Chapter 57: The Recruitment from the Botanic Academy
Qi Tian had no idea that both Bibi Dong and Liu Erlong had already begun searching for him.
At this moment, he had returned to his body—eight years later—and was busy earning gold soul coins through battles in the Silvis Grand Soul Arena.
On the spectator stands, an elderly man with graying hair watched the arena below with great focus.
"Dean Lin, our academy's seven-man team, isn't competing in this arena. Should I take you to their match instead?" a young teacher beside him asked.
The old man waved his hand dismissively. "Let's wait a little longer."
The young teacher couldn't help but smile bitterly. 'You've already been sitting here through two matches, Dean… if we don't leave soon, we'll miss our own academy's team battle.'
Just as he thought that, the old man suddenly stood up, eyes gleaming as he began to clap excitedly.
"What an incredible young man! With only two soul rings, he managed to unleash at least four soul skills—remarkable, truly remarkable!"
"What? Four soul skills with only two rings? How can any soul master of the same rank fight that?" the young teacher gasped in disbelief.
---
Meanwhile, Qi Tian had finished his match, collected his winnings, and slipped into a quiet corner. There, he used a disguise technique to change his appearance before claiming the gold from the bets he'd placed on himself.
'Sigh… I've reached Silver Soul Fighter Badge rank already. It's getting hard to find opponents at my level,' he muttered inwardly.
It was like playing ranked matches—once your rank rose too high, finding opponents became increasingly difficult.
According to the arena's rules, he could now challenge opponents one rank higher—Silver Soul Fighters could face Bronze Soul Fighters in the next tier—but there was no need.
He'd already earned plenty. For now, improving his soul power was far more important.
In the past ten days alone, Qi Tian had earned over twelve thousand gold soul coins, most of it from betting on his own matches.
If only single-player matches had higher betting pools, he could've made even more.
"Good thing I've got this Gold Soul Coin Card," he murmured, pulling out a black-gold card issued by the Continental Bank. "Without a storage-type soul tool, I'd have no way to carry all this money."
Pocketing the card, Qi Tian left the Grand Soul Arena.
Just as he stepped out of the gates, a frail-looking old man suddenly blocked his path.
Qi Tian's heart skipped a beat. 'Damn it—did they find out I was betting on myself?'
'Or maybe someone saw through my disguise technique when I went to collect my winnings?'
Before his mind could race any further, the old man spoke.
"Hold on, young man. I am Lin Tianqing, the Dean of the Botanic Academy," he introduced himself with a gentle smile.
Qi Tian blinked, then relaxed slightly. Phew… not someone from the arena staff.
"Dean Lin, what business do you have with me?" Qi Tian asked politely.
The old man's gaze sharpened with interest. "Young man, is your martial soul—Blue Silver Grass?"
Qi Tian nodded, instantly guessing what this was about.
"I watched both of your matches just now," Dean Lin said with admiration. "You performed exceptionally well. You're the most talented Blue Silver Grass soul master I've ever seen!"
"I wonder… would you be interested in joining our Botanic Academy for further training?"
Qi Tian finally let out a quiet sigh of relief. 'So that's it—he's trying to recruit me, not capture me.'
"Thank you for your kind offer, Dean Lin," Qi Tian said with a polite smile. "But I already have my own cultivation plans. I'm afraid I can't join your academy."
With his current strength, he no longer needed the protection or guidance of an academy. He could hunt his own soul rings freely.
Besides, now that his martial soul had evolved into the Blue Silver King, the best place for him to train was the Blue Silver Forest, not some academy courtyard.
Before the dean could reply, the middle-aged teacher beside him frowned and stepped forward.
"Kid, you should reconsider," he said sternly. "Our Botanic Academy is the best place for those with plant-type martial souls."
"With Blue Silver Grass, your innate potential is limited. Only through specialized cultivation can you unlock its true power!"
"If you join, you'll even have a chance to participate in the next Continental Soul Master Tournament!"
"Our Botanic Academy is one of the two strongest advanced academies in the Silvis Kingdom. We always hold a qualification slot to compete in Spirit City's finals!"
Qi Tian shook his head again. "Thank you for your kind offer, teacher, but I still prefer training on my own."
After finishing his words, Qi Tian politely cupped his hands toward the two and turned to disappear into the night.
"This brat really doesn't know what's good for him," the middle-aged teacher snorted coldly. "Blue Silver Grass? Hmph, a useless martial soul at best!"
Dean Lin could only sigh. He wasn't impressed by the martial soul itself—it was Qi Tian's insight that had caught his attention. The youth had managed to create his own soul skill, a feat that spoke of extraordinary comprehension.
But truth be told, their academy rarely accepted soul masters with Blue Silver Grass.
Most Blue Silver Grass users struggled to even reach the thirtieth rank, failing to meet the academy's basic graduation requirements.
The Botanic Academy usually only recruited those with higher-tier plant-type martial souls—Thorn Vines, Azure Creepers, or other powerful mutations.
"Dean, our academy's team battle is about to start. We should hurry over," the young teacher reminded.
Dean Lin nodded and reluctantly turned away.
…
The next day, after returning from his soul attached to Qian Renxue—
Silvis City Auction House.
Silvis City, the royal capital of the Silvis Kingdom, wasn't as prosperous as Heaven Dou City, but it still boasted its own auction market.
Qi Tian, however, hadn't come to participate in an auction. He was here for one thing only—whale rubber.
Over the past few days, he had wandered between various merchant guilds in Silvis City, but none had the quality he wanted.
Half an hour later, he finally stepped out of the auction house carrying three pieces of translucent yellow ten-thousand-year whale rubber.
"Damn, that's expensive. Three thousand gold soul coins for a single piece?" Qi Tian muttered helplessly.
Still, he reminded himself—in ten thousand years, this same price would only get him thousand years-grade whale rubber.
After his purchase, Qi Tian left the city, planning to return to the Blue Silver Forest to cultivate.
But just as he exited the city gates, he felt a faint disturbance—a trace of killing intent.
His expression hardened. Without hesitation, he accelerated his pace toward the forest.
Far behind him, two middle-aged soul masters trailed from the shadows.
They exchanged a knowing grin.
"Heh, what an idiot. The fat sheep actually walked right out of the city on his own. Saves us the trouble of dragging him out," one said.
"Yeah. Let's keep our distance, but don't lose him. A guy who can casually spend nine thousand gold soul coins… we can't let this one get away."
"Relax," the other replied with a smirk. "I've already marked his scent—he won't escape us."
Once they were out of the city, one of the soul masters activated Martial Soul Possession—his body sprouted coarse dog fur, and his eyes sharpened into a predator's glare.
His martial soul was a Hunting Hound, capable of tracking prey over long distances through scent.
"Boundless Heaven and Earth—Ten Thousand Mile Tracking!" he shouted. "He went this way. Let's move!"
Half an hour later, the two men finally slowed down, finding themselves deep inside an unfamiliar forest.
"That kid's fast! We've chased him for nearly a hundred li already."
"Stay alert. The scent just vanished. He must be nearby."
Both men released their martial souls fully—one, the Hunting Hound, the other a Steel Quill Porcupine. Three soul rings—white, yellow, and yellow—shone beneath each of their feet. Both were Soul Elders.
"The scent disappears over there!" The hound pointed toward a dense bush.
"After him!"
They rushed forward, pushing through the bushes—only to find a small bundle lying on the ground. Inside were three pieces of glowing yellow whale rubber.
"Where is that brat?" one of them muttered, frowning.
In that instant, the surrounding Blue Silver Grass suddenly stirred—writhing to life like countless blue serpents.
Before they could react, the grasses transformed into dozens of sharp, azure spears that shot straight through their chests!
"Wh—!"
They didn't even manage a scream before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
A faint shimmer of soul power rippled nearby. The silhouette of an old, humanoid vine faded away, revealing Qi Tian's figure beneath it.
"Whew…" He exhaled softly, eyes glinting. "Good thing my techniques are a step ahead of theirs."
—
End of Chapter