Early the next morning, Old Jack took Xiao Lin and Tang San toward Nuoding City.
In the borrowed carriage, Xiao Lin was comforting Tang San.
Since Tang Hao hadn't left Tang San much money, the boy felt quite embarrassed about enrolling at the Nuoding Primary Soul Master Academy.
"Little San, don't you worry. Although the village only has one free quota, you and Xiao Lin are the same to me," Old Jack said leisurely while holding the horse whip.
"Each of you will take half of that quota, meaning you only need to pay half the tuition."
"But even for half the tuition, I don't have the money," Tang San said.
Having lived a life of hardship, he genuinely lacked the funds, momentarily forgetting what Xiao Lin had told him—that his father was the Clear Sky Douluo.
How could a Titled Douluo be poor?
"Little San, what are you afraid of? If worst comes to worst, I'll just lend it to you," Xiao Lin said, shaking his head inwardly.
He hadn't expected that his influence would actually make Tang San willing to pay for school.
Wait... why does that sound wrong? It's perfectly normal to pay for an education.
"Little San, don't talk nonsense. If you don't go to school, you'll be held back by your father," Old Jack chided.
"He didn't raise you well at all—look how thin you are! You should grow up to be handsome like Xiao Lin. Anyway, we're going to enroll first. I'll pay the tuition for you. When your father returns, I'll make him forge more iron to pay me back."
Old Jack truly treated Tang San with total impartiality.
In his eyes, Tang San and Xiao Lin were both children of Holy Spirit Village, and that meant they had to receive an education.
"Yes, Grandpa," Tang San replied, a flash of gratitude in his eyes.
He finally agreed and joined Xiao Lin to enroll.
Two and a half hours later, the three arrived at Nuoding City. (The author has expanded the original map; what was supposed to be a half-day walk took two and a half hours by carriage, suggesting a scale increase of at least three times).
Since Nuoding City was located on the border of the Heaven Dou Empire, its walls were exceptionally thick despite the city not being very large.
This was Tang San's first time in a city, and he found it quite incredible.
However, remembering that even ordinary people in this world could awaken Martial Souls, he quickly accepted it. After passing the inspection along with the other pedestrians, the three entered the city.
Following Xiao Lin's directions, they soon arrived at the Nuoding Primary Soul Master Academy in the western part of the city.
"Nuoding Academy!"
Tang San couldn't help but call out the name of the academy as he looked at the gates forged from refined iron.
"Alright, we're here. Grandpa brought Little San here to learn the way and get registered," Old Jack said, looking at the academy with great satisfaction.
The future hope of Holy Spirit Village would study in this grand institution.
However, as the three approached the gate, a young man blocked their path with a look of disdain.
"What do you think you're doing? Who let you in?"
The gatekeeper looked down on Old Jack and Tang San.
Their clothes were fine for Holy Spirit Village, even considered clean and nice, but in Nuoding City, they looked like typical country bumpkins.
If not for Xiao Lin's stylish outfit and the fact that they arrived in a carriage, the gatekeeper might have chased them off immediately. Xiao Lin smiled, ready to summon his Horned Dragon Staff to teach the man a lesson, but Old Jack stopped him.
Old Jack stepped forward with a conciliatory smile.
"Young brother, we are from Holy Spirit Village. One of them is here on a working student quota, and the other is here to pay for enrollment. See, what procedures do we need?"
"Hmph, can a phoenix really come from a chicken coop? If they don't have talent, you'd better go home early to avoid wasting time and money," the gatekeeper sneered sarcastically.
He was an ordinary person who had been bullied by Soul Masters before; now that he saw potential Soul Masters, he naturally wanted to bully them back. If he could prevent them from becoming Soul Masters, it would make his whole year.
"Speaking of which, the academy hasn't had a working student in years. You lot aren't imposters, are you?"
As the gatekeeper prepared to drive them away, Xiao Lin could no longer hold back.
A silver-white Horned Dragon Staff instantaneously appeared in his hand, its heavy aura causing the surrounding air to stagnate.
"What? What kind of Martial Soul is this?" The gatekeeper stared at the staff, cold sweat breaking out like rain.
"Martial Soul: Horned Dragon Staff. What of it?" Xiao Lin looked at the gatekeeper coldly.
The staff suddenly lengthened, the tip pressing directly against the man's neck.
"Ho... Horned Dragon Staff?" The gatekeeper was stunned.
What kind of Martial Soul was this? Was there a dragon trapped inside the staff?
After a moment of dazed shock, his expression instantly turned fawning. He bowed and scraped toward Xiao Lin.
"Please, young genius Soul Master, please come in."
Watching the gatekeeper's transformation, Tang San found it hard to imagine.
What was going on?
"Hmph!"
Xiao Lin snorted coldly and led the way, bringing Old Jack and Tang San into the academy.
"Tang San, let me tell you, that guy is just a bully who fears the strong and preys on the weak. As long as you show your strength, they'll lick your boots. If a person like that acted this way toward a Soul Master out in the world, he'd have died many times over. Utterly shameless."
Xiao Lin despised such petty people and intentionally made sure Tang San witnessed this behavior.
After all, there was a much more shameless "small person" currently residing in this academy.
"Mm." Tang San nodded, accepting Xiao Lin's words.
He didn't think it was wrong; in fact, if he had been the one to strike, the gatekeeper would have already earned his "path to death."
To him, Xiao Lin and the others were destined to be Soul Masters, and for an ordinary person to disrespect them was a violation of the natural order. Blocking someone's path to progress was a grievance worthy of exterminating a whole family.
Furthermore, Old Jack was old.
If he had tripped and fallen during a confrontation, he might have spent the rest of his life in bed. Tang San felt the gatekeeper truly deserved to die, and he couldn't help but think that Brother Lin was simply too kind.
I'll just have to handle the people Brother Lin is too kind to kill, Tang San thought to himself, feeling like he had to worry about everything. Although Xiao Lin had taught him not to strike recklessly, Tang San's original logic regarding the "path to death" remained unchanged.
In the blink of an eye, the three had finished the registration and paid the tuition. In two months, when Nuoding Academy opened, Xiao Lin and Tang San would officially be students.
After they left the academy, Yu Xiaogang entered the principal's office. As usual, he was looking for a genius to validate his theories.
"Huh?" Suddenly, Yu Xiaogang's eyes landed on the list of newly enrolled working students.
He saw two geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power.
"This is... my... my theory can finally be verified!" Yu Xiaogang's blood pressure spiked, his face turning red as his eyes locked onto the data of the two geniuses.
"Xiao Lin, Innate Full Soul Power, Martial Soul: Horned Dragon Staff. A top-tier Tool Martial Soul, possibly even superior to the Clear Sky Hammer."
"Tang San, Innate Full Soul Power, Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass. A super-trash Martial Soul. He must have Twin Martial Souls; he is a genius no weaker than Xiao Lin."
"Heaven is helping me! Heaven is helping me!"
"Hahahaha!"
For a moment, the sound of Yu Xiaogang's maniacal, almost demonic laughter echoed throughout the principal's office.