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In the end, Xiao Wu hesitated and glanced at Huo Yu'er.
Although she had defeated Tang San, Huo Yu'er was now the true leader of the dormitory.
Considering that the human world wasn't as barbaric as the world of soul beasts, Xiao Wu ultimately decided against forcibly taking Tang San's bedding. Instead, she walked up to him and said:
"Tang San, can we talk?"
At this moment, Tang San keenly noticed that everyone in the dormitory had their own luggage except for Xiao Wu, who had come in empty-handed.
Though uncertain, Tang San assumed Xiao Wu likely had her eyes on his bedding.
Years of practicing the Xuan Tian Gong had given Tang San physical endurance far beyond that of an ordinary child. He wouldn't have minded sleeping without a blanket. Although this bedding had just been given to him by Master Yu Xiaogang, making him somewhat reluctant to part with it, he felt quite willing to give it to a pretty girl like Xiao Wu.
Thus, Tang San decided to feign ignorance and use the bedding to win Xiao Wu's favor, planning to gradually build on that foundation.
"What do you want to talk about?" Tang San asked innocently.
Xiao Wu didn't beat around the bush. She directly said, "Your bedding looks big enough for two people. How about we push our beds together? That way, we'll both have something to use."
Tang San hadn't expected that his innocent attempt to please a girl would lead to such a bold suggestion.
But it hit him right in the heart! Sleeping with such a cute little loli made him feel shy, but it also sounded amazing!
Just as Tang San, harboring ulterior motives, prepared to pretend reluctance before agreeing, Huo Yu'er frowned and loudly interjected:
"What? Xiao Wu! Are you really going to sleep with this dark-skinned boy? Didn't your parents teach you about self-respect?"
Upon hearing this, Tang San's lips twitched. He had been about to mention that men and women shouldn't share close quarters.
Lecturing soul beasts about human morality was like playing the lute to a cow, but Huo Yu'er's words struck a sensitive chord in Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu bore no hatred toward these children—after all, she had even dared to share a bed with Tang San. But now, despite not being in her martial soul form, her eyes reddened like a rabbit's, and tears welled up in them.
"Sniff... I don't have parents anymore. Did I do something wrong, Boss?"
This pitiful demeanor tugged at Tang San's heartstrings. However, as the defeated party and someone with little experience interacting with girls, he didn't know what to do.
Huo Yu'er opened her mouth, then stepped forward and patted Xiao Wu on the shoulder.
"Sorry, I didn't realize you were an orphan. Don't worry, Big Sister Yu'er will take care of you from now on!
Here's what we'll do: tonight, you can sleep with me. Tomorrow, we'll go buy you some bedding."
Though Xiao Wu was usually very strong, at this moment, she saw a motherly figure in Huo Yu'er and instinctively nodded in agreement.
As night fell, there was little entertainment in this era. The dormitory residents either practiced cultivation or went to bed early.
After a while of cultivation, Tang San felt distracted, sensing that he had missed something important.
Clearly, this state wasn't suitable for cultivation. With a sigh, Tang San decided to sleep and adjust his mood. Whatever it was, he could deal with it tomorrow.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the dormitory, Huo Yu'er whispered to Xiao Wu, gradually acquainting the naive soul beast girl with various aspects of the human world.
Ye Wen merely glanced at them before losing interest. Though the sudden appearance of a body-type martial soul, which should only exist in later iterations of Douluo, felt abrupt, this was a real world where existence implied reason. Ye Wen didn't plan to dwell on it too much; focusing on his own life was enough.
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The next day, classes officially began.
Regardless of the level of the soul master academy, all followed a six-year system. Based on the information Ye Wen had gathered, the academy's curriculum was divided into two main categories, each further split between morning and afternoon sessions.
In the mornings, students learned theoretical knowledge—basic concepts about martial souls, knowledge of soul beasts, and various rules and systems of the continent. This ensured graduates wouldn't recklessly break laws or get arrested by the empire after leaving school.
In the afternoons, students engaged in self-cultivation.
After all, Douluo Continent was an extraordinary world. No matter how much theory one studied, without diligent practice, one couldn't unlock their potential.
However, compared to self-paying students, work-study students had it slightly tougher. They had to perform labor to earn some compensation for their meals and tuition.
Though they only earned ten copper spirit coins per day, this was already quite substantial. For instance, blacksmiths, who relied on skill and physical labor, earned only two silver spirit coins (equivalent to 200 copper coins) per month. Meanwhile, work-study students could earn 300 copper coins monthly through light chores—a fairly generous amount.
On the first day of school, Tang San vanished without a trace.
Ye Wen naturally knew what he was up to, though he found it somewhat exasperating and puzzling. Ye Wen clearly remembered that Yu Xiaogang was supposed to take Tang San to obtain a soul ring after some time.
Was he so eager now? Perhaps this was the butterfly effect at work.
Still, as a rare summon-type martial soul master, Ye Wen was ashamed to associate with Yu Xiaogang.
Though Yu Xiaogang had guided the Seven Treasures of Shrek in the original story, he himself was exceptionally lazy in cultivation. His frail body seemed like it could be blown over by a gust of wind.
To ordinary commoners, self-created soul skills might be rare, but Ye Wen refused to believe that someone from one of the top three sects like Yu Xiaogang wouldn't know any methods for developing such skills.
Yet all he did was study others' theories and fart around during battles, standing still like a wooden dummy.
Could such a person really train combat geniuses? Ye Wen didn't believe it.
And even if he stumbled upon someone like Tang San, who came with built-in cheats, guiding a genius with full innate soul power might still result in getting killed by enemies in battle.
But what did any of this have to do with Ye Wen?
Letting go of the desire to help others and enjoying a carefree life was most important.
Though the teacher's lecture was basic, even covering knowledge Ye Wen had already learned through other means, new ideas kept sparking in his mind as the teacher spoke.
This puzzled Ye Wen. Though he knew he wasn't unintelligent, was he really a genius?
Still, Ye Wen understood that no matter how many ideas he had, as long as his strength remained weak, they were useless. After all, Douluo Continent wasn't a place where theoretical brilliance reigned supreme.
Strength was everything!
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