Notting Academy

Moreover, Ye Chen had no intention of commuting. He was planning to become a self-funded work-study student at Notting Academy!

Well, calling himself a self-funded work-study student was perhaps not quite accurate. More precisely, he would be a self-funded student living in the work-study student dormitory.

After all, that adorably silly little rabbit lived in the work-study student dormitory. Ye Chen had no intention of staying anywhere else.

Notting City was not very large. A little over ten minutes later, Ye Chen spotted Notting Junior Soul Master Academy in the west of the city from afar.

Looking at Notting Academy's enormous arched gate, over twenty meters wide and more than ten meters tall, Ye Chen had to admit that Notting Junior Soul Master Academy was rather impressive.

It seemed the academy's annual teaching budget was quite substantial. He just wondered whether the headmaster took kickbacks from it.

Without wasting any time, Ye Chen walked straight into Notting Academy.

There was indeed a gatekeeper at the academy entrance, but the gatekeeper who, in the original story, had earned Tang San's judgment of "a path to death" did not stop Ye Chen. His treatment was clearly leagues better than Tang San's.

That surprised him somewhat. Wasn't this gatekeeper supposed to be very arrogant?

In truth, Ye Chen had gotten it wrong. Someone working as a gatekeeper naturally had some sense of judgment.

Ye Chen was not short on money, so he certainly did not skimp on his clothing or appearance.

When Tang San came to Notting Academy, however, he had been dressed plainly. It was only natural for that snobbish gatekeeper to look down on him.

It was just that, in the original story, the gatekeeper's eye for people had not been sharp enough. He had failed to see that the unremarkable-looking Tang San was actually someone not to be trifled with.

Notting Academy was neither particularly large nor particularly small. After looking around, Ye Chen found that it was mainly divided into several areas: the teaching building, the Sports Field, and the dormitory buildings east of the Sports Field.

"If I'm registering, it should be in the teaching building, right?"

Although he had lived in Notting City since childhood, he had never actually visited Notting Academy. After giving it some thought, he headed straight for the teaching building.

Before long, Ye Chen saw an office on the first floor of the teaching building with a sign reading Academic Affairs Office.

Inside the Academic Affairs Office were an elderly man of about sixty and two young men. Judging by their appearance, the two young men were likely the old man's assistants.

"Excuse me, is this where I register?"

As soon as he entered, Ye Chen asked the three of them.

"That's right, this is where you register. You can call me Director Su. Little friend, let me see your Martial Soul Certificate."

Director Su spoke to Ye Chen with a warm smile.

"Here."

Ye Chen took out the Martial Soul Certificate that Su Yuntao had issued for him after his Martial Soul Awakening from his Storage Soul Tool and handed it to Director Su.

A Storage Soul Tool?

Director Su stared at Ye Chen, momentarily stunned. He had not expected Ye Chen to possess a Storage Soul Tool at such a young age. Although there were quite a few Storage Soul Tools on the Douluo Continent, not every Spirit Master had one, especially low-level Spirit Masters.

Director Su then looked at Ye Chen's Martial Soul Certificate.

"Innate Soul Power rank three, and a Bamboo Staff Martial Soul?"

Director Su nodded slightly as he read the certificate.

Innate Soul Power rank three was fairly good for a small place like Notting City.

While it was not outstanding, it would place him among the better students at Notting Academy. Becoming a Four-Ring Soul Elder in the future should not be a problem.

And in all of Notting City, there were only three Four-Ring Soul Elders: their headmaster, the city lord, and the former master of the Martial Soul Branch Hall.

"Your name is Ye Chen, right? Do you have a work-study student quota?"

"No. My family is from Notting City."

Ye Chen shook his head.

"Oh? Then you're Ye Lin and Wang Yue's son?"

Director Su's eyes lit up.

"Huh? Director Su, you knew my father and mother?"

Ye Chen had not expected Director Su to know his parents.

"Back when I was a teacher, the two of them were students in my class! I just never expected... ah."

As he spoke, Director Su shook his head. Given the potential of Ye Chen's parents, they could have advanced to the realm of Four-Ring Soul Elders and become prominent figures in Notting City. It was a pity.

"..."

At the mention of his parents, Ye Chen fell silent.

"Forget it, let's not bring up the past. I'll register you now."

Seeing Ye Chen's silence, Director Su realized he had touched on Ye Chen's old wounds and hurriedly changed the subject.

"Director Su, this is the registration fee."

As he spoke, Ye Chen took out a Gold Soul Coin.

Since he did not have a work-study student quota, he naturally had to pay the registration fee. But such a small fee was nothing to Ye Chen.

"Haha, forget the registration fee. I'll cover it for you."

Director Su said heartily.

To him, one Gold Soul Coin was nothing. Besides, Ye Chen was the orphaned child of his former students, so there was some connection between them.

"Then thank you, Director Su. Oh, and I want to stay in the work-study student dormitory."

Since Director Su had shown him kindness, Ye Chen did not refuse, though he did make a small request.

"The work-study student dormitory? Are you sure?"

Director Su's eyes widened. It was not as though the work-study student dormitory was unfit for people to live in, but its conditions were certainly nowhere near as good as those of the other dormitories.

"The work-study student dormitory it is!"

Ye Chen nodded earnestly. That adorably silly little rabbit lived in the work-study student dormitory, so naturally he had to go there too. Otherwise, why come to Notting Academy at all? Couldn't he cultivate at home?

Notting Junior Soul Master Academy could not possibly have a Simulated Cultivation Environment, and the academy mostly taught basic cultural knowledge.

As for Ye Chen's educational level, it could only be called ordinary in his previous life, but on the Douluo Continent, aside from knowledge concerning soul beasts, he was absolutely a scholarly authority.

Moreover, the writing system from his previous life was not all that different from the one on the Douluo Continent. Only a few uncommon characters differed.

"All right. Do as you please."

Seeing the determination in Ye Chen's eyes, Director Su said no more.

It would not work if a work-study student wanted to move into another dormitory, unless they paid. But if a self-funded student wanted to stay in the work-study student dormitory, that was no problem.

And although the work-study student dormitory had poorer conditions, its cultivation atmosphere was better.

After all, work-study students mostly came from ordinary families and understood that the only way to change their fate was to cultivate diligently and become Spirit Masters.

Self-funded students, on the other hand, mostly came from well-off families. Naturally, they were usually less diligent in cultivation than work-study students.

Just as Director Su was registering Ye Chen, a clear voice rang out in the office. "Is this where I register?"

The four people in the office immediately turned their gazes toward the doorway.

There stood a soft, adorable little girl with rabbit ears. Her pretty face was fair with a rosy glow, and her tender pink appearance resembled a ripe peach.

Her long hair was braided into a scorpion braid that hung past her hips. She wore a pink outfit, and her large, watery eyes brimmed with curiosity.