Enrollment

After temporarily leaving the donkey cart at a stall,

the village chief and Lin Yang carried their luggage and asked for directions along the way, finally reaching the junior Soul Master Academy in the west of the city.

A tall, arched stone gateway stood imposingly, its refined-iron gates gleaming black.

Above the gateway were the large words "Nuoding Academy," lending it a solid, imposing air.

Looking through the iron gates, they could see a broad flagstone road leading straight into the school, with tall trees on either side casting patches of green shade.

"Who are you? Unauthorized people aren't allowed near here."

Before they even reached the entrance, a young gatekeeper stepped out from the side and waved his hand as though shooing away flies.

Well, well. How have you survived this long with that attitude?

Lin Yang was just about to speak when the village chief caught him by the shoulder.

With a slightly respectful air, the village chief said with a smile,

"Young man, we're from Red Maple Village. This child is our village's work-study student. I've brought him here to attend school today."

As he spoke, he took out the Spirit Hall certificate.

"A work-study student?"

The young gatekeeper frowned and took the Spirit Hall certificate for a look. His Innate Soul Power was actually rank five.

His first reaction was that it was fake. In all these years, he had never seen a work-study student with Innate Soul Power above rank three.

Could a golden phoenix really fly out of a nest of straw?

Just as he was about to rebuke them harshly, he noticed Lin Yang expressionlessly take out a meter-long saber and swing it through the air, whipping up a fierce wind.

The cold gleam flashing along its black blade dazzled his eyes.

Martial Soul: saber. Innate Soul Power: rank five. It matched the Martial Soul certificate perfectly.

The young man swallowed with an audible gulp.

His expression changed as if he had switched masks, and he respectfully handed the Martial Soul certificate back to the village chief with both hands.

"Haha... please come in. Come right in."

Not only did the young man step aside, he even helpfully told Lin Yang and the village chief where to register.

He was like an entirely different person from the one who had just been looking down his nose at them.

Such were a Soul Master's privileges. Even though Lin Yang was only a Soul Scholar below rank ten, a mere gatekeeper could not afford to offend him.

Seeing the gatekeeper's reaction, Talen could hardly fail to realize it was because of Lin Yang's status as a Soul Master. His confidence immediately swelled, and even his back straightened a little.

The two soon found the place for new students to register-the academic affairs office.

With his work-study status, Lin Yang completed his enrollment smoothly.

"You're a work-study student, so you'll be staying in Dormitory Building Seven. You'll need to complete tasks assigned by the academy to receive payment," the teacher handling Lin Yang's registration said kindly.

"As for the specific work, your dormitory teacher will arrange that for you."

Lin Yang nodded. "Thank you, teacher."

Taking the school uniform and textbooks the teacher handed him, Lin Yang briskly gathered everything in his arms, turned, and left the academic affairs office.

Watching Lin Yang leave, the teacher muttered,

"Is that child really six? He looks so sturdy."

Once the enrollment procedures were finished, the village chief prepared to leave.

Before leaving, he reminded Lin Yang to study hard and said he would come to pick him up at the end of the term. If Lin Yang needed anything, he could simply write.

Watching the village chief Talen's figure gradually recede, Lin Yang drew a deep breath. From this moment on, his life as a Soul Master was about to begin.

On the path of a Soul Master, he was destined to fight alone.

After all, he did not have a fine Titled Douluo father.

He brought his bedding and daily necessities to Dormitory Building Seven.

Naturally, the living conditions for work-study students were not particularly good, but Lin Yang did not care about that.

Opening the door, he saw several slightly older children playing around together.

Lin Yang's arrival instantly drew every child's gaze.

"A new work-study student?"

One rather sturdy boy stepped forward and raised his chin at Lin Yang, sizing him up.

Lin Yang nodded. "Yes."

"Good." The boy pointed at himself and said,

"I'm the boss of Dorm Seven. My name's Zhao Bufan. The rule among us work-study students is that the strongest person becomes the boss. Do you want to challenge me?"

"Sure."

Lin Yang nodded. Showing an appropriate amount of strength could save him a lot of trouble without drawing too much attention. Why not?

"Kid, you've got guts."

Zhao Bufan froze for a moment, then gave a fierce grin. He crossed his hands and rolled his neck, producing a series of cracks.

"Then I won't hold back. I'm a rank-nine Soul Scholar. Martial Soul: Wild Wolf."

As he spoke, Zhao Bufan activated his Martial Soul, and a layer of gray light immediately covered his body.

Most noticeably, his teeth grew pointed, and his fingernails sharpened.

Lin Yang nodded calmly. "Lin Yang. Rank-seven Soul Scholar. Martial Soul: saber."

Zhao Bufan asked, "Why aren't you using your Martial Soul?"

"No need."

"Arrogant!"

Feeling belittled, Zhao Bufan roared in anger and became a gray blur as he charged at Lin Yang.

Watching the movement riddled with openings, Lin Yang remained expressionless.

As his claws were about to reach their target, Zhao Bufan sneered inwardly. This guy doesn't seem like much.

But just then, Lin Yang moved.

There was scarcely any visible movement. He merely bent his knees and stepped forward, seized Zhao Bufan's arm like lightning, then turned and bent his back.

Smack!

With a beautiful shoulder throw, he sent Zhao Bufan's world spinning and slammed him down with his limbs splayed.

The pain from his back brought a flash of anger to Zhao Bufan's eyes.

He was just about to get up and fight again when Lin Yang tightened his grip on his arm slightly, sending a piercing pain through him.

Zhao Bufan could not help crying out, "Ow, ow, ow..."

"Is that enough?"

Lin Yang's expression was calm. Bullying a child was hardly anything to be proud of.

"I yield." Zhao Bufan was straightforward enough to admit defeat.

After Lin Yang released his arm, Zhao Bufan climbed off the floor with a bitter expression.

"You won. From now on, you're the boss of Dorm Seven."

Then he turned toward the other children, who were already staring dumbfounded, and shouted,

"Everyone, call him boss."

"Boss..."

Lin Yang waved a hand. "Introduce yourselves."

"Boss, my name's Wang Sheng. Fourth year. My Martial Soul is War Tiger. I want to become a Battle Soul Master."

"I'm Tie Niu. My Martial Soul's a hammer."

"I'm Zhao Xiaodao. My Martial Soul is the same as yours, boss-a saber."

Lin Yang gave Zhao Xiaodao another look. Though his Martial Soul was called a saber, it looked more like a small dagger. With rank-five Soul Power, he was fairly good by this academy's standards.

They were all eight or nine years old, and there was generally little scheming among them.

They were also sincerely convinced by Lin Yang, who had earned his position as boss through strength, so he fit into Dorm Seven quite easily.

Meanwhile, in the headmaster's office.

Su Hong, the headmaster, wore a gentle smile as he pushed Lin Yang's information toward a middle-aged man sitting opposite him.

The middle-aged man was around thirty or forty, with ordinary features and a short crew cut. His world-weary eyes held dejection and languor.

"Grandmaster, take a look at this child named Lin Yang. His Innate Soul Power is a full rank five. You could say he has the highest Innate Soul Power of any child the academy has had in recent years."

Yu Xiaogang quickly glanced at the information and murmured, "His Martial Soul is a saber, and his Innate Soul Power is only rank five...?"

In his eyes, rank-five Innate Soul Power hardly made someone a promising prospect.

But at this junior academy, where Innate Soul Power was generally only rank one or two, Lin Yang already stood like a crane among chickens.

Besides, while holed up in this little school, Lin Yang was already the most talented child he had seen.

After considering it, Yu Xiaogang narrowed his eyes again, his expression indifferent.

"Ah... let's observe him for a while first and see whether he's worth nurturing..."