All rights reserved to the respective authors.
"Dialogue": Represented in double quotes for conversations between characters.
'Thoughts': Represented in single quotation marks, indicating the characters' internal reflections.
[Diary]: Represented in square brackets, used for messages intended for the heroines or entries written by Tenshin.
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As they approached the entrance of the Nuoding academy to complete the registration process, they were abruptly halted by a security guard who stood in their way, blocking their path. "Take a break there!" the doorman shouted with a stern expression, his piercing gaze scrutinizing the three of them. The guard appeared to be young, and as he barred their path, he carefully examined the appearance of the three individuals before him. Upon noticing the clothes they were wearing, he exclaimed, raising his voice, "Do you really believe that Nuoding Academy is a place where anyone can enter at any time, especially people like you?"
Tenshin was speechless, watching the gatekeeper with a neutral expression, while thinking to himself, 'I hoped I wouldn't have to go through this...' He wished that with his presence, the situation would be different from the original narrative. However, just like in the novel, the doorman seemed to not be entirely sane, behaving strangely and excessively strict.
Nuoding Academy was known for having many students who combined work and study, most of whom came from ordinary families, with only a few coming from wealthy homes or local nobles. So why was he so rude to them? Old Jack's expression changed slightly, and he quickly forced a polite smile, trying to remain calm. "Lord Guard, these two children are this year's work and study students from our village," he explained, turning to Tenshin and Tang San and handing over the documents in his hands. "Here are the evidence."
The guard accepted the extended papers, but before he began to analyze them, he commented on the presence of the two children accompanied by the elder, "Unless there has been some change that I have not been informed of, as far as I know, the academy only offers one study and work place per village..." His voice contained a tone of challenge, as if he were questioning Old Jack's authority.
Old Jack, hearing this question, replied calmly, but with a hint of firmness in his voice, "It's true that normally, our village is only allowed one spot. However, this year, we were fortunate enough to have two children awaken a martial soul with soul power." He paused before continuing, "Given this situation, Deacon Su Yuntao, who is responsible for awakening their martial souls, felt it would be a waste to let one of the children miss out on the opportunity to become a soul master. Hence, he handed me this letter, hoping that Nuoding Academy could make an exception this time."
As the guard was still flipping through the certificates, he paused for a moment when he noticed that there was an additional document attached to the soul master certificates. His expression became even more stern, and he said, "That won't happen. Our academy only accepts one child per village. A soul master from Spirit Hall has no influence or authority in this matter," continuing to read with a sharp nod of his head.
Then, he came to the relevant part of the first certificate, Tenshin's, which indicated that he has chains as his martial soul with an innate soul power of level 7. This caused the gatekeeper to be slightly surprised, since there was no one in the academy with such a high innate soul power, although it was still acceptable. He then read Tang San's certificate. 'Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass. Innate Soul Power: Complete innate soul power.' Upon reading this, the guard was shocked, rereading the document to make sure he hadn't made a mistake. After confirming, his eyes narrowed at the combination of the martial soul 'Blue Silver Grass' with complete innate soul power.
As the guard continued to read, after hearing such a bold statement, Tenshin turned his attention to the man. Now he was convinced, 'This guy must have some kind of mental problem. Seriously, where did a simple guard get the audacity to say something like that with such certainty?' He thought, maintaining an impassive expression.
Meanwhile, Tang San began to feel restless and irritated as he stared at the guard, thinking, 'You already have a path to death!' He then cast a sidelong glance at Old Jack and Tenshin, thinking about what to do while discreetly adjusting the hidden weapon in his right sleeve. Details that did not go unnoticed by Tenshin, because even though he seemed inattentive to Tang San, his great spiritual power already gave him a keen perception of the surroundings. Thus, those small movements or poorly disguised intentions that Tang San emitted did not escape his attention.
After hearing the guard's statement, Old Jack's expression twisted in indignation. "Do you have any idea who you're talking about? A master of the Spirit Hall! You can't just brush this off as something trivial!" he exclaimed, his voice reflecting a mixture of surprise and disapproval.
Hearing Old Jack's response, the guard's attitude became even more arrogant and angry, and he exclaimed, "As I said, a soul master from the Spirit Hall has no authority here! Furthermore, I've worked here as a guard for four years and I've never seen a student with complete innate soul power. This is already hard to believe, and what makes this other certificate even harder to believe is the fact that this level of innate soul power is attached to a 'Blue Silver Grass'—classified as a Trash Martial Soul."
After hearing the guard's words, Tang San remained silent. He stood still, his eyes fixed on the gatekeeper, a cold and piercing light shining in his eyes. Meanwhile, Tenshin became more serious and began to pay attention to both the guard and Tang San. He felt that things could get out of hand at any moment, so he was already thinking about how to intervene, but his priority was for the guard to take the initiative, so that he could deal with him quickly, without allowing Tang San to move—otherwise, he would lead Tenshin to deal with Tang San, which would put him in Tang Hao's sights.
Realizing that the discussion could drag on for a while before it reached a point that required his direct intervention, Tenshin summoned and discreetly opened his diary. He decided that while the situation was still limited to words, it would be more profitable to take advantage of it and record the events in order to gain LP. He was certain that he would be able to enter the academy without any difficulty. And as for Tang San, as the main character of this era, would it really be difficult for him to enter the academy? Most likely not. Even if the "theoretical master" did not appear, unlike what happened in the original timeline, Tenshin was fully convinced that Tang Hao was nearby. He could even try to locate him, but he knew that Tang Hao would immediately notice any attempt to detect him using spiritual power, so Tenshin did not check around with spiritual power. Thus, he began writing:
[Honestly, the situation I find myself in right now is exhausting and irritating.]
[I thought that with my presence, things would take a different turn from the canonical timeline. However, it hasn't changed: the Nuoding Academy guard is blocking our entrance to enroll. And the situation, I must say, is more than just uncomfortable—it's downright absurd.]
When the heroines noticed that Tenshin had made a new entry in his diary, they were immediately curious and surprised. Three entries in one day? That was rare. When they read the first one, their interest grew even more—they wanted to understand what the frustrating situation was that was driving him to write. When they found out that the reason was that he had been barred from entering the academy, their doubts grew. After all, the guards at basic soul master academies are generally ordinary people, without any soul power. So how could a simple guard have the audacity to create conflict with a future soul master?
[I understand that the presence of two children may seem a bit strange—after all, each village usually only has one job and study space. However, that alone doesn't explain the guard's behavior. And Tang San's certificate doesn't help either, as it states that he has complete innate soul power, and yet his martial soul is Blue Silver Grass—something unbelievable.]
[The guard's behavior is simply illogical, especially considering that he is just an ordinary person. He had already read my certificate, he knows that I am a future soul master, and yet he insists on putting on this show in front of everyone, this is practically deliberately seeking my enmity.]
[And since when is the verification or authentication of documents part of your duties? This step, obviously, should be the responsibility of teachers at the time of enrollment. Therefore, your attitude, besides being unnecessary, is completely useless.]
[To top it off, the same guard claims to have worked at the academy for four years—so how can he not recognize our certificates as authentic, with all his supposed experience? Grandpa Jack himself made it clear that they were issued by Su Yuntao, who, despite being a relatively low-level soul master, has great influence in Nuoding City. And that's without even counting the backing of the Spirit Hall itself.]
[And he even had the audacity and arrogance to say that a soul master from the Spirit Hall has no influence or authority in the academy—with all due respect, what nonsense! This borders on delirium!]
[The only coherent explanation for this behavior is that the guard is accustomed to extorting humble families using his position—as already mentioned in the original novel—or else he is receiving hidden support from someone. Perhaps it is envy: we have soul power and the real chance to become soul masters, while he will never be able to achieve that.]
At this point, the heroines began to believe that the guard was mentally ill, or at the very least, not in his right mind. How could someone like him have the audacity to act so recklessly and arrogantly? They couldn't understand why he would refuse to let Tenshin, Tang San, and Old Jack in, when, as Tenshin had said, it was up to the faculty to decide who was accepted, or whether or not to grant an additional spot. Did he really think he could do this without consequences? And even worse, where did he get the courage to confidently state that a master of the Spirit Hall had no influence in the academy? How could he have the audacity to reject official certificates and a letter signed by a local deacon from Nuoding City?
Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue, in particular, felt personally offended by the guard's actions—after all, one was the Pope of the Spiritual Hall herself, and the other was the heir to the Angel God who founded the organization.
[Changing the subject, I know that Tang San carries one of his hidden weapons in his right sleeve—if I remember correctly, an arm arrow meant for self-defense. It's quite likely that he also has other hidden weapons, such as steel needles in his pockets, ready for a precise attack.]
[It should be remembered that Tang San was part of the Tang Sect in his previous life—a sect that specialized in hidden weapons and poisons. Even though he now has no access to poisons in this world, he managed to quickly develop a hidden weapon, which although simple, is quite effective.]
[In the Tang Sect, arm arrows are classified as entry-level weapons—easy to produce, but lethal when used accurately and unexpectedly. They can even take down a level 20 soul master if the attack is a surprise.]
[During the standoff with the guard, whose disbelief in Tang San's certificate had led him to ignore even Su Yuntao's letter, Tang San remained composed. First, he gave the guard an icy glare; then, his gaze shifted to me and then to Grandpa Jack, as if he was considering whether it was necessary to eliminate us—perhaps for the sake of the village's quota or to avoid witnesses.]
[Interestingly, it seems that Tang San himself forgets that he conceals his second martial soul: the Clear Sky Hammer. Although he possesses complete innate soul power, in the eyes of others he is just someone with the Blue Silver Grass—a martial soul considered trash by most.]
Seeing Tenshin shift his focus to Tang San, the heroines showed renewed interest in the secret weapons he mentioned, curious about their origin and potential. Their surprise increased when they learned of his power and that the arm arrow was an entry-level weapon within the Tang Sect. However, as they reflected on Tang San's subtle gestures and Tenshin's interpretations of his thoughts and intentions, they felt uneasy. Still, they remembered that Tenshin had no idea that his words were being read by others—which caused their impressions of Tang San to drop even further, becoming a bit more skeptical and critical.
Meanwhile, the guard and Old Jack continued arguing until...
"…and you know that forging a Spirit Hall document can lead to serious consequences?" the guard asked with a mixture of arrogance and misplaced confidence, fully convinced that Tang San's certificate was a fake. A flash of irritation flashed in Old Jack's eyes at such an accusation, but he restrained himself and maintained his composure.
"I see that you're intent on causing trouble. Very well… I'll resolve this myself. Tang San, Tenshin, come with me. Let's go straight to the Spirit Hall branch here in Nuoding City to speak directly with Deacon Su Yuntao. He'll clarify this matter," he stated firmly, his voice calm yet authoritative.
With a quick, assertive movement, Old Jack snatched the documents from the guard's hands. Without looking back, he turned and marched towards the city with firm, resolute steps. The guard, momentarily stunned, began to doubt the authenticity of his earlier assumptions. 'Could it be...?' he wondered hesitantly, and then ran to catch up with him, shouting, 'Wait!'
But as he tried to intercept them, his body suddenly froze. Looking down, he realized that his limbs were tightly bound by a chain, drawing gasps from the surrounding spectators. Their gazes quickly followed the length of the chain to its origin: Tenshin, with an icy expression, had summoned his martial soul—Dragon Chains—the other end tightly wrapped around his right arm.
Each observer reacted differently: Tang San was surprised by the speed and accuracy of Tenshin's attack; Old Jack, while relieved and grateful, was surprised to see such a coldness in the boy's eyes—an intensity he had never witnessed before. Hidden nearby, Tang Hao, as a Level 92 Titled Douluo, observed with keen insight. He instantly recognized something unusual: Tenshin shouldn't have such precise control over his martial soul at this stage—and even more worrying was the absence of fluctuations in soul power that normally accompanied the activation of a low-level soul master's martial soul.
From the shadows, another figure watched silently, curious and surprised by that young man.
All eyes were now on Tenshin as he began to walk—slowly and deliberately—toward the bound guard. The latter was visibly nervous. When Tenshin finally stopped in front of him, his tone was cold and cutting. "Let me be very clear: everything that happened was annoying and unnecessary." He paused briefly, then added, "So, to keep me from losing what little patience I have left, the three of us are going to go in and register—as if nothing had happened. Got it?"
As the guard opened his mouth to protest, a wave of diluted soul power mixed with the element of Domination radiated from Tenshin—instantly silencing him. Eyes wide with panic, the guard swallowed hard and simply nodded.
Satisfied, Tenshin withdrew his martial soul and retracted the chain. Turning to Old Jack and Tang San, he gave an innocent smile and said, "Let's go! We still need to register at the academy!" — as if he hadn't threatened someone just moments before.
Old Jack took a second to recover, then gestured for Tang San to follow him. The boy's palms were sweating. He realized with a chill that if things had gone according to his original plan, he might have been the one chained up. 'How… how could he project such overwhelming pressure when I have greater soul power?' he wondered, filled with nervousness, envy, and doubt.
From afar, Tang Hao remained skeptical. His thoughts wandered to the massive wave of soul power and destruction he had sensed days ago in the Sacred Spirit Village. But then he shook his head. 'No… even if this display is abnormal, it doesn't match the soul power signature I sensed back then. And his martial soul doesn't fit the pattern of that devastation either. Even so… it's best to keep an eye on him. He could either be a valuable whetstone for Xiao San—or a future threat that might need to be eliminated. Although the latter is unlikely for now… over time, the gap between them will only widen, given their different innate soul power and Xiao San's twin martial souls, who still possess those strange techniques,' he concluded calmly and resolutely.
Just as the trio was about to enter the academy gates, again, a voice shouted from a distance, "Wait!"
All eyes turned to the source. There stood a middle-aged man, apparently in his fifties. He had a medium, nondescript build and carried himself with casual indifference. One hand was clasped behind his back. Short hair framed a face with soft features and an unreadable expression. His breathing was calm—almost lethargic—as if nothing around him seemed to indicate any urgency.