The rain just wouldn't let up all night. Tang Yin trudged forward, lost and aimless, coated in mud and wearing what was left of his once-new school uniform—it was pretty much ruined by now.
Whenever hunger or exhaustion hit, he relied on the darkened Blue Silver Emperor to drain life force from nearby plants and recover, then kept on moving.
By dawn, the storm faded, and sunlight finally broke through the clouds, warming his cold, miserable body. A stream appeared ahead. Tang Yin stripped, tossed his clothes aside, and waded in.
As his hair shifted colors again, he muttered, "If Tang Hao learns I'm alive, he'll hunt me down. Tang Yin can't exist anymore."
"From now on, I'm Yin Xuan. Tang Yin is gone."
With a new name, Yin Xuan lay in the water, letting the current rinse away the mud and grime. Underneath, his skin was pale but delicate. Just a short time out on his own, and he felt healthier than Tang San, who was strong from years of the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
After soaking, he wrung out his battered uniform and washed it as best he could. When it finally dried, he flipped it inside out to hide that he was from Notting Academy.
"This place isn't safe. I need to get out of Fasinuo Province fast."
Fasinuo Province sits in the southwest of Heaven Dou Empire—Star Luo to the south, Haagen-Dazs Kingdom to the north, Balak Kingdom on the east. The borders crawl with wolves and bandits. Honestly, crossing them with his current skills was reckless, maybe even suicide.
Going north meant freezing temperatures and distance from Star Dou Great Forest—not great for him. East to Balak Kingdom seemed way better.
Yin Xuan took a steady breath and set out toward the sunrise.
—
Balak Kingdom—Mulan City.
First thing, Yin Xuan tracked down the Spirit Hall Branch.
He had no backing, no influence, nothing. The Spirit Master subsidies from Spirit Hall were all he had for now.
When his first spirit ring appeared, he could finally count himself a true Spirit Master.
Outside the branch's gates, he walked up to the guard. "I'm here for Spirit Master certification." Calm, poised, with a white ring rising from beneath his feet.
Even starting from rock bottom, that first white ring was something most people never earned.
"Please, come in!" The guard, just a regular guy with no spirit power himself, hurried to usher him inside.
Yin Xuan stepped into the Spirit Hall lobby. He saw men and women, all Spirit Masters, in uniforms like Su Yuntao's—the one who'd awakened his Spirit.
"Oh, what a cute little brother!" A young woman with a warm smile came over.
"Hello," Yin Xuan replied, "I'm here for Spirit Master certification."
She was surprised. "You're already a Spirit Master? So young!"
The crowd around perked up, listening.
"Follow me," she said, turning to lead the way. Yin Xuan followed, and they slipped into a large study room.
She pulled out a sheet of paper, pen ready. "Name, age, Spirit?"
"Yin Xuan. Spirit… Shadow Demon Grass." He made it up, not wanting anyone to know about the Dark Blue Silver Emperor. If he'd said Blue Silver Grass, it would just draw attention.
"Let's check your spirit power," she said.
Yin Xuan laid his hand on a crystal ball, which lit up at once.
"Level eleven," she noted, jotting it down.
After a bit, she handed him a Spirit Master Handbook and smiled. "Here you go. You're officially registered. And this gold coin—collect one every month. At two spirit rings, you get ten coins. Three means a hundred. But after reaching four rings, the Spirit Ancestor level, the subsidy stops."
"Thank you, sister," Yin Xuan replied.
She laughed. "You're welcome!" Then, lowering her voice, she asked, "You don't seem wealthy. Interested in joining Spirit Hall? The benefits are great, and Spirit Masters as young as you are super rare. You'd get incredible training."
Yin Xuan thought about Bibi Dong, Spirit Hall's ruler. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," he mused. Spirit Hall Academy was the best on the continent.
"Let me think about it," he said.
She nodded. "Of course, it's a big decision. Take your time. Goodbye."
With just a single gold coin to his name, Yin Xuan found a bun shop. "Twenty meat buns, please."
The boss glanced at his shabby appearance with sympathy, but that faded when a gold coin appeared.
"One silver coin for the buns. Here's your change—nine silver coins. Keep them safe."
Yin Xuan took his food and money, then left. Five days on the road with barely any rest and no proper meals, surviving only by draining plants—it was rough, and honestly, he couldn't keep doing that forever.
His gold coin turned into nine silver. Eating as he walked, he ducked into a plain clothing store and spent another silver coin on clean clothes, swapping out the old.
Now he looked like a proper kid again.
Standing in front of Mulan Junior Spirit Master Academy's gate, he handed his handbook to the guard. "I want to attend school here. How much does tuition cost?"
The guard glanced at the handbook and was floored—six or seven years old and already a Spirit Master?
"One gold coin per year," the guard answered.
Yin Xuan frowned. "Can I go in and look around?"
"Registration's closed for the term. You probably can't enroll," the guard said.
"Maybe the teachers will let me in," Yin Xuan replied. "Since I'm already a Spirit Master, maybe the principal will agree?"
"That's possible…" the guard admitted.
"Thanks." Yin Xuan stepped in, even though it was the beginning of the term and registration had passed him by after so many days traveling.
His arrival turned heads. Every student here wore matching uniforms—Yin Xuan stood out as the new kid.