Just as the two of them were each lost in thought, Xiao Xuan's presence suddenly shook!
Crack!
With a faint, almost imperceptible sound from within his body, the level-twenty bottleneck was utterly shattered by his surging Soul Power!
The tremendous power brought by the Thousand-Year Soul Ring swept through him like a hot knife through bamboo, pushing Xiao Xuan's Soul Power straight to a stable level twenty-two!
At the same time, all the information and methods for using his second Soul Skill fully merged into Xiao Xuan's sea of consciousness.
Second Soul Skill-Space-Rending Half-Moon Slash!
By swinging the spear in his hand, he could unleash a crescent-shaped silver-white blade that could tear through the air, with a striking range of dozens of meters.
Moreover, with the armor-piercing enhancement from his Martial Soul, this Moon Blade ignored most defenses and possessed formidable killing power at range!
Xiao Xuan slowly let out a warm breath and opened his eyes, a gleam of satisfaction flashing in their depths.
Not bad luck. I perfectly inherited the Space-Rending Moon Wolf's signature technique.
With a thought, Xiao Xuan silently withdrew his Martial Soul into his body, then stood up.
"Many thanks to both of you for your tremendous help and for standing guard over me."
Seeing how courteous Xiao Xuan was, Shui Bing'er waved her hands repeatedly in embarrassment, a blush appearing on her fair, pretty face:
"N-no, not at all!"
"If you hadn't intervened in time just now, I'm afraid that vicious wolf would have seriously injured me. You're the one who saved me, really. This little bit of help was nothing."
Shui Bing'er took a deep breath, composed herself, and introduced herself openly:
"Let me introduce myself properly. My name is Shui Bing'er, and I'm from Skywater Academy."
"My name is Xiao Xuan. I'm from Nuoding Academy," Xiao Xuan said with a slight smile, introducing himself.
"Nuoding Academy?"
Hearing the name, Shui Yuehua, the teacher leading the group, frowned slightly and searched her memory.
Heaven Dou Royal Academy, the Five Elements Academy, the advanced Soul Master Academies in the major provinces... She ran through the names of every prominent academy on the continent, but couldn't recall a single thing about "Nuoding."
A moment later, realization dawned on Shui Yuehua. It was probably a little junior academy in some obscure province on the empire's frontier.
At the thought, Shui Yuehua's regret nearly overflowed.
A young talent whose gifts could shake the world was actually holed up in a nameless academy in some backwater. It was truly a reckless waste of heaven's gifts!
If only he were a girl!
Skywater Academy's rules were strict and rigid.
If Xiao Xuan had been a girl, Shui Yuehua would have moved heaven and earth, calling on every connection and resource she had, to recruit such an unpolished jade into Skywater Academy's core team and cherish her like a treasure!
Unfortunately... he just had to be a boy.
Shui Yuehua sighed inwardly, suppressed the jumble of feelings in her heart, and looked at the rubble-strewn ground around them before warning:
"Several Soul Beasts just died here, and the smell of blood is too strong. Before long, it'll draw every carnivorous Soul Beast in the area. We'd better leave as soon as possible and return to the supply town to rest first."
"All right, I'll do as you say, Senior."
Xiao Xuan nodded in agreement.
His Soul Hunting was complete, and his Martial Soul had successfully risen to four stars. He had already planned to return to town and then head back to Nuoding, so traveling together was naturally safer.
The three lingered no longer. They gathered their belongings and set off at a rapid pace toward the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
A supply town on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
As an important stopping point for Soul Masters entering and leaving the dangerous forest, the town's restaurants and teahouses did a particularly brisk trade.
In a private room at the town's most luxurious restaurant, Shui Yuehua had arranged a banquet especially to entertain Xiao Xuan.
Shui Yuehua sat in the seat of honor, a warm, sincere smile on her face. She raised a hand in invitation. "Xiao Xuan, don't be shy. Eat as much as you like."
"Thank you for your hospitality, Senior. Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Xiao Xuan cupped his hands and thanked her, then picked up his chopsticks without hesitation, grabbed a delicious piece of meat, and stuffed it into his mouth.
He had been eating dry rations for the past few days. Now that he finally had meat, he naturally wasn't going to hold back.
Xiao Xuan ate briskly, wasting no time as his chopsticks fell on the various dishes like raindrops.
Xiao Xuan might have been enjoying his meal, but the others at the table had little appetite. They were all secretly watching him.
They had learned from Shui Yuehua and Shui Bing'er that Xiao Xuan had not only saved Shui Bing'er, but also slain a thousand-year Soul Beast on his own.
In the girls' imaginations, a fearsome figure capable of defeating a thousand-year Ferocious Beast single-handedly was most likely a burly brute with a broad waist and a fleshy face.
Yet the person sitting before them was plainly a clean-cut youth with delicate features and a tall, slender figure.
Although he was around their age, his bearing possessed a steadiness and resolve rarely seen in his peers. Together with the well-proportioned physique he had honed through years of arduous cultivation, he was somehow a pleasure to look at.
Skywater Academy ordinarily admitted only female students and had strict rules, so these girls in the bloom of youth rarely had a chance to interact closely with boys their own age.
Now, faced with a boy who was both strong and remarkably fresh-faced, they couldn't help growing curious and wanting to take a few more looks.
Shui Bing'er, sitting beside Xiao Xuan, also had a faint blush on her pretty face.
She rested both hands neatly on her knees, her beautiful eyes stealing glances at Xiao Xuan's profile from time to time.
Xiao Xuan, however, seemed completely oblivious to the burning gazes directed at him.
He paid no attention to anything around him, concentrating entirely on his bowl of food.
Sitting at the head of the table, Shui Yuehua watched the scene and silently chuckled over her cup of tea.
The young man was not only steadfast of mind, but could face a group of flower-faced, moon-beautiful girls without a distracting thought. Such composure was truly rare.
The more Shui Yuehua observed him, the more intense the regret in her heart became.
Such a promising seedling, yet he just had to be a boy. Those old sticklers at Skywater Academy and their rules are truly leading young people astray!
Before long.
Xiao Xuan had polished off most of the food on the table, filling his belly to the brim, and the banquet gradually drew to a close.
Shui Yuehua put down her teacup and turned to give the disciples around her a meaningful look:
"You girls go back to your rooms and check your belongings. Get some rest while you can. We'll set out for the academy first thing tomorrow morning."
"Yes, Teacher."
The girls obediently answered. Before getting up, they gave Xiao Xuan a couple more reluctant looks, then followed Shui Bing'er out of the private room.
Once the door had gently closed, only Shui Yuehua and Xiao Xuan remained.
Shui Yuehua broke the silence:
"Xiao Xuan, after you graduate from Notting Junior Academy, do you have any specific plans for where to go next?"
Hearing this, Xiao Xuan shook his head thoughtfully.
"I haven't made up my mind yet."
In truth, Xiao Xuan did have a goal: Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
But ordinary people couldn't get into that academy at all.
Just as Xiao Xuan was quickly weighing his options, Shui Yuehua, sitting across from him, suddenly smiled and spoke:
"With your aptitude, going through the usual steps at an ordinary advanced academy would be a waste of your talent."
Shui Yuehua pondered for a moment, then continued:
"You've probably heard something of the rules at Skywater Academy. Our sect's rules are strict, and we have never accepted male disciples. Otherwise, I could have recommended you."
"However... although I can't admit you to Skywater Academy, if you're looking for a top-notch place to go, I do know of a promising path."
Xiao Xuan's gaze shifted slightly. He had a vague guess at what she intended.
Sure enough, Shui Yuehua took a lustrous jade pendant from her sleeve and said frankly:
"I have some connections with the education committee at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. How about this? I'll personally write you a letter of recommendation."
"With this letter, once you graduate in Nuoding, you can take it straight to Heaven Dou City and report there, bypassing the cumbersome entrance examinations for nobles."
"You saved Bing'er's life. That debt means more to us than heaven itself. Consider this letter a small token of Skywater Academy's gratitude. What do you think?"
Hearing this, Xiao Xuan was taken aback, and a flicker of pleasant surprise flashed in his eyes.
A letter of recommendation to Heaven Dou Royal Academy!
I'd worn out iron shoes searching in vain, only to find it without the slightest effort!