Crackle, pop! Firecrackers went off in volley after volley, filling the air with excitement.
"What's going on? Why's it so lively?"
"Of course it is! It's the big celebration that comes once a year. Come on, let's go watch."
A gong-and-drum troupe dressed in red and green led the way, entering the city to the crackle of firecrackers and passing beneath a banner:
"Congratulations to Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy on the successful completion of its Soul Hunting Operation!"
Beneath the banner, the man at the head was none other than the academy's dean, one of the city's few experts, a Soul Ancestor in his forties in level. Behind him came the graduates who had taken part in this year's Soul Hunting Operation, followed by the academy's teachers.
"This feels so familiar. Right, isn't this just a celebration for the college entrance exams?" Watching the procession approach, Lin Kong, who was eating savory tofu pudding at a roadside stall, felt a sense of familiarity.
Back when he had gotten into university, his name had been written on a banner too, bringing honor to his old high school!
"Ready! Gongs and drums, begin!"
Boom, boom, rat-a-tat!
The gong-and-drum troupe immediately struck up a coordinated rhythm. At the same time, banner after banner was raised, their red fabric bearing golden lettering:
"Congratulations to Shen Zhinian on successfully absorbing a three-hundred-year Fire Howling Wolf Soul Ring."
"Congratulations to Ding Qiuyu on successfully absorbing a two-hundred-year Wind Wheel Flower Soul Ring."
"Congratulations to Sun Yisheng on successfully absorbing a ten-year Gale Wolf Soul Ring."
"Congratulations to Yang Jiaxing on successfully absorbing a ten-year Soft Bone Rabbit Soul Ring."
The procession grew even livelier as it continued forward.
"Thank goodness, thank goodness..."
Lin Kong tucked his neck in, glanced at the banners, then looked at the students below them, their heads high and chests out, brimming with pride. Somehow, he imagined himself among them, with a banner that would most likely read: "Warm congratulations to Lin Kong on successfully absorbing a ten-year such-and-such Soul Ring."
"Ugh..."
Lin Kong shuddered, goosebumps rising all over him.
Parading through the streets with a banner just for absorbing a ten-year Soul Ring was far too embarrassing!
"That's my child! My child got a Soul Ring! He's become a Soul Master! Sob, sob..."
Naturally, the welcoming ceremony would not be complete without the parents. They had all come, waving to their children and basking in the longing and respect of the passersby. From this day onward, their families were no longer commoners. With a Soul Master in the family, they had risen above the masses.
Passersby crowded around in ring after ring to catch a glimpse of the Lord Soul Masters they rarely got to see.
"Don't push, don't push! Let me tell you, Lord Lin Kong loves my pancakes! He even took my pancakes as dry rations when he went into the Soul Hunting Forest this time!" The vendor from the northern market gripped his little pushcart hard, his face flushed red and his expression resolute.
He remembered perfectly well that a student named Lin Kong had taken quite a few pancakes from him a few days earlier!
See, this trip to the Soul Hunting Forest had ended successfully without any casualties. Didn't that prove the boy had obtained a Soul Ring and become a Soul Master?
Right!
This was a great opportunity to advertise!
A rough-looking man paused, then said hesitantly, "Pancakes Lord Lin Kong likes, huh... Give me one to try!"
"Pfft-"
A refined, literate man laughed aloud. Pointing at the two of them, he sneered, "One shameless, the other brainless. There isn't even a Lin Kong in that procession. Go peddle your nonsense somewhere else!"
The northern market vendor grew anxious and stiffened his neck as he shot back stubbornly, "Bullshit! Lord Lin Kong did take my pancakes as dry rations! I'm not lying!"
The refined man spread both hands and said with a smile, "Fine, then. Where is this Lin Kong? Point him out!"
Exactly!
If this person really existed, he would surely be in the procession. Even if they could not recognize him, his name would be written on a banner.
Then find him!
The northern market vendor immediately searched the crowd with wide eyes. Within seconds, cold sweat threatened to break out on his forehead. He looked up at the banners, craning his neck as far as he could to read them from front to back, blinking in disbelief.
"Go on, find him!"
"Open your eyes wide and look!"
"If you can find this Lin Kong fellow..."
"I'll buy every pancake you have today."
Naturally, the northern market vendor could not find him in either the procession or the banners. He grew frantic, trapped with no way to back down. Fear and trepidation filled his heart. It looked as though the man intended to make a scene. If that happened, his reputation would be ruined. Once branded a swindler, how was he supposed to do business?
Where had Lord Lin Kong gone?
"Where's this Lin Kong you keep talking about?" The refined man was smug at having exposed a swindler.
Thinking he had been duped, the rough-looking man seized the northern market vendor's pushcart and glared furiously. "You've got some nerve, making someone up to fool me! If you can't find Lin Kong, I'll overturn your cart!"
The rough-looking man and the refined man bore down on the northern market vendor together, their manner aggressive. "Where is this damned Lin Kong? Even if you didn't make him up, since he hasn't shown up, he must've been eaten by a Soul Beast! Dead as a doornail!"
"Are you two looking for me?"
A calm voice sounded beside them.
The northern market vendor, the rough-looking man, and the refined man all turned their gazes toward Lin Kong. The next second, shock appeared on all three faces. A yellow hundred-year Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet and circled him-a genuine One-Ring Soul Master.
"Look, a hundred-year Soul Ring!" someone shouted in delighted surprise. Though the Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy's procession was grand and imposing, no one had released their Martial Soul to display their Soul Rings, so it lacked a little something.
The commotion spread outward from that spot, and some of the attention that had belonged to Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy shifted toward Lin Kong.
The northern market vendor blinked hard before finding a trace of the already scant familiarity in his face. He asked tentatively, "L-Lord Lin Kong!"
"Yes, it's me. My appearance changed a little after I obtained my Soul Ring."
Lin Kong offered that explanation, then looked toward the rough-looking man and the refined man. His calm gaze carried the authority of a Soul Master, and one corner of his mouth lifted:
"Go on, you two. Speak!"
The rough-looking man's gaze landed on the hundred-year Soul Ring. Both his legs immediately began trembling, his face filled with fear and belated dread. The refined man fared even worse. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, welling up again each time he wiped it away, without end.
Ignoring them, Lin Kong walked over to the cart, casually picked up a pancake, and stuffed it into his mouth. He bit off a piece, chewed, and cast them a glance:
"Why aren't you talking anymore?"
Thud! Thud!
The rough-looking man and the refined man collapsed to the ground together, yielding to the pressure of his status as a Soul Master, and begged:
"Lord Lin Kong, please spare us!"
"We let pig fat blind our hearts! We didn't recognize you!"
"We were wrong! Lord Lin Kong, you're magnanimous. Please don't hold it against us!"
Lin Kong watched the two kneeling and begging for mercy without making any response, merely eating his pancake at a leisurely pace. Only when he heard somewhat deliberate footsteps behind him did he turn to look. It was two teachers.