Stone Martial Soul, Not Worth a Second Glance

Chen Tiezhu stood at the courtyard gate, his eyes bloodshot.

He had not fully sobered up from last night's drinking, yet he had forced himself out of bed.

He clutched a cloth bundle containing two changes of clothes and three copper soul coins.

"Don't argue with people once you get to the academy, with that temper of yours..."

"I know, Dad."

Chen Tiezhu opened his mouth, then swallowed the rest of his words.

What he had wanted to say was, don't let people bully you over your martial soul.

But saying that would be no different from rubbing salt into the wound.

Chen Xuan took the bundle and patted the old man's shoulder.

"Go back and get some sleep. Drink less."

Chen Tiezhu gave an "Mm" and turned toward the house.

After taking two steps, he stopped without looking back.

"If... if you can't make it over there, come home. Blacksmithing won't leave you starving."

Chen Xuan did not answer.

He slung the bundle over his shoulder and walked out through the courtyard gate.

Old Jack was already waiting at the village entrance.

Tang San stood beside him with a bundle on his back as well, his posture perfectly straight.

Though only six years old, he carried a steadiness that did not belong to his age.

Chen Xuan walked over and nodded to Old Jack.

The three of them set off.

They walked for most of the day.

Old Jack was out of breath every few steps, so Chen Xuan took the package from his hands.

Tang San walked ahead, neither fast nor slow, his breathing always steady.

Chen Xuan walked beside him, glancing at him from the corner of his eye several times.

This body was clearly not as physically capable as Tang San's.

Innate soul power at rank nine was impressive, sure, but Tang San had the foundation of his previous life.

With the inner power of the Mysterious Heaven Technique and the groundwork of the Tang Sect's movement techniques, even at six years old, his physical strength crushed that of children his age.

Chen Xuan did not mind.

Why rush? Take it slow.

"Chen Xuan, how long have you lived in Saint Soul Village?" Tang San suddenly asked.

"I was born there."

"Your martial soul is..."

"Stone."

Tang San paused, then did not ask any further.

His expression remained calm, without mockery or pity.

He merely nodded and said, "Rank-nine soul power is already very impressive."

Chen Xuan gave an "Mm."

He could tell it was just politeness.

There was no malice in Tang San's tone, but he could not hide that composure of someone who had already planned out his future.

This guy had known what path he would take from the moment he was born.

Meanwhile, Chen Xuan still had no idea what exactly the system could give him.

But that was fine.

He lowered his head and glanced at the countdown in the corner of his vision.

[Time until next draw: 6 hours 02 minutes.]

He could draw again tonight.

Notting City was countless times larger than Saint Soul Village.

Once they entered the city, Old Jack's pace visibly quickened, though his face carried a hint of restraint.

After turning through several streets, the gates of Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy appeared before them.

A middle-aged man in a gray robe stood at the entrance. He had a moustache and his arms folded across his chest.

Old Jack stepped forward and handed him the two work-study certificates.

The moustached man glanced at them, then lifted his chin to look at Tang San and Chen Xuan.

"Work-study students?"

"Yes, they're places allocated to the village, please..."

"Go that way." The moustached man pointed to the side. "Work-study students use the side gate. The main gate is for regular students."

Old Jack froze. "Didn't everyone use this gate before?"

"The rules changed this year." The moustached man shoved the certificates against Old Jack's chest. "Don't block the way. There are people behind you."

The wrinkles on Old Jack's face bunched together.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something more.

But the moustached man was no longer looking at him. He had turned to chat with someone beside him.

Tang San's gaze changed.

Chen Xuan noticed his right hand subtly withdraw into his sleeve.

A hidden weapon.

This kid actually dared to make a move.

"Enough."

A voice came from behind them.

It was not loud, but it was steady.

All three turned around at once.

A man in his thirties approached. He was of average build and wore a faded blue long robe that had been washed pale.

There was little expression on his face, but his eyes were bright.

"I am a teacher of this academy, Yu Xiaogang." He glanced at the moustached man. "The Academic Affairs Office notice clearly states which gate work-study students are to use. The main gate."

The impatience on the moustached man's face lessened somewhat. "Master Yu, I was only..."

"Move."

The moustached man's lips twitched, and he stepped aside.

Old Jack hurriedly thanked him.

Yu Xiaogang ignored him, his gaze falling on Tang San.

More precisely, on the martial soul section of Tang San's work-study certificate.

Blue Silver Grass. Soul power: full rank.

Yu Xiaogang's pupils contracted.

He crouched down until he was eye level with Tang San. "What is your name?"

"Tang San."

"Innate full soul power?"

"Yes."

Yu Xiaogang's breathing quickened for an instant.

He stared at Tang San for several seconds, as if confirming something.

Then he stood, took the other certificate from Old Jack's hand, and looked at Chen Xuan's.

He swept his eyes over it.

Martial soul: Stone. Soul power: rank nine.

His brow twitched.

Then he handed the certificate back to Chen Xuan, turned to Tang San, and said, "Come with me to complete the enrollment procedures."

Throughout the entire exchange, he had not said a single extra word to Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan put away his certificate, his expression unchanged.

He had expected this long ago.

Yu Xiaogang was obsessed with "martial soul theory." A combination like Blue Silver Grass and full soul power was enough for him to write a thesis on the spot.

And stone?

There were no records, no reference cases.

To a theorist, the unknown was equivalent to worthless.

Chen Xuan followed behind at an unhurried pace.

You won't look at me?

Fine.

Sooner or later, you'll be looking twice.

After the procedures were completed, they were assigned their dormitories.

All work-study students stayed in Dorm Seven.

Chen Xuan followed the crowd toward the dormitory area.

As they passed a patch of low shrubs, he paused.

He looked around.

No one was paying attention to him.

He slipped behind the shrubs, into a corner by the wall.

The countdown in his vision hit zero at that very moment.

[Daily draw has reset. Draw now?]

Draw.

A flash of white light appeared.

Something appeared in his palm.

Chen Xuan looked down.

An iron spoon.

A rusty one.

There was even a small dent in the handle.

[Congratulations, Host, you have obtained: Iron Spoon (Ordinary) ×1]

[Description: An ordinary iron spoon with no special attributes.]

Chen Xuan stared at the spoon for three seconds.

Then, expressionlessly, he stuffed it into his pocket.

Perfect.

He could use it to get food at the cafeteria.

Dorm Seven.

A shabby room with several bunk beds, yellowed bedding, and cobwebs in the corners.

When Chen Xuan pushed open the door and entered, several people were already inside.

Tang San sat on a bed by the window, organizing his bundle.

Chen Xuan chose a lower bunk in the corner and set down his things.

Before he could settle in, the door was pushed open.

A boy half a head taller than them walked in.

He looked around ten years old, broad and thickly built, with obvious flesh on his face.

Wang Sheng.

One of the "old residents" of Dorm Seven.

He swept his eyes over the new faces in the room, the corner of his mouth curling upward.

"More newcomers? You've heard the rules, right?"

No one spoke.

Wang Sheng walked over to Tang San and looked down at him.

"The rules of Dorm Seven are simple. Newcomers fight. If you win, choose any bed you want. If you lose, you'll fetch my food and wash my clothes every day from now on."

Tang San raised his head and looked at him.

"Fine."

Wang Sheng grinned. "Straightforward..."

Before he could finish.

Tang San was already on his feet.

He moved quickly.

Before Wang Sheng could react, a palm struck his chest.

It was not heavy, but it precisely shoved him off balance.

Wang Sheng staggered back three steps, his back hitting the wall.

Tang San withdrew his hand and stood where he was, his expression calm.

"Still want to continue?"

Wang Sheng clutched his chest, his face flushing red.

He wanted to charge forward, but as soon as he lifted his foot, Tang San slightly raised his right hand. At some point, a small needle had appeared between his fingers.

The needle point was aimed at Wang Sheng's throat.

Wang Sheng's foot froze in midair.

"...Fine. You win."

He gritted his teeth and conceded.

Then he turned, sweeping his gaze over everyone else in the room.

Finally, it landed on Chen Xuan.

"What about you? New guy, want to fight too?"

Chen Xuan was sitting on the edge of the bed, fiddling with an iron spoon from his pocket.

Hearing that, he looked up at Wang Sheng.

Then he took a step back and spread his hands.

"I surrender."

Wang Sheng froze.

Everyone else in the room froze too.

Tang San slightly turned his head to glance at Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan looked perfectly calm. "If I can't beat you, I can't beat you. I can help fetch your meals every day too. I have to go to the cafeteria anyway."

He waved the iron spoon in his hand.

"I even brought a spoon."

Wang Sheng opened his mouth, unable to decide what expression to make for a moment.

This guy... why was he nothing like what Wang Sheng had imagined?

Calling him a coward didn't seem right either. His tone, his expression—they didn't look like fear. It was more like... he simply couldn't be bothered to fight.

"...Fine." After holding it in for a long while, Wang Sheng squeezed out those two words.

Chen Xuan sat back down on the bed and stuffed the iron spoon beneath his pillow.

The system panel hung quietly at the edge of his vision.

[Light-Shadow Stone progress: 1/5.]

[Time until next draw: 23 hours 59 minutes.]

No rush.

What mattered most now was figuring out the academy and finding a way to increase his soul power.

As for reputation...

Work-study students were already at the bottom. One more coward like him made no difference, and one less would make no difference either.

If Tang San was willing to be the one in the spotlight, then let him.

Chen Xuan only needed to quietly build up his strength.

Night fell.

Dorm Seven grew quiet.

Wang Sheng curled up on his bed, rubbing his chest and occasionally shooting Tang San a glare.

Tang San sat cross-legged on his bed, eyes closed as he cultivated.

Chen Xuan lay on his side, his eyes half-open.

Just as he was about to fall asleep...

"Bang!"

Dorm Seven's door was shoved open from outside.

The door slammed into the wall with a loud crash.

Everyone looked up.

A girl stood in the doorway.

Her hair was braided into a scorpion braid, and she wore a short pink outfit that exposed a stretch of slender, fair calf.

Her large eyes rolled around as she looked over everyone in the room.

Then she broke into a grin.

"Is this Dorm Seven?"

She tilted her head.

"My name is Xiao Wu. Wu as in dancing."

The room fell silent.

Chen Xuan's eyelid twitched.