Xiao Wu

Three months later, Nuoding City.

They had traveled in fits and starts for three months, covering dozens of li a day. There had been no shortage of danger along the way, but with Chen Mo's strength rivaling that of a Soul Douluo, they had come through every scare unscathed.

It had to be said, the people of Douluo Continent really were simple and unsophisticated. At the drop of a hat, they wanted to have a heart-to-heart-by reaching into your chest and pulling it out.

Lin Yaodong had done most of the fighting, though Chen Mo had stepped in plenty of times himself.

Douluo Continent really had no standards. Of the people who robbed travelers on the road, Soul Masters were the most numerous, followed by Soul Ancestors, with Soul Grandmasters and Soul Elders the fewest.

On second thought, though, it was hardly surprising.

Soul Ancestors and those above their rank received no subsidies.

Still, having reached the rank of Soul Ancestor only to rely on robbery to make a living was a little pathetic.

The Soul Master subsidies were only for Soul Masters, Soul Grandmasters, and Soul Elders.

And those Soul Masters accounted for nearly eighty percent or more of all Soul Masters on the continent.

It had to be said, the policy was truly brilliant!

As Zhou Shuren had said, "With a sharp weapon in hand, the desire to kill arises of itself."

Once people became Soul Masters, it wasn't realistic to expect them to work like ordinary people.

If they weren't given a share of the benefits, there was no telling how chaotic the whole of Douluo Continent might become.

So the policy really was brilliant!

In one stroke, it kept the majority of Soul Masters in line.

It could be said that Spirit Hall and the imperial families of the two great empires deserved immense credit for the peace Douluo Continent enjoyed.

Nearly seventy to eighty percent of the entire continent's financial resources were concentrated in the hands of the two great empires, and the nobles held nearly eighty percent of that.

The money naturally came out of the nobles' benefits.

The nobles were certainly unwilling to see their own strength diminished, but with the imperial families and Spirit Hall keeping them down, they didn't dare make a fuss.

They could argue with the imperial families, but Spirit Hall really dared to kill people.

If Spirit Hall hadn't personally distributed the subsidies all along, then given the character of the imperial nobles, it would have been a good result if thirty percent actually reached its recipients after two years at most. Within ten years, probably not even ten percent would remain.

If things truly came to that, the whole of Douluo Continent would once again be covered in the smoke of war.

So the distribution of subsidies was essentially left entirely to Spirit Hall. Even if Spirit Hall grew stronger and won people's hearts as a result, the two great empires had no choice but to accept it.

Of two evils, choose the lesser!

If the two great empires didn't want the smoke of war rising across their lands, this was their only choice.

Of course, the two great empires had countermeasures of their own: they recruited high-ranking Soul Masters to serve them, using them to counter Spirit Hall's Soul Masters.

Ordinary Soul Masters received few resources, and to take part in their allocation, they had to join an empire and become its nobles.

Only by abandoning their own class and helping the nobles suppress the Soul Masters at the bottom would the nobles be willing to accept them, allowing them to enjoy more resources.

And generally, only experts who had reached the rank of Soul King were qualified to join the feudal powers and become nobles.

If you were too weak, the nobles wouldn't give you a second glance.

Of course, certain young Soul Masters with exceptional potential could also become nobles.

Young Soul Masters qualified to compete in the Soul Master Tournament finals, for instance.

It could be said that, as long as they didn't fall along the way, they could almost all reach the rank of Soul Saint in the future.

After all, they represented the strongest and most outstanding young people on Douluo Continent. The nobles weren't fools-with so many capable people joining their side, wouldn't their own lives be more comfortable?

Soul Masters received a subsidy of one gold coin each month, which could just about support a family if spent frugally.

Soul Grandmasters and Soul Elders received ten and a hundred gold coins respectively. As long as they didn't have particularly expensive habits, they generally had no shortage of money.

Soul Ancestors were in an awkward position. Their subsidies had been cut off, but they weren't qualified to become nobles.

So it was no wonder they took to robbing travelers on the road.

That was why Chen Mo felt a little regret over Spirit Hall's future destruction. After all, he was a commoner himself and had benefited from it.

Without Spirit Hall, Chen Mo might not even have had the chance to become a Soul Master. Those nobles really were capable of monopolizing the Soul Master class.

Whatever else might be said, by Chen Mo's values, the establishment of the Spirit Hall Empire was at least far more progressive than the two great empires.

At the very least, it could ensure that everyone awakened a Martial Soul. On that point alone, she surpassed who knew how many feudal regimes.

So Chen Mo was somewhat displeased with Tang San, but Tang San wasn't the reason for this trip.

After all, Tang Hao was protecting Tang San. To attack him meant facing a Titled Douluo. Chen Mo wasn't afraid, but he would certainly have to waste a trump card.

He had no way to fully protect his younger sister Chen Mo and Lin Yaodong in the presence of a Titled Douluo and guarantee nothing would go wrong. He couldn't risk their lives.

After all, adults were more inclined to act in their own interests; personal feelings and the like could be set aside.

As long as Tang San didn't provoke him and play at courting death, Chen Mo wouldn't go so far as to attack him, even if he disliked him.

Of course, if he did make a move, he would certainly make sure Tang San's whole family stayed together.

Chen Mo wasn't alone in the world. He had family and people he cared about. They might not be able to threaten him, but they could disregard martial ethics and target his loved ones.

At the gates of Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.

The carriage carrying Chen Mo and his two companions was parked there.

The gatekeeper had a sharp eye.

One look at the three people's clothes told him they were either children of wealthy families or of noble birth-people he needed to curry favor with.

With a fawning expression, the gatekeeper said, "Honored guests, you must have brought this young lady to enroll at the academy. May I see the certificate issued to you by Spirit Hall? Those are the academy's rules. Please forgive me."

Lin Yaodong stepped forward and tossed him a pouch of silver coins.

"We have business inside. We'd appreciate it if you could let us through."

"This... aren't you here to enroll?"

The gatekeeper looked troubled.

Lin Yaodong took out another purse, filled with silver coins.

"Brother, thanks for the hard work standing guard. Take this money and buy yourself some tea."

After saying that, Lin Yaodong took out a thin purse. Though there was less in it, this one was full of gold, making it worth even more.

"Just pretend you didn't see anything. This pouch of gold is enough for you to live well for several years. Even if you lose your job, it'll be worth it. Besides, we're only going in to take care of something, and we'll be out soon. Even if something does happen, just find somewhere to knock yourself out, then pin everything on us."

The gatekeeper's eyes had gone wide at the sight of the bulging pouch of silver. He had already been ready to grit his teeth and let them in.

And when he saw the little pouch of gold coins, the man before him might as well have been his own father!

Besides, the other party had been so considerate of him. If he still refused, he wouldn't know what was good for him.

Besides, didn't plenty of nobles force their way into the academy every year?

Who dared stop them?

If he died, it would be for nothing.

Even if something went wrong, he would only get a scolding, or at worst lose a month's wages.

He was just a weak and helpless gatekeeper. There was nothing he could do about those noble lords and Lord Soul Masters!

The gatekeeper hurriedly opened the gate and bowed in welcome. "Please, come in, my lords. Would you like me to show you the way?"

Lin Yaodong said with satisfaction, "Then thank you for the trouble."

"No trouble at all, none at all."

Chen Mo said, "Mm, not bad. You just spent a little too much gold. I'll give you a bare pass."

Lin Yaodong said, "Yes, big brother. I'll keep working hard."

If Chen Mo had wanted to, why would he have needed to go to all this trouble?

A single Genjutsu would have taken care of it.

But Chen Mo couldn't do everything himself, or why would he have gone to such trouble to train Lin Yaodong?

And his subordinate couldn't be without strength, but he couldn't have nothing but strength, either.

The Soul Master World wasn't all fighting and killing; it was about knowing how to deal with people~

Having decided to train Lin Yaodong, he naturally wouldn't leave him without cultivation methods and the like.

Because Lin Yaodong lacked spiritual roots, Chen Mo couldn't teach him immortal cultivation methods, but he had no shortage of martial cultivation methods.

Besides, the system had said that the Martial Dao System and the Soul Master System were quite compatible. As long as Lin Yaodong didn't try to become a god, he could switch to the Martial Dao System later on.

Since Soul Beasts over ten thousand years old had Soul Shock, Chen Mo recommended a martial cultivation method focused on the mind and soul.

In the end, Lin Yaodong chose a third-tier martial cultivation method from several options: Heart Blade.

Heart Blade had three realms: Hand Blade, Qi Blade, and Heart Blade.

Each advance in realm could greatly increase his soul power, and upon reaching the Heart Blade realm, his soul power would likely be no weaker than that of a Golden Core cultivator among immortal cultivators.

Another advantage of Heart Blade was its strong combat power.

Its drawback was slow Soul Power growth, though that was only compared to other martial cultivation methods.

Compared to the meditation methods of Douluo Continent, it naturally crushed them.

Chen Mo asked the gatekeeper, "You know where the work-study students live, right?"

The gatekeeper said, "Yes, yes. I'll take you there right away."

Chen Mo nodded. "Mm, Dorm Seven."

With the gatekeeper leading the way, Chen Mo and his companions soon arrived at Dorm Seven.

The gatekeeper said, "This is Dorm Seven. If there's nothing else, I'll leave you to it. I still have to watch the gate."

Chen Mo nodded and gave a single instruction. "Little Dong."

Lin Yaodong understood what Chen Mo meant and tossed the gatekeeper a small pouch of silver coins.

The gatekeeper thanked them profusely once more, then hurried away. He had no desire to know what would happen next.

Although it would be worth it even if he lost his job, he would rather keep it if he could.

Chen Mo said, "Knock."

Lin Yaodong knocked a few times, and someone soon opened the door.

Wang Sheng looked at Lin Yaodong warily, mainly because of his imposing build. Chen Mo had taught Lin Yaodong some ways to control his body, but that took time.

Wang Sheng asked, "Who are you? What are you doing at Dorm Seven?"

Chen Mo said gently, "I'm looking for someone. Her name is Xiao Wu. She should be living here, right?"

Hearing what the three had come for, Wang Sheng called out loudly.

"Sister Xiao Wu, someone's looking for you."

Hearing that someone was looking for her, Xiao Wu soon came over and chattered, "Who are you? Xiao Wu doesn't know you. Have you come to challenge Sister Xiao Wu too? I accept your challenge."

Chen Mo smiled. "No, I came to invite you to a meal?"