Eastsea Academy 2

Eastsea Academy was unquestionably the foremost school for Soul Masters in all of Eastsea City. It held official teaching qualifications for both intermediate and advanced Soul Master education, and its campus was clearly divided into two educational systems: the intermediate division and the advanced division.

Under the laws of the Sun Moon Federation, intermediate Soul Master education was compulsory. Tuition and accommodation were free throughout, leaving students responsible only for their daily meals. The advanced division, however, provided elite higher-level education and charged the corresponding tuition and miscellaneous fees.

Any graduate of a junior Soul Master Academy in Eastsea City or its surrounding towns was eligible to enter Eastsea Academy's intermediate division with an official recommendation letter from their school, allowing them to receive orthodox, systematic training as a Soul Master.

The intermediate program lasted a full six years. Upon completing those six years, students had to pass a rigorous assessment before they could advance to the academy's advanced division. Failure meant the end of their further education at the academy.

East Sea Academy had been established for many years, and every graduating class's advancement records were clearly documented: fewer than one in ten students successfully entered the advanced division. Calling it an army of thousands competing to cross a single narrow bridge was no exaggeration. Every student who advanced was an elite among their peers.

The black-haired girl standing before Tang Wulin and taking the initiative to speak to him was named Liu Yuxin.

She had been standing at the academy entrance, thinking about her coursework, when she happened to notice a boy with hair as clear as the sea and eyes as bright as sapphires standing alone before the school sign, lost in thought. For some reason, an inexplicable sense of affinity stirred in her heart, and she approached him to strike up a conversation.

"Little brother, are you a new student here to register this year?"

Tang Wulin nodded obediently and looked at her as he answered softly, "Yes, I'm a new student here to register this year. Hello, senior."

Seeing how handsome and well-behaved he was, Liu Yuxin patiently explained Eastsea Academy's history, rules, and academic divisions, clearly going over all the important matters a new student needed to know.

Once she finished, she pointed toward the academic affairs office and gently reminded him, "Go and complete your enrollment procedures."

"Thank you, senior!" Tang Wulin thanked her sincerely.

With his official recommendation letter from Red Mountain Junior Soul Master Academy, his enrollment went exceptionally smoothly.

The academy issued him two free uniforms and the key to a student dormitory room. The textbooks and study materials he needed for class would be distributed once lessons officially began.

Looking at the class listed on his registration form—first year, Class Five—Tang Wulin could not help smiling inwardly in amusement.

So fate really had come full circle.

After all the twists and turns, through all the changes and deviations, he had still ended up in first year, Class Five of Eastsea Academy, setting foot on this familiar yet brand-new path of cultivation.

After gathering his few belongings, Tang Wulin slung his bag over his back, went around the towering main teaching building, and walked slowly toward the student dormitories behind the academy.

Following the room numbers, Tang Wulin soon found his dormitory—205.

A rather auspicious number.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside, taking in the room's furnishings at a glance: two iron bunk beds that could accommodate four students, two long desks against the wall, four chairs, and four separate personal lockers to one side. A bright, standard-issue ceiling light hung overhead.

Such accommodations were already top-tier for an intermediate Soul Master academy. Even compared with the many university dormitories Tang Wulin had seen in his previous life, they surpassed the vast majority.

Two people had already arrived, and both bunk beds had occupants.

The instant Tang Wulin pushed the door open, two pairs of eyes landed on him in unison.

A flash of admiration and surprise passed through both boys' eyes, and they silently marveled, This new student is far too good-looking.

His short azure hair was as clear as the sea, paired with blue eyes as translucent as gemstones. He looked fresh and dazzling, with a bearing far beyond others his age.

Having only just arrived, Tang Wulin had no desire to cause trouble. Intending to keep a low profile and settle in peacefully, he politely greeted the boy who looked slightly older and seemed to be the leader. "Hello, I'm Tang Wulin, a new student."

The two boys introduced themselves in turn. The apparent leader was named Zhou Changxi, while the other boy, gentle in temperament and soft in his features, was named Yun Xiao.

Tang Wulin looked only nine years old, but inside, he was a mentally mature adult. He had no interest in befriending or chatting with children his own age. He silently walked over to an empty bed, intending to arrange his bedding and belongings in peace and settle in.

But just as he lowered his head to sort his things, Zhou Changxi, who stood nearly half a head taller than him, looked down at him and spoke casually, his tone full of undisguised arrogance and command:

"Hey, you with the weird hair and eyes. Go sweep the dorm."

At first, Tang Wulin did not realize the boy was addressing him and continued unpacking with his head lowered.

Seeing that he did not move, Zhou Changxi raised his voice and repeated the order.

At that moment, Tang Wulin's brows drew together slightly.

A new student was being ordered around for no reason the moment he arrived? This was blatant school bullying.

Yet Zhou Changxi merely sneered, giving Tang Wulin a contemptuous sidelong glance. "Him? With that freakish hair and eye color, you can tell he's from some shady background. What kind of decent person could he possibly be?"

Before he even finished speaking, he abruptly stepped forward, reached out, and viciously yanked the cloth bag Tang Wulin had placed beside the bed!

Rrrip—

The cloth bag tore open at once, scattering its simple everyday contents across the floor in a chaotic mess. What particularly caught Tang Wulin's attention was an embroidered pillow his mother had made especially for him, now beneath Zhou Changxi's foot.

Zhou Changxi stomped on it hard, then pointed at the plain, even somewhat worn belongings strewn across the floor. His voice dripped with mockery. "Look at this. Is he some little beggar from who knows where? With this heap of crooked, shabby junk, he actually has the nerve to attend Eastsea Academy?"

Those cruel insults completely ignited the anger in Tang Wulin's heart.

He had only wanted to keep a low profile and exercise restraint, unwilling to stir up trouble as soon as he arrived. But the other boy kept pressing him, pushing far beyond the limit, insulting him without cause and trampling his dignity at will.

Hearing Tang Wulin's icy warning, Zhou Changxi froze briefly before bursting into a wild, unrestrained laugh, his face full of derision and disdain.

"Hahaha! Brat, don't you know whose turf this is? Remember this—in this dorm, I'm the boss!"

His utter arrogance, his complete lack of restraint, finally shattered the last boundary of Tang Wulin's patience.

The ice in Tang Wulin's eyes abruptly cracked, and the anger he had held back erupted!

He suddenly turned his right hand over, and a dazzling yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet, pulsing slowly. As he released his martial soul, densely packed Blue Silver Grass stems burst through the dormitory floor and grew wildly!

Supple yet tough, the Blue Silver Grass spread rapidly, swelling and thickening like countless green serpents. In an instant, it coiled around the unprepared Zhou Changxi, binding him tightly, loop after loop, until he could not move.

Before the boy could react, Tang Wulin swung his arm fiercely. A thick bundle of Blue Silver Grass lashed across Zhou Changxi's face with tremendous force!

Bam!

A heavy crash erupted.

The tremendous impact sent Zhou Changxi flying. His body shattered the second-floor window, and with a piercing scream, he hurtled backward straight through it!

Shards of glass rained down, leaving the dormitory in utter disarray.

Just as the clash ended, someone pushed the dormitory door open.

A boy in black sportswear walked slowly inside, his face stern and his entire bearing radiating an icy air that warned strangers to stay away. His gaze swept over the belongings scattered across the floor and the shattered window frame. His brows knitted tightly as he fixed his eyes on Tang Wulin and barked without a trace of warmth, "Move!"

Tang Wulin was still caught in the grip of his fury. To him, that cold command sounded like yet another blatant display of contempt and provocation.

With rage surging to his head, he did not think twice. He spun around and drove a heavy punch straight at the boy in black!

The boy reacted extremely quickly, shifting nimbly to the side while sweeping his elbow across with sharp precision, striking Tang Wulin in the back!

The blow was powerful and heavy, pitching Tang Wulin forward. At that critical moment, several strands of Blue Silver Grass burst from the ground behind him, firmly supporting his body and absorbing the impact, just barely allowing him to steady himself.

The instant he regained his balance, Tang Wulin focused his mind and activated his martial soul with both hands!

An endless tide of Blue Silver Grass swept out, blanketing the entire dormitory as it surged madly toward the boy in black to entangle him.

The boy's gaze sharpened. He immediately retreated to evade it, a Yellow Soul Ring lighting up beneath his feet. Brilliant golden light rose from his right palm as he gathered sharp soul power and slashed fiercely at the oncoming Blue Silver Grass!

But Tang Wulin's Blue Silver Grass was far too abundant, surging forward in endless, overlapping layers.

The golden slash severed several stems, but could not possibly block them all.

A second later, the mass of Blue Silver Grass engulfed him. Its tremendous explosive force sent the boy in black flying as well, hurling him backward through the broken window just like Zhou Changxi before him!

Releasing his martial soul and activating his soul skill at full strength twice in succession had instantly drained most of Tang Wulin's soul power.

His chest heaved violently, and fine beads of cold sweat covered his forehead. As his soul power dwindled, his boiling killing intent and raging emotions slowly receded, gradually returning to calm.

The dormitory fell silent at once.

Only the wreckage strewn across the floor and Tang Wulin's motionless figure remained.

Now that he had calmed down, only gravity and confusion remained in his eyes.

Something was wrong.

Something was very wrong.

He already had the mind of an adult. He was calm, reserved, and possessed exceptional self-control. How could bullying and provocation from two boys his own age have made him lose control, fly into a rage, and lash out so violently that he had nearly been unable to stop?

Ordinary trifles could never have stirred such violent emotional upheaval in him.

A cold, familiar answer instantly surfaced in his heart.

It was the Golden Dragon King!

The Golden Dragon King's savage essence, hidden deep within his bloodline, was subtly influencing his emotions at every moment, magnifying his anger and amplifying his brutality!

Fifteen minutes later, in the disciplinary office of Eastsea Academy's intermediate division.

The atmosphere inside was heavy and oppressive. Disciplinary director Long Hengxu sat behind his desk, his cold, piercing eyes sweeping over the four boys before him. His face was so dark that it seemed ready to drip water.

The cause and course of the dormitory clash were already clear. It had all begun with Zhou Changxi's bullying.

In the middle of the room, Zhou Changxi, Yun Xiao, Tang Wulin, and the icy boy in black stood upright in a single row.