Ye Qiu and Tang San arrived at the entrance of Dormitory Seven.
The door was wide open, and the sound of playful laughter could be heard from inside.
Ye Qiu's eyes flickered slightly as he unconsciously took a step behind Tang San, following closely behind as they entered.
The first impression Ye Qiu had of Dormitory Seven was how spacious it was.
Inside, dozens of beds lined the room, though most were empty, with only eleven of them having bedding.
At that moment, seven or eight children, ranging from eight to twelve years old, were playing around, engaged in playful scuffles.
Knock, knock!
Tang San glanced at Ye Qiu behind him before raising his hand to knock on the nearby door.
The sound of knocking caught the children's attention. They turned to look at Tang San and Ye Qiu, observing them for a moment before exchanging glances with one another.
Finally, their gazes settled on an older boy.
That must be Wang Sheng.
Ye Qiu made a mental note, calmly holding onto his uniform while standing quietly behind Tang San.
Surrounded by the other children, Wang Sheng slowly walked forward, first looking at Tang San, then at Ye Qiu.
Their clothes, though neat, were covered in patches—making it obvious who they were.
Wang Sheng was taller than Tang San by two heads and had a sturdier build. Standing before them, he looked down at them slightly, speaking with authority.
"You two must be the new working students?"
"Hello, we're working students from Holy Soul Village."
Tang San nodded slightly, forcing a friendly smile onto his face.
"Hello."
Meeting Wang Sheng's gaze, Ye Qiu greeted him politely.
Wang Sheng nodded, crossing his arms over his chest with a hint of pride.
"Let's get to know each other. My name is Wang Sheng, my Martial Soul is the Battle Tiger, and I'm a future Battle Soul Master. I'm also the boss around here. So, kid, what's your name? And what's your Martial Soul?"
Tang San frowned slightly, disliking Wang Sheng's tone, but responded calmly.
"My name is Tang San. My Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass."
"Blue Silver Grass? Since when can a useless Martial Soul be cultivated?"
Wang Sheng looked shocked, and the other children burst into laughter.
Before Ye Qiu could speak, Wang Sheng impatiently continued.
"All right, Little San, from now on, I'm your boss. As long as you listen to me, I'll—"
"My name is Tang San, not 'Little San'!"
Tang San's expression turned cold. Before Wang Sheng could finish his sentence, he interrupted him firmly. At the same time, he shot a glance at Ye Qiu, who often liked to call him "Little San."
Ye Qiu simply shrugged, his face looking completely harmless.
"I'll call you Little San if I want to. What? You don't like it? If you've got the guts, fight me! If you win, I'll call you boss instead!"
Wang Sheng smirked, raising a hand to push Tang San's shoulder, making him take two steps back.
Ye Qiu chuckled.
Tang San also laughed—but his was out of irritation.
Originally, he had wanted to blend in as an ordinary student, but it seemed that approach would only invite trouble. Since that was the case, he had no reason to be polite anymore.
"Ye Qiu, hold this for me."
"No problem."
Ye Qiu grinned, taking Tang San's uniform.
Since he was here to study in peace, he decided he might as well deal with Wang Sheng's 'initiation test' properly.
Tang San raised a hand and arrogantly gestured for Wang Sheng to come at him.
"Come on then."
"You asked for it!"
Wang Sheng charged forward—only to be sent flying.
He crashed onto the ground, eating dirt, looking both stunned and furious.
"You little brat! You're asking for it!"
A yellow aura erupted around Wang Sheng as he let out a tiger-like growl, charging at Tang San again.
Tang San's gaze turned cold. He was curious about Martial Souls, but he wasn't afraid.
Wang Sheng lunged forward—
"Aaah! No—don't—ahhh!"
With a startled cry, Wang Sheng was flipped over by Tang San's Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon technique, crashing onto the ground once more.
The fight ended with Wang Sheng face-first on the floor—again.
Tang San twisted Wang Sheng's arm into a grappling hold, his voice indifferent.
"Can we talk properly now?"
"Ow! T-Tang San! Y-Yeah, okay, okay!"
Initially wanting to act tough, Wang Sheng immediately yelped in pain when Tang San applied pressure.
The moment he changed his tone, Tang San let go.
"Tang San, is your Martial Soul really Blue Silver Grass?"
Wang Sheng got up, rubbing his wrist, still somewhat shaken by Tang San's combat skills.
"Of course."
Seeing is believing.
Tang San raised his right hand, summoning his Martial Soul. A faint blue glow emerged from his palm, revealing a delicate, swaying blade of Blue Silver Grass.
"Then how are you this strong?"
It wasn't just Wang Sheng who was confused—everyone in the dormitory was.
"Because he has innate full soul power."
Ye Qiu's voice rang from behind, and he casually walked toward a bed he had taken a liking to.
"What?! Innate full soul power?!"
Wang Sheng's expression changed dramatically, and the other children gasped in shock.
None of them had expected a working student to possess such rare talent.
"Tang San…"
Tang San frowned slightly at Ye Qiu. Xuantian Treasure Record had taught him never to reveal all of his abilities to others. Though innate full soul power couldn't be hidden for long, he wasn't pleased with Ye Qiu speaking for him.
"They would have found out sooner or later."
Ye Qiu waved his hand nonchalantly, setting his uniform down and sitting on his chosen bed.
Wang Sheng looked at Tang San, his eyes filled with a mix of envy and admiration.
"Tang San, I'm really sorry about earlier. Every newcomer goes through this initiation. To protect ourselves from being bullied by other students, we need a leader."
Tang San smiled.
"So, you were deliberately provoking me to defeat and recruit me?"
Wang Sheng flushed in embarrassment, giving a sheepish grin.
"No, no, you were the one who put me in my place! Since you beat me, you're the new boss of Dormitory Seven."
Tang San shook his head.
"I came here to study."
"Come on, Little San, just accept it."
Ye Qiu popped a candy into his mouth and shrugged.
"Didn't you hear? Working students get bullied often. And we're working students too, so we're not exempt."
"Yeah, he's right."
Seeing that Tang San was hesitating, Wang Sheng quickly rolled up his sleeves, revealing large bruises on his arms.
"Look at this—I got these just yesterday when I arrived. If I'm like this, imagine how the others must be?"
The other students nodded, looking at Tang San with hopeful eyes. Weaklings could only survive by relying on the strong.
Tang San frowned.
Wang Sheng wasn't weak, yet even he had been beaten up. It seemed avoiding conflict wasn't an option.
After a moment of thought, Tang San nodded.
"Since that's the case, as the boss, I won't stand by and watch my dormmates get bullied."
"Awesome! From now on, protecting Dormitory Seven and our fellow working students is your job!"
Wang Sheng beamed, patting Tang San on the shoulder.
At that moment, a crisp, pleasant voice echoed from the entrance of Dormitory Seven.
"Excuse me, is this Dormitory Seven?"
Everyone turned toward the doorway—and immediately froze, staring in stunned silence.