Apprenticeship

"This was truly a priceless find." The beautiful woman was both shocked and delighted.

Innate Full Soul Power, a noble True Dragon Martial Soul bloodline, and water affinity!

This was practically a treasure Heaven had bestowed upon Skywater Academy!

"Alright, put your Martial Soul away." Smiling, the beautiful woman lightly waved her hand, signaling Jiang Lan to withdraw it.

"Dean, can I enroll now?" Jiang Lan put away his Martial Soul, looked up at the beautiful woman before him, and asked.

"Though your talent is extraordinary, Skywater Academy has always accepted only female Martial Souls with water affinity. How could we make an exception just for you?" As she spoke, the beautiful woman suddenly changed her tone. A sly glint flashed through her ice-blue eyes as she added, "Of course, if you become my disciple, then your joining Skywater Academy would not count as an exception. You would merely be my disciple, not an official student of Skywater Academy."

A master-disciple relationship was far closer than that between a student and teacher.

No matter what, she had to keep Jiang Lan at Skywater Academy.

Jiang Lan: "..."

Now this was some serious loophole abuse.

"Disciple Jiang Lan pays respects to Teacher!" Without the slightest hesitation, Jiang Lan immediately moved to kneel and acknowledge her as his master.

A man's knees were worth gold; this was exactly the time to cash them in.

Never underestimate how thick-skinned modern people could be!

"You child, what are you doing? A bow is enough to acknowledge a master." With a sweep of her sleeve, Shui Qinghan's surging Soul Power lifted Jiang Lan back up from afar. She looked at him with mild reproach.

"It makes me seem more sincere." Jiang Lan scratched his head and chuckled.

"Little rascal~" Shui Qinghan smiled with her eyes, lightly tapping Jiang Lan's forehead with her index finger. "Lan'er, where are your parents?"

"My parents... are no longer in this world." Jiang Lan blinked and forced out a tear.

"Poor child~ From now on, Teacher will be your family." Hearing this, Shui Qinghan lovingly stroked Jiang Lan's head and spoke softly.

She already had a daughter who was not much older than Jiang Lan, and she was at the age when her maternal affection was overflowing. Upon suddenly hearing this, pity immediately rose in her heart, and she decided to treat Jiang Lan as her own child.

She had two "daughters"; she had been wanting a son.

"I'll take you to the Frozen Forest to hunt a Soul Ring first. Afterward, I'll introduce your two senior sisters to you," Shui Qinghan said.

"Yes!" Jiang Lan's face lit up with excitement.

"You did very well this time. Once I return from Soul hunting, I'll personally reward you." Using a secret sound-transmission technique, Shui Qinghan praised the students and promised them rewards. Then she grabbed Jiang Lan by the shoulder and soared into the air with him, flying toward the nearest Soul Beast gathering place to Skywater City—the Frozen Forest.

Although there was a Soul Hunting Forest near Skywater City, it was ultimately artificial. Not only were the Soul Beast species within limited, but their cultivation ages were limited as well. There were no truly powerful Soul Beasts there.

Although it was Shui Qinghan's first time hunting a Soul Ring for a student with a True Dragon Martial Soul, she knew that its Soul Rings had to come from ice- or water-affinity draconic Soul Beasts possessing True Dragon Bloodline.

And ice- and water-affinity draconic Soul Beasts could only be found in Soul Beast habitats like the Frozen Forest, the Great Star Dou Forest, and the Far North.

Three days later, outside the Frozen Forest.

The Frozen Forest lay in the northernmost part of the Heaven Dou Empire and bordered the Far North.

It was blanketed in snow all year round and unsuitable for human habitation, which was why it saw so few people.

Only scattered Soul hunting groups operated within this forest.

"Hah~" Jiang Lan looked at the coniferous forest before him and gently exhaled a puff of warm breath.

After three days of travel, they had finally arrived.

His thin T-shirt had been replaced with a thick cotton coat and padded trousers, while thick leather boots covered his feet. A bright red scarf was wrapped around his neck, and the heavy clothing had bundled him into a little chubby ball.

Shui Qinghan had specially bought these clothes for him after seeing how lightly he was dressed, worried that he might fall ill from the cold.

There was a kind of cold called, "I think you're cold."

Jiang Lan felt quite helpless about it.

Because of his Martial Soul, not only did Jiang Lan not feel cold, he was instead exceptionally suited to this environment. He felt like a fish in water, like a tiger with wings; even the Soul Power within his body had become more active.

"Lan'er, have you given any thought to your future cultivation path?" After Shui Qinghan led Jiang Lan into the Frozen Forest, she suddenly asked.

Over the past three days, they had done more than travel. Shui Qinghan had also taught Jiang Lan some basic Soul Master knowledge and the academy's advanced meditation method.

Although she had already decided on a path for Jiang Lan, she still wanted to hear his own opinion.

After all, Jiang Lan would be the one walking his future path. As his teacher, she could only offer protection and guidance.

"Teacher, I want to take the assault route," Jiang Lan answered without hesitation.

Starlight King had an attack base stat of 142 and a stamina base stat as high as 170. Even both of its defensive stats stood at 114. It was ridiculously tanky while still dealing massive damage.

With Starlight · Overturning Mountains and Seas that ignored defense and shields, Starlight · Riding the Wind and Waves that granted +2 to all attributes at full health, and its fifth skill, Starlight · Thousand-Mile Wave Strike.

My god, this was the ultimate powerhouse!

Shui Qinghan nodded slightly and smiled. "Mm, a very wise choice. The strongest aspects of a True Dragon Martial Soul are their physical bodies and offensive power. Most True Dragon Martial Souls are absolutely suited for the assault path."

"As for your first Soul Ring, I can offer you several options for reference. You may choose for yourself."

"The first is the Azurewave Dragon Sturgeon. This Soul Beast possesses a portion of water-affinity True Dragon Bloodline. Its speed, strength, and explosive power are exceptional, though it cannot sustain prolonged combat. It is a natural overlord of the waters."

"The second is the Ice Thorn Crocodile Dragon. This Soul Beast possesses a portion of ice-affinity True Dragon Bloodline. Its strength and defense are both extremely formidable, making it very suitable for your Martial Soul."

"The third is the Coldwater Dragon Lizard. It possesses ice- and water-affinity True Dragon Bloodline and can provide you with an elemental amplification-type Soul Skill."

Shui Qinghan directly offered three kinds of Soul Beasts for Jiang Lan to choose from.

After hearing her out and giving it some thought, Jiang Lan said, "Teacher, I choose the Azurewave Dragon Sturgeon as my first Soul Ring."

"Alright, then the Azurewave Dragon Sturgeon it is." Shui Qinghan nodded slightly, took out a map from the storage Soul Tool on her wrist, compared the directions, and led Jiang Lan toward the Azurewave Dragon Sturgeon's habitat.

Shui Qinghan could have simply flown Jiang Lan directly to the Azurewave Dragon Sturgeon's habitat and helped him hunt a suitable Soul Ring.

But as a qualified teacher, she did not choose such a lazy method. Instead, she led Jiang Lan on foot while teaching him the relevant knowledge of Soul hunting, combining theory with practice.

As Jiang Lan tried hard to memorize Shui Qinghan's theoretical explanations, he quietly muttered to himself.

Soul Master theory wasn't bad at all, so how exactly had Yu Xiaogang earned the title of Grandmaster?

Or did everyone in the Soul Master world know better, and simply treat Yu Xiaogang as a joke?