69novels Chapter 4 Soul Master Academy
Chapter 4 Soul Master Academy
The morning sunlight streamed through the gates of Mingdu First Junior Soul Master Academy, casting a pale gold hue on the white teaching building's exterior walls.
Chen Yingwu, carrying his luggage, stood in the square at the entrance of the academy, looking up at this renowned junior soul master academy in Mingdu.
The teaching building has only four floors, is pure white, and has simple and clean lines. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows on the first floor, you can see the arrangement of the teachers' offices inside—neat, clean, and with a slightly serious atmosphere.
Unidentified trees lined both sides of the road in front of the building, their branches and leaves neatly trimmed. The ground was paved with gray-white stone bricks, and not a single weed could be seen in the gaps.
The environment is very good, even better than that of a nursing home.
Chen Yingwu withdrew his gaze, picked up his luggage, and walked towards the dormitory building.
His dormitory was on the third floor, a single room. He had applied for it before the start of the semester—after inquiring and learning that the college allowed students to apply for single rooms, he submitted the application without any hesitation.
When the director of the foster home found out, he just smiled and said, "You child don't seem to like crowds," and then signed the application form.
Pushing open the dormitory door, the furnishings inside were simple: a bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and a small private bathroom. The window faced the back hill of the college, offering a view of a lush grove of trees.
"It's quite suitable for combat."
Looking at the secluded and quiet place, Chen Yingwu suddenly had this thought.
He tidied up his luggage, walked around the room to make sure everything was alright, then closed the door and headed towards the teaching building.
The stairwell of the teaching building was already filled with students. They were all around six or seven years old. Some were excitedly looking around, some were timidly following behind their parents, and others were gathered in twos and threes, chattering about their martial spirits and soul power.
In his previous life, he attended kindergarten, primary school, middle school, and university, but he had never attended a Soul Master Academy.
Looking at the students coming and going, Chen Yingwu felt that this junior soul master academy was similar to the elementary school in his previous life. However, some of them were particularly tall and looked more mature, somewhat like junior high school students.
Chen Yingwu walked through them calmly.
He heard someone behind him whisper, "That person... seems to have come alone."
He just walked forward quietly.
The first-grade classrooms are on the second floor. The corridor is spacious and bright, with several framed calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls, all containing inspirational quotes.
There were already more than twenty students sitting in the classroom.
He found a seat by the window and sat down, his gaze sweeping across the classroom.
The students sitting in the front row clearly knew each other and were chatting together. A chubby boy with fair skin spoke the loudest: "I have innate soul power level seven! My martial soul is the Bloodfire Lion. My dad says it's a top-tier beast martial soul, and I'll definitely become a Soul Saint someday!"
A tall, thin boy next to him scoffed, "What's so great about being at level seven? Do you know Zhao Penghui? He's at level nine."
The chubby boy muttered a few words of protest, but his voice noticeably softened.
Chen Yingwu's gaze shifted to the center of the classroom.
There sat a boy who was significantly taller than his peers, with handsome features and a hint of arrogance in his eyes. Two empty seats were around him, and the other students seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally keeping their distance from him.
Zhao Penghui. Innate Soul Power Level Nine.
Seemingly noticing Chen Yingwu's gaze, Zhao Penghui turned his head, his eyes scrutinizing him.
Chen Yingwu withdrew his gaze and looked out the window.
Several more students entered the classroom. A girl with a ponytail caused a small commotion when she walked in—she had a quiet demeanor, delicate features, and skin so white it was almost translucent, like a porcelain doll. She went straight to the first row and sat down, not glancing at anyone the entire time.
"Is that Li Anting? I heard they say her innate soul power is level eight, and her martial soul is something like a tower..."
"The White Radiance Tower. My father told me about it; it's a top-tier weapon spirit."
Before the murmurs had subsided, another young man entered through the door, carrying a short, cyan spear. The spear was not a physical object, but rather formed from condensed soul power, with cyan patterns winding around its shaft and emanating a faint aura of power.
"That's... a martial spirit? He actually summoned his martial spirit?"
"It looks like the Azure Patterned Spear, which is also a weapon spirit. I estimate its innate spirit power must be at least level six."
Li Yunjie walked to the back row and sat down expressionlessly, the blue-patterned spear in his hand turning into specks of light and dissipating. His gaze swept around the classroom, lingering on Zhao Penghui for a moment before moving away.
Chen Yingwu observed the behavior of these people one by one.
They were all six years old, had already awakened their martial spirits, and had achieved a preliminary level of soul power cultivation. If judged by the standards of the original work, each of these children could be considered a genius—possessing innate soul power of level five or above, they would be promising talents worthy of cultivation anywhere.
Here, they were just members of a class at the Mingdu First Junior Soul Master Academy.
This is the foundation of the top-tier junior soul master academy on the mainland.
The classroom seats gradually filled up. Chen Yingwu counted; there were twenty-eight students in total.
Just then, the classroom door was pushed open.
A tall man walked in. He looked to be around thirty years old, with broad shoulders and thick arms. Standing there, he resembled a small mountain. His steps were steady, each step carrying a heavy sense of pressure, as if the ground itself was trembling slightly.
The chatter in the classroom vanished instantly.
The man walked to the front of the classroom, his gaze sweeping over each student's face. His gaze wasn't stern, but it carried a natural air of authority that made people afraid to meet his eyes.
"My name is Lin Yuan." His voice was deep and resonant. "A four-ring Soul Master, my Martial Soul is the Ancient Bear. From today onwards, I will be your homeroom teacher."
The Four Rings Soul Sect.
Chen Yingwu's gaze sharpened slightly. The director of the orphanage was also a three-ring Soul Master, but he was an elderly man over fifty. This Lin Yuan in front of him looked to be under thirty years old, yet he was already at the Soul Grandmaster level. Such talent and strength would be considered outstanding anywhere.
"I'll only repeat the rules of Mingdu First Junior Soul Master Academy once," Lin Yuan said in a flat tone. "First, obey the academy's arrangements. Second, respect your teachers and elders, and unite with your classmates. Third, cultivate diligently and do not slack off. Fourth, private fights are prohibited within the academy; resolve any conflicts on the fighting arena."
He paused, his gaze sharpening further: "If you can't follow these four rules, you may leave now."
The classroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
No one moved.
Lin Yuan nodded, his expression softening slightly. "Very good. Since you've all stayed, let's start with introductions. Stand up, state your name, your innate soul power level, and your martial soul. Begin in the first row."
A boy sitting on the far left of the first row hurriedly stood up, his voice a little nervous: "My name is Wang Qi, I have a seventh-level innate soul power, and my martial soul is the Bloodfire Lion."
"Level 7, Bloodfire Lion, not bad." Lin Yuan nodded. "A high-grade beast spirit, strong offensive capabilities, suitable for a power-attack style."
Wang Qi sat down, his face flushed red, but his eyes were full of excitement.
The next student stood up: "My name is Sun Xiao, I have a level 5 innate soul power, and my martial soul is Iron Wire Vine."
"Level 5, Iron Wire Vine. A promising seedling for the Control type."
"My name is Li Yunjie, I have a seventh-level innate soul power, and my martial soul is the Azure Patterned Spear."
Lin Yuan's gaze lingered on Li Yunjie for a moment longer: "Weapon Martial Soul, Azure Patterned Spear. Spear-type Martial Souls are difficult to cultivate, but once mastered, their power is immense. Cultivate them diligently."
Li Yunjie nodded and sat down calmly.
"My name is Zhao Penghui, I have a level nine innate soul power, and my martial soul is the One-Horned Black Dragon."
Upon hearing this, a murmur of surprise rippled through the classroom. Level nine, a one-horned black dragon—either one was enough to attract attention.
A hint of approval appeared in Lin Yuan's eyes: "Ninth-level soul power, one-horned black dragon martial soul. Top-tier beast martial soul, sub-dragon species. Zhao Penghui, your talent is excellent, but talent is not equal to strength. I hope you will not waste this talent."
Zhao Penghui slightly raised his chin: "Yes, Teacher Lin."
His tone carried a hint of confidence, even pride.
Lin Yuan didn't say anything more and gestured for the next person to continue.
Chen Yingwu looked at the slight upturn of Zhao Penghui's lips as he sat down, then looked away.
A one-horned black dragon, a sub-dragon type martial soul. In the world of Douluo Continent, martial souls with "dragon" in their name are never weak. His level nine innate soul power also means he's only one step away from reaching full soul power.
Such talent certainly gives them reason to be proud.
The self-introductions continued. Among the twenty-odd students, the lowest innate soul power was level five, and the highest was Zhao Penghui's level nine. Their martial souls were also diverse, with beast martial souls being the most common, followed by weapon martial souls, and two students even had plant-based martial souls.
When it was Li Anting's turn, her voice was soft but clear: "Li Anting, innate soul power level eight, martial soul White Radiance Tower."
Lin Yuan's eyes lit up noticeably: "Tower-type martial soul, level eight soul power. Very good."
It was only six words, but everyone could hear the importance he placed on it.
Tower-type martial souls generally possess excellent quality among weapon-type martial souls. Soul masters who possess this type of martial soul are often able to go further in life.
Finally, it was Chen Yingwu's turn.
He stood up, his expression calm: "Chen Yingwu, innate soul power level 10, martial soul Morality Mirror, one-ring soul master."
The classroom suddenly fell silent.
Level 10.
Innate full soul power.
Even Zhao Penghui's pride froze for a moment. He turned his head sharply, staring intently at Chen Yingwu, his eyes filled with disbelief and a hint of... indescribable emotion.
Lin Yuan's gaze also changed.
He looked at Chen Yingwu, remained silent for two seconds, and then slowly spoke: "Innate full soul power."
"Yes," Chen Yingwu replied calmly.
"The Mirror of Morality." Lin Yuan repeated the name of this martial spirit. "I've never heard of this kind of martial spirit before."
"A weapon spirit." Chen Yingwu didn't elaborate.
Lin Yuan didn't press the matter. Martial spirits are incredibly diverse, and there are some rare ones that even he might not recognize. He was more concerned about something else.
"Innate full soul power." He repeated it again, his voice tinged with emotion. "Mingdu First Junior Soul Master Academy hasn't recruited a student with innate full soul power for three years. Chen Yingwu, your starting point is higher than everyone else's, but whether you can go further depends on your own efforts."
Chen Yingwu nodded in agreement and returned to his seat.
He could feel several pairs of eyes on him in the classroom.
Some were surprised, some were curious, and some... like Zhao Penghui, carried a certain unfriendly emotion.
Chen Yingwu didn't care.
While innate full soul power is indeed remarkable, that's about it. In the history of Douluo Continent, those with innate full soul power, though rare, are not nonexistent. What determines how far a person can go, besides their starting point, is the choices they make at every crucial moment.
After the self-introduction, Lin Yuan began to explain the basic knowledge of cultivation.
"The core of cultivation at the Soul Warrior stage lies in absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and transforming it into your own soul power. This process may seem simple, but its efficiency directly determines how fast and how far you can go."
Lin Yuan's voice echoed in the classroom: "There are three factors that affect cultivation efficiency: First, the quality of the martial spirit. The higher the quality of the martial spirit, the greater its affinity with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and the faster it absorbs it. Second, the method of meditation. A good meditation method can make your efforts twice as effective. Third, personal willpower. Cultivation is never an easy task; without sufficient perseverance, even the best talent is wasted."
As he spoke, he drew a diagram of the human body's meridians on the blackboard.
"In today's lesson, I will teach you a basic meditation method. This meditation method is suitable for all types of martial souls. Although it is not the most efficient, it is stable and safe."
Chen Yingwu looked at the meridian diagram on the blackboard, and a thought suddenly occurred to him.
His current cultivation method was discovered after he awakened his memories, using his omniscient abilities. The results were quite good; in his intuition, it far surpassed the meditation method explained by Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan began to explain the essentials of meditation in detail, from the rhythm of breathing to the route of soul power circulation, explaining every detail very thoroughly.
Chen Yingwu didn't listen much, but instead silently practiced meditation.
After all, he is omniscient; he can point to anything he doesn't understand.
After class, the students left the classroom one after another. Chen Yingwu was about to get up when he heard a voice behind him.
"Chen Yingwu".
He turned around and saw Zhao Penghui standing not far away, with two students following behind him.
"Um?"
Zhao Penghui sized him up, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Innate full soul power, quite impressive. But your martial soul... the Moral Mirror? Never heard of it before. Could it be some kind of useless martial soul?"
The two students next to him laughed.
Chen Yingwu glanced at him, said nothing, and turned to walk out of the classroom.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Zhao Penghui's voice came from behind, tinged with annoyance.
Chen Yingwu kept walking.
Because it's boring, that's all.
After returning to his dormitory, Chen Yingwu closed the door and sat down on the bed.
He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his body.
Soul power flowed slowly through his meridians, his level 15 cultivation stable and solid. The breakthrough when he obtained his first soul ring allowed his soul power to jump directly from level 10 to level 14, and the cultivation over the past few days had allowed him to advance even further, reaching level 15.
The yellow, century-old soul ring hovered silently deep within his consciousness, radiating a soft light.
Yuan Kong Dao Shen.
He hasn't actually tested the power of this soul skill yet, but judging from the power he felt during the fusion, its power must be considerable.
In particular, in the past few days, he has used his omniscience to improve the way he releases his soul skills. He can not only precisely control the amount of soul power he outputs, but also target only a specific aspect of the soul skill.
For example, if the attribute is 100% enhanced, then the effects of time-space affinity and increased absorption speed of heaven and earth elemental power will not appear, and you will not need to use the corresponding soul power.
This greatly improves his ability to cope with various situations and his endurance.
In particular, it is better than many auxiliary soul skills in terms of increasing the absorption speed of the elemental energy of heaven and earth.
In addition, the dormitory itself has a relatively rich amount of spiritual energy, so cultivating there is like riding a rocket.
"Let's set a goal first: to become a Soul Master in at least three years."
Soul Master is just the minimum; Chen Yingwu believes that in three years, he will definitely be more than just Soul Master.