Time flew by. More than ten days passed, and the day Nuoding Academy opened for the term arrived.
During that time, Lu Yu had gone alone to the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest to hunt low-level Soul Beasts, then sold them to restaurants. Soul Beasts really were valuable. In just over ten days, the Soul Beast meat he sold earned him more than 300 Gold Soul Coins. Now there was no need to worry about Lu Fei's tuition.
To make it easier to flee while hunting, Lu Yu had recalled Great Sage into his body once and discovered that the Ruyi Staff's weight differed from what he had previously guessed.
The Ruyi Staff did not gain 100 jin in weight with every level of Soul Power. From level 1 to level 10, it gained 100 jin per level; from level 11 to level 20, it gained 200 jin per level.
Lu Yu guessed that from level 21 to level 30, it would gain 300 jin per level. This was only his current guess, however, and he would have to wait until after reaching level 20 to know for sure.
Lu Yu brought Lu Fei to Nuoding Academy. Before they reached the gate, they saw the academy gatekeeper blocking an old man and a boy, arguing with them about something.
Remembering that today was the first day of school and seeing this familiar scene, Lu Yu's eyes lit up.
An old man and a boy together, at this particular time-who could they be, other than Old Jack and Tang San?
Although he had seen this scene in the anime in his previous life, watching it in person and watching it through a screen were two different things.
"Let's go!" Lu Yu exclaimed excitedly. He took Lu Fei's hand and jogged over.
"Brother, what's gotten into you?" Lu Fei looked at Lu Yu in confusion, unable to understand why his brother had suddenly become so excited.
"Nothing. I'm taking you to watch a show," Lu Yu said without looking back, his eyes fixed on the small, thin figure ahead.
Perhaps Lu Yu's gaze was too eager, and Tang San had been an assassin to begin with, making him extremely sensitive to his surroundings.
Frowning slightly, Tang San turned to look behind him. As he did, his eyes met Lu Yu's.
Seeing Tang San turn around, Lu Yu stopped at once and looked him up and down. Tang San likewise sized up Lu Yu and Lu Fei.
Strange. I don't know this person, so why do I feel like he's very familiar with me? Tang San wondered.
Just as both sides were silently sizing up the situation, Lu Yu had already walked up to them. Before he could say anything, the gatekeeper waved a hand impatiently.
"Go on, get lost! Where did you little brats come from? Go play somewhere else."
Hearing the gatekeeper shoo him away, Lu Yu frowned slightly and marveled inwardly at his sheer nerve.
I've seen people courting death, but never anyone like you. You've offended Tang San, a transmigrator, and now you've offended me, another transmigrator. You've managed to offend the only two transmigrators on the continent.
Lu Yu took a deep breath, suppressed his displeasure, and pulled out Lu Fei's Martial Soul Awakening certificate. He held it out to the gatekeeper and spoke in an even tone.
"This is my younger sibling's Martial Soul Awakening certificate. We're here to enroll."
The gatekeeper examined Lu Yu and snatched the Martial Soul Awakening certificate from his hand. When he saw that the Beast Martial Soul was a Fire Monkey with innate level-five Soul Power, his expression instantly turned obsequious.
"Oh dear, my eyes must be failing me. I didn't realize your younger sibling was a Lord Soul Master. My apologies, my apologies. Please, go right in."
In the original story, the gatekeeper was supposed to be taught a lesson by Tang San, but Lu Yu, this little butterfly, had gently flapped his wings and spared him that calamity.
After speaking, the gatekeeper bent over and offered the Martial Soul Awakening certificate back to Lu Yu with both hands. Lu Yu shook his head slightly, took the certificate, and glanced at Tang San before leading Lu Fei around the gatekeeper and into the academy.
"My lord, why can they go in, but we can't?"
Lu Yu had only taken a few steps when Old Jack spoke up behind him, demanding an answer.
"Hmph! That one is a genius with innate level-five Soul Power. As for you, you think you can get into the academy with a fake Martial Soul certificate? Dream on!"
With Lu Yu no longer in front of him, the gatekeeper immediately straightened his back and looked at Old Jack and Tang San with disdain.
Lu Yu had not intended to meddle, but when he saw a man with a crew cut walking toward them from a distance, the corners of his mouth curled up maliciously.
Back when he watched the anime in his previous life, Lu Yu had never cared for Yu Xiaogang. Now that he saw him, he liked him even less and immediately wanted to trip him up.
Lu Yu turned around and spoke in an even tone, as if talking to himself. "If I were you, I wouldn't stop them. Even if the Martial Soul Awakening certificate is fake, it has nothing to do with an ordinary person like you; the Spirit Hall will handle it. And if it's real, can an ordinary person like you bear the consequences? Don't throw your life away for certain people."
The gatekeeper froze at Lu Yu's words, and a few beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead. Forcing himself to remain calm, he waved Tang San through.
"You... you hurry inside too! Old man, you can't go in. Only Lord Soul Masters can enter the academy."
"Thank you, my lord, thank you!" Seeing that the gatekeeper was finally willing to let Tang San in, Old Jack hurriedly thanked him.
Tang San, however, felt no joy at being allowed into the academy. Instead, he frowned and stared pensively at Lu Yu's retreating figure.
Tang San did not know much about the world of Soul Masters yet, but he knew they held a very high status in this world.
Tang San could also tell that the gatekeeper before him was just an ordinary person. He agreed entirely with what Lu Yu had just said and could not understand why the gatekeeper had dared to stop him, a Soul Master.
After hearing Lu Yu's words, Tang San felt a trace of displeasure toward the "certain people" Lu Yu had mentioned. He had a vague feeling that the gatekeeper had dared to stop him because someone had instructed him to do so.
But Tang San still did not understand. This was his first time in the city, and he had always stayed in the village before. He had never offended anyone, so why would someone deliberately target him?
Tang Hao, who was following them in secret, also nodded in agreement. At first, he had been wondering how to teach the gatekeeper who dared stop his son with Twin Martial Souls a lesson. After hearing Lu Yu's words, even a brute like Tang Hao sensed that something was amiss.
But Tang Hao was a brute after all. No matter how hard he thought about it, he could not make sense of it.
Old Jack gave Tang San a few words of advice and looked at him with relief before turning to leave. At that moment, having completed all his duties, Old Jack looked so forlorn and lonely.
Tang San bent down to pick up the Martial Soul Awakening certificate from the ground and brushed the dust off it. He gave the gatekeeper a meaningful look.
He tucked the Martial Soul Awakening certificate into his robes and followed Lu Yu, staring at his back not far ahead. He wanted to find a chance to ask Lu Yu what he had meant by "certain people."
Seeing Tang San being let through the academy gate by the gatekeeper, Yu Xiaogang frowned. He was some distance away, and with his cultivation as a peerless level-29 Soul Grandmaster, he had not heard what Lu Yu had just said.
He stopped and hesitated for a moment, then continued toward the gate, intending to ask the gatekeeper what had just happened.
With something happening outside his control, Yu Xiaogang felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding.