was originally just a tiny agricultural town within Star Luo, surrounded by ordinary farming households. Bluestone Town Junior Soul Master Academy was therefore neither large nor prosperous, but its registration fees were correspondingly cheap.
It was currently registration season, and a small line had already formed at the academy's registration office. The chances of commoners awakening Soul Power were already very low, and the area around Bluestone Town was mostly populated by farmers, so there were only around twenty people waiting to register.
Yao Shi hurried over and joined the line.
The registration process for junior Soul Masters was quite simple. They only needed to register their information, test their Soul Power, and pay the tuition. Since there were few people, it was soon Yao Shi's turn.
The person responsible for admissions was a female teacher. Her tone had been indifferent toward the others before him, but when she saw Yao Shi's spirited baby face, her voice immediately became gentler.
"Name, age?"
"Yao Shi, seven."
"Martial Soul?"
"A tree branch."
The teachers at junior academies did not care whether a student had a useless Martial Soul. As long as they possessed Soul Power, they would be accepted even if their Martial Soul was just a blade of grass.
"Alright, test your Soul Power." As she spoke, she pointed at the crystal ball beside her.
Yao Shi obediently did as instructed and placed his hand on it. His level immediately appeared on its surface.
Level 12!
"Huh? Level Twelve!"
The admissions teacher beside him was also shocked by Yao Shi's Soul Power Level. "If I remember correctly, you're only seven this year, right? You've reached Level Twelve after cultivating for one year. It seems your talent is quite good."
It was not as though the admissions teacher did not know about Innate Full Soul Power, but she did not believe the child before her possessed it. Those with Innate Full Soul Power were nearly one in ten thousand. For commoners, having Soul Power at all was already fortunate enough. The chances of a commoner awakening Innate Full Soul Power were even lower than her chances of becoming a Titled... no, a Spirit Douluo.
"Alright, little one. Pay one more silver soul coin, and your registration will be complete."
Yao Shi reached into his small cloth pouch, took out a coin, and handed it to the teacher, reluctant to part with it.
So expensive. Living expenses minus ten.
That was ten copper soul coins—enough to cover three days of living expenses!
"Alright, pack your things and head to the dormitory. Oh, there will be bedding on the dormitory bed, so you can move in directly."
Yao Shi was delighted. This meant he would not have to spend extra money. It seemed that the one silver soul coin tuition fee was quite reasonable after all!
Yao Shi thanked the registration teacher, then picked up the bundle containing two sets of clothes and headed for the dormitory.
The dormitory was large, with more than twenty beds inside. The environment was simple, but at least it was clean. At the moment, he was the only one there, so he casually chose a bed and lay down, burying his face in the blanket.
Three years. I've finally awakened my Martial Soul. My path as a Soul Master begins today!
Yao Shi sometimes wondered about this. He had clearly seen some soul-guidance technology in town, and there were already signs of modern technology taking shape. He therefore guessed that this was the era of the Peerless Tang Clan. Yet he did not understand why, when everything he had seen in the original work had seemed so wonderful, life had become so difficult after he came here.
Survival required money. After Spirit Hall's destruction, awakening a Martial Soul required money too. The descendants of Soul Masters might still become Soul Masters, but the descendants of commoners, without money or opportunities, were destined to remain commoners. Who had created all this?
Why was it that awakening a Martial Soul, something so simple, required payment—and such an exorbitant amount at that?
Yao Shi resolved to change all this. Even if commoners remained commoners, he hoped to give them at least a sliver of hope to defy fate and change their lives.
Yao Shi, lying facedown on the blanket, did not notice the faint green light beginning to glow around him, nor did he notice his eyes turning a pale golden green.
"Hey, looks like someone's moved into the dormitory!"
At that moment, a cheerful male voice interrupted Yao Shi's thoughts.
Before you continue