Huisinuo: This Boy Takes After Me

"Ow!"

Huisinuo stumbled back a few steps.

"You gave this old man quite a fright."

Huisinuo patted his chest with one hand, breathing hard.

With the other, he pointed at Jin Yang's Sunflower Martial Soul.

"That Martial Soul of yours certainly looks unusual."

A yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath the Sunflower's feet and hovered below its flower head.

"That Soul Ring's age is excellent." Huisinuo studied it for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction.

"I know quite a few teachers at advanced Soul Master academies for plant Martial Souls. If you're interested, I can write you a recommendation letter."

As he spoke, Huisinuo picked up a yellow crystal ball from a nearby desk and walked over to Jin Yang. "Channel your Soul Power into the crystal ball. Let me see what level you've reached."

Jin Yang took the crystal ball and began pouring Soul Power into it. The ball lit up yellow.

Level fourteen Soul Power?!

Huisinuo stared at the crystal ball in surprise, then looked at Jin Yang with admiration in his eyes.

This child is promising. He doesn't fear the powerful and dares to fight back. He has the makings of a Soul Master.

After absorbing a four-hundred-year Soul Ring, having level fourteen Soul Power was still within reason.

But how long had it been since his Martial Soul Awakening?

In that short time, this child had raised his Soul Power from level two and a half to level ten.

He must have worked exceptionally hard.

And Huisinuo liked hardworking children best.

It was as though he were seeing his younger self.

That was why he was so eager to nurture this talent and planned to write the child a recommendation letter.

Why not send him through Spirit Hall's channels to Spirit Hall Academy?

The reason was simple. However quickly the child had advanced, his Innate Soul Power was still only level two and a half. Below level ten, hard work could make up for that.

But after becoming a One-Ring Soul Master, the gap in talent would gradually become clear.

In the years of cultivation ahead, Jin Yang's limited talent would make raising his Soul Power harder and harder, until eventually he could advance no further.

Spirit Hall Academy's admissions standards were extremely strict. It accepted only those whose Innate Soul Power had reached level seven or above.

Jin Yang clearly did not qualify on that count.

Advanced Soul Master academies for plant Martial Souls were different. As long as you had a plant Martial Soul and, by graduation, had reached the realm of a Soul Grandmaster, obtained your Second Soul Ring, and become a two-ring Soul Master, you could apply for the entrance exam.

Clearly, Plant Advanced Soul Master Academy suited a hardworking student like Jin Yang, whose Martial Soul was a plant but whose talent was unremarkable.

With Huisinuo's recommendation letter, Jin Yang could skip the exam and enroll directly at Plant Advanced Soul Master Academy. Even if the academy did not make him a priority or place him in its best class, at least he would not be overlooked.

In recent years, the direction taken by those above him had grown increasingly strange and unpredictable.

Ever since Bibi Dong had become Pope, Spirit Hall was no longer the Spirit Hall it had once been.

Huisinuo had served under three popes: through the flourishing years of Qian Daoliu, the somewhat mediocre years of Qian Xunji, and now Bibi Dong's unpredictable reign.

Privately, he felt that Spirit Hall had reached a turning point in its fate.

Spirit Hall's power kept growing, Bibi Dong's ambitions kept swelling, and the decisions made by her subordinates grew ever more baffling.

If things continued this way, given Bibi Dong's character, war might only be a matter of time.

Just thinking about Pope Bibi Dong made Huisinuo want to shake his head.

Too stingy!

Far too stingy!

In all his years working for Spirit Hall, Huisinuo had never before encountered "cost reduction and efficiency gains."

What was it Bibi Dong called it again?

Increasing revenue and cutting expenses?

Cut expenses all you like, but why cut my wages?

And slash them by half in one go?!

I'm a Seven-Ring Soul Sage, for heaven's sake. One private job would earn me at least that much.

Was she afraid we bishops might be too loyal to Spirit Hall?

He had heard that Chrysanthemum Douluo had run himself ragged for Bibi Dong, serving her faithfully for years, yet still did not have a single Soul Bone.

What was he getting out of it?

If it had been anyone other than Chrysanthemum Douluo, Huisinuo would have wondered whether the man was so eager to please because he had fallen in love with Bibi Dong.

"If you ever run into trouble, come find me at Spirit Hall. Grandpa Huisinuo may not have many talents, but here in Nuoding City, my word still carries some weight." Huisinuo smiled and waved goodbye to Jin Yang.

"Got it, Grandpa Huisinuo."

Jin Yang gripped his Spirit Hall badge and a Gold Soul Coin, waved back, then turned to leave.

After leaving Spirit Hall, Jin Yang headed toward Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.

Unlike Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo's reaction in the original story, Deacon Huisinuo had clearly seen plenty of the world.

He had not been particularly surprised by Jin Yang's Martial Soul or Soul Power.

That saved Jin Yang the trouble of explaining himself.

"Third Uncle, how many more pieces of pig iron need their impurities removed?"

Just as Jin Yang was nearing the academy, he heard a familiar voice.

It was Tang San.

Of course. There was a blacksmith's shop near Nuoding Academy. According to the original story, Tang San often worked there to help cover his living expenses.

Jin Yang looked over and saw a small figure forging iron inside the shop.

Tang San held a forging hammer in one hand and gripped a piece of iron with tongs in the other, preparing to hammer it.

As if sensing Jin Yang's gaze, Tang San instinctively looked his way.

Jin Yang neither dodged nor hid. He stood there and met Tang San's eyes openly.

Their gazes locked. Jin Yang made no attempt to conceal the disgust in his eyes.

Tang San frowned slightly, his gaze turning distant for an instant. Then he looked away from Jin Yang and fixed his eyes on the pig iron before him. One blow, then another, then a third—each strike was harder than the last, and the clang of metal grew louder.

Tang San seemed to be venting all his anger at Jin Yang on the iron.

Jin Yang knew Tang San would never let this go.

He was probably already at the top of Tang San's kill list.

Tang San was holding back now only so he could take fiercer revenge later.

"Tang San, oh Tang San. You've only lost a teacher. You still have me. Call me Dad, and I can guide you through life too."

Jin Yang curled his lip in a sneer and muttered under his breath.

As if he had sensed something, Tang San turned his head and glanced toward Jin Yang.

Seeing that Jin Yang was still there, he turned back again.

Jin Yang had no desire to keep standing there playing a game of staring at Tang San, so he went straight back to the academy.

Far away at the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, Yu Xiaogang had also woken up.

Yu Yuanzhen was overjoyed to see his beloved son awake.

"Xiaogang! You're finally awake! How do you feel? Does anything still hurt?"

Yu Yuanzhen stood beside the bed, his face full of concern.

Yu Yuanzhen was now a Titled Douluo. Though he was old enough to be a grandfather, he remained handsome, looking no older than about thirty.

As Yu Yuanzhen's son, Yu Xiaogang was naturally no less impressive. At only a little over forty, he had already managed to reach level twenty-nine as a Soul Grandmaster. His talent was likewise "exceptional."

An atmosphere of paternal love and filial devotion instantly filled the space around the sickbed.

"Father..."

Yu Xiaogang lowered his head and fell silent, saying nothing.