To Be Young Is to Be Wild

A ray of dawn broke the silence of the night on the horizon.

Yang Ming opened his eyes. Just as he tried to move, he realized his right arm had long since gone numb.

Turning his head, he saw that Xiao Wu had been using his arm as a pillow. Who knew what sweet dream she was having? A glistening drop of drool slipped from the corner of her mouth, making her look adorably silly.

A wry smile appeared on Yang Ming's lips. If he had known, he would not have told her Dream of the Red Chamber last night. He had originally thought it would persuade her to return to her own bed, but it had the opposite effect. The more Xiao Wu listened, the more engrossed she became, pestering him to finish the rest of the story. Only when Yang Ming could no longer fight off his drowsiness did she finally let him go.

Sigh, what a little demon who could wear people down!

Without waking Xiao Wu, Yang Ming gently eased his arm free and squeezed his stiff, unresponsive right arm. He felt like crying without tears.

After kneading it for a while, the fiery sting finally returned to his arm and the blocked blood began flowing again. Only then did Yang Ming breathe a sigh of relief.

Like Yang Ming, Tang San was long accustomed to waking early. He wore an expression that said he understood, waggled his brows at Yang Ming, and earned a round of eye-rolling in return.

Tang San had bathed early that morning to wash away the smell of alcohol, changed into a clean set of clothes, then slung an arm around Yang Ming's neck and whispered:

"Yang Ming, my teacher is taking me to hunt Soul Beasts. Are you coming? My teacher said that if you come, he wouldn't mind bringing one more person."

Yang Ming's gaze shifted. To be honest, he did not actually need to hunt Soul Beasts. As long as he obtained reward items compatible with the system, he could gain the corresponding Soul Rings.

After all, ordinary people could at most hunt Decade Soul Beasts or Century Soul Beasts. Without special methods, a Soul Scholar could only endure a Soul Ring from a four-hundred-and-twenty-three-year Soul Beast at most.

Yang Ming was no exception.

But if the item came as a system reward, that might not be the case. Perhaps he could obtain a Soul Ring far surpassing that of a Millennium Soul Beast.

Just like Yang Ming's Green Lotus Earth-Core Flame Martial Soul.

A Green Lotus Earth-Core Flame Martial Soul that was over a thousand years old had already surpassed ordinary Martial Souls from the very beginning.

But accordingly, finding suitable Soul Rings for the Green Lotus Earth-Core Flame Martial Soul was rather difficult. In comparison, the Mysterious Sword was much simpler.

Back to the point.

Although Yang Ming initially disdained killing Soul Beasts to obtain Soul Rings, he still needed to go out and hunt some.

For no other reason than to avoid arousing suspicion. Otherwise, he would have no way to explain how he obtained Soul Rings later.

Yang Ming nodded and accepted Tang San's invitation.

Tang San was secretly delighted. When his teacher had asked him to invite Yang Ming last night, he had worried that Yang Ming would refuse. He had not expected Yang Ming to be so agreeable this time.

Yang Ming and Tang San left the dormitory together and saw Grandmaster already waiting beneath the dormitory building.

"Good morning, Grandmaster."

Yang Ming bowed slightly. He appeared polite and refined, giving no indication that he was the same person who had made such wild remarks yesterday.

Grandmaster smiled faintly and nodded in greeting. Taking two meat buns from his bag, he handed one each to Yang Ming and Tang San.

"Eat these first to fill your stomachs. We won't leave in a hurry. We need to go into the city to buy supplies first."

The two had only just arrived, so naturally they had no objections.

Yang Ming held the meat bun. Its skin was no longer particularly hot, only warm, so Grandmaster must have bought them some time ago. It was no small effort for him to get up so early to buy breakfast for two children. Moreover, he did not put on any airs as an elder, simply waiting downstairs for them the whole time.

Lost in thought, Yang Ming took a bite of the fluffy, soft bun.

The savory meat filling and thick, pillowy wrapper stimulated his taste buds, making it exceptionally appetizing. One bun was far from enough to fill his stomach.

Unfortunately, Grandmaster had clearly not expected Yang Ming to come, so he had only bought two meat buns. Yang Ming could not help feeling a little regretful.

In the early morning, a cool breeze swept through Notting City. Thin morning light fell upon the city walls, making their outlines seem as though they had been gilded in shimmering gold.

There were not many pedestrians on the road, but vendors who rose early to sell breakfast had already opened for business. Tempting food aromas drifted from the carts, while hawkers' cries rose and fell, bringing a touch of liveliness to the cool morning.

Grandmaster's preparations were not complicated. He bought three waterskins specifically for carrying drinking water, each capable of holding a full five liters. He also bought preserved meat, flatbread, fruit, and other food suitable for eating in the wild, filling three large bundles.

Besides that, Grandmaster also bought a full twenty jin of white radishes.

At the sight of those radishes, Yang Ming recalled Grandmaster's Martial Soul that fought by farting, and a smile touched his lips.

After purchasing everything, Grandmaster hired a carriage in the city and paid the driver five Silver Soul Coins.

1 Golden Soul Coin = 10 Silver Soul Coins = 100 Copper Soul Coins.

One Golden Soul Coin was enough to cover the ordinary expenses of a typical family of three for several months. It was also equivalent to what Yang Ming and Tang San could earn from three years of work at Notting Academy.

The reason Spirit Masters were considered the noblest profession on the continent was largely due to their income. Even advancing from a Soul Scholar to a Spirit Master entitled one to a monthly subsidy of one Golden Soul Coin. That was precisely why Wang Sheng had once said that his dream was to become a Spirit Master.

Once a Spirit Master cultivated to a higher level and surpassed the Great Spirit Master rank to become a Spirit Elder, registering at Spirit Hall would earn him a noble title directly granted by the state, making him a baron, the lowest rank of nobility. The greater his strength, the higher his noble title, and the more his income would rise accordingly.

Thinking of this, Grandmaster recalled how Yang Ming had thrown down twenty-five gold coins last night just to vent his anger, treating so many people to a meal on the second floor of the academy cafeteria. His face twitched slightly.

Even for Grandmaster, twenty-five gold coins was no small sum.

The three sat in the carriage. With nothing else to do, Grandmaster made conversation.

"Yang Ming, there's something I'm not sure whether I should say."

Yang Ming raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"Grandmaster, please speak freely."

Grandmaster nodded slightly and spoke slowly.

"Ordinarily, I should not say anything. But you are my disciple Tang San's good friend and good brother. As an elder, I feel I should still remind you."

"What you said on the second floor of the cafeteria last night was indeed encouraging for students from commoner backgrounds, but you also offended those wealthy young masters. If you graduate from the academy and wish to make a living in Notting City, the families behind them may obstruct you. That would be very detrimental to your future."

Yang Ming had thought Grandmaster would say something important. So he was worried about this.

Yang Ming did not want to interact too often with someone as clever as Grandmaster.

Afraid that his earlier efforts would go to waste, Yang Ming chuckled. Unparalleled confidence shone from his brows as he declared brightly:

"When a fledgling eagle has grown, it must dance beneath the sky. To be young and not wild is to waste one's youth!"

(Ahem, I was still rather tactful with my wording in the previous chapter. I only said that I would temporarily write about family bonds and friendship. Ahem, as for how the plot develops later, that will depend on everyone's opinions. Please leave your thoughts in the comments so I'll know how to write it.)

(Also, recommendations are here. Starting today, there will be a guaranteed three updates per day, with extra chapters for previous rewards.)

(During the recommendation period, updates will be posted at midnight, 6 a.m., noon, and 8 p.m., one chapter each.)

(There will also be updates tonight at 10 p.m. and at midnight.)