Nuoding Academy

Morning sunlight streamed through the window lattice into the room. Little Seven opened his eyes and saw Tang Wulin sitting by the bed, fiddling with a wooden sword.

"Little Seven, you're finally awake!" Tang Wulin jumped up excitedly. "Do you know? After you passed out yesterday, the people from Spirit Hall were stunned! They said you're a once-in-a-century genius with twin martial souls!"

Little Seven rubbed his still-throbbing temples, feeling the surging soul power within him. He could clearly sense that his soul power fluctuations were completely identical to Tang Wulin's, as though an invisible bond had formed between them.

"Wulin, I..." Little Seven had just begun to speak when Tang's mother pushed open the door and entered.

"Little Seven, you're awake?" Tang's mother smiled gently. "Come eat breakfast. Today is the day you two report to Nuoding Academy."

At the dining table, Tang's father was reading the newspaper when he suddenly frowned. "The city hasn't been peaceful lately. I heard several soul masters have gone missing."

"Don't talk about that in front of the children." Tang's mother shot her husband a reproachful look, then turned to the two boys. "Eat up. I'll take you to the academy later."

Nuoding Academy was located in the eastern district of Holy Soul City. It was a prestigious old soul master academy with a century of history. The moment Little Seven and Tang Wulin entered through its gates, they immediately felt the dense fluctuations of soul power.

"Wow, there are so many people!" Tang Wulin looked around excitedly.

Little Seven, however, noticed several unfriendly gazes fixed on them from within the crowd. Instinctively, he tugged at Tang Wulin's sleeve and whispered, "Be careful."

Sure enough, a tall boy approached with several lackeys in tow. "New here? Do you know the rules?"

Tang Wulin was about to speak, but Little Seven stepped in front of him first. "What rules?"

"Hmph, looks like you don't know any better." The tall boy sneered. "Here, new students have to pay protection money. Otherwise..."

Before he could finish, Little Seven had already released his Shadow Dragon Martial Soul. A pitch-black dragon silhouette emerged behind him, and its powerful pressure forced everyone nearby to retreat several steps.

"Y-you're actually a soul master!" The tall boy's face changed drastically. At Nuoding Academy, anyone who became a soul master before even enrolling was a genius among geniuses.

Just then, a gentle voice rang out. "All right, everyone, disperse."

A middle-aged man in a white robe walked over. The badge on his chest showed that he was a Soul Emperor-level powerhouse.

"I'm your homeroom teacher. My surname is Li." Teacher Li studied Little Seven and Tang Wulin. "You two, come with me."

In the office, Teacher Li carefully examined the two boys' martial souls and soul power. A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. "Not bad. You both have innately full soul power. Especially you, Little Seven. Twin martial souls are an exceptionally rare gift."

"Teacher, I have a question." Little Seven hesitated. "Why are my soul power fluctuations exactly the same as Wulin's?"

Teacher Li pondered for a moment. "I've never seen anything like this either. But since you're good friends, why not form a team? At Nuoding Academy, teamwork is very important."

From that day onward, Little Seven and Tang Wulin began their cultivation lives at Nuoding Academy. They discovered that whenever Tang Wulin's soul power made a breakthrough, Little Seven's soul power would grow along with it. This peculiar connection made their cultivation speed far surpass that of ordinary people.

However, the peaceful days did not last long. A month later, another soul master disappearance occurred in Holy Soul City. This time, the missing person was a teacher from Nuoding Academy.

"I heard that teacher got into trouble while investigating the previous disappearances." Tang Wulin lowered his voice as he spoke to Little Seven. "Should we..."

"Don't meddle in things that aren't our business." Little Seven cut him off. "We're not strong enough yet."

But fate seemed unwilling to let them stay out of it. That night, Little Seven suddenly woke from his sleep. He sensed a powerful fluctuation of soul power coming from the academy's back mountain.

"Wulin!" Little Seven shook the sleeping Tang Wulin awake. "Something's happening at the back mountain!"

The two quietly made their way there and saw a shocking scene: several men in black were stuffing an unconscious soul master into a sack, and that soul master was unmistakably their classmate!

"Stop!" Tang Wulin could not help but shout.

The men in black spun around. A cold glint flashed in the leader's eyes. "Didn't expect more to deliver themselves to us."

Little Seven immediately released his Shadow Dragon Martial Soul, but the enemy was clearly far stronger. At that critical moment, a burst of golden light suddenly erupted from Tang Wulin's body, knocking the men in black back several steps.

"This is... the Golden Dragon King's power?" one of the men in black cried out. "Retreat!"

By the time Teacher Li rushed over after receiving the news, the men in black had already vanished without a trace. He looked at the two still-shaken students, his expression grave. "It seems some things can no longer be kept hidden..."