Inside the cafeteria.
As Yun Chuan ate his breakfast and saw the people around him fall silent because of his presence, he felt a bit embarrassed. After finishing the food in his hand in a few quick bites, he stopped eating for the time being.
He looked around at the six people nearby and said, "It seems I've been negligent. As your teacher, I haven't even learned your basic information. Since it's still early, why don't we take this opportunity for everyone to introduce themselves? The new students and old students can get to know each other as well."
Seeing Yun Chuan trying to ease the atmosphere, Dai Mubai quickly followed up, saying, "Teacher Tang is right. Since we'll all be living and cultivating together from now on, it's good to get to know one another first. I'll start then, to set an example."
"My name is Dai Mubai. My Martial Soul is the White Tiger, and my strength is at the Soul Elder level."
After Dai Mubai spoke, Ma Hongjun, as a senior student, consciously began his own introduction. "My name is Ma Hongjun. My Martial Soul is the Evil Fire Phoenix, and my strength is at the Great Soul Master level."
"My name is Ning Rongrong. My Martial Soul is the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, and my strength is also at the Great Soul Master level." Ning Rongrong was the first among the new students to speak.
"…Zhu Zhuqing. Martial Soul: Nether Civet. Strength is also at the Great Soul Master level." Zhu Zhuqing, who was not very talkative, spoke right after Ning Rongrong.
That left only Tang San and Xiao Wu.
"My name is Xiao Wu, the 'Wu' from dancing. My Martial Soul is a cute little rabbit, and my strength is also at the Great Soul Master level." Xiao Wu spoke first.
"My name is Tang San. My Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass, and my strength is also at the Great Soul Master level." Tang San was the last to speak.
After hearing all six finish their introductions, Yun Chuan nodded and smiled. "Very good. Then your teacher should also introduce himself. My name is Tang Chuan, my Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass. I am twenty-five years old, about ten years older than you all. My current soul power is at the seventy-first level, Soul Saint realm."
"Teacher, you're only twenty-five and already a Soul Saint?!" Ning Rongrong gasped softly. As the little princess of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan, she knew very well what such strength at that age meant—it meant that this teacher would definitely become a future Titled Douluo!
"Hehe, I just have a slightly better talent." Yun Chuan smiled modestly and said, "You all are outstanding geniuses as well. As long as you work hard and train diligently, there's no reason you can't become Soul Saints at this age too."
Although he said that, everyone present knew he was only encouraging them. After all, people simply couldn't be compared equally. Sometimes, the gap between individuals was greater than that between humans and soul beasts.
Reaching Soul Saint at twenty-five?!Anyone with basic knowledge knew how unbelievable that was.
Tang San, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and the others didn't think they could possibly reach Soul Saint by twenty-five. That was simply beyond human capability. To be honest, if this teacher weren't standing right in front of them, they would've thought anyone saying such a thing was spouting nonsense.
Compared to this teacher who became a Soul Saint at twenty-five, how could they still call themselves "monsters"?
This teacher was the real monster!
Seeing everyone fall silent, Dai Mubai quickly spoke to ease the tension. "Right, since we'll all be studying together, we don't need to be too formal with titles. Including you four new students, there are only seven of us in total. Fatty and Little Ao both call me Boss Dai since I'm a bit older than them. You can all just call me Mubai. As for Ma Hongjun, just call him Fatty. That guy Oscar, you can call him Little Ao or Uncle Sausage. Tang San, how about I call you Little San from now on?"
Tang San nodded, expressing no objection. Although he hadn't been at Shrek Academy long, he already felt a bit of belonging here. Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun each had their own personalities, but none of them made him feel uncomfortable.
Before Dai Mubai could continue, Ning Rongrong cheerfully said, "You can all just call me Rongrong. That's what my family and friends call me."
Her smile never left her face. That simple sentence naturally closed the distance between her and everyone else. Seeing this, Yun Chuan thought to himself, This little witch really knows how to act. If I hadn't read the original story, I'd never have guessed this well-mannered, harmless girl was actually a spoiled, willful little witch.
When it came to Xiao Wu, her name obviously didn't need to change. But when Dai Mubai's gaze turned to Zhu Zhuqing, she stood up and said, "I'm full."
With that, she turned and walked out.
Ma Hongjun looked at Dai Mubai in surprise. "Boss Dai, aren't you supposed to be irresistible to women, the so-called 'lady killer'? Why doesn't this new beauty even want to look at you?"
Dai Mubai gave a wry smile and shook his head but didn't explain. Yun Chuan thought to himself, Abandoning your fiancée and running off here alone—who would want to deal with you unless they had to?
Tang San said to Dai Mubai, "Mubai, we're all new here. Tell us about the academy's rules and courses." Since Yun Chuan was a new teacher, he probably wasn't familiar either, which was why Tang San didn't ask him.
Dai Mubai reluctantly pulled his thoughts away from Zhu Zhuqing and said, "The academy doesn't have any special rules. Simply put—no rape, no robbery, but fighting and gambling are encouraged."
Hearing this, Yun Chuan's expression didn't change, but he sneered inwardly. What a rogue academy. With an environment like this, what kind of students could they possibly produce? No wonder they ended up teaching someone like Tang San, such a disaster to the world.
After listening, Tang San couldn't help but smile slightly. As expected of the Monster Academy—its teaching methods are completely different from Nuoding Academy's.
Dai Mubai explained, "The teachers believe that combat is the best way to master one's Martial Soul and gain actual combat experience—it's extremely important. As for gambling, it's a psychological game that greatly helps with observation and judgment skills, and strengthens one's mental resilience. Of course, everything should have limits. Simply put, don't kill anyone during fights, and don't gamble away your pants—that's fine."
"As for the course schedule, I can't say for sure since it changes often. After all, we only have a few students, and the number of teachers is actually greater than the students. So, the academy adjusts lessons based on our individual situations. But there's one thing I can confirm—the most important task today is to collect tuition fees. The annual tuition is one hundred gold coins. For Soul Masters of your level, that shouldn't be a problem."
Hearing this, Xiao Wu couldn't help but interrupt, "Boss Dai, you said yesterday the academy is poor. But why would it be poor? The teachers we've met are over level sixty, even over level seventy. Based on their ranks, the subsidies they can claim from the Spirit Hall should be astronomical. Supporting a small academy like this shouldn't be hard at all."
Based on Xiao Wu's understanding, Soul Masters received one gold coin a month, Great Soul Masters ten, Soul Elders a hundred, Soul Ancestors a thousand, Soul Kings ten thousand, and Soul Emperors a hundred thousand. Not to mention Zhao Wuji, whom they met yesterday—a Soul Saint! He should receive a subsidy of one million gold coins per month. That was a terrifying number to even think about.
Before Dai Mubai could respond, Yun Chuan spoke. "Little Rabbit, you're too naïve. The Spirit Hall's subsidies are indeed funded by the Empire and distributed through the Hall, but they aren't unlimited. They only go up to the Soul Elder level, capped at one hundred gold coins per month.
"Once you surpass Soul Elder level, the subsidies stop increasing—and in fact, disappear entirely. That means from Soul Ancestor onward, Soul Masters can no longer receive any subsidies from the Spirit Hall.
"You've probably noticed when you collect your monthly stipend at the Hall, they also test your soul power. That's to check whether your level has surpassed forty. Once it does, the subsidies are immediately terminated."
"Why is that? The stronger the Soul Master, the more valuable they should be, right?" Xiao Wu asked curiously. Even Tang San beside her looked intrigued.
Yun Chuan patiently explained, "You have to consider it practically. Though Soul Masters are noble and few in number, they still form a considerable group. If subsidies were distributed proportionally all the way up, then by Soul Saint level, that would mean one hundred thousand gold coins per month—1.2 million per year. What a staggering figure!
"To put it another way, if our academy's teachers received that amount based on their ranks, and the Empire paid it in full, their yearly income would equal one-tenth of the total income of the entire Soto City's population! That's an astronomical number.
"And across the entire Empire, even though high-level Soul Masters are rare, paying such subsidies would collapse the economy."
"Therefore, the Empire decreed that subsidies are meant to encourage and help lower-ranked Soul Masters cultivate and improve faster. Once you reach level forty, you're already considered a strong Soul Master who can choose to serve the Empire or join the military—in that case, the Empire provides other forms of payment. Of course, Soul Masters are free to choose; many join noble families instead, earning generous compensation."
At that point, Yun Chuan paused, and Dai Mubai picked up the explanation, a look of admiration appearing on his face. "All of our academy's teachers are Soul Masters who refuse to serve under any power. In other words, before the academy was founded, they were all lone wanderers. They love freedom and hate being bound. They even reject noble titles offered by the Empire. Under such circumstances, how could they possibly have any steady income?"
Xiao Wu asked, "Why wouldn't they accept the titles from the Empire? Wouldn't noble titles also come with some income? I remember that at level thirty, one can be granted the title of Baron, at level forty, Viscount—and nothing beyond that."
At this point, Ning Rongrong spoke up to answer for Dai Mubai. "Accepting a noble title from the Empire means taking on the duty of loyalty. Once war breaks out, as nobles, they would be required to respond to conscription and fight for the Empire. A noble title may sound glamorous, but it's also a restrictive shackle. Many powerful Soul Masters refuse such titles because they don't want to be tied down or forced to fight for any single faction."
....
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" Douluo: Ranking the Top Ten Peerless Goddesses at the Start "
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(End of Chapter)