20demayo Chapter 7 Meetings, Contracts
Chapter 7 Meetings, Contracts
The next morning, in the No. 3 meeting room of Mingdu First Junior Soul Master Academy, the curtains were half-drawn, and the morning light shone through the gaps, casting a bright band of light on the table.
Seven people were seated on either side of the long table.
The Dean of Students sat to the left of the main seat, with the three deputy directors in charge of teaching, logistics, and finance lined up in order, followed by the two group leaders from the Academic Affairs Office and the Student Affairs Office.
Teacher Zhou, who was in charge of the safety of yesterday's battle platform, sat at the end of the table with a handwritten record spread out in front of him.
"Everyone's here." The head of the teaching department tapped on the table, drawing everyone's attention: "Teacher Zhou, please tell us about yesterday's events."
Teacher Zhou stood up, pushed the record forward, and said succinctly: "Yesterday afternoon after school, Zhao Penghui from Class 1, Grade 1 challenged his classmate Chen Yingwu to a duel, with a stake of 100,000 Federal Credits. I will be the referee."
He paused, his tone becoming more serious.
"The battle was very brief. Zhao Penghui possessed innate level nine soul power, a martial soul of the One-Horned Black Dragon, and his first soul skill, Black Scale Dragon Claw, was already quite mature."
However, after Chen Yingwu summoned his martial soul, a beam of light shone upon him, instantly shattering Zhao Penghui's soul skill and dispelling his martial soul possession state. Chen Yingwu then kicked him off the battle platform.
"No more than five seconds in total."
The meeting room fell silent for a moment.
"Five seconds?" The deputy director in charge of teaching, a middle-aged woman wearing glasses, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "Are you sure Zhao Penghui's soul skill only started to collapse after being hit by the mirror light?"
"I'm sure." Teacher Zhou nodded. "I saw it very clearly. The instant the mirror light touched him, the black scales on Zhao Penghui's hands began to peel off, and his soul power fluctuations decreased sharply. It wasn't that they were forcibly broken; it was more like... they were sliced off."
"Cut it off?" the deputy finance director interjected. "What do you mean by 'cut it off'?"
Teacher Zhou carefully considered his words: "His soul skills are still there, but their power has been greatly reduced. His soul power is still there, but it doesn't circulate smoothly. It's as if he was forcibly pushed back from the state of a soul master to that of an ordinary person. Zhao Penghui's soul power level at that time was probably not even able to maintain level ten."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of several directors changed.
The head of student affairs leaned forward slightly: "You mean, the power of his mirror is suppression?"
"It wasn't entirely suppression." Teacher Zhou recalled the scene at the time: "Suppression is applying force from the outside, but Zhao Penghui's situation was more like... being weakened from the inside. His soul skill structure itself had a problem, which is why it collapsed from the inside out."
"What is the specific form of the Martial Soul?" the head of teaching asked.
"A mirror," Teacher Zhou gestured with his hand, "about the size of a palm, floating above the right shoulder. The material looks like white jade, with ancient patterns on the edges, and the mirror body is pale white."
The head of the teaching department leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.
"What do you all think?" He looked around.
The deputy director in charge of teaching spoke first: "I've seen Chen Yingwu's enrollment file before. He was six years old, with innate full soul power, and his martial soul was registered as 'Mirror of Morality.' The spirit master at the time commented that it was 'possibly no less than a top-tier martial soul,' but now it seems that judgment was too conservative."
"To be able to compress a level nine innate black dragon into that state, the strength of this martial soul must be at least top-tier, and in the upper-middle tier of top-tier."
She adjusted her glasses: "As for whether it has reached the threshold of a super martial soul, it's too early to draw conclusions. But judging from Teacher Zhou's description, its characteristics are more...unique than those of a typical top-tier martial soul."
What's special about it?
"Generally, top-tier martial souls are strong in hard indicators such as attack, defense, and speed. But this mirror's ability is 'shaving,' shaving the opponent's soul skills, shaving the opponent's soul power circulation, and shaving the opponent's martial soul possession state."
She paused for a moment: "From another perspective, it's equivalent to causing your opponent's level to drop significantly out of nowhere. You all should be clear about the value of this ability in actual combat."
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
Everyone present was a Soul Master, with the lowest level being Soul Grandmaster. They were well aware of the value of this ability.
What does a martial soul that can forcibly reduce the opponent's strength mean in a team battle? It means that half of the opponent's core combat power will be crippled at a crucial moment.
What does this mean in a one-on-one fight? It means that the level advantage will be largely negated in its presence.
"Furthermore," the deputy director of teaching added, "Professor Zhou just mentioned that Chen Yingwu's reaction to dodging Zhao Penghui's attack was extremely precise, almost as if he had predicted it in advance. Considering that his martial soul also possesses mirror light attacks and the ability to sense the enemy's situation, it should be the latter characteristic, as mentioned in the file."
"Furthermore, there's the mirror attack that hasn't been shown yet, combined with this weakening ability that wasn't mentioned in the previous files..."
The deputy director of teaching didn't finish speaking, but the implication was that we should give this child a lot of support.
The dean of students pondered for a moment before speaking, "A person with innate full soul power, coupled with a martial soul that is at least top-tier and has extremely unique abilities. Mingdu's No. 1 Junior Soul Master Academy hasn't produced such a talent for several years."
"The geniuses who were both born with full soul power and possessed top-tier martial souls that the academy previously admitted have all become Title Douluo," the head of the academic affairs office said to the group, flipping through the documents in front of him.
Title Douluo!
These four words are like a pebble thrown into the water, creating ripples.
Everyone present knew perfectly well what a Title Douluo meant. It signified someone standing at the very top of the Soul Master pyramid, a powerful figure respected throughout the entire continent.
Even their titles are different from ordinary people; they are addressed as Your Majesty, a powerful being.
It can be said that any force that can cultivate a titled Douluo is like having an extra pillar of stability.
"What were the resource allocation standards for those students during their time at school?" the dean of students asked.
"The standards back then were quite simple." The head of the academic affairs office flipped through the records: "Each meal was a high-grade nutritional meal, each year a ten-year spiritual fruit was given, and one visit to the primary spiritual ascension platform was made once a month."
"Chen Yingwu's martial spirit can now be confirmed as a top-tier martial spirit." The head of the teaching department's gaze swept across everyone's faces: "Therefore, their treatment must be changed."
The deputy finance director frowned subconsciously: "Nutritious meals every day? That's not cheap."
"It's a calculation." The head of discipline glanced at him. "The cost of a high-end nutritional meal is about twenty times that of a regular meal, amounting to about 700,000 Federal Credits a year. The market price of a ten-year-old Spirit Fruit is between 300,000 and 500,000. Adding the two together, the additional investment for the year is around one million."
"Three million over three years."
"As for the primary Spirit Ascension Platform, we already have a certain number of exclusive internal slots."
"Using a three-million-dollar investment and some Ascension Platform slots to exchange for the friendship of a future Title Douluo." The head of the teaching department said calmly, "Can you even do the math?"
The deputy director of finance was silent for two seconds, then nodded: "Yes."
"Does anyone have any further objections?" the head of academic affairs asked.
No one spoke.
"Then it's settled," the head of student affairs declared, "but with conditions."
He held up one finger.
"This investment isn't free. Chen Yingwu must sign an agreement promising to apply to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy in the future."
"Mingdu First Junior Soul Master Academy is an affiliated academy of Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. Our core function is to supply talent to the main academy. Since he has taken over the academy's resources, he will have to follow this path in the future."
"Will he refuse?" the discipline department head asked.
The deputy director of teaching smiled and said, "What's there to refuse? The Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy is one of the top three soul master academies on the entire continent. Countless geniuses would kill to get in. He was born with full soul power, so he already had the qualification for direct admission. Getting in was a certainty. The academy is giving him resources, which is equivalent to paving an extra step on the path he was already on. He has no reason to refuse."
"What if he changes his mind in the future?" the discipline section chief asked again.
"It will be clearly stated in the agreement," the head of academic affairs said calmly. "If he withdraws from the application or refuses to enroll for personal reasons, he will have to refund the full amount of tuition fees. Of course, I don't think he will choose that."
He paused, then added, "This afternoon, have Lin Yuan go and talk to him."
……
After the second period in the afternoon, Chen Yingwu was called to the teachers' office.
The office was located on the far east side of the third floor of the teaching building, with windows facing the playground. The afternoon sun streamed in through the windows, warming the entire room.
Lin Yuan sat behind the desk by the window, with several sheets of paper spread out in front of him.
He was in his early thirties, with a gentle face and thin-rimmed glasses. He didn't look like a Soul Master, but rather like an ordinary schoolteacher.
But those who know him know that this Teacher Lin's cultivation has reached the Soul Master level, but due to his personality, he never likes to show off.
"Sit down." Lin Yuan pointed to the chair opposite him.
Chen Yingwu sat down as instructed, looking at him calmly.
Lin Yuan didn't rush to speak, but first sized up the student in front of him. The six-year-old child sat in the chair with the composure of a small pine tree.
His back was straight, his hands were naturally placed on his knees, and his face showed neither tension nor curiosity, just the kind of expression that quietly waits for you to speak.
Such composure is rare in a six-year-old child.
"I called you here because there's something I need to discuss with you." Lin Yuan didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "Several leaders in the academy know about your match with Zhao Penghui yesterday."
Chen Yingwu nodded without saying anything.
"Teacher Zhou made a detailed record of the battle, and the academy held a special meeting this morning." Lin Yuan pushed the papers in front of him forward. "The conclusion is that your talent deserves the academy's focus on nurturing."
He briefly recounted the contents of the paper—a high-grade nutritional meal, a ten-year spirit fruit every year, a primary spirit-ascension platform once a month, a three-year cultivation cycle, and that additional condition.
"The agreement is here; you can take a look at it first." Lin Yuan pushed a printed document over.
Chen Yingwu took it and looked down to read it.
The document is short, only three pages long. The terms are clear and the wording is precise.
The core content is what Lin Yuan just said: the academy will provide resources, and he promises to apply to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.
The additional terms specify the liability for breach of contract—if the student refuses to enroll in the future, the entire tuition fee must be refunded.
He read the document from beginning to end, then turned back to the first page and read it again.
Lin Yuan didn't urge him. He leaned back in his chair, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and observed Chen Yingwu's reaction through his glasses.
The child's expression remained unchanged as he read the document. It wasn't a deliberately stiff, expressionless face, but a genuine calm.
But Lin Yuan noticed a detail—Chen Yingwu turned the pages at a steady, even pace. This meant that he wasn't just pretending to browse, but was genuinely reading, word by word.
Can a six-year-old child understand the terms of a contract?
Lin Yuan had another assessment in mind.
"I've finished reading it." Chen Yingwu put the document back on the desktop and looked up.
"Is there a problem?"
"No." Chen Yingwu paused. "With my current qualifications, I should have been able to get into the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, right?"
Lin Yuan smiled.
He didn't hide his admiration. It was a clever question; it wasn't a question, but a confirmation—confirming whether what the academy had given was a lifeline or just icing on the cake.
If it's the latter, then he has more leverage.
"right."
Lin Yuan readily admitted, "Being born with full soul power automatically qualifies you for admission. Your entry into the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy is a certainty. The resources the academy provides are intended to help you go further and achieve greater heights. The weight of a student admitted through direct recommendation is different from that of a student admitted after receiving special training."
Chen Yingwu remained silent for a few seconds.
He needs these resources, but they are not essential. Having omniscience means he has every means to obtain them.
But why not take something that's free?
More importantly, he needs a plausible reason to demonstrate his strength.
The title of "innate full soul power" can explain his high starting point, but it is difficult to explain his continuous rapid progress.
The academy's training program provided a perfect cover. In the future, he could reveal more of his strength, which could be attributed to the dual effect of "talent plus resources".
This is normal logic for any genius, and no one would think much of it.
Of course, he won't reveal everything; he'll only show what he needs.
Moreover, signing this agreement will elevate the college's level of attention towards him.
More resources mean greater freedom, and fewer constraints mean more room for maneuver. These things can only benefit his future plans, not harm them.
"I agree."
Chen Yingwu picked up the pen on the table and signed his name at the end of the agreement.
Lin Yuan took the agreement, glanced at the signature, and nodded in satisfaction. He put the document away, then took a small metal box from the drawer and pushed it in front of Chen Yingwu.
"Here's this year's spirit fruit for you. Consider it a small token of the academy's sincerity."
Chen Yingwu took the box, opened it, and glanced inside. The box was lined with soft velvet, and in the center was a fruit about the size of a thumb. Its skin was a warm, pale blue, and one could vaguely see tiny specks of light moving within. A ten-year-old spiritual fruit; the quality was quite good.
Thank you.
He closed the lid and put the metal box away.
Lin Yuan stood up, walked to the window, turned his back to Chen Yingwu, and said in a more casual tone, "Chen Yingwu, I have a question for you that's not on the topic."
"Please go ahead, Teacher Lin."
What are your thoughts on your future?
The question was somewhat vague, but Chen Yingwu understood. He wasn't asking "Do you want to become stronger?" but rather "What do you want to do after you become stronger?"
Chen Yingwu thought for a moment, but did not answer directly: "My future self will tell you."
He didn't answer easily, because he wasn't yet the person he would become in the future.
Lin Yuan turned around, as if he saw a future Title Douluo answering him.
He understood that everything is unpredictable, and how could the future be so easily determined? He didn't dwell on it.
"Okay," Lin Yuan said, offering only one word.
He walked back to the table and patted Chen Yingwu on the shoulder: "Starting tomorrow, your meals will be delivered separately, directly to your dormitory building. Three meals a day, don't waste any. You'll receive one spirit fruit per year, distributed during the first week of each academic year."
"Understood."
"Let's go back."
Chen Yingwu stood up, nodded slightly to Lin Yuan, and turned to leave the office.
Lin Yuan watched the small figure disappear at the end of the corridor, remained silent for a moment, and then chuckled softly.
Will the future provide an answer?
He sat back down in his chair, picked up the signed agreement, turned to the signature page, and stared at the three characters "Chen Yingwu" for a while.
The six-year-old boy, faced with an agreement that could change his life, showed no excitement, no hesitation, and didn't ask a single unnecessary question. From beginning to end, he only confirmed one thing—whether this agreement was beneficial or detrimental to him.
After confirming everything, I signed the document promptly and decisively.
This calmness was more concerning to Lin Yuan than his innate full soul power.
He picked up the communication device on the table and dialed the head of the teaching department's number.
"The talks are over. He signed."
The head of student affairs' voice came from the other end of the communication line: "What was his reaction?"
"He didn't react much." Lin Yuan thought for a moment, then put it another way, "Or rather, his reaction was no reaction at all. Reading the agreement, confirming the terms, signing—the whole process took no more than three minutes."
The head of student affairs paused for a moment, then asked, "What do you think of him?"
Lin Yuan carefully considered his words: "I've seen plenty of geniuses. But this kind... this kind of genius who doesn't seem like he's six years old, this is the first time I've seen one."
Is it good or bad?
"I don't know," Lin Yuan said frankly, "but since we signed the agreement, he's someone we're going to train. As for where he'll go in the future—"
He glanced at the students running on the playground outside the window, a hint of anticipation in his voice.
"We'll just have to wait and see."
Chen Yingwu walked out of the teaching building, and the afternoon sun shone down on him, casting a small dark shadow at his feet.
He walked along the tree-lined path towards his dormitory, his fingers touching the small metal box in his pocket. A cool sensation came from his fingertips, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible, fluctuation of spiritual energy.
Ten-year-old spiritual fruit.
It's really good.
Just as I finished digesting the Soul-Consolidating Pill, a spiritual fruit was delivered. It's like getting exactly what I needed.
He moved the metal box to a different position in his pocket, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the patterns on its surface.
The signing of the agreement happened much faster than he had expected. He had thought the college would have a buffer period for its reaction—observation, evaluation, and finally a decision. Unexpectedly, a meeting was held the very next day, and they contacted him that same day.
It is very efficient.
This shows that the First Junior Soul Master Academy in Mingdu is even more eager for geniuses than he judged.
That's true. As an affiliated academy of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, the competition is fierce, and sending outstanding students to the main academy is their core performance indicator. They only produce one student with innate full soul power every four or five years, and that student also has a top-tier martial soul, so of course they want to hold onto them tightly.
This is a good thing for him.
He did not answer Lin Yuan's question directly.
It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't.
Soul Beasts, Federation, Abyss Dimension, God Realm...
The power levels represented by these terms are progressively higher and more terrifying than the last. His current level eighteen soul power is enough to make him invincible in the junior academy, but on the entire continent, he's not even worth a speck of dust.
Therefore, he needs resources, time, and a legitimate, unquestionable path to growth.
This agreement gave him these three things.
As for applying to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy in the future—that was already part of his plan. As one of the top three soul master academies on the continent, its resources, connections, and information channels are incomparable to his current environment.
For him, the agreement was not a constraint, but a stepping stone.
Most importantly, he didn't want to go to Shrek Academy.
Chen Yingwu stopped under an old locust tree and looked up at the dappled sunlight filtering through the branches and leaves.
The light and shadow flickered on his face, and he squinted slightly.
Starting today, he can relax a bit and doesn't need to hide it so much anymore.
Of course, one shouldn't show off too much either.
Just stay within the limits of your genius potential, and don't go overboard.