"Little one, who are you looking for?"
The old man by the window sized Xiao Yan up, a trace of surprise appearing in his eyes as he looked at him curiously.
"Hello, my name is Xiao Yan. I'm a student at Nuoding Academy, and I'm here for my Spirit Master certification."
Xiao Yan spoke softly, and he could see the old man by the window grow visibly stunned.
"Child, did you misspeak? Are you here for your Martial Soul Awakening?"
After all, Xiao Yan looked like a little fellow whose Martial Soul had only recently awakened. How could he have become a Spirit Master so quickly?
"Hiss!"
As a Yellow Soul Ring spiraled out of Xiao Yan's body, the old man by the window froze, and his eyes blazed with light.
"A Hundred-Year Soul Ring!"
"Child, I'm Ma Xiunuo, a senior white-robed deacon of this Spirit Hall Branch. Come with me!"
A trace of excitement showed on Ma Xiunuo's face.
"I never expected you to have become a Spirit Master at your age."
Ma Xiunuo led Xiao Yan into a room nearby. Five pitch-black stones were embedded in the wall ahead, similar to the stones used when his Martial Soul had awakened.
"Go on, stand in the formation and circulate your Soul Power."
Ma Xiunuo pointed to the very center of the room. Lines crisscrossed the floor, leaving a circular space blank at their center.
Once Xiao Yan was ready, Ma Xiunuo channeled the Soul Power in his hand into the five pitch-black stones, and the lines on the floor gradually lit up.
Xiao Yan could feel the Soul Power in his body becoming unusually active.
"Level 12 Soul Power!"
Ma Xiunuo looked at Xiao Yan's Soul Power test report, then regarded him with even greater fondness.
"Child, would you be willing to join Spirit Hall?"
"Uh, I came here to register as a Spirit Master in the first place."
"That's not what I mean. Spirit Masters registered with Spirit Hall are merely listed in our records. What I mean is, would you be willing to become a disciple of Spirit Hall and join us?"
Ma Xiunuo explained to Xiao Yan.
But unfortunately, at least for now, Xiao Yan had no intention of joining Spirit Hall.
For one thing, the Grandmaster was the best guide for the theoretical knowledge he currently lacked. For another, Xiao Yan couldn't be sure whether the person in the shadows would make a move against him if he joined Spirit Hall.
"I'm sorry, but I already have a teacher, and I'm a student at Nuoding Academy."
Xiao Yan shook his head and declined Ma Xiunuo's invitation. Ma Xiunuo sighed at his answer.
"Alas, yes, you're already a disciple of Nuoding Academy. We can hardly snatch you away by force. What a pity..."
There was a trace of regret in Ma Xiunuo's voice. If such a promising seedling joined Spirit Hall, another powerhouse would likely emerge in the future...
Having registered as a Spirit Master with Spirit Hall, Xiao Yan didn't linger, but headed straight back to Nuoding Academy.
As soon as he entered the academy, he heard all about the much-discussed fight between the work-study students and the other students.
In the end, however, Tang San had arrived just in time and settled it.
Xiao Yan had also heard about the wager Tang San and the others had made with their opponents. At least from now on, they would no longer have to clean Nuoding Academy.
They would even continue to receive their daily work-study wages.
In Dorm Seven, when everyone learned that Xiao Yan had become a registered Spirit Master, the many work-study students looked at him with envy.
When Xiao Wu heard that registered Spirit Masters could receive a monthly allowance of one Gold Soul Coin, she immediately pulled Tang San along and hurried to Spirit Hall.
Xiao Yan watched Xiao Wu and Tang San leave. He hadn't expected Xiao Wu, who looked so delicate, to have joined the ranks of Spirit Masters as well.
But...
Hadn't Xiao Wu still been short of a breakthrough before they left? Where had she gone to hunt for a Soul Ring?
The question flashed through Xiao Yan's mind, but he didn't pursue it. After all, everyone had secrets.
Tang San had beaten Nuoding Academy's former student bosses into submission, and naturally, the work-study students had instead become a group with an exceptional standing in the academy.
With the two monsters Tang San and Xiao Wu around, no one else dared bully the work-study students.
Xiao Yan, the nominal boss, rarely involved himself in the work-study students' affairs.
Xiao Wu, on the other hand, seemed quite fond of doing so, and many work-study students had begun calling her Sister Xiao Wu in private.
With no more work-study labor to do each afternoon, Xiao Yan and the others had much more free time. After the morning's Martial Soul Theory and cultivation classes ended,
Xiao Yan would cultivate his Soul Power or hone his Dou Techniques alone. His diligence spurred on the other students in Dorm Seven as well.
Every one of them buried themselves in hard cultivation each day, and their progress was quite good.
What Xiao Yan hadn't expected was that Tang San had also found work forging iron at a smithy in the city, seemingly to hone his hammer technique.
As they cultivated, the end of the term gradually drew near.
A term at Nuoding Academy lasted a full year. Throughout that year, the Grandmaster tested Xiao Yan and Tang San on their lessons from time to time and taught them much about the various characteristics of Martial Souls.
As the end of the term arrived, the students of Nuoding Academy began packing their things and preparing to go home.
It wasn't until the day before they left that Xiao Yan heard Xiao Wu was going home with Tang San.
After leaving Nuoding City, the three set out for Holy Soul Village.
"Little San, Xiao Yan, is this Holy Soul Village?"
"That's right."
A trace of excitement and faint worry appeared on Tang San's face. Xiao Yan could tell that Tang San seemed to care deeply about his father, which showed that he wasn't a heartless person.
"Little San, you're a Spirit Master now. Uncle Tang will definitely be proud of you."
Xiao Yan could see that Tang San was anxious as he drew close to home. He reached out and patted Tang San on the shoulder, then laughed heartily.
"Come on. You haven't been back in almost a year, so spend some good time with Uncle Tang while you can."
Xiao Yan led the way along the familiar route, with Tang San and Xiao Wu following behind him as they entered Holy Soul Village together.
"Grandpa Jack, we're back!"
Old Jack's house was on the outskirts of Holy Soul Village, while Tang San's was deep inside the village. So, before they reached Tang San's house, Xiao Yan spotted Old Jack from afar, tidying up in his courtyard.
"Hm?"
Old Jack looked up in surprise from his work.
When he saw Xiao Yan and Tang San, a trace of surprise appeared on his face, and then his wrinkled face blossomed into a smile.
"Little Yan, Little San, you're back?"
Old Jack wiped his aged hands on his clothes, seemingly afraid that his hands, dirty from his work, would soil Xiao Yan's splendid academy uniform.
"I reckoned your holiday should start today, and I was just getting ready to come fetch you."
"Grandpa Jack."
Xiao Yan hurried forward, took Old Jack's hand, and said with a smile, "We know the way ourselves. You don't need to travel all that distance."
Smiling, Xiao Yan took a bag out of the Black Dragon and shook it in front of Old Jack. It rattled as he smiled mysteriously and said,
"Can you guess what this is?"
Old Jack looked at the cloth bag, which was a little bigger than his palm, and listened to the clear clinking inside. A little puzzled, he said, "Why does that sound so much like Copper Soul Coins?"
"No, it wouldn't sound that clear..."
Old Jack shook his head. When he took the bag from Xiao Yan and opened it to find neatly arranged, gleaming Gold Soul Coins inside, he cried out in shock.
"Oh my! Child, did you steal someone's money? Hurry and give it back!"
Old Jack pushed the bag in his hands toward Xiao Yan.
"Grandpa Jack, I earned all of this myself!"
Only after Xiao Yan had explained at length, with Little San and Xiao Wu vouching for him and Xiao Yan releasing his Yellow Soul Ring, was Old Jack finally reassured.
"Hahaha, you've become a Spirit Master too, child! I, Old Jack, am so happy!"
The smile never left Old Jack's face. He tucked the cloth bag safely against his body and said to Xiao Yan, "Our Little Yan must marry a young lady from the city someday. Grandpa will save this for your wedding..."