Douro Continent

Chapter 17 Tang San's First Hidden Weapon in Another World (Part 3)

The leaf flew only one meter before it could no longer maintain its spinning motion, because it was no longer firm. Once it left Tang San's fingers, the internal force effect of the Mysterious Heaven Skill naturally disappeared.

"My skills are still too weak." Tang San shook his head helplessly. He stood up. It was time to go back. Today, he would leave the village. He didn't know when he would be able to come back to this mountaintop again.

With his toes touching the ground and his calves pushing off, Tang San used Ghost Shadow Tracking to head down the mountain.

The familiar aroma of porridge wafted through the air. This was the last time Tang San would cook for his father before leaving, so of course he wouldn't slack off. He glanced at the firewood under the stove, then added some more water to the porridge, so that his father could have hot porridge when he woke up.

Old Jack has arrived. Perhaps because he is going to Nottingham, he is wearing a new outfit today, which makes him look even more vigorous.

"Little San, let's go. Your lazy dad isn't going to get up." Jack called to Tang San.

Tang San gestured for Jack to be quiet. "Grandpa, please keep your voice down. Dad hates it when people disturb his sleep." As he spoke, he pulled a piece of burnt-out charcoal from the stove, wrote a few lines on the ground, glanced back at his father's door with lingering reluctance, and then quietly left with Jack, carrying his bundle.

Tang San didn't know much about the writing system in this world; he had only occasionally glanced at it when the village's private school was teaching the children to read. After all, with the foundation from his previous life, he had also mastered some basic characters.

The curtain was lifted, and a tall figure walked out from the inner room. There was no trace of sleepiness in Tang Hao's eyes. When he reached the door, he could still vaguely see the thin bodies of Old Jack and Tang San.

Tang Hao stood still, and even after Tang San and Village Chief Jack's figures had completely disappeared, he remained standing there for a long time.

As if remembering something, Tang Hao suddenly turned around and walked back to the blacksmith shop, looking at the words Tang San had left for him on the ground.

It was just two simple sentences: "Dad, Grandpa Jack and I are leaving. Take good care of yourself and drink less alcohol. The porridge is in the pot, don't forget to drink it."

Tang Hao shifted his gaze from the words on the ground to the iron pot beside him, rushed over, swept off the lid of the pot, and picked it up with both hands.

Tang San had just added water, and the porridge in the iron pot hadn't boiled again, but Tang Hao ignored it and just kept shoveling the pot into his mouth, swallowing large gulps. His eyes had become misty and watery at some point.

Walking along the road, Tang San silently followed beside Old Jack, occasionally turning back to look in the direction of the village.

"Little San, are you reluctant to leave the village or your alcoholic father?" Jack patted Tang San's head and asked with a smile.

"A little bit of both," Tang San replied in a low voice.

Jack smiled slightly and said, "Compared to my good-for-nothing grandsons, you're much more sensible. I wish you were my grandson. Tang Hao, that drunkard, is really lucky. Don't think too much. The world outside is vast. You'll make many friends and learn a lot at the academy. Once you have the title of Soul Master, the country will give you a monthly subsidy, and your family's life will be better then."

Having lived two lives, Tang San's emotions gradually returned to normal as he listened to Jack's words. Unable to suppress his longing for the outside world, he asked, "Grandpa Jack, could you tell me about the academy? What kind of place is that?"

Jack smiled and said, "The academy is, of course, a place for learning. Although I've never attended one myself, I know most of it. Our village has one slot for a work-study student every year, but no one has gone for many years. There are many benefits for work-study students: tuition and accommodation are waived; you only need to pay for your own food. You can earn food by doing simple jobs at the academy, like cleaning classrooms. Overall, the work-study program at the academy is almost free. If you had to pay to study, it would be something we poor people can't afford."

Tang San said, "My father told me to find a blacksmith's shop to work at after I get to the academy."

"You? Go work at a blacksmith's shop? Are you kidding me? I think Tang Hao has really gone mad." Old Jack said irritably, "How old are you? You're not even as tall as a forging hammer. What blacksmith's shop would take in an apprentice like you? Besides, blacksmithing is a lowly profession, and you won't earn much working there. You should just focus on your studies at the academy."

"However, if you're going to achieve anything at the academy, you should ask your alcoholic father to save some money for you. There won't be any work-study spots at the intermediate Soul Master academy in the future; it will cost a lot of money to study there. The Soul Master subsidy alone is far from enough."

Because Tang San possessed innate full soul power, Old Jack already regarded him as a Soul Master.

Tang San looked at Jack with a puzzled expression and asked, "There are intermediate-level Soul Master academies? What's the difference between them and beginner-level Soul Master academies? They're both academies, so they should both teach Soul Master knowledge, right?"

Old Jack patiently explained, "Of course they're different. The primary Soul Master Academy teaches the basics, along with some academic courses. It only accepts children whose Martial Soul has just awakened, and the program lasts six years. By the time they turn twelve, if they don't have much of a future, they'll just become ordinary Soul Masters. But if they have good potential, most will choose to go to the intermediate Soul Master Academy for further study, continuing until they're eighteen. The intermediate Soul Master Academy teaches more advanced material, but the difficulty is also much higher. If you can't meet the academy's requirements, you won't graduate smoothly. This is different from the primary Soul Master Academy."

(End of this chapter)