Dean Lei Nuo Suddenly Came Looking for Him

Nuoding Academy's cafeteria was enormous, and it had two floors.

The first floor served food cooked in large communal pots, while the second offered individual dishes at higher prices.

Lin Qingchen didn't mind. He bought a big bowl of rice and dishes on the first floor, and had just started looking for a table when he heard Wang Sheng's booming voice.

"Boss, boss, over here!"

Lin Qingchen looked at the fellow waving him over and walked across.

It looked like everyone from Dorm Seven was here. Tang San and Xiao Wu in particular were sitting close together as they ate.

Xiao Wu, however, looked rather indignant.

"What happened?" Lin Qingchen asked casually.

"Boss, you don't know. Those guys from better backgrounds have always looked down on us work-study students. They take every chance they get to come mock us, and they were just here again," Wang Sheng hurriedly said.

"Oh..." Lin Qingchen nodded, then looked at Xiao Wu beside him. "That's strange. With your personality, you didn't hit back right away? I thought you were always afraid the world wasn't chaotic enough."

At Lin Qingchen's teasing, Xiao Wu's face turned red, and she immediately started muttering something about how she had only let him off.

"All right, strength reigns supreme in this world in the end. There's no need to care too much about what others think. Working hard at cultivation is the right path."

Lin Qingchen could certainly beat up that whole group of regular students, Xiao Chenyu included, but he couldn't stay here forever. What would they do then?

The days that followed were unusually peaceful. Nuoding Academy didn't actually teach only Soul Master knowledge; it taught other subjects too. Lin Qingchen quietly found some books about Soul Beasts to read.

He had originally planned to hunt a Soul Beast himself, but before he could get ready, an unexpected visitor came looking for him.

"Is Lin Qingchen here?"

Wang Sheng was startled when he saw the visitor. He had seen this man at the opening ceremony: he was Lei Nuo, the dean of Nuoding Academy.

"Dean, what do you need the boss for?" Wang Sheng asked cautiously.

"Don't worry about that. Just tell me where he is."

"Boss is in the library. He won't be back until after dinner," Wang Sheng answered honestly.

"Hmm? So diligent? That surprises me."

Lei Nuo didn't linger. He turned and left, then found Lin Qingchen buried in his books at the library.

In truth, he hadn't been hard to find. There were only three or four people in the whole library, and the others were all teachers. He was the only student.

At the time, he was reading an illustrated guide to Soul Beasts.

"I didn't expect any student to be so diligent. This old man is very pleased."

Hearing this, Lin Qingchen closed his book and looked at Lei Nuo standing before him. He quickly recognized him as well.

"Student Lin Qingchen greets the dean."

"Hehe." Lei Nuo smiled and waved a hand.

"I heard a freak recently came to the academy, finished learning everything the academy was going to teach in no time, and then stopped coming to class. So I came to take a look, that's all."

As he spoke, he studied Lin Qingchen. "But you did surprise me a little. I didn't expect you to have already broken through level ten. It's only been three months, hasn't it? It seems your talent isn't low either."

Of course, he remembered the regular time when Spirit Hall awakened Martial Souls for the surrounding villages and towns.

(PS: This has been changed. In the original, Tang San apparently stayed at home for another three months after his Martial Soul was awakened, so this also lets the protagonist hide his Innate Full Soul Power, though there's really no need to hide it anyway.)

Hearing Lei Nuo expose his cultivation with a single remark, Lin Qingchen's heart sank. He immediately pulled himself together, ready to use Great Five Elements Escape to run.

"There's no need to be nervous. I only noticed it when I got here," Lei Nuo said, shaking his head.

Everyone had their own secrets, and he wouldn't pry. He knew this was as far as his cultivation would go in this lifetime, and he no longer had any desire to compete for anything. He only wanted to take on a few students and leave it at that; otherwise, he wouldn't have come to be the dean of Nuoding Academy.

"Since you've already finished the academy's courses ahead of time, you must know how a Soul Master advances after level ten, right?"

"Yes. I need to hunt a Soul Beast and absorb a Soul Ring."

"That's right. Only with a Soul Ring can you break through the level limit." Lei Nuo nodded, then suddenly said, "You're reading an illustrated guide to Soul Beasts here. You weren't planning to hunt one yourself, were you?"

"Yes."

"Nonsense!" Lei Nuo's eyes widened. "Even if you can't find anyone to help you with Soul Hunting, aren't there still teachers at the academy? Helping students hunt Soul Beasts is an obligation the academy ought to fulfill."

"How about this? You don't need to trouble yourself looking anymore. Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to the Soul Hunting Forest and find you a suitable Soul Ring. As it happens, I remember one of you work-study students had Innate Full Soul Power, didn't he? He doesn't have a Soul Ring either, does he?"

"No," Lin Qingchen said, shaking his head.

In this life, whether because of his interference or not, Tang San still hadn't met Yu Xiaogang, let alone become his disciple.

As a result, he still hadn't obtained his First Soul Ring.

"All right, bring him along tomorrow too. We'll go together."

Lei Nuo waved a hand and announced it without the slightest hesitation.

After all, taking one or two made no difference. They only needed Soul Beasts for their First Soul Rings, which wouldn't pose a problem for a Soul Ancestor like him.

Seeing this, Lin Qingchen couldn't very well say anything else, so he readily agreed.

Since someone was helping him hunt a Soul Beast, he wouldn't have to waste the time doing it himself.

He had actually considered finding someone to help him hunt for Soul Rings, but he needed five of them, after all, which might be a little risky.

But now that Lei Nuo had come looking for him himself, he couldn't very well refuse outright.

Still, one must never let down one's guard against others.

He thought it over, then, since it was still morning, promptly left Nuoding Academy and bought some lime powder and the raw materials for black powder in Nuoding City.

Black powder used the classic formula of one part sulfur, two parts saltpeter, and three parts charcoal. Its chemical properties were fairly stable, but it readily absorbed moisture, and once its water content became too high, it wouldn't ignite.

Fortunately, Lin Qingchen could control water to some extent, so he didn't need to worry about moisture. He just had to pay a little extra attention to it.

Then there was the lime powder. Even combined with the black powder, he had no thought of beating a Soul Ancestor like Lei Nuo. It would be enough if he could distract him a little.

If Lei Nuo had any ill intentions, he would use these things to draw his attention, then immediately use Great Five Elements Escape to run.

Still, judging from the original story, Lei Nuo probably wasn't a man with hidden motives. After all, he was someone who had taken Yu Xiaogang in and let him freeload for years. How could he possibly have any bad intentions? (Laughs)

Once his preparations were complete, Lin Qingchen returned to Dorm Seven and told Tang San, who had just finished class, the news.

Tang San was overjoyed.

He had already had his suspicions. After all, his Mysterious Heaven Skill had been stuck at the first level, making it hard to break through. Perhaps what he lacked was this one Soul Ring?

"All right, Brother Chen, I'll go get ready right away."

That was right. Perhaps because he was away from home, Tang San had come to regard Lin Qingchen as his big brother.

One could only say that this bond between fellow countrymen was quite useful for someone from a feudal society.

Tang San acted as soon as he spoke and began making preparations, not even going to the smithy.