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"Little girl, are you really unaware, or are you pretending?"
With a blackened expression, Flender asked Xiao Wu.
"??? "
Xiao Wu blinked innocently.
"The soul master subsidy is the gold soul coins you collect from the Spirit Hall every month!"
Seeing Xiao Wu's innocent gaze, Flender sighed exasperatedly.
"You can get gold soul coins from the Spirit Hall?!"
Xiao Wu's eyes lit up. Was the Spirit Hall running a charity? So generous?
"Huh? You've never collected it before?"
Flender was momentarily stunned. Which backwater had these two come from? How could they not know about such benefits?
"Nope~"
Xiao Wu shook her head.
"Alright, the soul master subsidy is a welfare program funded and supervised by the two great empires, distributed by the Spirit Hall to low-level soul masters on the continent who are below level 40.
One-ring Soul Masters receive one gold soul coin per month, two-ring Soul Grandmasters receive ten, and three-ring Soul Elders receive one hundred."
Adjusting his glasses, Flender explained.
The money comes from the two great empires, but the goodwill goes to the Spirit Hall?
This might sound absurd, but it was true.
There was no other reason—it was simply because the Spirit Hall was powerful, with a strong fist.
Moreover, the soul master subsidy policy aligned with the interests of the vast majority of soul masters on the continent and didn't infringe on the interests of other soul master families or factions. Since it didn't affect them directly, they remained indifferent, leaving the two great empires with no choice but to comply.
Additionally, as this policy had been in place for a long time, combined with the Spirit Hall deliberately downplaying the contributions of the two empires, many soul masters receiving subsidies on the continent didn't even realize the money came from the empires—they thought the Spirit Hall was being charitable!
In short, the low-level soul master subsidy policy left the two great empires thoroughly disadvantaged.
The children (soul masters) belonged to someone else's family (the two empires), and the cost of raising the children (soul master subsidies) was also covered by someone else—but more than half of the children ended up joining their family (the Spirit Hall). It truly was a genius idea!
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu stood frozen for a moment before turning to Chu Chengzhou with an accusing look.
"Brother, why didn't you tell me I could collect money from the Spirit Hall?"
Grabbing Chu Chengzhou's shoulders with both hands, Xiao Wu excitedly shook him.
One ring gets one coin per month, two rings get ten, three rings get one hundred—oh my god! How many gold soul coins had Big Sister Xiao Wu missed out on over the years?
"I've never collected it before, how would I know? Besides, Grandma didn't skimp on your pocket money, did she? And haven't I given you spending money too?"
Chu Chengzhou told a little white lie.
"Hmm, that's true~"
Hearing Chu Chengzhou explain, Xiao Wu nodded.
Indeed, even though she hadn't collected the soul master subsidy from the Spirit Hall, Grandma Li Wan hadn't stinted on her allowance—in fact, most of Chu Chengzhou's pocket money had gone to her.
Actually, Chu Chengzhou hadn't intentionally kept the soul master subsidy a secret from Xiao Wu—it was just a precaution.
What did it mean to be a 38th-level Soul Elder at the age of 11? Even with innate full soul power, it wasn't possible to progress this quickly!
Aside from Qian Renxue, who had innate 20-level soul power, there shouldn't be another case like this on the entire continent.
And collecting the soul master subsidy required registering one's age, martial soul, and undergoing soul power level testing.
The principle behind the soul power crystal ball detecting a soul master's level was to absorb part of their soul power, displaying the tester's soul power level through the brightness of the crystal ball.
The Control skill only enhanced control over one's own power—it didn't alter the essence of that power. Therefore, the Control skill couldn't disguise or conceal anything from the soul power testing crystal ball.
Perhaps higher-level Control skills in the future could achieve this, but the current purple-tier Control clearly couldn't.
If Xiao Wu went to the Spirit Hall to collect the subsidy, wouldn't that reveal the existence of a super-genius in Nuoding City?
A talent like this, once grown, would undoubtedly become a superpower on the continent.
And what attitude would the various forces on the continent take toward a super-genius with no background or influence?
If they couldn't obtain her, they'd destroy her to prevent such a genius from joining an opposing faction and becoming a major threat in the future.
However, while Xiao Wu's strength couldn't be hidden, her age could be falsified.
The only people who knew Xiao Wu's real age were the teachers and some students at Nuoding Academy.
But the teachers and students at Nuoding Academy were considered part of the lower rungs of society—they wouldn't have the opportunity to interact with the major powers on the continent in the future. Moreover, Su Nan, Chu Chengzhou's grandfather, had already used his position to alter Xiao Wu's enrollment records.
After all, soul masters developed physically faster, and Xiao Wu's high soul power level made her mature even quicker than normal soul masters. Claiming she was 15 or 16 instead of 11 wouldn't raise any eyebrows on the surface.
A 38th-level Soul Elder at 11 was outrageous, but at 15 or 16, while still a genius, there were plenty of geniuses at that level on the continent.
The details at Nuoding Academy had already been handled, and as long as this matter was communicated properly with Flender, exposing a genius of this caliber wouldn't attract too much attention from the various forces on the continent.
"Senior, Xiao Wu and I are still growing, and nutrition is essential. Even with the soul master subsidy, our pockets are still tight. Surely you can't bear to watch us delay our cultivation due to malnutrition, can you?
Besides, there's only half a year left until the next academic year. Perhaps you could…"
Chu Chengzhou spoke to Flender with a solemn expression.
The underlying message was clear: no money, no life either!
'Tightwad, you're absolutely stingy!'
Flender cursed inwardly.
"Fine, considering your special circumstances, I won't charge you tuition!"
Suppressing the urge to grab Chu Chengzhou and beat him up, Flender declared 'generously.'
Alright, alright—it was just a bit of tuition. In exchange for two geniuses, it was absolutely worth it!
At worst, he could make his old colleagues suffer a bit longer with delayed wages. Once the academy's financial situation improved, he could compensate them later.
"Is that so? Thank you, Principal Flender!"
Seeing that the tuition issue had finally been settled, Chu Chengzhou nodded in satisfaction and greeted Flender warmly.
"Mm-hmm, thank you, Principal Flender!"
Xiao Wu followed suit, thanking Flender earnestly.
"Come with me—I'll process your enrollment paperwork!"
With a wave of his hand, Flender led the two toward his principal's office.
The principal's office was arguably the most "luxurious" building in Shrek Academy—and it was a "standalone" structure.
Well, it was just a two-story wooden house that didn't let in wind or rain. The first floor served as an "office," and the second floor was for lodging.
"Let's start with introductions!"
Entering the office, Flender plopped down onto his chair with a relaxed demeanor and asked the two with curiosity.
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