Rumors Spreading Across the Continent

"By the way, since your Martial Soul is fire-attributed, Lin Huo, why not leave with Uncle and enroll at our Fire Sprout Junior Soul Master Academy?

"Our Blazing Fire Academy has a complete advancement system. Once you become a Soul Master, you can advance to the Flame Intermediate Soul Master Academy.

"If you can become a Soul Grandmaster before turning eighteen, you can continue your studies at our Blazing Fire Advanced Soul Master Academy."

Huo Tian formally extended an invitation to Lin Huo. This was precisely why he had made the special trip to Lin Huo's home.

A perfectly ordinary Innate Soul Power of rank five, combined with a fire-attributed Martial Soul, fit Blazing Fire Academy's recruitment standards to a tee.

Huo Tian's words surprised Lin Huo somewhat. After all, the original story had clearly stated that among the major elemental academies, only Skywater Academy accepted commoner Soul Masters.

Now it seemed that the original story's perspective had mostly centered on Tang San and his group. Not everything it said could be trusted.

"A Soul Grandmaster can attend Blazing Fire Advanced Soul Master Academy? But I heard the elders in town say that only nobles can attend that academy."

Hearing that, Huo Tian seemed to have had a sore spot struck. His face immediately darkened, and a flood of resentment welled up inside him.

Of course, that resentment was not directed at Lin Huo, but at the rumors spreading across the continent through hearsay.

"Lin Huo, I'll call you Little Huo. You're still young, so you don't understand that those claims are nothing but malicious slander."

Huo Tian took a deep breath to calm himself before asking, "Little Huo, do you know how many Soul Masters there are in the world?"

Lin Huo scratched his head. "Maybe several hundred thousand?"

Just how many Soul Masters existed in Douluo Continent's Soul Master world? The original story had mentioned that the total did not exceed six figures, but Lin Huo had always felt that number was unreliable.

"Several hundred thousand?" Huo Tian shook his head with a smile. "Even counting the Soul Masters hidden away by the major factions, the entire Soul Master world has, at most, only a little over a hundred thousand Soul Masters."

By this point, Lin Huo had already realized where the issue lay, while Huo Tian patiently continued his explanation.

"There are only a little over a hundred thousand Soul Masters in the entire world. Even among commoners, there are occasionally lucky children like you who possess Innate Soul Power.

"How many of them are even of school age? At the absolute most, there are barely over ten thousand.

"And those ten thousand-plus young Soul Masters are divided among countless sects, clans, Spirit Hall, and many academies within the two great empires. How many school-age Soul Masters are left in the Heaven Dou Empire after that?

"Even all the Soul Masters remaining in the Heaven Dou Empire together do not amount to several thousand.

"And among them, how many have fire-attributed Martial Souls? How many are of noble birth? How many fire-attributed Soul Masters possess Innate Soul Power of rank five?

"Besides, within the Heaven Dou Empire, Blazing Fire Academy isn't the only advanced Soul Master Academy that recruits fire-attributed Soul Masters.

"If there really were some bullshit rule saying that only nobles could enroll, then Blazing Fire Academy might as well shut down as soon as possible."

"The competition really is fierce, huh." Feeling the difficulty behind Huo Tian's words, Lin Huo gave an awkward laugh and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

He was sweating not only over Huo Tian's chatterbox nature, but also over the absurdly intense competition for Soul Master resources in Douluo Continent.

Still simmering with resentment, Huo Tian continued gloomily, "The overall environment is bad. If I, the director of admissions, don't go out and recruit students myself, how will our Blazing Fire Academy branch have any students left to teach in the long run?

"Once we have no students to teach, we'll fall behind other academies in cultivating connections. The Empire's funding, assistance, and policy support will all decrease.

"Even the development of the Fire Clan behind our academy will be affected to varying degrees. How can that be allowed?

"Now do you understand just how hateful those bastards spreading rumors in secret are? They're digging at the roots of academies like ours!"

Lin Huo remained silent. Huo Tian's words made sense. If the admission requirements of the major elemental academies were truly as the rumors claimed, it would only be a matter of time before they shut their doors.

Moreover, Lin Huo suspected that the bastards Huo Tian referred to were most likely Spirit Hall.

After all, once the reputation of the major elemental academies as schools that accepted only noble children spread, Spirit Academy would naturally see an endless stream of applicants.

For Spirit Hall, which was ambitious and constantly expanding its military strength, that was undoubtedly the scenario it most wanted to see.

Still, there was one thing Lin Huo could not quite understand. "Then if only accepting noble children is a rumor, why doesn't Blazing Fire Academy simply issue a declaration to the entire continent?"

Huo Tian looked at Lin Huo with a hint more surprise. In his view, for a six-year-old like Lin Huo to think of this question, his intelligence was no less than that of Huo Tian's well-educated nephew and niece.

However, as the director of admissions who traveled everywhere, Huo Tian had seen plenty of children from poor families forced into early maturity by hardship. He was already used to it, so his surprise did not last long.

"Little Huo, your thinking is right, but you're still a little naive. Rumors aren't as simple as you think. If issuing a declaration really worked, the major elemental academies wouldn't be in their current situation."

A trace of helplessness colored his voice. Huo Tian sighed lightly, then pulled himself together again.

"Enough. Let's not talk about this troublesome nonsense. As for attending Fire Sprout Junior Soul Master Academy with me, Little Huo, what do you think now?"

What was there to consider? Did he even have another choice? Lin Huo felt helpless, but he did not hold much resentment.

After all, from the moment he revealed his Little Fire Dragon Martial Soul, Blazing Fire Academy, renowned for nurturing fire-attributed Soul Masters, had already become one of his goals.

Now that he could directly attend Fire Sprout Junior Soul Master Academy under Blazing Fire Academy, it suited his plans perfectly.

"Of course I'm willing. It's just that I don't want to take up the town's work-study student slot. The two hundred-odd Gold Soul Coins you gave me should be enough for the enrollment fee, right, Uncle?" Lin Huo rubbed his hands, looking slightly hesitant.

According to the laws established by the Heaven Dou Empire, each village or town had only one work-study student slot.

However, there were two other children in town who possessed Innate Soul Power, and both were the town chief's children.

Obtaining even a second work-study student slot would already be difficult, let alone adding another one...

The town chief's family often helped support him, and Lin Huo truly did not want to trouble them further.

Before coming to Lin Huo's home, Huo Tian had specifically asked around town about Lin Huo and the town's circumstances. Naturally, he knew what Lin Huo was thinking.

A sensible child who knew how to repay kindness was simply hard not to like.

His eyes filled with appreciation, and Huo Tian laughed heartily. "Don't worry. You have Innate Soul Power of rank five, which already meets the academy's standards for its new student support policy. Just come with me and focus on studying.

"You'll enroll as a regular student, and the policy support can waive at least your first three years of tuition and miscellaneous fees.

"If you perform well enough and your Soul Power improves quickly enough, the academy will offer you even more rewards."

Lin Huo was delighted, secretly thinking that the Blazing Fire Academy branch was what a proper academy ought to be.

Unlike Shrek, which was practically a joke. Other than its teaching staff being somewhat decent, it was a genuine no-name school in every other respect.

"Uncle, when are we leaving? If there's no rush, I'd like to visit the town chief's home first."

"No rush. Pack your things first. I'll go over with you in a while, then we'll head straight to the academy."

Pack his things? Lin Huo looked at the ruins scattered across the ground, and the corner of his eye twitched uncontrollably.