Xiao Wu, Eat Shit!

"Tao Ge, I really don't get it. You're a Soul Grandmaster, and you're so handsome too. Why worry about no one pursuing you?" Zhu Wu continued, "Soul Masters are the dream profession of us commoners. Whenever one appears, who knows how many girls from the surrounding villages want to marry them."

"As the saying goes, there's plenty of fish in the sea. Why obsess over a single flower?"

Rather than obsessing over one flower, it was better to plant an entire forest. Having personally experienced a marriage scam, he had come to understand.

Hate the King of the Sea, understand the King of the Sea, become the King of the Sea.

The saying truly did not deceive him!

"..." Su Yuntao seemed to have fallen into self-doubt. Looking utterly distracted, he walked forward in silence.

When they reached the door, he pushed it open without thinking.

"Who is it? So reckless."

A somewhat aged voice came from inside the room.

"Master Ma Xiunuo, this child is here to register as a Soul Master. I'll leave him to you. I have something else to do, so I won't disturb you any longer."

With that, Su Yuntao turned and left, looking somewhat despondent.

"What's wrong with that kid today?" Ma Xiunuo muttered before calling out, "Child, come in."

Very good. From this day onward, there was one less simp in the world and one more real man. Zhu Wu strode into the room.

"Child, are you really here to register as a Soul Master?" Seeing that the newcomer was much younger than he had expected, Ma Xiunuo's eyes filled with surprise.

"Yes, Master Ma Xiunuo." Zhu Wu replied politely, "Tao Ge helped awaken my Martial Soul in Holy Soul Village last year. It was a Silkworm Martial Soul, and I had Innate Soul Power at rank 6. I just returned from obtaining my first soul ring in the Beginner Soul Hunting Forest today."

"An ordinary Silkworm Martial Soul can cultivate this quickly?" Ma Xiunuo murmured. He recalled what Su Yuntao had reported before.

"It's alright." Zhu Wu scratched his head. "For certain reasons, us work-study students don't need to clean in the afternoons anymore, so I have more time to cultivate."

"I see." Ma Xiunuo nodded, mentally labeling him as a diligent child.

"Come here, child." With a kind expression, he smiled and beckoned. "You don't need to call me Master either. I'm hardly worthy of that title. Just call me Grandpa Ma Xiunuo from now on. I'm eighty-one this year. By age, I could easily be your grandfather."

"Yes, Grandpa Ma Xiunuo." Zhu Wu answered politely and quickly stepped forward.

Soon, Ma Xiunuo led him into a special room. Looking around, Zhu Wu saw that the walls were embedded with countless fist-sized black stones. They seemed to be made of the same material as the black stones Su Yuntao had arranged into a hexagonal formation before. He could clearly sense a special fluctuation coming from them. Under the influence of that fluctuation, the soul power within his body pulsed in a peculiar rhythm.

"This is the lowest-level Spirit Hall," Ma Xiunuo introduced when he saw Zhu Wu observing the surroundings.

As he spoke, he walked to a nearby table, picked up a yellow crystal, and brought it before Zhu Wu.

"Inject your soul power into it and let me see what rank your soul power has reached. Normally, it should be rank 11."

Zhu Wu did as instructed. Sure enough, it was rank 11.

After all, unlike Tang San, he had no prior accumulation, Zhu Wu secretly sighed.

"Congratulations. From today onward, you are a registered Soul Master. This is your identification." The procedures were completed quickly, and Ma Xiunuo handed over a card bearing his registration information. His expression then turned solemn.

"Zhu Wu, are you willing to join Spirit Hall?"

Zhu Wu accepted the identification and smiled. "Grandpa Ma Xiunuo, have you forgotten? I'm already a student of Notting Academy."

"Look at me, I've gone senile. We really were a step too late. Even Spirit Hall has no right to forcibly recruit people from an Empire Academy. And it's all because that brat Su Yuntao acted on his own and... sigh." Ma Xiunuo shook his head and sighed.

"..." After giving him a few instructions and issuing his allowance, Ma Xiunuo watched Zhu Wu leave.

Without further delay, Zhu Wu left Spirit Hall and headed straight back to the academy, buying a serving of Stinky Tofu on the way.

The Stinky Tofu in this world was truly authentic. It really had been soaked in shit.

Xiao Wu, eat shit!

Two quarters of an hour later, Dorm Seven of Notting Academy.

"What is this? It stinks so badly!?" Seeing the large box Zhu Wu handed over, Xiao Wu instinctively pinched her nose.

"This is called Stinky Tofu. It smells bad, but it tastes delicious. It's also one of Notting City's specialty foods," Wang Sheng explained from beside her.

"The area around Notting City is full of farmland, and nearly every village farmer grows beans. So you can rest assured about the ingredients. It's absolutely authentic!"

"Is it really good?" Xiao Wu was somewhat doubtful.

"Sister Xiao Wu, why would I lie to you?" Wang Sheng eagerly backed him up.

"Then I'll try it." Xiao Wu took it and set it on the table beside her. Pinching her nose, she used a bamboo skewer to pick up a piece and put it into her mouth.

Smack, smack. Her eyes immediately lit up. "I didn't expect it to actually be pretty good."

Her hands moved swiftly as she began stuffing pieces into her mouth, yellow oil staining the corners of her lips.

In high spirits, Zhu Wu turned and returned to his bed, sitting cross-legged to cultivate.

That evening, Tang San returned. Zhu Wu led his dormmates to the cafeteria, where they ordered a full table of food and had a hearty meal.

Afterward, they happily returned to the dorm together.

"Little San, Zhu Wu came back today and bought me some Stinky Tofu. It was actually really good." On the way, Xiao Wu grinned at Tang San. "When you come back from work tomorrow afternoon, buy me another serving, okay?"

"Alright." Tang San nodded. Stinky Tofu had also been an authentic local delicacy in the Bashu region where the Tang Sect had been in his previous life.

"By the way, how exactly is Stinky Tofu made? Why does it smell so bad?" Xiao Wu could not help asking.

"Sister Xiao Wu, you don't know?" One of Wang Sheng's lackeys froze, his expression turning strange.

Any child born in the villages around Notting City should know, right?

Wasn't Xiao Wu from a commoner background?

"I've never eaten it before, so how would I know!" Xiao Wu rolled her eyes.

"It's made by using fermented black beans, shiitake mushrooms, spring bamboo shoots, and other ingredients to make brine, then filtering it through gauze and dripping in some water from children's feces..." The lackey quickly explained.

"Once the brine is fully prepared, you soak fried tofu cubes in it for a while."

Xiao Wu froze in place, her little face turning pale. She stared at the lackey in disbelief, her voice trembling.

"Y-you mean that thing is also used to make Stinky Tofu?"

"Uh, isn't that how it's always made?" The lackey scratched his head. "What's the big deal? Children's urine can even be used as medicine."

"Blegh!" Xiao Wu turned her head aside, bent over, and began vomiting violently.

"..." Everyone looked at one another. Zhu Wu held back his laughter and joined the bewildered crowd.

Could Xiao Wu have some other background? She actually didn't know about Stinky Tofu. Thinking this, Tang San stepped forward to support Xiao Wu.

"Zhu Wu, I'm going to kill you!" Suddenly, Xiao Wu sprang up, her eyes bloodshot as she lunged at Zhu Wu.

Having expected this, Zhu Wu pretended to be startled and darted behind Wang Sheng. With an innocent look, he said, "Sister Xiao Wu, this can't be blamed on me, can it?"

"You're a work-study student too, born a commoner just like us. I thought you could accept it."

"Besides, didn't you say it tasted good when you ate it this afternoon?"