In the months following the Spirit Awakening ceremony, Old Jack became a regular visitor at Huo Feng's small house. He would stop by every few days to bring food and other daily necessities, always checking in on the boy. The old village chief had nearly burst a blood vessel trying to reason with Tang San's alcoholic father, who had initially forbidden his son from attending a Spirit Master academy despite his incredible talent. For a while, it seemed that Huo Feng was the only remaining hope for Holy Soul Village to produce a Spirit Master.
Three months passed quickly. The day before enrollment at Nuoding Junior Spirit Master Academy, Old Jack was preparing to make one last attempt to persuade Tang San's father when the man unexpectedly showed up at his door. His attitude was completely different, and he agreed to let Tang San attend the academy.
Overjoyed, Old Jack didn't have to worry about securing a second spot, as he had already made arrangements with the chief of a neighboring village. Now, Tang San and Huo Feng could go to the academy together and look after one another.
He hurried over to Huo Feng's house with a bundle of dried rations he had prepared. He shared the good news that Tang San would be joining him at Nuoding Academy.
This was all within Huo Feng's expectations, of course. He feigned the appropriate amount of childish joy, but inwardly, he was calm. Old Jack told him he would come by to pick him up early the next morning, and after a few more words of advice, he left.
Huo Feng had spent the last three months quietly at home. Thanks to the system, his life was quite comfortable. His physical fitness had improved dramatically, and with his Level 10 spirit power, he was far stronger than he looked. Though he appeared to be a harmless child, he could easily handle a full-grown adult.
Unfortunately, there was nothing of high value in the village to sacrifice. Over the three months, he had only managed to increase his balance by about thirty points, mostly from sacrificing small, worthless objects. With a total of one hundred and thirty sacrifice points, he still couldn't afford anything in the system's shop. He was looking forward to getting to Nuoding Academy. If for no other reason, it meant he would be close to Tang San again—a convenient and valuable source of sacrifice points.
The next morning, Huo Feng woke up early and packed a small, symbolic bag of belongings. Just as he finished, Old Jack arrived. Huo Feng grabbed his bag, and the two of them walked to the blacksmith shop to meet Tang San.
Although Nuoding City wasn't far from Holy Soul Village, the journey would take at least half a day on foot. The sun had just begun to climb into the sky, and the morning mist still clung to the air as the three of them set out on the road.
Along the way, Old Jack talked to the boys, explaining the different levels of Spirit Master academies and the ranks of Spirit Masters. Compared to Tang San, who asked many curious questions, Huo Feng remained mostly silent. He already knew all of this information.
Half a day passed quickly. By the afternoon, the walls of Nuoding City came into view. After entering the city gates, both Huo Feng and Tang San looked around in wonder at the bustling streets. Even though Huo Feng had expected it, seeing the unique architecture and lively crowds in person was still surprising. It felt like a completely different world from his quiet village.
He also knew that, if the plot was proceeding as it should, they were about to have a classic confrontation with the academy's gate guard. It was the scene where Tang San would reveal his power and put the arrogant guard in his place.
Since I'm here, Huo Feng thought with a smirk, I can't just let Tang San have all the fun.
As if on cue, a tall, arched gateway appeared before them. Carved into the stone were four large words: "Nuoding Academy."
"What do you want? This isn't a place for country folk like you!" a sharp voice barked before they even got close.
Right on time, Huo Feng thought.
Old Jack quickly stepped forward, a polite smile on his face, and explained that the two boys were the new work-study students from his village.
The guard looked them up and down, then burst out laughing. "Work-study students? Two of them? Are you kidding me? The academy hasn't accepted a work-study student in years! Now get out of here before I make you leave!" He waved his hand dismissively, clearly having dealt with people he considered peasants before.
Some things are the same everywhere, Huo Feng mused. Even a simple gate guard can be this arrogant.
Beside him, he saw Tang San quietly clench his fists. The movement was subtle, but Huo Feng noticed it. Tang San was holding back, waiting for the right moment.
Suppressing his own anger, Old Jack presented the official certificate from Spirit Hall to the guard. The guard snatched it, his eyes narrowing as he read. But instead of changing his tune, he just scoffed.
"Two students with innate full spirit power? You must be joking. I've worked here for years and have never seen a single student with innate full spirit power, let alone two from some backwater village. And one of them has Blue Silver Grass? That's the funniest thing I've heard all day!"
Old Jack was trembling with rage. He couldn't believe a simple guard would be so cruel and obstructive. He turned to the boys, ready to take them to the Spirit Hall branch in Nuoding City to file a formal complaint.
Just as they were about to leave, the guard's sneering voice followed them. "What kind of 'Holy Soul Village' is that? Sounds more like a 'Beggar Village' to me."
"What did you say?" Old Jack spun around, his face red with fury. Insulting him was one thing, but insulting his home was his absolute limit.
The guard just grinned, enjoying the reaction. "I said you're from a beggar village. What are you going to do about it, old man?"
Beggars? Poor bastards? The words struck a nerve in Huo Feng. In his past life, a greedy boss had called him the same thing. To hear it again from this arrogant guard was infuriating. How dare he.
The guard then took a step forward and shoved Old Jack. "Now, get lost!"
That was it. Tang San moved, his fist clenched and ready to fly. But in the next instant, another figure blurred past him, stepping between the guard and Old Jack.
Tang San stopped, stunned. It was Huo Feng.
Old Jack was just as confused. "Huo Feng, what are you—"
The guard laughed. "What, you little brat? You think you can do something?"
Before he could finish his sentence, Huo Feng moved. In a swift, shocking motion, he lifted his leg and delivered a powerful kick straight to the guard's stomach.
"Argh!"
A pained scream filled the air as the guard was sent flying backward, landing in a heap on the ground.
At the exact moment his foot made contact, Huo Feng issued a silent command. System, sacrifice this guard!
[Ding! Guard sacrifice successful!] [Sacrifice Points +2]
The guard was on the ground, groaning in pain, his face pale.
Only two points? Huo Feng thought, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face. That's barely more than a teapot.