"Well?"
Lin Yang said nothing, instead fixing his gaze on the necklace.
It was a silver necklace with a sapphire pendant and three smaller gems on either side, each gem traced with fine golden patterns.
Zhang Yue understood what he meant and held it up separately.
"This is Spirit Hall's welcome gift to you, a Storage Soul Tool. Each gem has its own independent storage space, seven in total."
"Its name is Seven Stars Aligned."
As he spoke, Zhang Yue pressed the token and necklace into Lin Yang's hands. Since he had not refused, Zhang Yue took that as acceptance. Besides, he did not believe anyone would turn down terms like these.
Lin Yang looked at the black token bearing the character for "soul" and the Seven Stars Aligned necklace in his hands.
Resources, with the option to refuse-did that mean I could get them for free?
He fiddled with the necklace, quickly figured out how to use it, and stored the token inside.
Lin Yang took a few steps toward Zhang Yue and looked up at him.
"Thank Master Li for me. Also, your level eighteen is a little watered down."
With that, he turned and left without another word.
Watching the figure that barely reached his waist, Zhang Yue felt the veins on his forehead twitch several times before he turned and vanished into the alley.
Lin Yang turned his head slightly. This man could make out objects in the dark; either he had some special means, or he had spent years operating in the shadows.
[Uchiha Itachi portrayal +1, current: 3]
Huh? It went up again. Was it because I turned against him? Or does it increase randomly after a fight, like it did after I fought Tang San?
He did not dwell on it. True knowledge came from practice; he would understand once he tried it later.
Lin Yang merged into the crowd and headed toward Nuoding Academy.
At the end of the alley was a concealed door leading to a secret passage, through which Zhang Yue was now moving swiftly.
The narrow passages branched in every direction. After several turns, Zhang Yue stopped before a room with two lanterns outside its door.
The lantern light illuminated his figure. He now wore a pristine black robe, his expression calm, with not a trace of his earlier disheveled state.
He stopped at the door, bowing slightly with a respectful expression.
After a long while, a deep male voice came from inside.
"Well?"
"Shadow Wolf, mission accomplished."
Several seconds of silence followed before the voice inside drifted out again.
"Well done. You may go. I'll be leaving here soon. Just attend to your own duties; don't concern yourself with anything else."
"Yes."
Silence fell once more. A while later, the lanterns went out as well, plunging the place into utter darkness.
Time flew, and six years had passed since he entered Nuoding Academy.
Nuoding Academy welcomed its annual graduation season once again. Students poured through the school gates, where their waiting parents picked them up.
Among the crowd, a trio of two boys and a girl stood out remarkably. Countless passersby glanced their way, some deliberately, others unconsciously.
"Hey, did you see those three over there?"
"Of course. I'm not blind. My kid told me they're the prodigies of this year's graduating class at Nuoding Academy. All three are Soul Grandmasters."
"Soul Grandmasters? Seriously? They're only twelve, right? Comparing yourself to others really can drive you to your grave."
"Tell me about it. But never mind that-doesn't anyone else think they're gorgeous? Handsome boys and a beautiful girl, with just one looking a little ordinary. If only I could..."
At those words, the crowd instantly fell silent, everyone tacitly clearing a space.
In the middle stood a middle-aged woman with a fleshy face, cupping her cheeks as drool trickled from her mouth.
Still lost in her fantasies, the woman suddenly noticed the strange atmosphere. She glanced around, flushed bright red, and hurried away with her face covered.
A black-haired boy in a light blue fitted outfit sighed at the sight. At one hundred seventy centimeters, he certainly was not short for his age, yet he was the shortest of the three.
Tang San looked at the boy beside him, helplessness flashing in his eyes.
"Can't you two rein in your charm a little?"
Beside him stood a boy in a black fitted outfit, his chiseled face completely expressionless.
At one hundred eighty centimeters, he stood out like a lone tree above the crowd. Most striking was his long, spiky black hair, which reached just down to the middle of his back.
A trace of helplessness crossed Lin Yang's face as well as he looked at the girl leaning against him.
"Can't you stand on your own for a while? Don't you think you're drawing attention?"
She was an adorable-looking girl, her long black hair tied into a scorpion braid down her back, with large, watery eyes set in a rosy face.
She wore a little pink top and stood a fraction taller than Tang San.
Her whole body was leaning against Lin Yang as she happily munched on a carrot.
"No. Who told you to kick me away last night? This is your punishment."
Xiao Wu wrinkled her little nose and angrily took a huge bite of her carrot, puffing out her cheeks.
Lin Yang looked at the girl beside him and sighed inwardly.
To be fair, he really had not done anything, nor had he intended to break up a couple.
But since it had already been brought to his lips, there was no reason to push it away.
Tang San and Xiao Wu still called each other brother and sister. Yes, this time they really were brother and sister.
All he could say was that fate had willed it.
"Let's go. Stop standing around here."
With that, Lin Yang stepped forward first. Xiao Wu nearly fell, then glared at him and followed in a huff.
Watching their retreating figures, Tang San felt an inexplicable hollowness inside, though he could not quite put a name to it. He shook his head and followed.
As the three left, the onlookers shook their heads and dispersed. Over the next few days, more tales of gifted young men and beautiful maidens would surely spread.
Lin Yang had not gone far before stopping somewhere a little less crowded.
Xiao Wu followed behind him, taking out another carrot to gnaw on. Every bite was forceful, as though she were biting a certain someone.
Tang San brought up the rear and took a few steps to Lin Yang's side.
"Teacher said he wants me to apply to an academy called Shrek. What do you think?"
"Shrek? What kind of weird name is that? Brother San, that old guy hasn't duped you, has he?"
Lin Yang said nothing, while Xiao Wu poked her head out with a grin.
"Xiao Wu, don't talk about my teacher like that. If he recommended it, that academy must have something exceptional about it."
Tang San tapped Xiao Wu's forehead, his expression serious.
"Shrek?" Lin Yang murmured.
Only after coming to this world had he discovered how much depended on status. Without noble status, he could not even enter those prestigious advanced academies.
His options were Shrek, Spirit Hall, or Blue Tyrant-but that last one would end up becoming Shrek anyway.
As for intermediate academies... forget it. He would be better off as an unaffiliated Soul Master.
"All right. Let's take a look."
After some thought, Lin Yang finally nodded.
"Huh? You really want to go to some academy nobody's heard of?"
Xiao Wu's eyes were full of confusion.
"Xiao Wu, you can choose not to go. Teacher only asked me to go, after all."
Tang San looked at Xiao Wu, raising his eyebrows slightly as the corners of his mouth lifted.
At that, Xiao Wu immediately clung to Lin Yang's arm like a cat guarding its food and glared fiercely at Tang San.
"No! If you both go, I'll be so lonely on my own. What if I run out of carrots?"
Lin Yang looked up at the sky and exhaled.
"There aren't many places we can go anyway. Unless you want to go to Spirit Hall?"
At those words, Xiao Wu tightened her grip even further, making Lin Yang raise an eyebrow.
"Absolutely not! Then we're going to Shrek."
Tang San gave a wry chuckle and looked at Lin Yang, who stood a head taller than him.
"You really know how to handle her."
"Let's go. Suotuo City, where Shrek is located, is still quite a distance from here."
"You've been there?" Tang San frowned.
"Try looking at maps more often."
Lin Yang chuckled and walked on with Xiao Wu hanging off him like an accessory.
Tang San scratched his head and hurried after them.
Along the way, Lin Yang looked at the virtual panel before his eyes.
[Uchiha (The Four Mad Laughers) portrayal] [Madara Uchiha: 11] [Obito Uchiha: 7] [Uchiha Itachi: 14] [Sasuke Uchiha: 16] [Currently unlocked:] [Soul Skill One: Fire Release] [Soul Skill Two: Amaterasu (Sasuke)]
After all these years of experimentation, he had largely figured out the panel's evaluation criteria.
First came behavioral assessment. Decisions or actions that matched a character's established personality could count toward increasing his portrayal score.
However, the higher his portrayal score rose-or the more often he portrayed them-ordinary actions no longer met the standard.
Only decisions made during major events would count, and they had to match the character's distinctive personality.
Also, when fighting opponents of a higher level than himself, leaning toward a particular character's fighting style would increase that character's portrayal score.
Lin Yang walked on, deep in thought. Tang San looked at his profile, his own thoughts unreadable.
After a long journey, the three arrived at Suotuo City.
"Suotuo City is just ahead. Shrek is in there."
"Let's go."
The three figures gradually disappeared into the surging crowd.
Before you continue