Nuoding Academy

While Xiao Ran was still puzzling over it, Su Yuntao led everyone out of the hall.

Su Yuntao smiled at Old Jack. "Your village did fairly well this year. Two children can become soul masters, and one even has full innate soul power!"

"What?" Old Jack was stunned. He had never expected a child with full innate soul power.

Old Jack looked at the two children walking beside Su Yuntao. "Sir, those two must be Tang San and Xiao Ran." As he spoke, he patted them on the shoulders.

"Yes. Unfortunately, the one with full innate soul power has Blue Silver Grass as his martial soul. Well, talk to them yourself. I have another village to visit."

Old Jack gazed at the two children with pride. "I never imagined you'd both be so talented. Tell Grandpa, do you want to become honorable soul masters?"

"Of course, Grandpa!" Xiao Ran answered loudly.

"Good. That's what I wanted to hear."

Then he turned to Tang San. "Little San, I know what things are like at home. I'll speak to your father myself."

"Thank you, Grandpa Village Chief."

"Come on. I'll take you home."

Once home, Xiao Ran eagerly summoned his martial soul, ready to study it properly.

"Shaking it does nothing, and it won't extend. I can't even use it as a weapon! Huh? What's this point on top for?"

Xiao Ran touched the point, but the spark remained inert.

What happened next, however, caught him completely off guard.

"Ah! What is this? It's burning hot! I can't take it!"

Two streams of light, one silver-blue and one dark violet, raced along the spark and into his arm. A mark slowly appeared on the back of his right hand. One half shimmered with brilliant starlight; the other swirled with dark radiance.

"Holy shit! What is this thing? I can't rub it off! Does this martial soul come with a tattoo?"

The moment he finished speaking, the Dark Silver Spark in his hand blazed. Silver-blue and dark-violet light intertwined, filling the entire cottage.

When the light faded, two palm-sized dolls lay quietly on the floor. Xiao Ran hurried over and picked them up.

"These are... Ultraman Ginga! Dark Lugiel!"

Xiao Ran's pupils contracted. Then he burst into delighted laughter. "I knew it looked familiar! Haha! Fortune's smiling on me! I, Xiao Ran, have been acknowledged by both darkness and light!"

"No wonder it looked so strange. The Ginga Spark and Dark Spark have fused into one. I didn't recognize it at first."

Xiao Ran stared at the Ginga doll in his hand and felt the urge to try it.

"So my martial soul is a transformation device. Let's see it work!"

"Super Fusion! Ultraman Ginga!"

Brilliant light erupted.

When it faded, Xiao Ran had successfully transformed into Ultraman Ginga, but he was still the size of an ordinary person.

"Huh? Why am I still so small? Grow! Fly!"

He thrust his arm up, imitating Ultraman in flight, but his body did not budge. He showed no sign of leaving the ground.

"Ding!"

Congratulations, host. You have successfully awakened your martial soul: Dark Silver Spark.

Talent ability unlocked: Spark Doll Sealing.

Ability description: You can turn defeated soul beasts that can no longer resist into Spark Dolls.

Note: Your current level is insufficient to unlock the giant form. It becomes available at level seventy, upon obtaining your Martial Soul Avatar.

Xiao Ran froze. The smile slowly slipped from his face.

"You've got to be kidding... I'm stuck at human size? And I have to wait until level seventy to grow?"

"Level seventy... a Soul Saint?" Xiao Ran muttered miserably. "How long is that going to take?"

He tried throwing a punch. Wind whistled from his fist, and the force made the wooden table in the room tremble.

"Well, at least I'm a lot stronger."

"Enough!"

At Xiao Ran's low shout, the transformation immediately ended.

He picked up the other doll, Dark Lugiel, and tried channeling soul power into it to bring him into physical form. The doll merely trembled once, then fell still.

"Ding!"

Notice: Your current soul power is insufficient to bring the Dark Lugiel doll into physical form. You can only call upon Ginga's basic power.

"Oh well. Being able to use Ginga's power at this stage is good enough."

Xiao Ran pursed his lips and carefully tucked both dolls into his clothes.

Three months after his martial soul awakened.

"Xiao Ran, I'm here to take you to the academy."

When Xiao Ran opened the door, he saw Tang San standing beside Old Jack.

"Okay, Grandpa Village Chief!"

Throughout the journey, Tang San kept his eyes closed and cultivated in silence. Xiao Ran, on the other hand, was a chatterbox. Walking beside Tang San, he talked nonstop and kept leaning over to strike up conversations.

After several days of travel, they finally reached Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.

The sign above the gate bore the words "Nuoding Academy" in large letters.

"Wow, that's impressive. Even grander than I expected."

Xiao Ran was pleased.

But they had barely reached the gate when someone stopped them.

"What are you here for? Look at those rags. No unauthorized visitors allowed!"

Old Jack hurriedly put on a smile and bowed. "Young man, we're from Holy Soul Village. These two children are this year's work-study students from our village. What procedures do we need to complete?"

The gatekeeper burst out laughing. "You expect golden phoenixes to come from a dump? You're just here to mooch food and drink, aren't you?"

At those words, Tang San prepared to act.

Suppressing his anger, Old Jack quickly pulled out the certificate Su Yuntao had issued. "Please have a look, sir."

"Let's see this damn certificate. Hahaha! One has level-three soul power and a short stick for a martial soul. The other has Blue Silver Grass! Hahaha! What good is full innate soul power with that? That's hilarious."

Tang San had had enough.

He darted forward and slid into the gatekeeper, knocking him to the ground.

"Little San, what was that...?" Old Jack stared at him in astonishment.

"Oh, look at you showing off again, Tang San. You really know how to make an entrance."

Xiao Ran muttered under his breath.

The gatekeeper struggled to get up, but Tang San pinned his arm behind his back and held him down.

Just then, a loud voice rang out.

"Stop!"

Xiao Ran turned. The newcomer was thin, with black hair parted to one side and an unremarkable face. His hands were clasped behind his back, and a hint of weariness hung between his brows.

"Oh, it's useless Xiaogang!"

Xiao Ran doubled over laughing at the sight of Yu Xiaogang, giggling like a baby dragon.

"Master, you're back."

Tang San released the gatekeeper, who immediately scrambled up and bowed obsequiously to Yu Xiaogang.

The Master glanced at him, then turned to Tang San and Old Jack's group. "Sir, may I see your Spirit Hall certificate?"

Old Jack quickly handed it over.

The Master examined it and found nothing wrong.

"The certificate is in order. Sir, let these two children come with me to complete their enrollment."

"Thank you, sir! Sorry for the trouble with Tang San and Xiao Ran. You two behave yourselves in there."

"We will, Grandpa."

Tang San and Xiao Ran answered in unison.

After Xiao Ran and the others entered the academy, the village chief turned and left.

Inside, the two boys followed Yu Xiaogang to his office.

"Thank you for arriving when you did, Teacher," Tang San said.

The Master smiled and waved a hand. "I'm no teacher. I'm just a freeloader living here. Call me Master like everyone else does. Unless..."

At that, Yu Xiaogang stood up, eyes shining, and rubbed his hands together.

"Unless what?"

Tang San looked puzzled.

"Unless you're willing to become my student!"

Tang San said nothing. He looked at the Master, then lowered his head.

The Master gave a soft snort, rose, and paced back and forth before speaking again. "You're a clever child. I suppose I'll have to press the matter. You have twin martial souls, don't you?"

Tang San's heart jolted. He raised his left hand slightly.

But the Master pressed on. "Wondering how I know your secret? Hmph. Don't forget, I am the Master."

"I've studied more than six hundred people whose martial soul was Blue Silver Grass. Fewer than three percent had soul power, and not one of those had more than level-one soul power! According to my Ten Core Competition Theories of Martial Souls, if you have full innate soul power, another exceptionally powerful martial soul must be supporting it!"

Tang San slowly raised his left hand. "But what if I'm the exception?"

The Master shook his head. "There are exceptions to everything, but according to my theory, your Blue Silver Grass cannot be one! Well? If you become my student, I'll teach you everything I know!"

Tang San thought for a moment, then knelt and respectfully kowtowed to Yu Xiaogang. "Teacher, please accept me as your student!"

Wanting more opportunities to get close to Tang San, Xiao Ran decided to become the Master's student too. But as soon as he knelt, Yu Xiaogang hurriedly pulled him up.

"Xiao Ran, just call me Master. Your soul power is only level three, and your martial soul is a very short stick. It won't be much use. Taking you as a student would only waste my energy!"

With that, he turned a fond gaze on Tang San. "Little San, my dear student, let's go register at the academic affairs office."

"Move aside!"

Yu Xiaogang shoved Xiao Ran away from the doorway, took Tang San by the hand, and headed straight for the academic affairs office.