Sunflower, but Without the Filter

Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy.

"You're the new work-study student?"

Wang Sheng folded his arms and looked at Jin Yang, who stood in the doorway laden with bags. After sizing him up, he stepped aside and let him into the dormitory.

"Yes. I'm from Sunward Village, and my Martial Soul is a sunflower." Jin Yang came in and set down the bags he had been carrying.

"What level is your Soul Power? We work-study students have a rule: newcomers have to fight first. Whoever wins becomes the boss of Dorm Seven."

Wang Sheng looked at Jin Yang expectantly.

"Sister Xiao Wu is our dorm's boss right now, but she isn't here. You might have to wait a while."

"Huh? My Soul Power is only level two and a half. How could I possibly win?"

Jin Yang spread his hands helplessly. "I'll just be a follower."

Ever since he had crossed into this world, he had looked forward to awakening his Martial Soul.

He had thought he would be like every transmigrator before him, blessed with Innate Full Soul Power and an invincible cheat, ready to make his mark on Douluo Continent with a beauty on each arm.

Instead, Jin Yang had waited six years without a system appearing. Even when his Martial Soul awakened, his Innate Soul Power had only reached level two and a half.

That was much better than Grandmaster's, but unlike Grandmaster, he didn't have a Titled Douluo for a father.

"Here, this is my Martial Soul."

Jin Yang summoned his Martial Soul. A smiling sunflower that swayed from side to side appeared above his head.

His Martial Soul was the Sunflower from Plants vs. Zombies. All she could do was sway from side to side and puff out sunlight.

Was he supposed to fight a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast that had taken human form with his head?

It seemed his future held nothing beyond becoming a support-type Soul Master.

After several days of careful observation, he had found nothing special about this lousy Martial Soul apart from the occasional bit of sunlight she spat out.

The sunlight was edible. It tasted good, with a strong sunflower-seed flavor.

It was remarkably filling. After eating it, he wouldn't feel hungry all day, and it could replenish Soul Power and strengthen his body.

The one thing worth praising was how much it improved his physique. In just a few days, he felt his physical condition had at least doubled. He was much stronger, and the improvement to his stamina was especially clear.

He had stored away all the sunlight he collected over the past few days. Now he could survive on it alone without eating meals.

"Your Martial Soul is so weird. Are there really sunflowers like that? One that smiles? It's a little creepy."

One look at Jin Yang's sunflower Martial Soul, and Wang Sheng was ready to yield for his own good.

Not that Wang Sheng could be blamed. Jin Yang's Martial Soul had no game filter over her: there really were eyes and a mouth growing on a sunflower.

Crazy Dave's crazy plants did look crazy in real life.

"Brother, please put your Martial Soul away. I surrender."

"All right. I'll go make up my bed."

Only one bed in Dorm Seven was still unclaimed. Jin Yang put his things on it.

Then he looked at the two beds pushed together not far away.

A chill ran down Jin Yang's spine.

Good grief. A grown man's soul in his thirties and a hundred-thousand-year-old rabbit were pretending to be children and sleeping together. It was hard to say which was worse.

He hadn't thought much of it when he read the book, but now that he considered it, it was absurd.

Wang Sheng and the other work-study students were fairly welcoming. They helped Jin Yang make up his bed.

"Wang Sheng, isn't Tang San's Martial Soul a plant too?"

Another work-study student in the dormitory asked Wang Sheng curiously.

"Blue Silver Grass, I think?"

Wang Sheng sounded unsure.

"Plant-type Martial Souls are pretty rare."

At Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy, most students had animal-type Martial Souls or tool-type ones, such as hammers, sickles, and hoes.

Plant-type Martial Souls seldom appeared.

Yet two had arrived at once this time.

And both belonged to work-study students.

"Forget it. Why do you care so much about someone else's Martial Soul? Just focus on your own cultivation."

Wang Sheng gave the student a look of exasperation. "Have you reached level ten yet? Why aren't you cultivating already? Who knows if you'll even get a Soul Ring before you leave the academy?"

"Jin Yang, you should cultivate hard too. Your Soul Power is only level two and a half, so it'll probably take you a long time." Wang Sheng had a bit of a mother hen in him. He fussed over one student, then the next.

"Jin Yang, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Want to go to the dining hall with us? Tang San and the others probably haven't finished. We can come back with them."

Wang Sheng invited Jin Yang to eat with them.

He felt plenty of sympathy for a six-year-old whose Innate Soul Power was even lower than his own.

"Let's eat these. This sunlight is produced by my Martial Soul. One will keep you from needing food all day and replenish your Soul Power."

Jin Yang took two pieces of sunlight from his bag and gave them to Wang Sheng and the other student who had helped with his bed, as thanks for their help.

"Maybe I'll become a food-type support Soul Master someday." Like Oscar.

Jin Yang kept the last part to himself.

He merely smiled at the two children before him. Although he had been in this world for six years, he hadn't adopted a child's way of thinking like Tang San. In his own eyes, he was still the adult he had been, already in his thirties.

If there was one thing an adult worker had in abundance, it was the ability to handle pressure. The moment he learned his Soul Power was only level two and a half, he had prepared himself for an ordinary life.

"You're food-type too?!" Wang Sheng's eyes widened.

"That's right."

"That's great. Does that mean we'll never have to go hungry again?" the other student murmured.

Just then, the dormitory door opened, and a boisterous girl ran in.

It was Xiao Wu.

The ordinary-looking child behind her was Tang San.

Beside lively Xiao Wu, Tang San looked rather gloomy.

Damp, brooding ghost of a guy. The phrase flashed through Jin Yang's mind.

Xiao Wu quickly noticed the unfamiliar face.

"Who are you? A new work-study student?"

"That's right. My name's Jin Yang."

"I'm the current boss of Dorm Seven. Want to fight?" Xiao Wu looked eager to try, ready to give Jin Yang an Eight-Stage Throw at any moment.

"Xiao Wu, don't." Tang San caught her arm and turned to Jin Yang.

"Sorry. I'm Tang San, and this is Xiao Wu. Under the work-study students' rules, newcomers really do have to fight the boss," Tang San explained.

"Wang Sheng told me. But I surrender. My Innate Soul Power is only level two and a half."

Jin Yang shrugged.

When Tang San heard Jin Yang's Soul Power was only level two and a half, his gaze grew much cooler.

He drew Xiao Wu away from Jin Yang. "Oh, I see."

That was how little cliques formed.

The work-study student Jin Yang had just given a piece of sunlight silently put it down, moved away from Jin Yang's bed, and began fussing over Tang San and Xiao Wu.

As Tang San and Xiao Wu moved, everyone in Dorm Seven shifted with them. Soon, only Wang Sheng remained beside Jin Yang.

Of course, that didn't mean Wang Sheng had chosen Jin Yang. His bed simply happened to be next to Jin Yang's.

As an adult, Jin Yang could handle being excluded like this, but it still soured his mood.

He said nothing. Since no one was talking to him, he sat cross-legged on his bed, summoned his Martial Soul, and waited for her to produce sunlight.

About half an hour later, the Sunflower spat out her first piece of sunlight for the day.

Jin Yang picked up the hazy sphere of sunlight and bit into it. It was somewhat crisp and crunched as he chewed, like an enormous nut.

Warmth flowed through his entire body, leaving him hot from head to toe.

Jin Yang felt his Soul Power increase a little, and his body seemed stronger too.

The improvement wasn't dramatic. It was more like slow nourishment. When he first ate sunlight a few days ago, he hadn't noticed it and had assumed it only restored Soul Power.

Only in the past few days had he realized something was different. His strength had grown for no apparent reason, and his physique had improved as well.

He wasn't afraid these ordinary students would notice anything unusual. They had only received one or two pieces, not a daily supply. It might benefit them less than their bodies' natural growth.

His sunlight wasn't some Immortal Herb, after all.

The Soul Power he gained from eating sunlight also far exceeded what he gained through meditation.

"What are you eating?"

At some point, Xiao Wu had come up beside Jin Yang. She looked curiously at the half piece of sunlight left in his hand.

Jin Yang smiled faintly and put it away.

"Nothing much. It's produced by my Martial Soul. Eat one, and you won't need food for a day."

"Oh." Once Xiao Wu heard that it merely kept hunger away, she lost interest and skipped back to Tang San.

Tang San smelled much better.

He made her want to take a bite.

Only after Xiao Wu returned to his side did Tang San take his eyes off Jin Yang.

Jin Yang pursed his lips. What's his problem? Xiao Wu said two words to me, and he's still staring?

After finishing the remaining half of his sunlight, Jin Yang picked up the pieces he had given Wang Sheng and the other student and held them to the swaying Sunflower's mouth.

The Sunflower opened her mouth wide and swallowed both Jin Yang's hands in one gulp. After a bout of wriggling, she spat them back out.

His hands were unharmed, but they were covered in sticky golden liquid. It looked disgusting.

Jin Yang already knew it was the Sunflower's nectar, though, so he didn't mind. Instead, he brought his hands to his mouth and carefully licked them clean.

It was sweet, with a rich floral fragrance.

It tasted good.

"That's disgusting..." Xiao Wu covered her mouth at the sight.

Tang San frowned too and pulled Xiao Wu protectively into his arms.

The nectar worked even better than the sunlight.

For now, Jin Yang could only eat one piece of sunlight a day.

But after eating sunlight, he could still have nectar.

Only when he fed the Sunflower two pieces of sunlight at once would she produce nectar.

He could finish the whole process in about two hours.

That left the rest of the day for physical training and studying meditation.

Jin Yang's aunt had once attended Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy. After his Soul Power was measured, she had taught him the meditation method ahead of time.

She hoped the slow bird could take flight first and set foot on the Soul Master's path a little sooner.

The sunlight produced by the Sunflower was more effective at strengthening his body, while her nectar did more to improve his meditation practice.

After drinking the nectar, Jin Yang wore the same smile as the Sunflower.

His body and head swayed rhythmically along with her.

In that state, he looked closer to a god than to a human being.

Everyone in Dorm Seven felt their sanity plummet. They backed away, putting even more distance between themselves and him.

Wang Sheng went to rest on another work-study student's bed.

Even Xiao Wu didn't dare go over and talk to Jin Yang now.

She was afraid she might start swaying along with him.

"Hmph! He's just putting on a show," Tang San said with a cold snort.

How could a cultivation method like that possibly compare to his Mysterious Heaven Skill?

Ridiculous!