Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Shadow Monarch

"Xiao San, did you have a disagreement with your roommates?" The Grandmaster looked at Tang San, who was devouring his meal voraciously at the table, and asked calmly.

"Teacher, I…" Tang San put down the chicken leg in his hand, seeming a bit hesitant.

"No need to explain." The Grandmaster seemed to see through Tang San's dilemma and said in a calm tone, "I don't care about those rumors and gossip. What matters is you. You're still growing, and a poor diet won't do you any good."

"From now on, you'll eat with me on the second floor. No need to have meals with them on the first floor anymore."

"Thank you, Teacher." Tang San stood up and bowed deeply to the Grandmaster.

He hadn't expected his teacher to be so noble, remaining unmoved by the rumors. Such a person truly deserved to be his teacher!

"Alright, Xiao San, no need for such formalities between master and disciple," the Grandmaster waved his hand, signaling Tang San to sit down and continue eating.

Tang San nodded and sat back in his chair, resuming his meal with great enthusiasm.

Back when he was in Holy Spirit Village, he didn't even have enough to eat. Every day, he had to survive on porridge so thin you couldn't see a single grain of rice. Now, with a teacher who treated him so well, he not only felt a sense of affection but also deepened his respect for the Grandmaster.

Meanwhile, on the first floor of the dining hall.

After lunch, Cheng Xiao didn't head back to the dormitory immediately. Instead, after asking around for a bit, he went to the library of Nuoding Primary Soul Master Academy, planning to gather some knowledge about soul rings before going out to hunt for one.

Since his martial soul didn't belong to this world, Cheng Xiao wanted to first study the different types of soul beasts. His martial soul, the Shadow Monarch, was the King of Death, so he would need to look for soul beasts related to shadows or death—ones whose attributes matched the Shadow Monarch's.

…

After finishing his research on soul beasts and their attributes, Cheng Xiao took a deep breath, returned the books to their shelves, and quickly left the library.

But instead of returning to the dormitory, Cheng Xiao headed straight for the academy's administrative office. He intended to ask a teacher to accompany him to acquire his first soul ring.

"Excuse me, is anyone here?" Cheng Xiao knocked lightly on the door as he stepped into the office.

"Yes, come in," an older teacher inside glanced at Cheng Xiao and gestured for him to enter.

Cheng Xiao nodded and approached the elderly teacher confidently.

"Your name is Cheng Xiao, right? I remember you. You're the genius with innate full soul power." Director Su recognized Cheng Xiao as the new student who had enrolled earlier that day, a student with full soul power from birth. He smiled and said, "What brings you to the administrative office?"

Cheng Xiao replied, "Director Su, I do have something to discuss."

"Go ahead. Let's see if I can help you," Director Su put down the documents he had been working on. He took special interest in a student like Cheng Xiao, who had innate full soul power. If it were any other working student without talent or background, he wouldn't have bothered.

"I want to obtain my first soul ring," Cheng Xiao said.

"Your first soul ring… wait, what? You want to acquire your first soul ring?" Director Su stood up in surprise. "Do you know that you need to reach level ten in soul power to acquire a soul ring? How can you—"

Before he could finish speaking, Director Su remembered that Cheng Xiao indeed had innate full soul power. Clearing his throat, he corrected himself, "Cheng Xiao, I know you're innately full of soul power, so you can obtain your first soul ring, but…"

Director Su then explained that since the new school year had just begun, the academy's teachers were all occupied and couldn't accompany him to the Soul Hunting Forest.

Cheng Xiao understood but couldn't hide his disappointment.

Seeing this, Director Su felt a bit helpless. It was true that the start of the school year was a busy time, and the teachers simply couldn't find the time.

"How about this, Director Su? Tomorrow, I'll take the boy to the Soul Hunting Forest myself," a voice said. A middle-aged man in a black robe, with a gentle smile on his somewhat handsome face, walked into the office.

"Principal? What brings you here?" Director Su quickly greeted the man with respect and said, "This child is a prodigy with innate full soul power…"

"Enough, Director Su," the middle-aged man waved him off with a smile. "I've read his file. A top-tier beast martial soul and innate full soul power—such a talent appearing at our Nuoding Academy is something I, as the principal, have to personally attend to."

Upon hearing this, Director Su beamed with pride.

"Let's head out together tomorrow. I was already planning to take my disciple to hunt for a soul ring," the Grandmaster said, suddenly appearing at the door of the office, standing with his hands behind his back, exuding an aura of mystery.

"Alright, Xiaogang," the principal patted the Grandmaster on the shoulder with a smile. "This time, your theories will surely succeed."

"Of course. I've taken in an excellent disciple," the Grandmaster replied calmly, as if taking on a disciple was as simple as his martial soul research. However, his gaze briefly fell on Cheng Xiao. Though it was only for a moment, Cheng Xiao noticed it.

Cheng Xiao didn't say much. After all, he was going to hunt for his soul ring, and having the Grandmaster around provided an extra layer of security, though he wasn't sure if he would need it.

"Alright, it's settled then," the principal said with a smile, turning to Cheng Xiao. "Go get some rest. We'll meet at the academy gate tomorrow morning."

"I understand. Thank you, Principal," Cheng Xiao said politely before leaving the office.

When Cheng Xiao returned to the dormitory, he immediately noticed Xiao Wu lying on her bed, kicking her legs playfully.

He glanced at the other beds and saw that Wang Sheng and the others were meditating to cultivate their soul power, while Tang San lay with his eyes closed, seemingly preparing for tomorrow's hunt.

Lying on his bed, Cheng Xiao ignored Xiao Wu and closed his eyes to rest, thinking about the type of soul beast he would need to find for his soul ring.

"Hey, why are you acting like Tang San and going to sleep so early when it's not even nighttime?" Xiao Wu's voice suddenly rang out. Cheng Xiao hadn't actually fallen asleep, and his eyes opened instinctively, just in time to see Xiao Wu's cute face.

"See, you weren't even asleep," Xiao Wu said, pouting at him.

"What would you have done if I had been?" Cheng Xiao sat up, leaned against the wall behind his bed, and said calmly, "Don't tell me you have some urgent matter to discuss with me at night."

"I was just bored," Xiao Wu muttered in a low voice, sensing Cheng Xiao's indifferent expression.

Seeing Xiao Wu's apologetic face, Cheng Xiao couldn't help but scratch his head and said, "I'm going to the Soul Hunting Forest tomorrow, so I plan to sleep early. Is that alright?"

"Soul Hunting?" Xiao Wu froze for a moment. "School hasn't even started, and you're already going hunting? Are soul rings really that important?"

"What do you think?" Cheng Xiao flicked Xiao Wu's forehead, annoyed. "Get some rest. I have to get up early tomorrow."

After saying this, Cheng Xiao lay back down under the covers, ignoring the now sulking Xiao Wu, and closed his eyes to sleep.

However, Xiao Wu wasn't having it. Watching Cheng Xiao burrow under his blanket, she bit her lip and thought, 'You want to sleep early? I won't let you!'

Then, as if she'd thought of something mischievous, Xiao Wu also lifted Cheng Xiao's blanket and snuck in. Her restless hands slowly reached for his waist, and as her plan was about to succeed, a triumphant smile spread across her face.

Let's see how Sister Xiao Wu deals with you!