Ning Tian didn't care about that, he wanted to owe as much as possible. "Thank you, Dao Ge! It's not that I don't trust you, but look at this gold card. I'm just a kid, if I carry a gold card, that Master probably won't believe it. Since I already have a storage tool, why not exchange this gold card for cash?"
"You sly little fox," Dao Ge chuckled. "Fine, I'll indulge you."
Dao Ge summoned someone to haul in a large chest of gold soul coins.
And so, both parties, convinced they'd struck a killer deal, sealed the contract. Ning Tian signed a 100,000 gold soul coin indenture agreement, promising to repay within seven days. In the end, he left the underground casino with a storage soul tool ring containing 10,000 gold soul coins.
With the money in hand, Ning Tian immediately splurged on daily necessities and feasted heartily before heading back to the academy.
When he returned to the dormitory, it was deserted—'everyone had probably gone to dinner', he figured.
'No big deal.'
It worked in his favor, actually, since he didn't want to flaunt his storage soul tool.
Without hesitation, he pulled a fresh quilt from the soul tool and spread it on his bed. Then, he found a string and hung the soul tool ring around his neck, and tucked it safely inside his collar.
Finally, he left Dorm Seven and made his way to the vice dean's office.
The vice dean's office was centrally located in the teaching building. It was modest, about thirty square meters, sparsely furnished except for a display case spanning two walls, filled with various treasured swords that caught Ning Tian's eye.
Zhu Qing was about to review the new student files sent by Director Su when she noticed Ning Tian enter. "You are that little brother from noon, right? What brings you here?"
"Yeah. Sister, I'd like you to teach me swordsmanship," Ning Tian stated plainly.
"Swordsmanship?" Zhu Qing was taken aback but didn't agree or refuse outright. "Show me your martial soul."
Without a word, Ning Tian raised his right hand and summoned his martial soul, the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword. Gripping it with both hands, he could now barely lift the forty jin plus blade, though wielding it was still a struggle.
"What a magnificent sword," Zhu Qing marveled, her shock surpassing even Su Yuntao's initial reaction.
"What's your name?"
"Ning Tian!"
At that, Zhu Qing quickly rifled through the files and found his. But the contents made her frown.
Any soul master above Level 30 could sense soul power fluctuations, and Ning Tian's were far beyond half a level.
She couldn't believe a child with only half a level of innate soul power could boost it so dramatically in just three months.
Moreover, his martial soul didn't look like a mere bamboo sword—it seemed like a formidable artifact soul.
In its presence, her own Dark Fragrance Sword felt a subtle pressure, the kind only a lower-tier martial soul feels before a superior one.
"Why does your martial soul certificate say 'bamboo sword' with only half a level of innate soul power?"
Ning Tian had anticipated this. After all, in this world, talent was everything—no one cared about you without it. "I don't know. When Master Su Yuntao from the Martial Soul Hall awakened my martial soul, the second time I summoned it, it felt much heavier."
Zhu Qing nodded. It must be a mutated martial soul. Rare, but not unheard of. "Let's test your soul power again."
She retrieved a soul power testing crystal from her drawer.
Ning Tian touched it lightly, and the crystal lit up halfway.
"Level 5 innate soul power," Zhu Qing said, her suspicion confirmed. She looked at him with newfound appreciation. "It seems your martial soul underwent a beneficial mutation."
"So, can I come to you for sword training?" Ning Tian asked, feigning excitement.
"Of course. I can make time in the afternoons to guide your cultivation. But first, I have a question: would you be willing to become my disciple?"
A gentle smile graced Zhu Qing's face. Though he wasn't a top-tier genius, Level 5 innate soul power was impressive at Nuoding Academy—better than her own back in the day.
"Disciple greets Master," Ning Tian said, cupping his fists.
He had no qualms about taking a master, nor did he care about the Douluo Continent's nonsense rule of 'one master for life.'
Because he knew he'd have many teachers in the future.
If anyone scorned him for it, he'd just dump the consequences on that little punk, Tang San.
"Excellent. From now on, you're my disciple," Zhu Qing declared. "I'll teach you how to meditate to enhance your soul power. This is the soul power meditation method my Dark Fragrance Sword family developed over centuries—it's perfect for sword martial soul cultivators. And here, take this storage soul tool belt as a gift. It has three spatial gems, each with three cubic meters of storage."
Zhu Qing presented her welcoming gift.
This made Ning Tian, who'd groped her earlier, feel a twinge of guilt.
After leaving the vice dean's office, Ning Tian headed straight back to the dormitory.
Everyone was back, including Xiao Wu and Tang San.
To his surprise, perhaps because Tang San had turned into 'Tang Black-Coal' and his physique was warping into something resembling Wu Dalang due to Ning Tian's relentless scheming, he and Xiao Wu hadn't merged their beds or shared a blanket.
{T/S: Wu Dalang is a cuck in a famous Chinese novel🤢}
Instead, Xiao Wu had taken Ning Tian's bedding.
"What's the meaning of this?" Ning Tian raised an eyebrow.
"Is this bedding yours?" Xiao Wu asked, clutching the quilt, a hint of embarrassment in her eyes.
"What do you think?" Ning Tian shot back.
Xiao Wu sized him up. Sure, the guy had a lousy temper and had bruised her face, but in terms of looks, physique, and aura, he was the most eye-catching boy in Dorm Seven, maybe even the entire academy.
Tang San, lying on the opposite bed, froze. Realizing Xiao Wu had her eye on Ning Tian's bedding, he didn't want to see a girl like her in a bind. "Xiao Wu, why don't you use mine? I'll ask my teacher for another solution."
A few quick-witted students, eager to please Xiao Wu, chimed in, "Sister Xiao Wu, take mine! We can bunk together."
Xiao Wu glanced at the work-study students' bedding. It wasn't filthy, but it was mostly tattered. As for Tang San, his blanket was new, but his face and awkwardly proportioned body made her cringe at the thought of sleeping on a bed he had used. Even with the strangely strong sense of familiarity he gave her, his looks were just too much of an eyesore, a major deduction in her book.
...........................................................................................p@treon/Duke3500