Enrolling at Spirit Hall

"Woohoo! Nothing beats surviving a brush with death!" Xiao Ran cried gleefully in midair.

Half a day later, he reached Spirit City. It was already evening when he arrived.

Six towering white stone walls surrounded Spirit City, and the golden Pope's Palace crowned the hill. An enormous statue of the Six-Winged Angel stood before it. The moment he entered, he felt an oppressive might that seemed to look down upon the entire continent!

"Holy crap, Spirit City is even grander than the Heaven Dou Empire! Just what I'd expect from a place run by my number-one wife, Bibi Dong... ahem, Pope Bibi Dong."

After flying over to a large tree, Xiao Ran looked down at his filthy clothes and decided to buy another outfit so he could look presentable before heading to Spirit Hall.

Once he had bought his clothes, he checked into the Five-Star Hotel in Spirit City.

"After all that trouble, I'm almost out of gold soul coins. Looks like I have to join Spirit Hall. Stick with them, and I'll be living large!" Xiao Ran burst into delighted laughter.

Early the next morning, Xiao Ran washed up and changed into his newly bought white training outfit. Dressed up like a gentleman, he struck a pose before the bronze mirror that he thought looked devastatingly handsome.

At Spirit Hall Academy's admissions office, Xiao Ran went through registration, testing, and a practical combat assessment.

The instructor handling registration flipped through his file with a peculiar expression. "A ten thousand year soul ring as your third ring. Your talent is exceptional. You may study at Spirit Hall. In three months, come to the academy's Elite Tournament qualifiers. The top seven can become direct disciples of Spirit Hall."

"OK, it's a deal!" Xiao Ran jumped for joy.

The instructor nodded. "You'll join Angel Class, then. Come to the academy's Elite Tournament qualifiers in three months. Here are your uniform, token, and dormitory key."

Xiao Ran accepted the items, his eyes shining. "Sir, will Her Holiness the Pope come to watch the Elite Tournament?"

The instructor shot him a sharp glance. "Her Holiness the Pope has countless affairs to attend to. She doesn't simply drop by the academy. Only the top seven in the Elite Tournament are eligible to enter the Pope's Palace and receive awards. Whether you get to meet Her Holiness then depends entirely on your own ability."

Xiao Ran chuckled, lovestruck drool spilling from his mouth as delight blossomed inside him.

That night, he lay in bed leafing through the elite handbook and working out his next steps.

"As long as I place in the top seven in three months, Bibi Dong will reward me in person. Oh, what a wonderful thing that'll be..."

Bibi Dong had it rough in Xiao Ran's imagination.

Over the next few days, Xiao Ran trained at the academy by day and secretly continued tempering his body at night with the immortal herbs he had pilfered from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Meanwhile, at the Pope's Palace, news of "a new boy whose third soul ring was ten thousand years old" reached Bibi Dong.

Bibi Dong opened the report in her hands, her gaze lingering on the name "Xiao Ran." Then she glanced at his martial soul, "black-and-white short club," and tapped the paper lightly with her fingertips.

"A black-and-white short club... That's a first."

She closed the report, tossed it aside, and returned to reviewing documents. Xiao Ran, meanwhile, was lying in bed, grinning foolishly at the ceiling.

Early the next morning, Xiao Ran pocketed his remaining gold soul coins, left the academy, and headed straight for Spirit City's central shopping street.

He couldn't bear to use what he had pilfered from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, so he entered a medicinal herb shop called Treasures Pavilion to see whether there was anything he could buy.

The moment he stepped inside, the shop assistant greeted him respectfully, having noticed the Spirit Hall emblem on his uniform.

"Three portions each of dragon blood grass, iron bone flower, whale gelatin, and earth core milk. Also, do you have medicinal bath mixes for body tempering? The kind you sell in ready-made packs."

The assistant tallied the bill. "Six hundred gold soul coins altogether."

Xiao Ran gave an awkward smile. He only had five hundred gold soul coins on him. Great. He couldn't afford it.

Just as he was about to leave, a cool female voice sounded behind him. "Dragon blood grass combined with iron bone flower is too potent. It's easy to damage your meridians when tempering your body with them. Add coldheart orchid to balance them out, and you'll get twice the results while saving on recuperation afterward."

Xiao Ran turned to see a woman in a long golden dress standing in the doorway. Her expression was cool, and an Angel Class badge hung at her chest.

The assistant hurriedly bowed. "Oh, Miss Hu! Please, have a seat."

At the sight, Xiao Ran couldn't help wondering, Isn't that Hu Liena? Why is she in Angel Class too? Does that mean I've transferred into their class?

After buying her herbs, Hu Liena tilted her head to glance at Xiao Ran. "Are you short on money?"

"Uh, yeah. I've only got five hundred gold soul coins..." Xiao Ran scratched his head.

Hu Liena fell silent for a moment, then took a thousand gold soul coins from her sleeve and set them on the counter before turning to leave.

"Wait, Senior Sister!" Xiao Ran hurried after her. "I couldn't possibly accept this without doing something for you. How about I treat you to a meal?"

"No need," Hu Liena said.

Walking beside her, Xiao Ran took her hand and tugged at it as he spoke. "Senior Sister, you covered my medicine today. If I don't show my thanks, how am I supposed to face anyone when word gets out?"

Hu Liena tilted her head slightly, puzzled. "You're Xiao Ran?"

"That's right. We're classmates." Xiao Ran gave her a lecherous grin.

Hu Liena looked him up and down, then swiftly pulled her hand free. "There were only six people in Angel Class. I do remember seeing an extra name on the roster. I didn't expect it to be you."

"Of course it's me! Who else would I be? I'm the genius at our academy who absorbed a ten thousand year soul ring at such a young age. But, Senior Sister, don't just focus on how strong I am. What do you think of me as a person?" Xiao Ran asked smugly.

Hu Liena looked at him for two seconds, then curled her lips slightly. "A smooth talker."

With that, she turned and left, the hem of her golden dress disappearing around the street corner.

Xiao Ran stood there stroking his chin, his eyes narrowing into smiling slits.

"Hehehe, looks like I've got a chance."

Classes officially began the next day. The moment Xiao Ran pushed open the door, he saw Hu Liena leafing through the Pharmacopoeia. He strode over and set breakfast on her desk.

"Senior Sister, here's breakfast. I made sure to bring you a portion."

"I've already eaten," Hu Liena replied.

"You can still eat even if you've eaten already." Xiao Ran held back a laugh.

A little later, Xie Yue and Yan walked in one after the other. Seeing Xiao Ran sitting beside Hu Liena, they exchanged a glance, but neither said anything.

Xiao Ran paid them no mind either. He merely said, "Senior Sister, call me next time you go to buy herbs. I'll carry your basket."

Sun Chuantao, Zhang Ping, and Xu Yu arrived one after another. All of them were members of the Spirit Hall Golden Generation from Xiao Ran's memories.

There are seven people in the Spirit Hall Golden Generation. Looks like I'm going to be one of them. Xiao Ran felt perfectly at ease, having anticipated the outcome long ago.