Next Stop, Plant Academy

The sunflower, fed on sunlight, split its smile even wider. Inside, rows upon rows of sunflower-seed teeth stood packed together, with golden nectar clinging to them and trickling down.

"Tang San, do we really have to live with him for six years?"

Xiao Wu had lived in the Star Dou Great Forest for years. What bizarre Soul Beasts hadn't she seen?

But she had never seen a sunflower this creepy.

Whenever she looked at the sunflower, its pearl-sized eyes seemed to stare right back at her.

She knew it was Jin Yang's Martial Soul and posed no threat.

Even so, fear welled up from deep inside her.

"Xiao Wu, don't look at it. His Martial Soul is so sinister that he might become a Fallen Soul Master someday."

Tang San recalled the stories Yu Xiaogang had told him about Fallen Soul Masters and spoke with utter certainty.

As though Jin Yang had already become one, Tang San's eyes filled with disgust.

How could someone with such an evil-looking Martial Soul be a good person?

Tang San was being rather unfair to Jin Yang. If Jin Yang's Martial Soul had looked exactly like the sunflower in Plants vs. Zombies, it would have been fairly comforting.

But this one came without a filter.

Without the game's filter, its true nature lay bare.

The longer Tang San and the others looked, the more unnerved they became. Jin Yang, on the other hand, liked his Martial Soul more and more.

He wished he could keep it out every day.

That way, he would have at least thirty-six suns a day: two per hour during the day and one per hour at night.

He could eat one a day and feed all the rest to the sunflower to drink its nectar.

Wouldn't his Soul Power climb higher and higher?

Other people had to cultivate their Soul Power. He could cultivate and eat his way up.

The courses at Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy were simple. Besides meditation, they taught general knowledge and basic Martial Soul theory.

Of course, the most fundamental course was literacy.

General knowledge was fine. As someone who had crossed over and read the original story thoroughly, Jin Yang knew a fair amount about the Douluo Continent.

Basic Martial Soul theory was even less of a problem.

For Jin Yang, literacy was the hardest part.

It was no different from learning a new language. If he hadn't already mastered the spoken language of the Douluo Continent,

his studies would have been even more painful.

Tang San faced the same difficulty.

After all, Tang San had crossed over too. No matter how brilliant he had been in his original world, he still had to learn to read when he arrived on the Douluo Continent.

Had Tang Hao taught Tang San to read? He probably had, right?

As soon as class ended, Yu Xiaogang called Tang San away.

Jin Yang caught enough of their conversation to learn they were going to hunt for a Soul Ring for Tang San.

Jin Yang silently prayed that Tang San would never come back on his feet.

Did Jin Yang hate Tang San? Not really. He had read the entire Douluo Continent series, after all.

Did he like him? Not exactly.

Tang San—Tang Buddha—had done too many rotten things.

Without Tang Buddha, Spirit Hall would never have fallen, much less been branded an evil organization ten thousand years later, in an age ravaged by Evil Soul Masters.

Jin Yang couldn't bring himself to curse the cook after eating his fill.

Even in the tiny, remote village where Tang Hao had fled with Tang San, Spirit Hall had a presence.

Spirit Hall had truly made Martial Soul awakening free for everyone.

Without Spirit Hall, Tang San couldn't even have awakened his Martial Soul.

Was he supposed to count on Tang Hao?

Don't make your daddy Tang Hao laugh.

How many ordinary people's hopes had been destroyed along with Spirit Hall?

Jin Yang found it hard to judge who was right and wrong among Tang San, Bibi Dong, and the others. But from an ordinary person's perspective, it was as if the sky had fallen.

With the sunflower perched atop his head, Jin Yang strode around the academy and became the talk of the place.

Word spread from student to student until everyone knew the sunflower boy.

They even gave Jin Yang a new nickname: "Death Smile."

Jin Yang didn't care. Keeping his sunflower out had its benefits.

It genuinely made him stronger. It might not have looked pretty, but producing a sun every half hour was too good to pass up.

Just yesterday, Jin Yang's Soul Power had risen by half a level.

For someone whose Innate Soul Power was only level two and a half, that was an astonishing rate of progress.

Jin Yang was now a level-five Soul Scholar.

In a few more days, he would be ready to go out and hunt for a Soul Ring.

With no one to advise him, he would have to find a suitable Soul Beast himself. Since his Martial Soul was a sunflower, a century-old sunflower would be his best choice.

They shared the same roots and source, so absorbing it would take half the effort for twice the result. It might even help his little sunflower evolve.

As for what Soul Skill he would get, he didn't need to worry about that yet.

His iron fists were the best Soul Skill he had.

When he returned to Dorm Seven, no one dared speak to him.

Even Xiao Wu kept her distance.

Rumor now had it that Jin Yang's Martial Soul was a Bloodthirsty Demon Sunflower that fed on human blood.

People even said that when Jin Yang put his hand into the sunflower's mouth each day, he was feeding it his blood.

The rumors grew more absurd with every telling.

Some even claimed Jin Yang had fallen under his Martial Soul's control and intended to feed the residents of Dorm Seven to the sunflower.

The rumor had originated with a teacher at Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy, so the students were inclined to believe it.

"Jin Yang, Sister Xiao Wu isn't afraid of you! If you've got the guts, come spar with me. No releasing your Martial Soul, though."

Xiao Wu sprang to Jin Yang's side, pointed at him, and shouted.

"No." What was the point of fighting a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast?

Was he supposed to be her sparring partner?

Jin Yang might have started from a poor position, but he wasn't stupid.

"Huh? Why not? You coward!" Xiao Wu planted a hand on her hip and stamped her foot. Her round rabbit eyes locked on him.

"I can't beat you. I'm a support-type Soul Master." Jin Yang did intend to become a support-type Soul Master.

He just planned to support himself.

"Who says so? Isn't your Martial Soul some kind of Blood-Drinking Demon Sunflower? How could you possibly be a support-type Soul Master?"

Three black lines might as well have dropped down Jin Yang's forehead when he heard that.

"No, Sister Xiao Wu, who told you that? My Martial Soul is just an ordinary sunflower." Jin Yang took the sunflower off his head, held its flower disc in both hands, and brought it close to Xiao Wu.

"Look how cute it is."

The flower disc was larger than a human head, its seeds arranged in dense, tidy rows. Above them sat two eyes made of some unknown substance and an enormous slit.

The petals around the disc waved ceaselessly. As the slit opened and closed, golden slime and rows of seeds showed within, like a bottomless abyss.

Sensing Xiao Wu draw near, the sunflower opened its mouth even wider, as if it meant to swallow her whole.

"C-cute?! You mean terrifying! What are you even talking about?" Xiao Wu backed away several steps and stared in horror at the smiling Jin Yang.

Jin Yang set the sunflower on the floor. It waddled toward Xiao Wu, grinning as it went.

Xiao Wu fled around the room as if facing a deadly foe. Wang Sheng and the others all hid beneath their beds.

Once he felt he had scared them enough, Jin Yang finally stopped.

"Since none of you like me, don't come bothering me again." Jin Yang gave a cold snort.

Xiao Wu opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.

Jin Yang knew she still wanted to throw her weight around as their boss, so he turned his back and put the sunflower on his head again, with its flower disc facing her.

At the sight of it, Xiao Wu quietly looked away.

The standoff lasted three days before Tang San and Grandmaster finally returned to Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy. Grandmaster did not look well.

Jin Yang knew he had been poisoned by a Mandala Snake.

Jin Yang had barely affected the course of the original story, so what was meant to happen still happened.

When Jin Yang next returned to Dorm Seven, Tang San was already waiting for him.

"Stop, Jin Yang."

Tang San blocked his path and spoke.

"What do you want? I don't recall provoking you." Jin Yang's voice was calm.

His physical strength had soared over the past few days, so he felt confident enough to take Tang San on.

"First Soul Skill: Blue Silver Entanglement!" Tang San attacked without another word.

A Yellow Soul Ring suddenly appeared beneath his feet. More than a dozen Blue Silver vines burst forth, nimble as snakes. In an instant, they seemed poised to bind Jin Yang tight.

Tang San was clearly in a foul mood.

Jin Yang's Soul Power surged. He kicked off the ground, ignored the vines closing in, and charged straight at Tang San's face, forcing his way through them.

Thud! A right hook sent Tang San flying before he could react. Deprived of Soul Power, the vines that had been whipping through the air collapsed limply to the floor.

Tang San scrambled up after landing and clutched his badly swollen left cheek, his face twisted with vicious fury.

"Aaaaaah!"

Tang San threw back his head and howled, as though venting all his resentment and hatred.

"Jin Yang, you're courting death." With that, Tang San activated the Sleeve Arrow hidden at his wrist.

Three Silent Sleeve Arrows shot toward Jin Yang's vital points.

Jin Yang had expected this. He grabbed Wang Sheng's bed with both hands and hauled it in front of himself.

Three muffled thuds sounded as the arrows lodged in Wang Sheng's mattress. They did not even pierce the wooden boards.

Jin Yang laughed. However formidable Sleeve Arrows were, could they beat bullets?

Jin Yang showed Tang San no mercy. He rushed up, seized him by the collar, and slammed him hard into the floor.

The impact left Tang San dizzy and seeing stars.

Then Jin Yang used his superior strength to lift Tang San again and slam him from side to side. He kept at it until the muscles around Tang San's ankles finally went slack.

With Tang San dealt with, Jin Yang turned toward the working students hiding in the corner and Xiao Wu, who was clutching Tang San.

He strode over and looked down at them. "Do you want to try me too?"

The working students shook their heads one after another, making it clear they did not dare.

"What about you, Xiao Wu? Still want to try?"

Xiao Wu pressed her lips together and looked at Tang San.

Her expression dimmed, and she shook her head.

If she went down too, what would happen to Tang San?

In truth, Jin Yang had regretted slamming Tang San down the first time.

But once he had started, he absolutely could not stop.

Otherwise, wouldn't he have struck him for nothing?

Judging by how things had gone, though, Tang Hao did not seem to be nearby.

If he had been, he would probably have already snatched Jin Yang away to avenge his precious son.

At that thought, Jin Yang immediately began packing his things, ready to run.

There was no way he could keep attending this academy.

Next stop: Plant Junior Soul Master Academy.