Lu Mingfei starts from Douluo.

"Brother, I'm here."

The breathing of the little boys seemed to be cut off, and even the moonlight seemed to be avoiding his figure.

Lu Mingze glanced at Tang San's bed on his right, then looked at a figure in the woods outside the window, a mocking smile appearing on his face.

However, he then smiled gently and stroked Lu Mingfei's face, which was even more youthful than his own.

“What an amazing power, brother. Even I can’t see the direction of your destiny now.” Lu Mingze smiled. “But without a doubt, we will not lose.”

A single tear rolled down Lu Mingfei's cheek, which Lu Mingze gently wiped away.

"Honestly, you're more like a child than me. But don't be sad, I've heard your complaints, so let's go and conquer this world."

Lu Mingze hugged Lu Mingfei, his golden eyes blazing with fire, as if a storm of flames was about to sweep across the entire world.

-

When Lu Mingfei woke up in the morning, he couldn't open his eyes because his upper and lower eyelids were stuck together with eye discharge. He finally managed to rub his eyes open after losing several eyelashes.

The people in the dormitory chuckled awkwardly; this kind of situation actually happened quite often in this dormitory.

Lu Mingfei thought these kids were really clueless, so he quickly went to the bathroom in the corner of the building to take care of his business, washed his face feeling refreshed, and then went out to sweep the floor.

Early to bed and early to rise makes you healthy. Lu Mingfei felt helpless. Who would want to go to bed early and get up early if they had the opportunity?

It's all because of the pressures of life!

After working for almost an hour, the entire dormitory building was nearly awake, and smoke was rising from the canteen. After cleaning up their tools, everyone rushed to the canteen. This time, however, no one was treating anyone. Lu Mingfei obediently ordered the work-study set meal: a bowl of white porridge and a plate of pickled vegetables, all free.

After a quick breakfast, everyone headed to the main playground in front of the administration building to gather.

The so-called opening ceremony is the same in every world, it's all speeches and encouragement. Lu Mingfei was confused and didn't hear anything. However, at the end, he went to Director Su to ask about the library's book borrowing rules.

Lu Mingfei discovered a serious problem yesterday: it seems he only loaded the language module, not the text module. In other words, he is now completely illiterate, unable to read a single character.

Chapter 7 Sparring

Lu Mingfei had a terrible headache; he hadn't felt this tired even when he took the TOEFL last year.

However, he was a high school student after all, and since he didn't have any language barriers, he finally managed to grasp the pattern after a few extra days.

This was also thanks to the martial spirit of this world. He could clearly feel that his hearing and vision were becoming clearer and clearer, and his memory alone had improved by a lot. Now he could barely understand the books in the library.

If he could go back to his current study habits, he might be able to get into a top university if he puts in the effort.

Thus began Lu Mingfei's life as a first-year student: getting up early to clean, attending classes, and spending evenings in the library.

However, this leisurely life did not last long. Xiao Wu felt so bored that she was about to grow moss, so she actually wagered the entire dormitory against the upperclassmen.

Lu Mingfei swore this was the first time he'd ever felt like cursing. Even being willful should have its limits. If Xiao Wu really wanted to gamble, she should at least have consulted him first, and waited for Tang San, who was now in a fighting position, to return before making a decision.

With things having come to this point, Lu Mingfei had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it in order to avoid being called a pet. Fortunately, Tang San returned to school just as the match was about to begin, ending the contest.

The opposing leader, Xiao Chenyu, was completely humiliated, and now no one in the entire academy dared to provoke the previously vulnerable work-study student group.

"Tang San, you're amazing!" Tang San's roommates celebrated.

Lu Mingfei quickly clapped along, because Xiao Chenyu had promised to take over all the work-study jobs, so they could receive work-study subsidies for free.

However, Lu Mingfei was clearly celebrating too soon.

"This is all thanks to my teacher. Without him, I wouldn't be who I am today." Tang San said proudly, looking at Xiao Wu and Lu Mingfei beside him: "Lu Mingfei, speaking of which, we haven't sparred yet. Today, this place is spacious enough for us to try it out. Don't worry, I won't use any soul skills. It'll be a fair fight."

Lu Mingfei: "???"

Lu Mingfei felt as if a crow had flown over his head. He glanced at his roommates around him, then looked at Xiao Wu, who clearly had a smiling face that seemed to be waiting for a good show.

Well, it seems we have no choice but to fight today.

Lu Mingfei never expected that before he even encountered school bullying, he would be used as a target of a brat in his dormitory. Even if the bully surrendered, he probably wouldn't let him go.

Lu Mingfei was right; Tang San had exactly that plan.

During this Soul Hunt, Grandmaster narrowly escaped death for the sake of his Soul Ring. Tang San felt he should repay Grandmaster's kindness. Knowing that Grandmaster had a knot in his heart, he decided to help Grandmaster complete the theoretical proof.

If he could win over Lu Mingfei and Xiao Wu and have them become his disciples, the master would be very happy.

The crowd spread out to give the two space, and even the older students on the side didn't leave, wanting to watch the excitement.

"You go first," Tang San said, placing one hand behind his back like a martial arts master.

"So arrogant?" Although he knew Tang San was indeed capable of arrogance, Lu Mingfei almost rolled his eyes.

He knew that fighting was absolutely essential in this world of Soul Masters, and even the higher grades had special practical training, but he really didn't expect his first opponent to be Tang San.

Not only does the opponent seem to actually know martial arts manuals, but now that he has absorbed a soul ring, his soul power is also higher than his.

Lu Mingfei was considering whether to go all out, but in the end he decided against it.

Now, just one eye-type martial soul is already causing this much trouble. If everything is exposed, he'll probably never have a peaceful life again. He'd accept being beaten up by Tang San today.

He calmed himself down, took a few deep breaths, and although he was mentally prepared for failure, he was still quite angry.

Lu Mingfei could feel a flame surging in his veins.

And so, the golden eyes burned with intense heat.

Tang San remembered the lesson from last time and did not use the Purple Demon Eye this time. However, he was immediately terrified when he met Lu Mingfei's gaze.

Compared to the faint candlelight of the last time, Lu Mingfei's golden eyes this time shimmered with the brilliance of molten gold.

"Mental pressure can actually achieve this?"

Tang San clenched his fists. Even though he tried to avoid eye contact and used his Xuan Tian Gong to resist, he still found that his body was trembling uncontrollably.

Lu Mingfei took the initiative and made a move without any special technique. He simply recalled the boxing matches he had seen on TV and quickly threw a heavy punch straight at the goal.

Tang San immediately crossed his arms to block and withstand the attack, but the unexpectedly huge force instantly caused him pain. He hurriedly circulated his internal energy to use the Xuan Yu Hand and immediately launched a counterattack, gripping his left hand with a claw and trying to use a grappling technique.

But Lu Mingfei didn't give him that chance. He had watched Tang San fight and knew that the opponent's fighting skills were amazing, and he would quickly retract his defense after each punch.

Seeing that Lu Mingfei was prepared, Tang San had no choice but to abandon his plan to capture him. He unleashed his soul power and began exchanging punches with Lu Mingfei.

The two exchanged blows, and the battle quickly escalated into a fierce contest. Their fists collided repeatedly in the air, producing dull thuds of flesh and bone colliding, a thrilling and exhilarating experience.

Lu Mingfei was secretly surprised. This was the first time he had used soul power in battle. He originally thought it would be one-sided, after all, Tang San was a master who knew martial arts secrets and had now absorbed a soul ring to advance to a soul master. But he did not expect that Tang San's attacks were so weak and his movements seemed to be getting slower and slower.

Meanwhile, Tang San on the other side was increasingly shocked as the fight progressed. Despite having a higher soul power level and the assistance of the Mysterious Heaven Skill and the Mysterious Jade Hand, he was still unable to gain any advantage in terms of strength.

"No, this can't go on any longer."

Tang San immediately changed his move, using the Ghost Shadow Steps to create distance. He intended to use his agility to gain the upper hand, but unexpectedly, Lu Mingfei, as if by premonition, intercepted his movement with a punch that struck him mid-flight.

He was in a state where new strength had not yet been generated and old strength had been exhausted. Even though he blocked with his arm, he was still knocked away and tumbled in mid-air.

After staggering to the ground, Tang San was filled with disbelief. His Ghost Shadow Step had actually been seen through by the opponent at the very beginning.

In fact, Lu Mingfei did not see through Tang San's footwork. He just followed his intuition and threw the punch, but he did not expect it to have a critical hit effect.

Taking advantage of Tang San's mistake, Lu Mingfei didn't let the opportunity pass and quickly closed in with several punches.

Although Tang San was somewhat flustered, he quickly regained his composure and assessed the situation. He sprang up like an eel, and using the force of another heavy punch from Lu Mingfei, he suddenly retreated to create distance. At the same time, he took out a pebble from his storage soul tool and threw it.

"Hey, hey, hey, did you cheat?" Looking at the pebbles that appeared out of thin air, Lu Mingfei suddenly wanted to curse. He had already been on guard against Tang San's move, trying to fight him at close range to prevent him from picking up the stones. Who knows where these stones came from?

Helpless, Lu Mingfei could only concentrate his soul power on his fists and keep knocking down the incoming stones. Because of the pain in his hands, a surge of anger gradually rose in his heart.

Lu Mingfei is most annoyed by these kinds of brats who throw things when they can't win. Do they even know how to fight?

Tang San was unleashing a barrage of hidden weapons when he suddenly sensed a dangerous aura that sent chills down his spine. He instinctively looked over and saw Lu Mingfei's golden eyes blazing with fire, as if a lion was roaring and charging toward him!

The next moment, Lu Mingfei suddenly exerted force with both legs, and his figure disappeared from the original spot as if he had teleported.

Without activating his Purple Demon Eye, Tang San couldn't even make out his figure.

"First Soul Skill, Blue Silver Entanglement!" In a moment of urgency, Tang San immediately summoned Blue Silver Grass to block Lu Mingfei's path, but Lu Mingfei reacted even faster, using the Blue Silver Grass vines on the ground for leverage to quickly retreat away.

"Enough, mistress."

At Xiao Wu's shout, the two of them came to their senses at the same time, and Tang San realized what he had done.

"I lost." Tang San shook his head, his expression very complicated.

Lu Mingfei also caught his breath slightly, and the golden light in his eyes went out. He looked at his hands in disbelief. Was the person he had just fought really himself?

Chapter 8 Iron Bars

Feeling his heart pounding, confusion, anger, and a surge of barely suppressed exhilaration welled up in Lu Mingfei's heart.

He's fought fiercely before, but today's feeling is very different, so unfamiliar that it even makes him feel a little scared.

"Lu Mingfei—you and Tang San are actually this strong?" Xiao Wu ran forward, looking surprised. She had also felt the pressure of Lu Mingfei's golden eyes and found it incredible.

“Tang San held back.” Lu Mingfei shook his head.

Although Tang San's martial arts moves were indeed flashy, his stone-throwing technique was truly impressive. If he continued fighting unarmed, it would definitely look bad, not to mention that Tang San still had his martial soul, which was now useless.

Tang San stared at Lu Mingfei with a grim expression. His Purple Demon Eyes crumbled instantly upon contact with Lu Mingfei's eye spirit, and his Jade Hand and Crane Control Dragon Capture were rendered useless against Lu Mingfei's absolute power. Even his Ghost Shadow Steps were seen through by Lu Mingfei.

He was plunged into deep self-doubt, filled with fear, resentment, hatred, and even a hint of murderous intent that he could hardly bear to look at.

If he didn't have the Eye Martial Soul, would his Tang Sect's ultimate techniques no longer be able to restrain him?

The moment this thought crossed Tang San's mind, he couldn't help but tremble, but Xiao Wu's gentle voice suddenly pulled him back to reality.

"A loss is a loss." Tang San clenched his fist and turned to leave. He was originally going to the Spirit Hall to register for his subsidy, but now he just wanted to find Grandmaster first. Lu Mingfei's strength far exceeded his expectations, which was completely different from what Grandmaster had said!

Lu Mingfei watched Tang San's departing figure from afar, a strange sense of disgust rising in his heart, but he didn't understand why he suddenly had this feeling.

It can't be because he's gotten smaller, and his mind has become smaller too, right?

After the farce ended, everyone on the back mountain left. Xiao Chenyu, with great tact, called out to Sister Xiao Wu and offered to treat her to a big meal on the second floor of the cafeteria as an apology.

The work-study students were overjoyed and cheered, "Long live Xiao Wu!"

However, Lu Mingfei did not go to the cafeteria to celebrate with everyone. He simply made an excuse that he was too tired and wanted to go back to his dormitory to rest.

Through this battle, he finally gained a concrete understanding of his own strength, and he discovered his shortcomings. If he wanted to safely get through the early development period, he needed a weapon that was tough enough.

Being unarmed is too ineffective when fighting against Soul Masters. Putting aside everything else, if Tang San had replaced the stone with a throwing knife, he probably would have had to reveal his trump card to save his life today.

He turned and left the school gate, intending to go to the blacksmith shop near the gate to see if there were any weapons suitable for him.

-

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The rhythmic clanging of a hammer echoed continuously from the tall building. Even though Lu Mingfei was only standing at the door, he could feel a wave of heat hitting him, accompanied by a strong smell of sweat and rust.

Upon entering, Lu Mingfei could see various farm tools, weapons, and even armor hanging on the walls, giving him a strange feeling of visiting a museum.

"But isn't this price too expensive?"

Looking at the prices marked next to the weapons on the wall, Lu Mingfei couldn't help but scratch his head.

Here, even a single high-quality weapon costs at least one gold soul coin, and even farm tools cost several copper coins. With his current savings, he could probably only afford to join the Axe Gang and chop wood.

"Guest, is there anything you need?" A tall, burly man came out from the back room, carrying a huge iron hammer in his hand. He was clearly the owner of the blacksmith shop.

Although Lu Mingfei was just a kid, the boss didn't dare to underestimate him because he was wearing the Notting Academy uniform.

"It's nothing, I'm just looking." Lu Mingfei was actually having second thoughts; it seemed he simply couldn't afford the prices here.

He had originally planned to order an Excalibur and travel the world with it, but now it seems he can't even afford a scabbard.

"Sure, feel free to look around. Many students from Notting Academy have bought self-defense weapons from us. Our shop offers a 10% discount to academy students." The shop owner was very generous, not worried at all that an academy student might ruin their future by stealing. He then went back to the back room to continue forging.

Seeing this, Lu Mingfei breathed a sigh of relief and began to look around with a genuine interest in the exhibits. Suddenly, a dark iron bar in the corner of the room caught his attention.

"Rebar? No, fire poker."

Lu Mingfei touched it, his hand covered in black ash. He waved it in his hand; although it was a bit too light, the length was just right for his current height.

"Iron Bar Sword Saint, seems like that'll do too." Lu Mingfei scratched his neck. Although using a fire poker as a weapon was a little embarrassing, he certainly wouldn't dare to use a sharpened sword to chop people right now.

From this perspective, there is currently no weapon more suitable for him than a fire poker.

"Boss, how much is this iron bar?" Lu Mingfei walked into the back room holding up the iron bar in his hand.

The boss stopped hammering, took the iron bar, and looked at it with a strange expression, because it was the fire poker he used, and it was broken; he just hadn't had time to remelt it.

However, since someone was buying from him, he certainly wouldn't refuse his customer.

"Give me two copper coins."