Yu Xiaogang's Suggestion

Yang Yunhai had reached Soul Power Rank 10?

Yu Xiaogang's eyes showed a trace of surprise as he instinctively turned his head.

That cultivation speed was even faster than his had been back then.

Although he had awakened a malignantly mutated Martial Soul in those days, his father had not given up on him because of it. Not only had he provided every resource for his cultivation, but the Soul Beasts hunted for him had also been Subdragon Class ones of the optimal age. Only then had his Soul Power broken through to Rank 29 before he turned twenty.

He himself had reached Rank 10 before the age of ten.

Yet Yang Yunhai, a commoner with nothing at all, had done so several months faster than him.

Was it because of diligence? Thinking of the difficulty of the first ten ranks and Yang Yunhai's hard work, he felt somewhat relieved.

"Solitary Bamboo." His expression remained unchanged as he answered calmly.

"Solitary Bamboo is inherently tough. Although its offensive power is weak, its defense is decent. Moreover, like Blue Silver Grass, it is also a plant-type Soul Beast, so compatibility will not be an issue."

"After absorbing the Spirit Ring, it can greatly improve its toughness and conceal Blue Silver Grass's innate weakness of being brittle and soft."

"Besides, Solitary Bamboo under a hundred years old is not particularly difficult to find or hunt."

Born a commoner, with Innate Soul Power of Rank 0.5 and Blue Silver Grass as his Martial Soul, he had instinctively assumed Yang Yunhai would report the matter to the academy and ask its instructors to help hunt an ordinary Soul Beast under a hundred years old. This was practically standard for every work-study student at the academy.

As far as he knew, the instructors at Notting City Academy would not risk hunting hundred-year Soul Beasts for commoner work-study students. Finding a suitable hundred-year Soul Beast inevitably meant entering the areas where such creatures lived, where one could easily be ambushed by aggressive hundred-year Soul Beasts.

No one would gamble their life for someone entirely unrelated to them!

"Ahem, Grandmaster, Yang Yunhai came to request leave this time." A trace of awkwardness flashed through the Dean's eyes. He understood what Grandmaster meant. Not risking themselves to hunt hundred-year Soul Beasts for work-study students was indeed an unspoken rule privately agreed upon by the academy's instructors.

Overreaching. The phrase instinctively surfaced in Yu Xiaogang's mind, and a flicker of disdain crossed his eyes.

Requesting leave—without question, Yang Yunhai wanted to find a way to hunt a better hundred-year Spirit Ring himself. As for how, he would likely return to his village and beg the retired Spirit Hall Deacon village chief for help. But why would anyone go to such lengths for an orphan with no talent, no background, and a useless Martial Soul? If the man had truly cared, Yang Yunhai would never have been sent to Notting Academy as a work-study student.

He was almost certain that Yang Yunhai's trip back to the village would end in failure.

If he still refused to give up and foolishly went to the Soul Hunting Forest to form a team or hire someone for a hunt, his life might well be in danger.

Pursuing something that did not belong to him would ultimately end in nothing.

Had Yu Xiaogang not heard of and seen enough commoner Soul Masters dying in the Beginner Soul Hunting Forest over the years?

At that thought, the image of his former companion Flender surfaced in his mind, along with... her. Back then, they had been a perfect team, one capable of entrusting their backs to one another. It was precisely because of that team that he had had the chance to put many Soul Master theories into practice. After they parted ways, however, his personal strength had been insufficient for him to enter and leave the Soul Hunting Forest, so he had come to Notting Academy to gather data on the students' Martial Souls and refine his theories.

Unfortunately, the students of Notting Academy were all mediocre and utterly unworthy of receiving his instruction.

That was also why he had endured so much criticism over the years.

Fortunately, things had finally taken a turn for the better.

He had met Tang San and found a disciple capable of proving both his theories and his ability to teach.

As he thought this, a figure flashed through his mind, and his eyes could not help softening with a touch of indulgence.

But the next moment, as he remembered Tang San's Twin Martial Souls, another figure surfaced in his mind, and his expression darkened slightly.

His brows furrowed, and the gaze he directed at Yang Yunhai gained a hint of chill. His tone became even more indifferent.

"Do you plan to join Spirit Hall in the future?"

Unless Yang Yunhai used the promise of joining Spirit Hall in the future to persuade him, Yu Xiaogang absolutely did not believe that village chief would help.

What the hell does that have to do with you? You collect subsidies from Spirit Hall every month—at least their staff have been paying them out to you year after year for decades. Fine if you don't say anything nice, but why does it bother you whether an outsider joins them or not? Why are you giving me that attitude? Yang Yunhai could not help grumbling inwardly.

His expression did not change, however. He gave a slight shake of his head. "Probably not. Director Su was just talking to me about this. I think he made a lot of sense. My Martial Soul and talent are not very good. Even if I joined a Soul Master Force, I would not receive any cultivation, and I would lose my freedom as well."

"So after graduating from the academy, I want to continue studying at an Intermediate Soul Master Academy. If possible, it would be even better if I could eventually enroll in some Advanced Soul Master Academy." If that did not work..." He looked up at Yu Xiaogang, his tone sincere.

"Grandmaster, I heard some of your story during my time at the academy."

"Tang San is the most capable person in our dormitory, and that certainly has a lot to do with your teaching. The Soul Master theories you study must be remarkable."

"They say that reading dead books is inferior to traveling far and wide. Your theories are so impressive, so I imagine it must also be because you once traveled the continent for many years, saw many things, and continuously practiced and improved your own theories."

A stream of indirect flattery immediately followed.

"So, if no Advanced Soul Master Academy is willing to take me in later on, I want to learn from you, Grandmaster, and travel the continent to broaden my horizons. If my Soul Power can improve along the way, that would naturally be wonderful. But if it cannot, then I plan to return to Notting City and become an academy instructor, telling the students about the things I have seen and heard during my travels. That would count as repaying the academy."

"When I grow old, I will return to the village and the orphanage to teach the children and repay the kindness of those who raised me all these years."

"Good child, what a good child..." Director Su's eyes immediately reddened with emotion.

They said poor children matured early, but he had never expected Yang Yunhai to be thinking so far ahead at such a young age.

As if recalling something, his gaze instinctively flicked toward Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang had eaten and lived at the academy for free for so many years, yet he had never taught a single class for the academy.

"..." Yu Xiaogang's face reddened slightly, though no one knew what he was thinking.

After a long silence, his expression returned to indifference. "If you can find someone to help you, perhaps you can hunt a hundred-year Poisonous Snake Soul Beast. That way, you can give Blue Silver Grass a poison attribute and add some offensive capability, making it easier for you to travel the continent in the future and deal with any dangers you may encounter."

After saying that, he turned to the Dean. "Director Su, I have other matters to attend to. Bring me the documents."

"Alright, please wait a moment." Director Su nodded at once, then turned to Yang Yunhai with a smile. "Xiao Hai, go on. I wish you a smooth journey and hope you obtain the Spirit Ring you desire."

He could now accept Blue Silver Grass being given an animal-type Spirit Ring, after all, since Tang San had already achieved it.

With that thought, he began rummaging through the piles of books on the nearby shelves in search of the Soul Master records Yu Xiaogang wanted.

"Goodbye, Director Su. Goodbye, Grandmaster!" Yang Yunhai bowed to each of them before striding out the door.

When he returned to the dormitory, Tang San and Xiao Wu were not there. They had probably gone to class.

Without giving it any further thought, he quickly packed the things he needed for the trip.

Once he was done, he slung his bag over his back, left the dormitory, and headed straight out of the academy.