Work-Study Student Slots

"Another one with Innate Full Soul Power..."

Su Yuntao muttered blankly to himself.

"But unfortunately, another Trash Martial Soul..."

As if something had occurred to him, Su Yuntao could not help but sigh.

What had happened today was simply too dramatic, utterly overturning Su Yuntao's understanding. He was afraid he would never forget the events of this day for the rest of his life.

Sighing inwardly, Su Yuntao took out two specially made sheets of parchment from his bag.

He began registering Lin Ye and Tang San's information, including their names, Martial Souls, and Innate Soul Power.

For Lin Ye's Martial Soul, Su Yuntao registered Begonia Flower, while for Tang San's, he registered Blue Silver Grass.

"These are your Martial Soul certificates. You both possess Innate Full Soul Power, something exceedingly rare on the Douluo Continent. It's a pity that your Martial Souls are both Trash Martial Souls with no real prospects for development."

"If they weren't Trash Martial Souls—even Martial Souls like sickles or hoes, with at least some attacking power—Innate Full Soul Power would have been enough to make you strong."

Handing the completed Martial Soul certificates to Lin Ye and Tang San, Su Yuntao spoke with complicated emotions.

After Lin Ye and Tang San accepted the certificates, Su Yuntao turned to pack up his things. He put the six black stones and the dark blue crystal ball back into his bag, then prepared to leave.

"Oh, right. You'd best give your Martial Soul certificates to your village chief for safekeeping. If you plan to attend a Soul Master Academy in the future, you'll likely need your village chief's help."

Before leaving, Su Yuntao turned back to add this, then walked out of the Spirit Hall Branch.

The moment Su Yuntao stepped out of the Spirit Hall Branch, Old Jack hurried over and asked, "Respected Battle Soul Master, did anyone in our village qualify to become a Soul Master this year?"

"There are, actually. Two of them, and both have Innate Full Soul Power..."

As if recalling something, Su Yuntao sighed, his expression somewhat complicated.

"Tw-two? And both have Innate Full Soul Power?"

Hearing Su Yuntao's words, Old Jack immediately felt dizzy with excitement.

"Ah! But unfortunately, both have Trash Martial Souls. One is Blue Silver Grass, and the other is Begonia Flower. Village Chief, you should understand—these are both Trash Martial Souls, with practically no combat ability."

Su Yuntao shook his head.

"Trash Martial Souls? I understand. But even if they're Trash Martial Souls, Innate Full Soul Power should still be enough for them to become Soul Masters, right?"

Old Jack froze for a moment, then spoke with a sigh.

"They can certainly become Soul Masters."

Su Yuntao nodded. "All right, I won't say any more. I still need to conduct Martial Soul Awakening in other villages, so I'll be going."

With that, Su Yuntao leaped into the air. Starting from the Spirit Hall Branch, he swiftly darted over the rooftops of one wooden house after another, vanishing into the distance in the blink of an eye...

After Su Yuntao left, Lin Ye and Tang San finally emerged from the Spirit Hall Branch.

"Little Ye, Little San, how did it go? What Martial Souls did you awaken?"

Seeing Lin Ye and Tang San, Old Jack stroked his long beard and approached with his cane.

"I awakened Begonia Flower."

Lin Ye answered softly, though his gaze was somewhat contemplative.

"Grandpa Jack, even if someone has a Trash Martial Soul, as long as they have Innate Full Soul Power, they can still become a Soul Master, right?"

Tang San did not immediately answer Old Jack's question. Instead, he frowned slightly and asked.

"Of course! As long as you possess Soul Power, you are qualified to become a Soul Master in the future. It's just that the higher your Innate Soul Power, the faster you can become one."

"And with Innate Full Soul Power, you can become a Soul Master right now. However, to become a Soul Master, you must absorb something called a Soul Ring. As for what a Soul Ring is, I don't know either. I've only heard that it has something to do with Soul Beasts."

Old Jack answered patiently, but by the end, he could not help shaking his head.

"Little San, that master just said two people in our village have Innate Full Soul Power. One has Begonia Flower as their Martial Soul, and the other has Blue Silver Grass. Little Ye's Martial Soul is Begonia Flower, so yours couldn't be Blue Silver Grass, could it?"

As if suddenly realizing something, Old Jack asked in astonishment.

"Ah! Innate Full Soul Power, but Blue Silver Grass as your Martial Soul? Little San, your talent is so good, but it's a pity that fellow Tang Hao didn't pass down a good Martial Soul to you. What a waste!"

Old Jack could not help feeling regretful.

"But don't worry. You both have Innate Full Soul Power, so you will definitely become Soul Masters in the future. This old man will make sure you attend a proper Soul Master Academy to learn how to cultivate your Martial Souls and study all kinds of Soul Master knowledge."

"Grandpa, doesn't our village only have one Work-Study Student slot?"

At the side, Lin Ye asked in confusion.

Because of his curiosity about Martial Souls, Lin Ye had loved asking Old Jack about all kinds of Martial Soul-related matters since childhood. He knew virtually everything Old Jack knew about Martial Souls and Soul Masters, and Work-Study Students were naturally no exception.

Work-Study Students were a special system in Soul Master Academies.

Since the costs of Soul Master Academies were extremely high—whether enrollment fees or daily food and lodging expenses—ordinary commoners could not afford them. Thus, the Work-Study Student system came into being.

Work-Study Students could enroll in Soul Master Academies for free. By helping the academy with miscellaneous tasks, such as cleaning, they could earn money. Though the pay was not much, it was enough to cover the cost of three daily meals. This was a special benefit Soul Master Academies offered ordinary commoners.

However, several villages usually had to share a single such slot.

Holy Soul Village had once produced a Soul Saint, so it was entitled to one slot of its own each year. But there was only one slot—how could two people attend a Soul Master Academy together? "Hehe, don't worry. Although our Holy Soul Village only has one Work-Study Student slot, in villages like ours, those who awaken Martial Souls and can become Soul Masters are few and far between."

"Even Holy Soul Village hasn't produced a Soul Master in over a decade, and the other villages are the same. I can borrow a slot from another village for you two, so don't worry."

Old Jack chuckled.

"So that's how it is."

Only after hearing that they could borrow a slot from another village did Lin Ye understand.

"Little San, Little Ye will definitely be willing to attend a Soul Master Academy. He's been especially interested in Martial Souls and Soul Masters since he was young. But what about you? Are you willing to go to a Soul Master Academy? If you are, I'll get a slot from another village for you. Don't worry, there won't be any problems."

Old Jack looked at Tang San and spoke seriously.

"This... Grandpa Jack, I need to ask my father first."

Tang San looked somewhat hesitant, but he still replied.

"Ah! This really is something you need to ask your father about."

Hearing Tang San's answer, Old Jack gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

Although Tang San had always been very sensible, he was still only a child.

For such an important matter, he really should ask an adult's opinion.

"Come on, I'll take you home and ask what your father thinks."

"Grandpa, can I leave first? I want to test out my Martial Soul."

Hearing that Grandpa Jack wanted to visit Tang San's home, Lin Ye could not help speaking up.

"All right! Then you go on ahead."

Because Lin Ye had always shown such interest in Martial Souls and Soul Masters, Old Jack naturally agreed.

In his view, Lin Ye had just awakened his Martial Soul, so it was only natural that he would be curious and want to test its abilities.

But Martial Souls were only so much. Before becoming a Soul Master, there was nothing particularly special about them.

Having received Old Jack's permission, Lin Ye turned and left.

However, after leaving Old Jack's line of sight, Lin Ye did not go home. Instead, he quickly headed toward the back mountain.