Early graduation

The autumn wind swept through the streets and alleys of Nuoding City, shedding the scorching heat of midsummer for a cool, dry freshness.

The leaves of the Chinese parasol trees lining the streets had turned a pale gold. They rustled down on the breeze, carpeting the ground in gentle autumn colors.

After lying quiet for the entire holiday, Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy once again filled with its familiar bustle. An endless stream of young students arrived with their bags, entering the grounds together. Bright laughter, greetings, and footsteps mingled, breathing fresh life into the long-established soul master academy.

After a month-long holiday, Notting Academy welcomed the new term right on schedule.

A new cohort of younger students stepped through the academy gates, carrying their innocent hopes for the path of a soul master, while all the returning students came back to begin another round of cultivation and coursework.

Crowds filled every corner of the campus. Students came and went across the training grounds, through the teaching buildings, and along the wooded paths, creating a scene of flourishing vitality.

For ordinary youngsters, the new term meant a fresh start in cultivation, another stretch of daily tempering and growth. For Lin Chen, however, this bustling start to the school year was merely the prelude to leaving his past behind and setting out on a new path.

Amid the lively campus, one upright, composed figure seemed particularly out of place.

Dressed in a clean, plain student uniform, Lin Chen stood alone on the bluestone steps at the academy gates, calmly watching the crowds surge before him.

Only a month had passed, and everything around him seemed unchanged—the same familiar campus, the same familiar scenery. Yet his cultivation and state of mind had already undergone an earth-shaking transformation.

During his trip to the Soul Hunting Forest, he had smoothly absorbed his second soul ring. His martial soul had quietly transformed, his soul power had risen steadily, and his foundations had been reinforced layer by layer. He was no longer the apprentice who needed to rely on Notting Academy's resources to cultivate at a slow pace.

No one knew that this seemingly unremarkable, reserved young man had already broken through to the 23rd-level soul grandmaster realm. He possessed two hundred-year soul rings of exceptional quality, and his martial soul had undergone a second transformation, awakening a deeper layer of his nine-tails bloodline.

His foundations, soul power, physique, and temperament eclipsed those of every student in his year. While his peers still struggled to refine their soul power in the teens, groping their way through cultivation and frequently getting stuck at bottlenecks, he already stood at the summit of Nuoding City's younger generation. They were no longer cultivating on the same plane.

Lin Chen stood watching for a moment, his eyes utterly unruffled.

The cultivation resources, teaching system, and practical training at Notting Junior Academy could no longer meet his current needs.

The coursework here was simple and basic, suited only to helping novice soul masters establish their foundations. The teaching staff was limited, with scant instruction in advanced theory, combat tactics, or the use of attributes. The cultivation environment, theoretical knowledge, and combat scenarios it could offer were all too elementary and restrictive.

Staying here would only waste his time and bring his steadily advancing cultivation to a standstill, making further progress difficult.

He had long since settled on a clear plan and had never wavered. It was the result of repeated consideration and careful thought throughout the holiday.

Remaining in Nuoding City would certainly be safe and smooth. No one would disturb him, and there would be no conflict or pressure. Yet its horizons were narrow and its resources scarce. Staying too long would only leave him trapped within his own boundaries.

If he wanted to improve steadily, grow stronger, and build sufficiently deep reserves without drawing attention, acting rashly, or exposing his unusual hidden cards, all while awaiting the great convergence of future events, he had to step into a wider world.

After weighing the advantages and drawbacks, he had decided that Suotuo City Spirit Hall Intermediate Soul Master Academy was the most suitable place for the next stage of his cultivation.

Suotuo City lay in the heartland of the Heaven Dou Empire, close to its core territories, and served as a major cultivation hub for the entire region. Its prosperity, stockpiled resources, teaching staff, and cultivation atmosphere were far beyond anything remote, isolated Nuoding City could offer.

The intermediate academy directly administered by Spirit Hall gathered talented people under a well-developed system, unlike the introductory teaching of a junior academy.

It possessed top-tier cultivation resources far beyond those of a junior academy, comprehensive courses in advanced soul master theory, and systematic, tiered combat training. High-level soul masters taught dedicated classes, allowing students to hone their foundations, combat strength, and understanding in every respect and improve their overall abilities to the fullest.

More importantly, Suotuo City was the central stage of the original story's early plot.

Shrek Academy stood in an inconspicuous little village outside the city. Countless pivotal events, important figures, and fortuitous opportunities would gather and unfold there in the future.

Traveling to Suotuo City to cultivate would let him steadily improve his strength with the intermediate academy's top-tier resources, evade every secretly prying gaze, and quietly place himself at the center of the plot.

From an observer's perspective, he could remain familiar with every thread of events, control his own pace, and advance or retreat freely. He would always keep everything within a rhythm he understood, neither rushing ahead, falling out of step, nor being forced into passivity.

Hidden beyond the turmoil yet positioned amid opportunity, he would steadily deepen his reserves and quietly await developments. This was the safest cultivation path Lin Chen had followed from beginning to end. He never pinned his hopes on opportunities falling from the sky; he trusted only the strength he had built and circumstances he could control.

With his mind made up, Lin Chen hesitated no longer. He turned and walked straight onto the campus, his steps unhurried as he passed through the noisy crowds and avoided the teachers and students laughing and playing along the way. Without attracting the slightest attention, he headed directly for the main building housing the academy dean's office.

The Notting Academy dean's office area was simple and tranquil, with blue-brick paving accented by flowers and trees. Far from the noise of the teaching area, it remained peaceful and seldom disturbed throughout the year. On this first day of term, the dean was busy coordinating the new students' admission, checking student records, and arranging the new term's coursework. The courtyard gate, usually shut tight, stood slightly open, and faint snatches of conversation between staff members drifted from within.

Lin Chen stopped briefly outside, reining in every trace of his soul power aura so that he looked like an ordinary student. Then he raised his hand and knocked lightly on the door, his movements measured and composed, neither arrogant nor impatient.

"Come in."

A steady, resonant voice came from inside, calm yet authoritative, carrying the bearing of someone who had long held a senior position and overseen the academy's affairs.

Lin Chen pushed the door open and entered. The room was simply and neatly furnished, with rows of bookshelves filled with soul master texts, maps of the continent, cultivation records, and detailed accounts of soul beasts. A rich scholarly atmosphere pervaded the room.

The dean of Notting Academy was bent over his desk, sorting admission lists and student files, his brush moving across the paper. When he looked up and recognized Lin Chen, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes before giving way to a warm smile.

This outstanding student, who ranked first in his year and cultivated diligently with a steady temperament, had left a deep impression on the dean.

Over the course of the school year, the academy's many students had each shown their own sharp edges. Some were flamboyant and unruly; others were restless and impatient to advance.

Only Lin Chen had remained consistently quiet and restrained, neither arrogant nor impatient. He cultivated diligently in silence, never joining disputes among his classmates or deliberately seeking attention.

"Lin Chen? The term has just begun. Why have you come here instead of reporting to your class? Is there something you need?"

The dean set down his papers and brush, then looked up and asked gently, a hint of expectation in his voice.

Lin Chen bowed slightly in greeting. His manner was humble and courteous, neither servile nor overbearing, and his voice was quiet and steady:

"Dean, I've come to apply for early graduation."

The dean froze at his words, his eyes filling with astonishment. The brush he had just picked up paused in his hand.

Early graduation?