The dormitory area on campus was easy to find, and Xiao Yan and Tang San soon followed the directions to Dorm Seven.
Dorm Seven was reserved for the academy's work-study students. Their tuition had already been waived in full, and the academy wasn't a charity, so naturally their accommodations couldn't match those of ordinary students.
Inevitably, they were somewhat worse.
And because this was a junior academy, the students were still quite young. To make them easier for the academy's teachers to manage, all the students in each grade lived together in one spacious dormitory.
Standing outside Dorm Seven, the two heard a commotion coming from within. From the doorway, they could see that the dormitory was a full three hundred square meters in size.
There were a hundred and fifty beds inside, but nothing else. Only eleven of the beds had bedding.
At the moment, seven or eight children between the ages of eight and twelve were playing around.
Apparently noticing the two newcomers, the children stopped playing and turned their gazes on Xiao Yan and Tang San.
Surrounded by a group of children, Xiao Yan felt a headache coming on.
Didn't this mean I'd have to live with these little brats for the next few years?
Just thinking about it made his head ache.
One of the older-looking children glanced at the pair and walked straight up to them. A full two heads taller than them, he looked down at them and said:
"New work-study students?"
"Hello, we're work-study students from Holy Soul Village."
"One village produced two work-study students? My name's Wang Sheng. My Martial Soul is the War Tiger, I'm a future Battle Soul Master, and I'm the boss here. What are your names, and what are your Martial Souls?"
Wang Sheng gave them a surprised look, then raised his head proudly as he questioned them.
"My name is Tang San. My Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass."
"Xiao Yan. My Martial Soul is the Bone Spirit Cold Flame."
Xiao Yan had no intention of revealing that he had two Martial Souls, and Tang San naturally wouldn't volunteer the information either.
"Blue Silver Grass? Since when could someone with a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul cultivate?"
Surprised by Tang San's Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, Wang Sheng looked at him mockingly, intending to start with Tang San to establish his authority. The children behind him also watched Tang San, giggling.
"Could you please move aside?"
Tang San saw Wang Sheng's hostility and smiled patiently.
"Little Sanzi, I'm the boss here. You two have to listen to me, got it?"
"My name is Tang San, not Little Sanzi."
The smile vanished from Tang San's face. When his elders called him Little San, it was a term of affection, so naturally he didn't mind, but Wang Sheng had no such kind intentions.
But while Tang San was still speaking, Xiao Yan had already begun winning people over with virtue.
"Bang!"
A big foot shot out from the side and, under Tang San's astonished gaze, slammed straight into Wang Sheng's stomach.
The big, tall Wang Sheng was sent flying by Xiao Yan's kick. He rolled several times across the floor before crashing into a bed behind him and coming to a stop.
Dorm Seven fell silent at once. Everyone stared at Xiao Yan in shock, and even Tang San was somewhat stunned.
"My name is Xiao Yan. Sorry for interrupting you, but..."
Xiao Yan had long since seen through this sort of initiation routine. A bunch of little brats calling themselves bosses really did make him want to laugh, and he didn't think he could bow his head to Wang Sheng, who was only a little over ten.
To save time, he had simply made his move.
"If you want to be the boss, let your strength do the talking."
Xiao Yan stood with his hands behind his back, shielding Tang San behind him.
He wanted to test whether Tang San was a transmigrator, but these little brats were obviously no use for that. He might as well take this chance to win Tang San's favor and find a way to test him later.
"You little brat, how dare you hit me!"
Furious, Wang Sheng scrambled to his feet and pounced at Xiao Yan like a fierce tiger charging down a mountain.
Xiao Yan merely shook his head in disdain and went to meet him. He stepped forward, and when Wang Sheng threw a punch at him, he stood his ground and used his left hand to pull Wang Sheng's fist aside.
He drove his shoulder into Wang Sheng.
"Bang!"
Wang Sheng was sent flying backward again. Several of the children could tell that although Xiao Yan looked thin and frail, his strength was no less than Wang Sheng's.
After making a fool of himself twice, Wang Sheng's face turned bright red. He let out an enraged cry, and a muffled roar rumbled from his throat. A faint yellow light radiated from his body; he had clearly used the power of his Martial Soul.
"Not enough."
Sensing Wang Sheng's presence, Xiao Yan shook his head slightly. Only then did everyone realize that Xiao Yan had used just one hand and his shoulder so far; his other hand was still holding a brand-new school uniform.
Wang Sheng charged over with great strides and reached for Xiao Yan's shoulders with both hands.
Soul Power circulated within Xiao Yan as he used Swift Step to dodge to the side. Tang San's eyes lit up at the sight of Xiao Yan's movement technique, and he watched his movements intently.
Xiao Yan leaped to Wang Sheng's side in two steps. Watching Wang Sheng's hand reach for him, he narrowed his eyes. He couldn't use his full strength against Wang Sheng, but by circulating just a trace of Soul Power, he could still control its force.
He gathered a trace of Soul Power in his hand and met Wang Sheng head-on.
Even with the power of his Martial Soul, how could Wang Sheng, who was only twelve, stand against Xiao Yan, who had Innate Full Soul Power? What's more, Xiao Yan had spent the entire vacation practicing Dou Techniques, and his mastery of Soul Power had long since reached perfection.
Unsurprisingly, Wang Sheng was the first to panic when he felt the force coming from Xiao Yan's palm.
He realized he was no match for Xiao Yan at all.
"I concede!"
Before Xiao Yan's palm could land on him, Wang Sheng hurriedly spoke up, afraid that Xiao Yan would hit him with a punch.
Xiao Yan pulled back and, seeing the gazes of the children around him, spoke up:
"I have no intention of being the boss. Just don't come bothering us, and that'll be enough."
The newly appointed boss had thrown down the load as soon as he took the job, and Wang Sheng was the first to object.
Having just witnessed Xiao Yan's strength firsthand, Wang Sheng greatly admired him. Now that he heard Xiao Yan didn't want to be the boss, he was the first to refuse.
"No way!"
Wang Sheng stepped forward and, paying no heed to the face that had been flushed red with anger moments ago, took it upon himself to explain to Xiao Yan:
"We're not trying to form a clique. It's just that we work-study students are often bullied by them, so we have no choice but to huddle together for warmth."
Wang Sheng looked at Xiao Yan and said, "I'm graduating soon, so I won't be able to stand up for him. You're so strong that, with you here, the other students definitely won't dare bully them!"
Hearing Wang Sheng's words, Xiao Yan was surprised, and his opinion of Wang Sheng changed.
Tang San couldn't help looking up as well. Neither of them had expected the work-study students to band together to keep the other students from bullying them.
"So that's how it is..."
Xiao Yan nodded slightly. Looking at the eager eyes all around him, he pressed a hand to his forehead helplessly. Now he really had become a babysitter. His eyes fell on Tang San, and an idea came to him.
"How about... Little San, why don't you be the boss?"