Registration

"Hello, big sister. My name is Tang Wulin. I'm here to register."

Tang Wulin walked up to the table and politely introduced himself.

The black-haired girl seated behind the table raised her head and looked at him, her expression visibly softening. From a distance, she had only seen a little boy carrying a large bag, coming over alone to ask for directions. Up close, he was much easier to remember. He wasn't particularly short, and his features were clean-cut, his black eyes bright. Yet that brightness held a trace of the unease of someone new to an unfamiliar place.

"Hello." The girl smiled. "I'm Liu Yuxin, a first-year student in Eastsea Academy's senior division. I'm helping welcome the new students this time. Fill out this form first, then give me your recommendation letter."

"All right."

Tang Wulin took the form and stood beside the table, carefully filling it out.

Liu Yuxin had only meant to give it a casual glance, but her gaze paused slightly when she reached a line in the middle.

"Tang Wulin, nine years old, graduate of Red Mountain Junior Academy in Aolai City, rank-eleven Tool Soul Master, martial soul... Star-Sinking Hammer?"

She raised her head and looked at Tang Wulin.

"Your martial soul is a hammer?"

Tang Wulin nodded.

"Yes."

A little more interest appeared in Liu Yuxin's eyes.

Hammer-type tool martial souls weren't particularly rare, but this was her first time seeing the name "Star-Sinking Hammer." Besides, reaching rank eleven at nine years old already showed that this child wasn't progressing slowly in his cultivation.

"That's quite an unusual name." She finished reading the form and smiled at him again. "Reaching rank eleven at nine is very good."

Tang Wulin had already grown used to people looking at his age first, then his martial soul, and finally showing some measure of scrutiny or disdain. Hearing her say that now, he felt himself relax a little.

"Thank you, senior."

"Don't be so nervous." Liu Yuxin took his recommendation letter and read it through. After confirming that everything was in order, she stamped it, then picked up a small metal badge from beside her and handed it to him. "Hang this around your neck for now. You'll need it to enter and leave the academy during registration. Once you get there, you'll still need to go to the academic affairs office to complete the official paperwork and collect your dormitory key and uniform."

Tang Wulin took the metal badge. It felt slightly cool in his hand. Eastsea Academy's crest was printed on the front, while the back bore the small words "Temporary New Student Reception Pass."

"Senior, where should I go next?"

Liu Yuxin raised her hand and pointed behind her.

"That academy bus back there. Once it's nearly full, it'll take all of you to the academy together. Don't wander off after you board. Just follow me when we arrive."

"All right." Tang Wulin nodded. "Thank you, senior."

This time, his thanks came much more naturally than before.

Liu Yuxin watched him walk toward the bus, a faint smile still on her lips.

Beside her, an older male student wearing the same blue tracksuit curled his lip.

"Yuxin, you're being awfully patient with that little junior. Coming alone with such a huge bag on his back, he's obviously from some small town. His martial soul is a hammer, too. Doesn't sound all that special."

Liu Yuxin glanced at him.

"There aren't that many new students in the intermediate division who reach rank eleven at nine. What makes you think he won't amount to anything?"

The boy shrugged.

"I was just saying."

"Then you'd better say less." Liu Yuxin looked away. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was firm. "Eastsea Academy has no shortage of talented children, or children who come from behind to surpass the rest. If you look down on someone now and he catches up to you someday, don't get embarrassed when you lose face."

After those sharp replies, the boy fell silent.

Naturally, Tang Wulin hadn't heard any of this.

He had already boarded the bus with his luggage on his back.

The bus was spacious enough to seat several dozen people. Quite a few were already aboard, mostly children accompanied by their parents. Some parents were quietly giving reminders, while others helped straighten clothes and arrange luggage. Some children seemed excited, unable to resist looking out the windows as soon as they boarded.

Tang Wulin chose a window seat and set his backpack on his lap.

Once he sat down, his surroundings seemed even livelier.

Adults talked beside him, children ahead of him asked one question after another, and the sounds of suitcase wheels lightly bumping against seats mingled through the bus. Tang Wulin sat quietly with his hand resting on his bag and suddenly felt a little homesick.

It wasn't that he regretted coming.

It was just that, at a moment like this, he couldn't help remembering how things had been before he left.

His mother had neatly packed his clothes one item at a time, then reminded him over and over before he left not to let himself get chilled in Eastsea, not to kick off his blanket at night, to keep his money in separate places, and never to let go of his bag even if he fell asleep on the bus. His father had written the route and registration procedure on that sheet of paper. There weren't many words, but the instructions were thorough; he had even described what the shuttle bus sign looked like.

Neither of them had said they couldn't bear to see him leave.

But Tang Wulin knew they couldn't.

In truth, neither could he.

Still, he was already here. Thinking about all that now wouldn't help.

Tang Wulin lowered his head and looked at his wrist.

The Heavy Silver Ring rested quietly around it, unremarkable. Its surface was dull gray and looked little different from an ordinary bracelet. Only he knew how useful it was, and how valuable.

He could have put his luggage inside it.

But for this trip to Eastsea, Mang Tian had forbidden him from using the Star-Sinking Hammer and made him bring that pair of Thousand Refinement tungsten steel hammers instead. With his changes of clothes and daily necessities added in, the Heavy Silver Ring's limited space naturally wasn't enough.

At that thought, he unconsciously clenched his fist again.

The Star-Sinking Hammer wasn't in his hand at the moment, but its steady presence was always there. It was his martial soul, and the thing he could rely on most now.

More and more people boarded the bus.

Leaning against the window, Tang Wulin went over his father's sheet of directions in his mind again.

Register first, then complete the paperwork, then find the dormitory.

Don't go wandering off with strangers.

Once inside the academy, learn the routes first.

After silently reciting it all once, he gradually felt steadier.

I can do this on my own, too.

As that thought arose, his expression slowly relaxed as well. Although this was his first time coming to a big city alone, and although everything around him was unfamiliar, as long as he dealt with things one at a time, he would get them all done eventually.

When he looked up again, the sky outside the window was a little brighter than before.

Before long, the doors closed. The bus gave a slight shudder and finally started moving.

Tang Wulin immediately sat up straight.

The streets outside the window began sliding backward.

Eastsea City was even larger than he had imagined, with one tall building after another, wider roads, and more vehicles. The shops lining the streets, the soul-powered traffic lights at intersections, the pedestrians coming and going, and the elevated roads and large screens that couldn't be seen anywhere in Aolai City all made this city seem especially tightly packed and especially busy.

Everyone here seemed to have a direction of their own.

No one would stop to wait for anyone else.

The bus drove onward, while the voices inside gradually quieted. Everyone had seen what there was to see, and most of the reminders had already been given. Even that initial sense of novelty had been worn down somewhat by the journey. Tang Wulin leaned against the window, his eyelids growing heavy, and drowsily came close to falling asleep.

Only when the bus finally slowed did he snap back to awareness.

"We're here. Everyone, take your belongings with you, and don't wander off after getting off the bus."

A familiar voice came from the front.

Tang Wulin looked up and realized that Liu Yuxin had taken a seat in the front row at some point. Now she was standing, calling out to the new students and parents aboard.

The doors opened, and a slightly damp breeze blew in.

Tang Wulin picked up his bag and followed the crowd off the bus.

The first thing he saw after stepping off was the high academy wall.

The wall stretched far to either side, long and solid. Ahead stood Eastsea Academy's actual main entrance. A towering stone gateway stood there, its lines simple but its presence imposing. Beyond it, he could see a broad expanse of trees and wide roads. It was clearly much quieter than the area around the station.

Tang Wulin stood where he was and looked up for a few seconds.

This was where he would spend the next six years.

"Tang Wulin."

Liu Yuxin's voice came from ahead.

Tang Wulin quickly raised his head.

Liu Yuxin stood to one side, watching him. Seeing him come back to himself, she beckoned.

"Follow me."

"All right, senior." Tang Wulin answered immediately, settled his luggage on his back, and hurried after her.