Wang Xiaotian's small eyes widened in shock as he looked at the legendary figure in front of him...
As the saying goes, "The barracks are made of iron, the soldiers flow like water." Or rather, "Su Yuntao is made of iron, the protagonists come and go like water."
Whether Wang Xiaotian is the protagonist or not, he dares not say, but Su Yuntao he's absolutely a renowned figure!
Even in his previous life, when he barely read any novels, he still knew of the famous Su Yuntao. There was just too much to say about him, he's practically the top boss of all NPCs!
Of course, all of that ran through his mind in a flash. Once Su Yuntao introduced himself, Wang Xiaotian responded politely, "Hello, Big Brother Yuntao, I'm Wang Xiaotian."
Whoa, my mouth is surprisingly sweet.
Then, Wang Xiaotian made up a background for himself: his mother died young, and his father was killed by a soul beast while trying to help him obtain a soul ring. After mourning at home, he had to go out and fend for himself.
Because he had no money, he heard people say that if you registered as a soul master at the Spirit Hall, you'd get some gold soul coins. And that's how this whole scene came about.
At this point, Wang Xiaotian even squeezed out two tears, putting on a heartfelt, emotional performance perfect!
"Ding! You told a lie. Your 'Silver Tongue' skill has slightly improved: 2/1000. Also, you've gained Su Yuntao's initial trust."
Wang Xiaotian: Pretend you didn't hear that, didn't hear it~…
"Good kid, you've had a tough time. Come on, big brother will take you to the Spirit Hall in Nuoding City." Whether it was Su Yuntao's overflowing compassion or the terrifying effect of the "Silver Tongue" skill, Su Yuntao believed him and even decided to bring him along.
"Really? Thank you, big brother!" If you're going to act, you have to go all in. Wang Xiaotian wasn't going to break character now.
"Haha, would I lie? Let's go!" Su Yuntao picked Wang Xiaotian up and walked toward his carriage.
As the "iron-clad Su Yuntao" no, as the deacon of the Spirit Hall's Nuoding City branch Su Yuntao naturally had his carriage. His business in the town was already wrapped up, so it was time to head back.
The coachman didn't question why Su Yuntao was carrying a child. After all, he was just a regular person, and Su Yuntao was a prestigious soul master there was a clear status gap.
Once both were seated, the coachman cracked the whip, and the two fine horses trotted out of the town.
Getting the rare chance to interact with someone like Su Yuntao a legendary, iron-clad NPC Wang Xiaotian felt a bit nervous. But then a crucial thought struck him: Has Su Yuntao already been to Saint Soul Village?
"Big Brother Yuntao, why did you come here?" Wang Xiaotian asked casually, trying to get some key info about the timeline.
If Su Yuntao had already been to Saint Soul Village, then Tang San might have already enrolled in school which would not be good for him.
"Oh, it's the annual Martial Soul Awakening Day. I came here to awaken martial souls for a few kids in town," Su Yuntao answered truthfully, not realizing Wang Xiaotian was probing for information.
"Then among the kids you awakened, were there any particularly talented ones?" Wang Xiaotian asked indirectly. After all, Tang San had innate full soul power talented.
"There were two with level six innate soul power not bad." Su Yuntao figured Wang Xiaotian was just a little competitive, and didn't overthink it.
"Oh, Xiaotian, what was your innate soul power when you awakened?" Su Yuntao asked with interest.
After all, Wang Xiaotian looked to be only around ten years old and was already a level 11 soul master not bad at all.
"Ah, mine was level five," Wang Xiaotian casually made up a number his situation was kind of unique.
Believe it or not, I started at ten years old with only level two soul power.
Still, that means my cultivation talent isn't bad, he thought proudly.
He glanced at the status: "Soul power needed to level up: 18/1000". Well, it's only gone up a little in a day, but not bad.
He hadn't meditated today, so that bit of progress came just from a few deep breaths drawing in spiritual energy.
The reason Wang Xiaotian could reach level ten in just ten days had a lot to do with his deep breathing during cultivation, plus his martial soul the Heavenly Flame Sword was one of the top-tier weapon spirits.
So, by combining deep breaths with active training and having a powerful martial soul his early progress skyrocketed.
"Oh, level five. That's pretty good. So, Xiaotian, what do you plan to do after you finish registering?" Su Yuntao asked, showing genuine concern.
He was even thinking, If Xiaotian really has nowhere to go, I'll try to keep him at the Spirit Hall. At least that would be a stable option for the kid.
After all, the Spirit Hall had deep foundations they wouldn't mistreat him.
"I plan to enroll at Nuoding Academy. That was also my father's dying wish," Wang Xiaotian said, noticing Su Yuntao seemed ready to suggest the Spirit Hall, so he quickly brought out the fictional father again.
That should shut you up now, right?
Even though Bibi Dong was a tragic figure, the Spirit Hall had too many strings attached it was best to keep his distance.
"Oh, I see. Nuoding Academy's not bad either. How about this after you finish registering, I'll write you a recommendation letter. That way, getting into the academy will be easy." Su Yuntao, being the kind man he was, decided to help this poor child all the way.
As the deacon of the Nuoding City Spirit Hall, his recommendation held weight. Getting Wang Xiaotian into school would be no problem.
"Thank you, Big Brother Yuntao." Wang Xiaotian even stood up and bowed deeply.
He had been worrying about how to get into Nuoding Academy and now Su Yuntao had solved it all. A real good guy. That bow was truly heartfelt.
As they chatted in the carriage, time flew by. After about two hours, they arrived at Nuoding City.
Nuoding City wasn't exactly a large city-state more like a medium or small-sized one. But even so, it had everything a city needed in a compact package.
Academy, Spirit Hall, City Lord's Mansion, business guilds, military everything was present...
The carriage stopped directly at the gates of the Spirit Hall. Then Su Yuntao first took Wang Xiaotian to the cafeteria for a good meal, and afterward brought him to register as a soul master.
Wang Xiaotian's soul power wasn't fake, of course. But when that golden soul ring rose beneath his feet, and he summoned the Heavenly Flame Sword, both the registrar and Su Yuntao were stunned a century-old soul ring, and not even a low-level one!
After filling in his personal information, Wang Xiaotian received a gold soul coin and his personal Soul Master badge.
From now on, your boy's officially certified!
Thanks to Su Yuntao's connection, the registration staff didn't scrutinize Wang Xiaotian's identity too hard. And that badge, to a certain extent, really did serve as proof of identity he was now officially a legitimate citizen of Douluo Continent!