The academic affairs director's office.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
The door swung open, revealing a burly, broad-shouldered middle-aged man with a ruddy face, sitting behind a desk and leafing through files.
He was Wang Ping'an, the academic affairs director of Nuoding Academy.
Wang Ping'an was a forthright Power Attack System Battle Soul Master who valued hardworking, dutiful students above all else.
For the past month, Xiao Xuan had attended class on time every day, stayed out of trouble, and spent his days buried in books at the library.
Wang Ping'an had noticed it all and liked the sensible, reserved boy from the bottom of his heart.
The only pity was that the child's innate aptitude was terribly poor.
His Martial Soul was Lone Bamboo, and his Innate Soul Power was level one.
In Wang Ping'an's eyes, that was practically a declaration that his career as a Soul Master had reached the finish line.
"Xiao Xuan, what can I do for you?" Wang Ping'an put down his pen and asked with a kindly smile.
Xiao Xuan closed the door behind him and got straight to the point.
"Teacher Wang, I have a favor to ask. Sorry to trouble you, but could you take me to the Soul Hunting Forest to hunt for my First Soul Ring?"
"Mm, just say what you need. As long as I can... Wait! What did you say?!"
Wang Ping'an's words caught in his throat. He sprang to his feet as if struck by lightning, his eyes bulging like copper bells.
"The Soul Hunting Forest? Your First Soul Ring?! Are you still half-asleep, or are you messing with your teacher?!"
Wang Ping'an even reached out to feel Xiao Xuan's forehead, suspecting that a fever had cooked the boy's brain.
"I remember your enrollment record said it clear as day: Lone Bamboo Martial Soul, level one Innate Soul Power!"
"It's only been a month since school started, hasn't it? Even if you meditated every day without eating or drinking, you couldn't possibly have jumped to level ten that fast!"
Xiao Xuan had expected him to look as though he'd seen a ghost.
He wasted no words, taking a step back and slowly raising his right hand.
Hum-!
With a muffled sound, a peculiar stalk of Lone Bamboo appeared in his palm. Its entire length resembled black jade and refined steel, and it radiated a chilling cyan gleam!
At the same time.
A surge of substantial level-ten Soul Power rippled through the entire office like mercury spilling across the floor!
"L-level ten?!"
Wang Ping'an shuddered, the flesh on his face twitching violently twice.
He was a veteran Soul Elder; this unmistakable level-ten Soul Power couldn't be faked!
But how was that possible?!
Nine levels in a single month?!
Before the CPU in Wang Ping'an's brain could recover from the overload, his gaze locked onto the "Lone Bamboo" Martial Soul in Xiao Xuan's hand.
"Th-this is Lone Bamboo?"
Wang Ping'an rubbed his eyes and couldn't help leaning forward for a closer look.
He had seen plenty of Lone Bamboo Martial Souls on the continent. They were all slender and delicate, a harmless grassy green.
But the one in Xiao Xuan's hand was as thick as a goose egg, its deep, heavy color like black iron. Around its nodes, streaks of dark-red metallic patterns seemed to flow!
A single glance from a distance would never have suggested it was Lone Bamboo!
"Teacher, I don't actually know why either."
Without blushing or missing a beat, Xiao Xuan brought out the excuse he had prepared.
"A few days after school started, I was meditating one night when I suddenly felt my Martial Soul begin to heat up and transform for no apparent reason. The bamboo was green before, but it turned into this."
"Since then, my Soul Power has circulated frighteningly fast, and before I knew it, I'd shot up to level ten... I suspect my Martial Soul might have undergone a beneficial mutation."
"A Mutated Martial Soul?!"
Wang Ping'an slapped his thigh hard, understanding dawning on him!
Of course!
Aside from a beneficial Martial Soul Mutation, nothing in the world could explain how a commoner with innate level-one Soul Power had soared to level ten in just one month!
Looking at Xiao Xuan's Lone Bamboo, its dark-gold patterns overflowing with domineering presence, Wang Ping'an drew a sharp breath and clapped him heavily on the shoulder, his face alight with wild joy.
"Good lad! Your luck simply defies the heavens!"
"Ordinary Lone Bamboo is the bottom of the barrel among Plant-type Martial Souls, but yours isn't just as hard as a divine weapon. It even has metallic patterns that only high-grade Tool Martial Souls possess! This is more than a beneficial mutation. It's clearly a super mutation!"
"Good thing it was beneficial. If it had gone wrong, you'd have ended up like that so-called Grand-"
At that, Wang Ping'an coughed sharply and forcibly swallowed the words "so-called Grandmaster."
It was somewhat improper to badmouth the academy's specially appointed consultant in front of a student.
After calming his excitement, Wang Ping'an looked at Xiao Xuan with shining eyes.
A perfectly ordinary student had transformed into a "super mutation genius" seen only once in a thousand years!
If he didn't make friends with a prospect like this now, when would he?!
"Good! The academy isn't obliged to help ordinary students hunt for Soul Rings, but a genius like you deserves special treatment!"
Wang Ping'an waved a large hand. "After lunch, wait for me at the academy gates! I'll personally take you to the Soul Hunting Forest and make sure we pick the absolute finest Soul Ring for you!"
"Thank you, Teacher Wang!"
Xiao Xuan bowed slightly in thanks, and a great weight finally lifted from his heart.
After lunch, the sun shone brightly overhead.
At the gates of Nuoding Academy, Wang Ping'an was already waiting, dressed in a practical set of leather armor.
Xiao Xuan arrived on time, and after meeting up, the two were about to set off.
"Wait, isn't that..."
Wang Ping'an suddenly stopped and looked strangely at the road ahead.
Xiao Xuan followed his gaze.
On the tree-lined road ahead, a middle-aged man in a long black robe was limping along, covered in dirt.
His face was as pale as paper, his lips were bloodless, and his entire right arm hung limply. He was clearly injured.
Beside him, a small, slender black-haired boy was struggling to support him, his eyes full of exhaustion and wariness.
They were none other than the "theoretical grandmaster" Gangzi and his disciple, Tang San.
"Grandmaster! What happened to you?!"
Out of courtesy to a colleague, Wang Ping'an hurried over and examined Yu Xiaogang's miserable-looking face with concern.
Although Yu Xiaogang's mouth kept twitching from the pain, he still forced himself to maintain the bearing of an expert in front of his colleague.
He took a deep breath and straightened his stiff back, speaking in an exceedingly proud tone.
"Ahem... It's nothing, just a minor injury."
"I just took Xiao San to the Soul Hunting Forest to hunt for a Soul Ring. We ran into a ferocious four-hundred-year-old Mandala Snake, and it took some effort, but fortunately we escaped without mishap. Xiao San's First Soul Ring was a great success-a perfect Hundred-Year Soul Ring!"
When he said "Hundred-Year Soul Ring," Yu Xiaogang could barely conceal the self-satisfaction on his stiff, expressionless face, as though he wasn't the man who had just been chased by a snake, rolling all over the ground and nearly dying on the spot.
Tang San, supporting him at his side, kept his head lowered, his expression complicated. He said nothing.
The corner of Wang Ping'an's mouth twitched slightly, and he gave a perfunctory nod.
"I see. You really have spared no effort for your disciple, Grandmaster."
"You should hurry back and rest, and find a physician to take a look. I was just about to take a student to the Soul Hunting Forest myself."
"Hmm?"
At those words, Yu Xiaogang, who had been sucking in breaths from the pain, suddenly frowned and looked at Xiao Xuan behind Wang Ping'an.
Although Yu Xiaogang didn't know Xiao Xuan's name, he often saw him in the library and thus had some impression of him.