"Xiao Wu, how much money do you have saved up in that little rabbit pouch of yours?"
Chu Chengzhou curiously glanced at Xiao Wu's rabbit-shaped pouch.
"Don't even think about my pouch!"
Instantly, Xiao Wu's expression changed, and she quickly shielded the pouch behind her.
You see, when they left Nuoding City, her grandmother had given her quite a few gold soul coins! She absolutely couldn't let him swindle them away.
Seeing Xiao Wu acting like a mother hen protecting her chicks, Chu Chengzhou chuckled and didn't press further.
His comment was just a way to divert Xiao Wu's attention.
After all, the rabbit pouch hanging from Xiao Wu's waist wasn't much bigger than a palm. Even if it were filled with gold soul coins, how many could it possibly hold?
Compared to the over two hundred thousand gold soul coins he had robbed from Dai Mubai, it was negligible.
"Look at your greedy little face! Let's go—we still need to visit Shrek Academy!"
Chu Chengzhou called out to Xiao Wu and headed toward the small village ahead.
Not long after, the two arrived at the village entrance.
"Is this really a soul master academy?"
After a long silence, Xiao Wu asked Chu Chengzhou in disbelief.
"Look, isn't that a sign?"
Chu Chengzhou pointed to the plaque hanging on the wooden archway at the village entrance.
The dilapidated-looking plaque bore two large characters: Shrek Academy.
"Can this even be called a soul master academy?"
Xiao Wu couldn't help but raise her voice.
Beyond the wooden archway, all she saw were ordinary houses—there wasn't a single structure that resembled what a soul master academy should look like.
"Brother, I think we should go to another advanced soul master academy! Even if we don't go to Tian Dou Imperial Academy, there are countless options better than this by a hundredfold."
Xiao Wu complained.
Chu Chengzhou smiled without saying anything, but his peripheral vision glanced toward a corner not far away.
There, a Soul Sage-level expert was listening to their conversation!
"Cough cough~, young lady, don't look down on this academy just because it's run-down. Shrek Academy is quite powerful!"
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
Seeing the two about to leave, Flender finally stopped hiding. With a leap, his Owl martial soul activated, revealing eagle wings on his back. Seven spirit rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black—shimmered as he flew gracefully through the air.
"Huh? Aren't you that shopkeeper? You're a Soul Sage?"
Xiao Wu looked at the seven spirit rings glowing on Flender's body in astonishment.
After all, even across the entire continent, a seven-ring Soul Sage was considered a formidable expert.
She never expected that this ordinary little village—or rather, this dilapidated Shrek Academy—would hide a seven-ring Soul Sage.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Flender, martial soul: Owl, a 78th-level agility-attack battle-type Soul Sage. I'm also the principal of Shrek Academy."
Adjusting his glasses, Flender addressed Chu Chengzhou and Xiao Wu solemnly.
"You're the principal? Then why is the academy so run-down?"
Xiao Wu asked curiously.
As far as she knew, her grandmother, who served as a sixth-grade homeroom teacher at Nuoding Academy, earned one hundred gold soul coins per month. Her grandfather, who held the position of principal, earned five hundred gold soul coins monthly, plus an additional hundred as a baron's stipend, totaling six hundred gold soul coins per month.
With Flender's strength as a seven-ring Soul Sage, earning tens of thousands of gold soul coins monthly wouldn't be an exaggeration, right?
With that kind of income, even if constructing expensive facilities like simulated training grounds was costly, surely they could afford basic teaching buildings?
Pretending to be poor? Or was Flender just too stingy?
"Haha~, little girl, you probably don't know yet. This is all intentional by the academy!
A soul master relying solely on soul power levels isn't enough. Without trials and tribulations, how can one grow into a true powerhouse?
Comfortable and easy environments are one of the biggest obstacles to a strong person's growth. A talented soul master like yourself mustn't be deceived by external luxuries. Otherwise, wouldn't that be wasting your talent?"
Flender spoke with an air of seriousness, though a fleeting look of awkwardness crossed his face.
Xiao Wu: "..."
It kind of makes sense?
She had heard that there were many powerful hidden soul master families on the continent. Could Shrek Academy be some kind of hidden academy?
Meanwhile, Chu Chengzhou, who knew the truth, nearly burst out laughing.
If you're broke, just say so. Making excuses sound prettier than songs only works on inexperienced people like Xiao Wu.
Seeing Xiao Wu start to buy into his explanation, Flender inwardly nodded with satisfaction and said, "So, young lady, would you like to enroll at our Shrek Academy?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu turned to Chu Chengzhou.
Although Shrek Academy was run-down, it seemed like there might be more to it?
For one thing, Flender's status as a seven-ring Soul Sage was undeniable.
"Senior, excuse me. My sister and I come from a remote area and are short on funds. May I ask about the tuition fees…?"
Chu Chengzhou addressed Flender.
After the recent windfall, the annual tuition fee of one hundred gold soul coins for Shrek Academy wasn't much.
But yesterday, Flender himself had said that talented students might qualify for a tuition waiver.
If he paid the tuition today, wouldn't that imply their lack of talent?
This was a matter of principle—they couldn't compromise!
Flender was momentarily stunned. He had seen shameless people before, but never someone this shameless.
Perhaps Chu Chengzhou had been short on funds before today, but Flender had personally witnessed how he robbed Dai Mubai earlier.
Though Flender didn't know exactly how much gold soul coins Dai Mubai had in his storage soul tool, judging from Dai Mubai's usual expenses, the combined tuition of two hundred gold soul coins for the two of them would be mere pocket change!
After pondering for a moment, Flender came up with an idea. Smiling, he said, "Alright, I'll grant you special permission to enroll first. As for the tuition, you can pay it after receiving your soul master subsidy!"
You little brat, trying to outsmart me? I've been around longer than you've been alive!
The subsidies distributed by the Spirit Hall were fixed: ten gold soul coins per month for two-ring Great Soul Masters and one hundred gold soul coins per month for three-ring Soul Elders.
Between the two of them—one Great Soul Master and one Soul Elder—their total monthly subsidy would amount to one hundred ten gold soul coins.
Even if this kid had no copper coins in his pocket now, they'd definitely be able to afford the tuition within a couple of months.
"Soul master subsidy? What's that?"
Hearing a new term, Xiao Wu blinked curiously.
From Flender's tone, did soul masters get money from somewhere? Such a good place—how had Big Sister Xiao Wu never heard of it?
Flender was shocked. Are there really soul masters in this world who don't know about the Spirit Hall's subsidies? Are you joking with me?
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