After the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony was completed, Mo Xuan led the children out of the Awakening Hall.
"Soul Master, does our village have any children this year who can become soul masters?"
As soon as they stepped outside, Old Carl walked up with a beaming smile and asked eagerly.
"There is one, actually. One child has innate full soul power. But... it's a Body Martial Soul."
Mo Xuan wasn't surprised to see Old Carl like this—every village had someone like him.
"What... innate full soul power?! But why does it have to be a Body Martial Soul?" Old Carl exclaimed in shock at first, then sighed in regret upon hearing the second part.
Even someone from a remote area like Old Carl had heard of Body Martial Souls being known as useless.
"Be content. Having a single soul master from your village is already worth celebrating. The last few villages didn't have a single one."
With that, Mo Xuan didn't say anything more to Old Carl and headed directly to the next village.
'Well, that's not so bad either… but who's the child with innate full soul power?' Old Carl comforted himself.
Then he looked at the crowd of children in front of him—some excited, some disappointed—who had just awakened their martial souls.
At that moment, Wu Tong walked up to Old Carl.
"Grandpa Carl, I've got innate full soul power! Impressive, right?"
For this elder who had taken him in and raised him, Wu Tong's heart was full of gratitude. After all, this was the first warmth he had received since leaving his home.
Well, no need to guess anymore—the child had stepped forward himself.
Looking at the boy proudly reporting his success, Old Carl's eyes softened with kindness.
He didn't say anything discouraging like "Body Martial Soul is useless." Instead, he spoke with gentle earnestness, trying to comfort Wu Tong and keep his spirits up.
But what Old Carl didn't know was that Wu Tong wasn't feeling the slightest bit disappointed. On the contrary, he was filled with excitement and anticipation for the future.
Even so, Wu Tong didn't say anything more. After all, the idea that Body Martial Souls were useless was deeply ingrained. Only after he proved the true worth of his martial soul would this notion be overturned.
In silence, the two waited until the other villagers took the children home. Then they returned together.
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the gaps in the leaves onto the narrow path. It wasn't scorching—instead, it added a gentle warmth to the air, carrying the soft scent of sunshine.
——————
Three days later, Old Carl packed everything and brought Wu Tong to Nuoding City.
Nuoding's city walls were tall and majestic. Its gate stood firm and grand, with guards posted in disciplined ranks, radiating a sense of authority and prosperity.
Outside the gate, merchants shouted their wares, and caravans and carts came and went, bringing goods and news from all directions.
Inside the city, the wide streets were lined with orderly shops and teahouses. Colorful signboards swayed in the breeze at the storefronts.
The streets bustled with people in a variety of clothing, creating a lively, vibrant scene.
But the two of them didn't pay much attention to the bustling scenery. They headed straight for the eastern district of Nuoding City—Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.
Eight golden characters gleamed brilliantly on the signboard above the gate. The iron-barred gate was closed, but a small side door stood open nearby. A tall, skinny gatekeeper stood upright at the entrance, though his clothes were a bit untidy.
Through the iron fence, Wu Tong could see that the interior resembled a grand manor—spacious and luxurious, complete with a man-made pool.
"Hello, I'm here to enroll my grandson in the Soul Master Academy."
Reaching the gatekeeper, Old Carl handed over the certificate issued by Spirit Hall.
"Body Martial Soul… brain. Another useless martial soul with innate full soul power… go on in."
The gatekeeper casually picked up the certificate and glanced at it. He was about to blurt something out but seemed to remember something and swallowed his words.
He waved his hand, allowing Old Carl and Wu Tong to enter the academy.
'Looks like they've already gone through the Tang San situation. That means… I should be the same age as Tang San. If that's the case, then there's a lot I can plan ahead for.'
Seeing the gatekeeper's subtle behavior, Wu Tong's mind raced, instantly concluding that he and Tang San were of the same age, and that the academy enrollment incident had happened not long ago.
This made Wu Tong breathe a sigh of relief. After all, if he didn't know what point the plot was at, he wouldn't be able to maximize the benefits he could gain.
If this had been the time when Tang San had already entered Shrek Academy, then before Wu Tong had a chance to grow strong, opportunities like immortal herbs or external soul bones would already be out of reach.
Although these things weren't part of Wu Tong's core plan, if he could obtain them, all the better.
They could be used to train loyal subordinates, win people over, and build ties with various factions.
However, it was still too early to think about those things.
For now, he would use the six years in this academy to carry out the first phase of his plan.
Wu Tong's heart surged with excitement.
In his past life, he had been a shut-in. Even though he now possessed a super brain that could recall every detail of knowledge he had ever seen,
Most of that knowledge came from basic education and an in-depth understanding of anime and film.
Now, reborn as a child raised in a rural feudal society, he naturally hadn't been exposed to much knowledge—something typically hoarded by nobles.
As a soul master academy, though, knowledge transmission was essential. Just upon entering, Wu Tong saw a tall building inscribed with three words: "Library."
So Wu Tong planned to spend the next six years absorbing the library's contents to enrich his foundation. After that, he would publish research articles on Body Martial Souls to build his reputation.
Eventually, his goal was to join the Spirit Hall. After all, his martial soul had no offensive capabilities, and early on, he needed a powerful faction for support. Spirit Hall, being the continent's top force, was the obvious choice.
The reason he didn't accept Mo Xuan's invitation back during the awakening ceremony was precisely because he knew that with his situation, joining Spirit Hall directly would only result in being ignored—and he'd never be granted access to the Spirit Hall's archive.
So like Yu Xiaogang, Wu Tong would first establish himself as a scholar to increase his influence, then use that status to join Spirit Hall and gain access to knowledge.
He could even leverage Spirit Hall's resources to help him hunt suitable soul rings and further refine his heaven-defying comprehension talent plan.
After completing his enrollment, Wu Tong said goodbye to the reluctant Old Carl and made his way toward the dormitory.
Dorm Seven.
Gazing at the building before him, Wu Tong knew that his academy life was officially about to begin.
(End of Chapter)