"I'll go. Looking like that, you'll scare him." Yue Guan said.
"Also, the Pope wants Nana and the others to look after the boy," Gui Mei said.
"Nana?" Yue Guan raised his eyebrows.
"That might be a bit of a long shot."
"What might be a long shot?" Gui Mei asked in confusion.
"The honey trap," Yue Guan said.
"You didn't see how cold that boy was. Even colder than a living corpse like you!"
"I'm afraid Nana doesn't have what it takes to win him over."
Gui Mei looked at Yue Guan, somewhat speechless. "The Pope wants him to enter Spirit Hall Academy and interact with people his own age to stabilize his emotions first and lower his guard. What are you thinking?"
A honey trap? How old was the kid, for him to be talking about honey traps?
Spirit Hall Academy.
Yue Guan brought Xuan Ming straight there, sought out Hu Liena, who was in class, and explained the situation to her.
"He's had it that bad?" Hu Liena looked at Xuan Ming, standing beneath a tree's shade nearby, with some pity.
"Take good care of him. Don't let anyone at the academy bully him," Yue Guan said.
Hu Liena nodded. "I understand."
"Is there anything else I should watch out for?"
Yue Guan thought for a moment. "Nothing for now... no, there is one thing you need to watch out for. Don't touch those two dragons on his back."
"Why?" Hu Liena asked in confusion.
"Watch out for bites," Yue Guan said.
"Huh?" Hu Liena looked utterly bewildered.
"Those two dragons on his back aren't very bright, and they aren't completely under his control either. Don't go touching them just because they're a novelty. They'll bite you," Yue Guan said.
Hu Liena's expression turned odd. "How do you know? Could it be..."
"Ahem!" Yue Guan coughed loudly twice and handed Hu Liena the documents. "This is his Soul Master certificate."
"I'll leave his enrollment to you. I have something else to do, so I'll be off."
With that, Yue Guan leaped up and flew away.
"Goodbye, Grandpa Chrysanthemum."
Hu Liena waved, saw Yue Guan off, and walked toward Xuan Ming beneath the tree's shade.
"Hello, I'm Hu Liena. You can call me Big Sister Nana. I'll be looking after you from now on."
"Mm." Xuan Ming acknowledged her without saying anything else.
Having just learned about his circumstances, Hu Liena didn't mind his coldness. She took Xuan Ming by the hand. "I'll take you to get your enrollment paperwork done first, then take you to the dorm."
Xuan Ming followed silently behind her.
Over the past few days, he had tried many times to activate the White Light Domain while using the Blood Spear. As a result, that stabbing pain from before had grown increasingly distinct. Especially when he activated a Soul Skill while the domain was deployed, he could already sense slight clashes in his Soul Power. The stronger Blood Spear Martial Soul had even begun devouring his Black Dragon Martial Soul through the portion where they were entangled.
In other words, most of what Bibi Dong had told him was true.
Moreover, since the mutation of his Black Dragon Martial Soul had triggered changes in his body, he could practically be said to live and die with his Black Dragon Martial Soul!
If he had cultivated his Black Dragon Martial Soul first, things would have been fine. At worst, he could have let his Blood Spear Martial Soul be devoured and cultivated just one Martial Soul.
But now, if he couldn't solve this problem soon, the day his Blood Spear Martial Soul grew strong enough to devour his Black Dragon Martial Soul would be the day he died.
The Blood Spear would eat him along with his Black Dragon Martial Soul!
Chapter 38: I Can't Afford to Live Anymore
"You'll be staying here with me for now."
After completing his enrollment paperwork at the administration office, Hu Liena brought Xuan Ming to her dorm.
Under Spirit Hall Academy's rules, newly enrolled students lived in the most basic four-person dorms. Everyone was treated the same.
After that, an assessment was held every month. Depending on their results and circumstances, outstanding students could receive two-person or single-person dorms.
As an elite student of Spirit Hall Academy, she had a top-tier private dorm.
Not only did private dorms have the best basic amenities, but more importantly, the area where they were located was rich in spiritual Qi of heaven and earth. Soul Power increased faster when meditating and cultivating at night there.
The superior prevailed, the inferior were eliminated, and the strong grew stronger. That was Spirit Hall Academy's most fundamental rule.
"With you?" Xuan Ming's brow furrowed slightly.
"What, you don't want to?" Hu Liena said irritably.
"You've only just enrolled, so you can only stay in the most basic four-person dorm. But with you being like this, who knows what trouble might crop up if you went there?"
"Just stay with me for now. Once you have a result from next month's assessment, you might be able to get a single-person dorm."
As she spoke, Hu Liena led Xuan Ming into her large house.
"This is the kitchen, but I eat at the cafeteria, so I've barely ever used it. This is the bathroom, and this is the bedroom..."
Hu Liena introduced the rooms to Xuan Ming one by one.
"From now on, you'll stay in this room. I'm next door. If you need anything from me, make sure you knock. If you dare open the door and barge straight in..."
Hu Liena lowered her head, bared her little canine teeth, and put on a fierce expression.
"You're dead!"
"..."
"Could you... give me some kind of reaction?"
Seeing that her threat had no effect whatsoever and Xuan Ming remained as expressionless as ever, Hu Liena felt inexplicably awkward.
"Mm." Xuan Ming nodded in acknowledgment.
"You..." Hu Liena hesitated, then finally just let out a deep sigh.
"Grandpa Chrysanthemum told me about your background. You... try to take it in stride."
"I'm an orphan too, but Teacher treats me very well..."
Hu Liena spoke earnestly, while Xuan Ming merely listened quietly, neither interrupting nor reacting.
In truth, he didn't feel much about his background. After all, he had already grown accustomed to it in his previous life.
He was used to being alone, used to having no one spare him a thought, and used to the indifference of this world.
He didn't think he was all that unlucky. On the contrary, he thought his luck was pretty good.
After all, even after so many misfortunes, he was still alive, rather than a rotting, stinking corpse by the roadside.
"Hey!" Hu Liena tapped Xuan Ming on the head.
"Are you listening to me?"
"No," Xuan Ming said.
"..." Hu Liena.
"..." Xuan Ming.
After being left speechless for a while, Hu Liena collected herself, took Xuan Ming out of the dorm, and began touring the academy's different areas.
"That's the Mimicry Training Ground over there. Don't wander in on your own. It's dangerous."
"That's the training ground, which is also where we spar. You won't need it for now."
"That's the square. They hold events there sometimes."
"And over there..."
Holding Xuan Ming's hand, Hu Liena tirelessly introduced everything.
Finally, after touring almost half the academy, Hu Liena brought Xuan Ming to the most important place.
The cafeteria!
"If you're hungry, just say so."
Watching Xuan Ming wolf down his food, Hu Liena felt both annoyed and amused.
No wonder he'd seemed so distracted all this time. He was hungry...
"Are those dragons on that guy's back, or snakes?"
"Some special kind of lesser dragon, probably. What snake has a mouth full of fangs like that?"
"But they don't look like a Martial Soul."
"It is strange. Feels like a Mutated Martial Soul."
"But why is he maintaining Martial Soul Possession even while eating? Doesn't he get tired?"
"Maybe he thinks it looks cool. Right after I awakened my Martial Soul, I used Martial Soul Possession all the time too. Then I broke things at home and got a thrashing from my mom."
"And then?"
"I behaved myself."
"Um... don't you think he's eating too much?"
"..."
The surrounding students turned to look at Xuan Ming, who had been eating furiously ever since entering the cafeteria.
"How long... have you been hungry?" Even Hu Liena was finding it hard to watch.
He had already eaten almost five people's portions!
Where was it all going?
Even a Beast Martial Soul Master shouldn't be able to eat this much.
"My Martial Soul consumes a lot," Xuan Ming said.
His appetite came from the bodily mutation caused by his Black Dragon Martial Soul. In theory, he could gorge himself once and then go without eating anything for the next week.
However, when his Blood Spear Martial Soul digested the blood Qi it had devoured, it consumed his stamina.
The Black Dragon increased his endurance, while the Blood Spear increased his expenditure. In the end, they only barely balanced out.
"With an appetite like yours, I'm afraid my wallet might not quite be enough..." Hu Liena's expression grew somewhat strained.
The cafeteria's food wasn't cheap. After all, everyone had heavy cultivation demands, and most of the ingredients used in the cafeteria were nourishing supplements.
Although she was the Pope's disciple, whenever she truly needed something, her teacher would arrange it for her.
As for spending money, that depended on her own abilities. Her teacher was very strict with her.
Besides, she spent most of her money on cultivation and had barely any savings. Xuan Ming ate nearly six people's portions in a single meal, which meant she would be feeding the equivalent of seven people from now on!
Hiss! I can't afford to live anymore!
"Nana, who is he?"
An exceptionally handsome boy with red eyes, silver hair, and pale skin walked over. Behind him was another boy with ordinary looks but an extremely sturdy build, long fiery-red hair, flame markings all over his body, and even dark-red eyes.
"His name is Xuan Ming. Teacher asked me to look after him," Hu Liena said.
"Teacher?" Xie Yue froze.
The Pope?
"Is he His Holiness the Pope's newly accepted disciple?" Xie Yue asked.
"Well... not yet." Hu Liena found it a little hard to explain.
She felt that her teacher probably did have that intention. Otherwise, she wouldn't have asked her to look after him.