"So I still lost this time!"
Tang San shook his head dejectedly.
Yu Xiaogang slapped him on the shoulder and said solemnly, "No. In my eyes, you scored three victories in this match, while Ji Hongchen suffered three defeats!"
"I scored three victories?"
Tang San could hardly believe it.
Yu Xiaogang wore an inscrutable expression. "Through this Soul Fighting match, you recognized your own shortcomings. That is your first victory. Your talent far surpasses his. That is your second victory. You took me as your master and are learning my invincible theories. That is your third victory!"
"As for Ji Hongchen, his Martial Soul is far inferior to yours. That is his first defeat. You saw through his moves. That is his second defeat. On top of that, his Martial Soul is defective, leaving him with no future. That is his third defeat!"
"So, Little San, although you appear to have lost, you are actually the winner."
Brilliant!
Tang San, who had been left despondent after being beaten into the ground, had a dazzling future ahead of him, while the powerful Ji Hongchen, whose brilliance could not be concealed, faced a future without a glimmer of light.
A shiver ran through Tang San as he listened. His earlier dejection seemed to have been swept away, replaced by an inexplicable sense of superiority.
But a moment later, he spoke again, worry weighing on his mind.
"Teacher, doesn't that mean Ji Hongchen will most likely become a good-for-nothing in the future? If I give him a thousand Gold Soul Coins, wouldn't I be helping him?"
"Should I still give him the Gold Soul Coins?"
Grandmaster shook his head. "Why give them to him? He's a good-for-nothing with no future. Put it off for now. Once you become a Soul Grandmaster, you won't need to pay him anymore."
"Little San, you have only one flaw: you care too much about personal bonds. It is your strength, but also your weakness."
Tang San felt as though the tangled undergrowth blocking his mind had suddenly been cleared away. Everything clicked into place.
So that's how it is. Teacher's words make so much sense.
Ji Hongchen is a good-for-nothing with no future. He can only maintain a respectable appearance by relying on piles of Gold Soul Coins, while I have a bright future ahead of me.
"Teacher, I understand now!"
Seeing the gloom lift from Tang San, Yu Xiaogang patted his shoulder with relief. "Good, Little San. Cultivate diligently. In a few years, Ji Hongchen won't even be able to catch a glimpse of your back."
Grandmaster truly is my guide in life!
Tang San marveled inwardly. He felt that none of those people understood Grandmaster. He alone understood the essence of Grandmaster's true teachings.
Ji Hongchen's dorm room.
"Student Ji Hongchen, the inspection from above has concluded. Our academy secured quite a few benefits. Here is a reward for you."
Director Wang handed Ji Hongchen a bag of Gold Soul Coins with a broad smile.
Ji Hongchen picked up the bag and hefted it.
Twelve hundred coins.
After several years of practice, he could now tell how many Gold Soul Coins a bag contained simply by weighing it in his hand.
"Teacher, is there anything else I need to do?"
Director Wang waved a hand. "There is nothing else for now. However, once you reach level twenty, the academy can arrange to help you hunt for a soul ring. We can also give you a letter of recommendation so you can pursue further studies at another Soul Master Academy."
Ji Hongchen nodded, rather tempted by the offer.
He was not particularly concerned about hunting for his second soul ring. After all, his physical strength already exceeded that of an ordinary Soul Elder, making him strong enough to kill a thousand-year soul beast.
The recommendation letter, however, would be quite useful.
Although there were many advanced Soul Master Academies across the Douluo Continent, some of the top academies did not readily admit commoner students.
The Four Element Academies, for instance, imposed strict requirements on their applicants. Unless someone possessed exceptional talent, getting in was impossible.
The Heaven Dou Royal Academy gave commoners no chance whatsoever. Ordinary people were not even eligible to apply, let alone enroll for further studies.
One exception was the Blue Tyrant Academy, which claimed to admit only commoner children. In reality, however, most of its students came from established families, as could be seen from its later tournament team.
As for the Spirit Hall Academy, it was not that Ji Hongchen was unwilling to attend. Rather, Spirit Hall was unsafe at present. Bibi Dong, that idiot, was far too dangerous, and he wanted nothing to do with her.
Spirit Hall itself was naturally a good organization. The problem was that its Supreme Pontiff was Bibi Dong. Had it been Qian Xunji instead, he would have been willing to go.
After all, the fact that Bibi Dong had survived that situation and even become Supreme Pontiff was enough to show that Qian Xunji was quite a piece of work. Of course, that did not change the fact that he was a rapist.
"All right, Director Wang. I'll be going away for a while soon and won't return for a few months. That should be fine, right?"
Director Wang nodded. "No problem. You have already completed your studies at Nuoding Academy. You can leave whenever you like without requesting leave."
Ji Hongchen thanked him and saw him out.
Afterward, he began planning his next steps.
As for leaving Nuoding Academy, that would have to wait until he had at least two soul rings. After that, he could head to the Ten Great Main Cities and earn Gold Soul Coins through Soul Fighting.
"But now that I've got money, naturally, it's time for a spending spree!"
Looking at his bulging money bag, Ji Hongchen bounced it in his hand a few times, then headed out to buy supplies while it was still early.
He paid a visit to the smithy.
Ji Hongchen went straight to the owner. "Boss, have you got anything good? I don't want any of that refined iron. I'm mainly looking for rare minerals."
His Jinghong Sword was about to become an upper-grade martial soul. Ordinary metals could no longer meet its needs; he needed rare metals.
Recognizing his god of wealth, the smithy owner immediately greeted him with a smile and took a piece of metal glowing bluish-white from a box he had prepared.
"I know you like collecting rare metals, so I specially procured this piece of mithril a few days ago. Take a look and see if you're satisfied."
Ji Hongchen took the mithril and examined it carefully.
Mithril was a relatively common rare metal. Even during the Douluo I era, its production was not low. Since there were no Soul Tools or hidden weapons, however, its price could only climb so high.
"How many Gold Soul Coins?"
"If you're serious about buying it, a hundred and fifty Gold Soul Coins."
Ji Hongchen nodded. "I'll take it."
"Do you have any other metals?"
Seeing how readily Ji Hongchen agreed, the smith brought out two more kinds of metal. "These are tungsten steel and crystal steel. They're much cheaper than mithril. If you want them, they're a hundred Gold Soul Coins apiece."
"Give me four pieces."
Ji Hongchen could only fork over five hundred and fifty Gold Soul Coins to buy all the metals gathered for absorption, then headed straight to the pharmacy.
He bought some more hundred-year whale rubber and counted his remaining money. Of his original twelve hundred Gold Soul Coins, only three hundred remained. He would set those aside for food.
"Ugh, there's never enough money."
Ji Hongchen sighed.
If only a wealthy woman would support him.
Returning to his dorm room, Ji Hongchen summoned the Jinghong Sword and began absorbing the mithril ore and the other ores.
A short while later.
Ji Hongchen's Soul Power smoothly broke through to level fourteen, and the Jinghong Sword rose straight to upper-grade martial soul quality, its attack power increasing greatly.
"That feels great!"
Ji Hongchen ate a piece of hundred-year whale rubber.
Then he began practicing swordsmanship. This time, however, his practice was more comprehensive. Instead of only thrusts and chops, he worked on various changes and combinations of thrusting, chopping, pointing, sweeping upward, snapping, intercepting, and slicing.
Once he became proficient in Basic Swordsmanship.
He could consider unlocking the Sword Sect Insights to learn more advanced swordsmanship.
Before you continue