Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
"It's time to enroll."
Holding the Spirit Hall certificate issued by Su Yuntao, Bai Mu headed toward the western part of the city.
Before long, the massive stone gates of Nuoding Junior Spirit Master Academy came into view.
"Hey—hey—kid! What do you think you're doing?"
The moment he got close, Bai Mu was unceremoniously stopped by a young gatekeeper.
"Hello, big brother," Bai Mu said politely. "I awakened my Martial Soul a few days ago and came to register for enrollment."
He handed over the Spirit Hall certificate.
"Let me see… innate soul power Rank 1… Rank 1 is fine!"
The gatekeeper flipped through the certificate impatiently. When he spotted the silver coin tucked inside, his expression instantly bloomed into a friendly, chrysanthemum-like smile.
"As long as you've awakened soul power, you've got a chance to become a Spirit Master. Your future's bright!
Even though the enrollment timing's a bit off, you can head to the Academic Affairs Office on the first floor of the main teaching building and look for Director Su to register."
"Alright."
Bai Mu smiled, nodded, and walked straight into the academy.
It's easier to deal with the King of Hell than with petty devils.
Knowing full well that this gatekeeper—who was already "courting death"—was a troublesome type, Bai Mu had no intention of getting tangled up with him.
After all, with people like gatekeepers and dorm managers, you don't need to curry favor—but there's no reason to make enemies either.
"When will I get to 'not eat beef' and 'protect my Douluo Continent'?"
Walking along, Bai Mu tilted his head up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, full of anticipation for the future.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in!"
Inside the Academic Affairs Office sat a teacher who looked to be over sixty years old.
"Hello, Director. I'm a work-study student who just awakened my Martial Soul. I'm here to register."
Bai Mu greeted him politely.
"So early?" Director Su frowned slightly. "New students usually enroll in a few months, don't they?"
Classes would be ending soon, and this kid was enrolling now?
"Yes, yes! I really want to improve!"
Bai Mu earnestly handed over his Spirit Hall certificate.
"Hiss… alright, then."
Seeing the eagerness for knowledge shining in Bai Mu's eyes, Director Su couldn't bring himself to refuse. He took the certificate and examined it.
"Mutated Vortex Worm (Zygarde). Innate soul power: Rank 1…"
After finishing the registration, Director Su said,
"Work-study students are assigned to Dormitory Seven. After that, Teacher Mo Hen will assign work duties. Ten copper coins per day. Prepare your bedding and head there directly."
"Thank you, Director."
Bai Mu bowed, bought his bedding outside, and went straight to Dormitory Seven.
Dormitory Seven was old, crowded, and messy, with fifty beds crammed inside. There was no one there at the moment—most students were likely in class.
He found an empty bed and began setting it up.
Just as he finished and was about to head outside to sunbathe and cultivate through Calm Mind, a burly boy walked in with several other kids.
"Yo~ a new work-study student?"
"Enrolling at this time? That's pretty rare."
Amid the noisy chatter, Bai Mu took the initiative to greet them.
"Hello, everyone. I'm the new work-study student, Bai Mu. My Martial Soul is Zygarde. Please take care of me."
"My name's Wang Sheng," the burly boy said, eyes blazing. "My Martial Soul is Battle Tiger. Soul power Rank 9. I'm the boss of Dormitory Seven."
He continued firmly, "We have a rule here. Every newcomer has to fight the current boss. Whoever wins becomes the boss."
As he spoke, Wang Sheng was already preparing to fight.
Rank 9…
Bai Mu thought to himself. Looks like Tang San will be enrolling next semester.
He shook his head and refused calmly.
"Forget it. My innate soul power is only Rank 1, and I'm not good at fighting. I can't beat you—there's no point."
Not to mention the eight-rank gap in soul power, the difference in physical strength due to age alone was already huge.
Zygarde currently had no combat power. Unless he relied on invisibility for a sneak attack, there was no way he could win head-on.
And exposing an ability like invisibility just to show off wasn't worth it.
Besides, he'd lived two lives already—there was no reason to compete with a child.
"Only Rank 1?" Wang Sheng frowned, but still insisted. "No. Rules are rules. Newcomers fight. If we break them, how do we keep order?"
"Then let's fight outside."
Seeing how stubborn the other party was, Bai Mu glanced at the clear sky and walked out first.
If they were going to fight, they might as well go all out—he could treat it as practical experience.
Whoosh—
Stepping into the sunlight, Bai Mu clenched his fists, instantly feeling himself return to peak condition.
"Kid, are we starting or what?"
Wang Sheng's impatient voice came from behind him.
"Anytime!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Bai Mu twisted his body and slammed a sudden punch straight into Wang Sheng's abdomen!
Bang!
With a dull thud, Wang Sheng hadn't even reacted before instinctively clutching his stomach and stumbling backward.
"You little brat! You ambushed me?!"
Furious, Wang Sheng spread his arms and charged forward like a ferocious tiger descending a mountain.
Whoosh!
A powerful gust of wind rushed toward Bai Mu's face.
Prepared for it, Bai Mu calmly slid to the right, dodging the charge, then kicked Wang Sheng behind the knee.
"Ah—!"
His left leg went weak, and Wang Sheng lost his balance, stumbling forward.
"Now!"
Bai Mu's eyes lit up. He leapt forward, wrapped Wang Sheng in a tight hold, locked his legs around the opponent's thighs, clamped his left arm around Wang Sheng's neck, and reinforced it with his right—
A naked choke!
"Ugh—ugh—!"
Wang Sheng's eyes went wide. His mind blanked out as terrifying suffocation flooded his senses.
A naked choke was a lethal technique. Once applied properly, even a slender person could choke a stronger opponent unconscious—or worse.
At this point, even if Wang Sheng tried to summon his Martial Soul, he had no room to maneuver and could only struggle helplessly.
Just as Wang Sheng was about to lose consciousness, Bai Mu suddenly released him.
"Cough—cough—cough!"
"I won, right?"
Looking at Wang Sheng lying on the ground, gasping for air, Bai Mu asked with a smile.
"You… you won…"
Wang Sheng's body trembled, fear flashing in his eyes.
Just now, he had clearly seen his great-grandmother waving at him.
"Holy crap, that was awesome!"
"Boss Wang Sheng got taken down in one move?!"
"What a terrifying self-created Spirit Ability!"
The kids watching from the side were completely stunned.
They had come to put the newcomer in his place—so why was the boss the one lying on the ground?
Even if Bai Mu had used a sneak attack, Wang Sheng's strength was no joke. If all of them attacked together, they still might not have beaten him.
"Didn't you say you weren't good at fighting?"
After recovering a bit, Wang Sheng felt utterly deceived.
"I really am not good at fighting…"
Bai Mu looked innocent.
In his previous life, he had been a law-abiding, well-behaved young man. Fighting? He didn't fight.
He had only fought a few times to protect himself from school bullying.
As for the results… that classmate who stayed in the hospital for two weeks afterward always spoke very politely to him.
"…I believe you."
Wang Sheng said that, but his expression clearly screamed I don't believe you at all. He then added,
"A bet's a bet. From now on, you're the boss of Dormitory Seven."
"Nope. I only know that one move. You should stay the boss."
Bai Mu refused outright.
Even though he also knew techniques like Monkey Grabs the Moon, Two Dragons Play with a Pearl, and Iron Mountain Lean, his soul power was only Rank 1. How could he be a boss?
If Wang Sheng activated his Martial Soul beforehand, Bai Mu wouldn't stand a chance.
Not to mention that in the future, he'd still have to deal with God King Tang and his "scabbard."
"That… makes sense."
Wang Sheng nodded in understanding, already planning to privately ask Bai Mu to teach him that move later.
"Let's spar again," Bai Mu said. "A proper sparring match. I'll give you a chance to beat me up."
He looked up at the sun and beckoned.
Wang Sheng: "Really?"
Bai Mu: "Really."
"Fight!"
The two shouted and clashed again.
This time, with no sneak attack, Bai Mu was quickly pushed into a disadvantage, getting beaten one-sidedly by Wang Sheng.
"One punch—take it!"
One minute later, Wang Sheng was full of fighting spirit.
"Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain! Hungry Tiger Pounces!"
Two minutes later, Wang Sheng was glowing with excitement.
"Hoo… you've got good endurance."
Three minutes later, he was slightly out of breath.
"Damn it! Aren't you tired?!"
Five minutes later, Wang Sheng realized something was very wrong.
"I… I admit it… you're… insane…"
Ten minutes later, Wang Sheng lay sprawled on the ground in a giant "X," eyes lifelessly staring up at the blue sky.
This guy's cheating. Infinite stamina!
"Is that all? Nothing special."
Bai Mu snorted disdainfully, his face swollen and bruised.
Then he turned to the others and smiled warmly.
"This is a rare opportunity. How about we all spar together?"
"Uh…"
The kids who had witnessed the entire process instinctively took a step back.