Chapter 3: Borrowing the Tiger's Might! The Overthinking Dean
The donkey cart moved at a steady pace.
By midday, they passed through the western gate and entered Badong City.
After winding through a residential district, the cart reached a bustling food street.
"Xiao Luo, this is where I work as a chef," Lei Dashan pointed toward a three-story restaurant with a grin.
"Just past this street is Badong Academy. It's really close. Their students often come here to eat. You can visit me anytime, and I'll treat you to the staff meals!"
"Then I'll be troubling you in the future, Uncle Dashan. Thank you."
Earlier that morning, a villager had gone to the city to trade at the market and carried Lei Li's letter with them. Upon receiving the news, Lei Dashan immediately asked for leave and rushed back to Xiahe Village to fetch Ao Luo.
The trip barely delayed him, and so, around noon, they arrived at Badong City.
The street was packed with people. Once he knew the area well enough, the donkey cart squeezed its way slowly through the food stalls and came to rest by a small river.
Across the river, a towering black stone archway stood nearly ten meters high. Long iron fences stretched out on either side, sealing off the lush forest within.
At the very top of the arch, four bold characters gleamed—Badong Academy.
"This is as far as the donkey cart can go…"
At the riverbank, Lei Dashan looked a little uneasy. He climbed down quickly, his eyes filled with envy as he glanced at the luxurious horse-drawn carriages crossing the bridge nearby.
That little river separated the academy from the bustling commercial district.
For ordinary folk in the market, crossing to the other side was a rarity.
From one end of the bridge to the other was no more than ten meters—yet for most commoners, it was a distance they would never cross in their entire lives.
"Uncle Dashan, this is good enough. The rest isn't far; I can manage on my own. You'd better hurry and return the donkey cart. I'll come see you this afternoon."
Ao Luo jumped down, said his goodbyes, and with his pack slung over his shoulders, strode toward the small bridge.
On the other side lay Badong Academy's grand gates.
A middle-aged man sat at the entrance, sipping tea as the gatekeeper. He glanced at Ao Luo once, then casually waved him through—probably mistaking him for a student without his uniform.
From across the river, Lei Dashan finally let out a relieved sigh after seeing Ao Luo enter safely. He turned the cart around and headed back to the restaurant.
Ao Luo walked down a winding avenue, passed through a garden, and suddenly the view opened up.
Ahead stretched a training field a hundred meters wide.
On either side stood two six-story gray buildings, facing each other like sentinels.
Since it was noon, there were no classes. The training grounds buzzed with students—boys chased each other around, while groups of girls gathered in the gardens, admiring flowers.
Ao Luo stopped one of the students to ask for directions. He was here to see the dean.
It wasn't enrollment season, and the school year hadn't even ended yet. If he wanted to join Badong Academy, he needed the dean's approval.
"If you're looking for Dean Xiao, it's the third floor of the building on the left."
"Thank you!"
The dean's office was spacious, taking up half a floor. It was divided into two sections: one for rest, one for work.
The office area was lined wall-to-wall with bookshelves. Aside from a single redwood desk, there was little else. At the corners of the desk and the spines of many books, a tiny "Xiao" character was discreetly carved—marks of ownership belonging to the dean.
At this very moment, behind that redwood desk—
A handsome middle-aged man shot to his feet. The force sent his chair scraping backward more than two meters, producing an ear-piercing screech across the floorboards.
This was the dean of Badong Academy—Xiao Jian.
His eyes were wide, locked on Ao Luo's palm.
In that small, delicate hand rested a blue crystal sphere. Brilliant azure light blazed from within, dazzling like a precious gem.
"Level ten…"
"Innate full soul power!"
Xiao Jian's mind went completely blank.
Having run the academy for so many years, he hadn't even seen a child with the innate soul power of level six.
And now, right in front of him stood one with innate full soul power… Earlier, he had even thought the boy was joking and had almost driven him out. He only tested him out of curiosity, never expecting—
Such a surprise!
Dean Xiao Jian forced himself to calm down, his gaze inadvertently falling on the package resting on his desk.
Inside the loosely wrapped bundle were a few letters, written by a child named Oscar. The stationery was old, the ink slightly faded. But the content spanned two whole years, repeatedly mentioning a place called Shrek Academy and a man named Flender.
Of course, Xiao Jian knew who Flender was. Shrek Academy was quite well-known even in the Balak Kingdom.
In fact, the Balak royal family had once tried to recruit Flender and Shrek Academy but had been flatly rejected. That incident had shaken the entire soul master circle of the kingdom.
And this child… had ties to Flender?
That thought had barely flashed across Xiao Jian's mind when—
"Dean, this should be proof enough of what I've said," Ao Luo placed the glowing blue crystal ball back onto the desk.
He didn't have any certificate from Spirit Hall, since it was Flender who had presided over his martial soul awakening.
Without solid evidence, no dean of any academy would easily believe mere words.
As for the letters—
During the two years Ao Luo had stayed with the village chief's family, Oscar had sent both money and letters. Most were filled with complaints about Shrek being shabby, Flender being greedy, and Zhao Wuji being a brute.
But to Ao Luo, that was more than enough.
His cousin Oscar—an orphan who was only six years old two years ago—could be said to have joined Shrek Academy, or more accurately, been taken in by Flender.
And in a small city like Badong City, the title of Soul Saint alone was an overwhelming power.
Although Ao Luo and Flender didn't exactly get along, it didn't stop him from borrowing that tiger's skin to make himself look bigger.
Shameless? Perhaps. But as someone of low status, why wouldn't he borrow any power he could?
Ao Luo had never been the type to cling to "moral purity."
"Of course, this is enough proof," Xiao Jian quickly smoothed his expression and, with practiced ease, tucked the blue crystal ball into his desk drawer.
Innate full soul power—a genius falling right into his lap!
If word of this spread, countless major powers would definitely be tempted.
On the Douluo Continent, talent itself was a currency—one that could be traded for food, safety, and prosperity.
Still, this boy had ties to Flender, and yet Shrek hadn't taken him in…
Could something have happened on their side? Or perhaps… having two children with innate full soul power and the exact same sausage martial soul was simply too conspicuous?
Both orphans, both possessing the same martial soul, both born with full innate soul power…
Now that was truly thought-provoking.
Xiao Jian couldn't guess the thoughts of those "big figures," but he knew one thing for certain—he had to hold on to this talent.
If Ao Luo could grow under his care, and he lent a hand at the right moments, perhaps his own family could rise to new heights.
"Congratulations on joining the academy," Xiao Jian said with a smile.
"As for that work-study spot in Xiahe Village you mentioned, forget about it. I'll waive your tuition entirely—you don't need to waste your time doing chores."
"But there's only a month left of this academic year, and all student dormitories are currently full. Here's what we'll do: I don't stay in the academy often, so you can live here." He pointed toward the resting chamber inside his office, his tone unusually warm.
"And regarding your request about a soul ring… I fully support your idea. Once you've decided which type of soul beast you want, tell me. When the academy holiday begins, if you're available, I'll personally take you. A few hundred-year soul beasts are still within my reach."
In truth, Xiao Jian had no intention of interfering with Ao Luo's choice. Who knew whether this boy's supposed "family" had their own special requirements regarding soul beasts?
They hadn't spoken much, yet somehow Xiao Jian had already filled in countless gaps with his own assumptions.
"Thank you, Dean!" Ao Luo bowed deeply, straightforward and sincere.
That single gesture made Xiao Jian's heart warm.
Not an ingrate, it seemed.
Perhaps… the revival of his family truly lay in this child.
---
End of Chapter