Nuoding City

After ten days of walking, I finally reached my destination. The journey hadn't been easy—finding proper shelter proved challenging, but I managed by constructing temporary refuges in trees using my knife and spare clothes. Food required hunting in the forest, and I'd killed many animals: boars, birds, and countless rabbits. Soul Land certainly had no shortage of rabbits.

I couldn't adequately describe how delicious those rabbits tasted. Just a bit of roasting and some wild herbs transformed them into something heavenly. During my journey, I even encountered bandits, but thanks to my Mystic Eye and the bow I'd crafted, I ended up robbing them instead. The encounter left me with nearly 100 gold coins—and yes, I killed them. Their lecherous gazes alone had made me determined to end their lives.

It was a disturbing encounter, but it clarified something important: in a world without proper rules and laws, I would inevitably meet such people again and again. Killing humans for the first time produced an undeniably new and disgusting feeling. I couldn't control my body's reaction—vomiting everything I'd eaten and skipping meals for an entire day afterward. Only when hunger became unbearable did I return to normal, my body's survival instinct overriding everything else.

After all these experiences, I finally reached Nuoding city. The bustling streets were a stark contrast to the solitude of the forest. People moved about their daily lives—merchants hawking their wares, children playing in the streets, and guards patrolling with stern expressions. In my past life, I'd only experienced this world through my friend's passionate retellings. Now, as Qingxue, I was living it, breathing it.

My first order of business was to inquire about the Nuoding Academy admission process. I approached a public notice board in the city center, scanning the various announcements until I found what I needed.

"The new admission for Nuoding Academy will be held in three weeks' time, if you want to be admitted, you must have 10 gold coins as tuition fees." an elderly man beside me commented, noticing my interest. "Are you planning to apply, young lady?"

"Yes," I replied, maintaining my composure despite the excitement bubbling within. "Could you tell me if students named Tang San or Xiao Wu have registered yet?"

The old man raised an eyebrow. "I work as a clerk at the academy. No students by those names have registered. Are they friends of yours?"

I smiled politely. "Just acquaintances I was hoping to meet again."

After confirming that neither Tang San nor Xiao Wu had arrived yet—good, I was ahead of schedule—I decided to make the most of my time. The knowledge from my past life gave me an edge, but I needed to supplement it with this world's formal education.

Taking some time to explore, I visited nearby shops searching for books and supplies. The marketplace was a labyrinth of narrow streets and clustered stalls. Eventually, I found a modest bookstore tucked between a herbalist and a weapon smith.

"Welcome," the shopkeeper greeted, his voice raspy with age. "What kind of book do you seek?"

"Anything about martial spirits, soul cultivation, and spirit beasts," I replied, my eyes already scanning the shelves.

The shopkeeper studied me with newfound interest. "Ambitious reading for someone so young. Books on such topics are luxury items for commoners, sold at exorbitant prices."

I produced a pouch of gold coins. "I have the means."

His eyes widened slightly at the jingle of coins. "Then I shall show you our rarest volumes."

After careful selection, I spent nearly 50 gold coins purchasing various texts that caught my interest. The weight of knowledge in my arms felt satisfying as I left the shop. In my previous life, learning about Soul Land came through secondhand information—fragmented, sometimes contradictory. Now I could study it directly from the source.

I secured lodging at a modest inn near the academy and settled into my room for the evening. The space was small but clean, with a single bed, a wooden desk, and a washing basin. After a simple meal of roasted meat and vegetables, I laid out my newly acquired treasures on the desk.

Among my purchases was "The Ten Great Core Spirit Competencies," a book supposedly containing fundamental theories about martial spirits. The leather-bound volume looked impressive, its cover adorned with golden emblems representing the various spirit types. As I sat in my rented room that evening, I lit a candle and began reading:

"First point, each person's martial spirit can only inherit the more powerful and outstanding one from his parents."

I snorted, unable to contain my reaction. If that were true, how did Yu Xiaogang explain Tang San's twin martial spirits? The theory contradicted itself. The only way to inherit twin martial spirits would be if both parents' spirits possessed identical quality—something extremely rare. And he said to Tang San that it's not possible for him to have full innate soul power with just blue-silver grass as only martial spirit because it is weaker than Clear Sky hammer. Tang San's clear sky hammer and Blue Silver Grass couldn't possibly align with this simplistic theory if blue-silver grass and the hammer are not same in quality.

I remembered how my friend had described Tang San's unique situation—the protagonist of Soul Land, born with two spirits, each from a different parent. Did Yu Xiaogang lack that knowledge, or was he deliberately simplifying for the masses?

"Second, there is a very low probability that a martial spirit will mutate during the inheritance process. Such mutations may be good or bad."

How vague. Wasn't a theory supposed to explain phenomena with proper understanding? This just stated the obvious without providing any insight. It was like saying "sometimes it rains, sometimes it doesn't." What factors influenced these mutations? Under what conditions did they occur? The text offered nothing substantial.

"Third, the awakening of soul power is often related to the quality of the martial soul. The better the martial soul, the higher the innate soul power."

Another statement of common sense, yet it failed to explain anomalies. Take Zhu Zhuqing and her sister—same martial spirit but different talents. If martial spirit quality directly determined innate soul power, how could such differences exist? Was there no room for individual potential, for the strength of one's spirit or determination?

I closed my eyes, recalling my own awakening. My martial spirit had manifested as the Mystic Eye—rare but not unprecedented. Yet the system had granted me additional innate soul power beyond what would be expected. Would Yu Xiaogang will dismiss my case as a fluke, an unexplainable mutation?

I continued through the remaining points, growing increasingly frustrated:

"Fourth, the advancement of a soul master requires the acquisition of soul rings. The soul rings are divided into five levels, according to the number of years the soul beast has lived: white for ten years, yellow for a hundred years, purple for a thousand years, black for ten thousand years, and red for the last hundred thousand years."

Yu Xiaogang presented this as if they personally categorized all soul rings. How could anyone calculate these ranges so precisely? This knowledge clearly came from another source—otherwise, how could so many Title Douluos exist with proper soul ring configurations?

I ran my fingers over the page, feeling the subtle texture of the paper. The information wasn't wrong, but it lacked depth. There was no mention of the compatibility between specific spirits and soul rings, no discussion of the risks involved in absorbing rings beyond one's capability.

My Achievement system had already granted me "+500 years spirit ring absorption"—an advancement that would put me ahead of my peers when the time came to obtain my first ring. But if it was anyone other that advantage would be wasted without understanding the nuances the book failed to address.

"Fifth, soul masters all have their own development direction. They should choose the development direction for training according to the characteristics of their own martial souls."

I thought about Tang San's Blue-Silver Grass. Its characteristics were vitality and life force, yet which direction did he choose? Poison and control. Yu Xiaogang wasn't even following his own theory. Tang San's development path was determined not by his spirit's inherent nature but by his creative application and also as a lab mouse to test his theory.

The Mystic Eye granted me enhanced perception and analysis—would I be limited to developing only those aspects? Or could I, like Tang San, forge my own path based on my unique circumstances and knowledge?

"Sixth, when a soul master reaches a bottleneck in cultivation, even without obtaining a soul ring immediately, continuing to practice will not affect the improvement of soul power."

How many soul rings had Yu Xiaogang absorbed? Two? How could anyone be certain after just two trials that soul power accumulates during bottlenecks? Clearly plagiarized from elsewhere. The concept itself wasn't necessarily wrong, but presenting it as original insight seemed disingenuous.

I paused my reading, stretching my arms above my head. The candle had burned lower, casting longer shadows across the room. Outside, the sounds of the city had quieted as night settled in. I poured myself a cup of water from the pitcher and continued my critical analysis.

The seventh point about weapon versus beast martial souls, in which it was stated that weapon soul master become stronger than beast soul master after level 70. It was beyond my current knowledge, but the eighth—"There are no useless martial spirits in the world, only useless soul masters"—Does Yu Xiaogang was researching to just define himself as a waste. It seemed more like a statement meant to comfort those with weak spirits.

I understood the intent—to inspire those with seemingly inferior spirits to maximize their potential. But it glossed over the harsh reality of this world. A Spirit Master with a rabbit spirit would never match one with a dragon, no matter how diligently they trained. It was a comforting lie that ignored the inherent inequality of the system.

"Ninth, martial spirits have no restrictions on the absorption of soul rings. Even plant-type martial spirits can absorb the soul rings of animal-type soul beasts."

This theory made Yu Xiaogang a menace to Soul Land's entire cultivation system. What did weapon martial souls even absorb? Thousand-year-old iron ore? Wouldn't absorbing something closer to your martial soul's basic origin strengthen its foundation more effectively?

I recalled a conversation from my past life, my friend passionately explaining how the cultivation system in soul land worked, even it was irritating, but I liked how it was a cool cultivation system. Yu Xiaogang's simplistic statement undermined that nuance, potentially leading inexperienced Spirit Masters to make critical errors in their development.

"Ten, even if they are completely different martial spirits, it is possible to give birth to martial soul fusion skills."

The only point with some merit, probably because Yu Xiaogang experienced it firsthand. But even this seemed more like a martial soul fusion meant to complement defects in the original spirit rather than true innovation. The text provided no insight into how such fusions occurred or could be developed—just the statement that they existed.

I closed the book with a sigh, placing it carefully on the desk. My knowledge from my past life—though fragmented—already surpassed what this "authoritative" text offered. As if responding to my thoughts, a notification from my Achievement system appeared, glowing softly in the dimly lit room:

[Gold rank achievement: Read most mentioned book of Soul Land || Claim: All Soul beast Visual book, Soul core formation technique and All Immortal products Visual book.]

I stared at the notification, momentarily stunned. This was... incredible. The Achievement system had recognized my critical engagement with a fundamental text and rewarded me accordingly. And as I claimed all the knowledge poured into my head directly. Its like I can retrieve the book in my mind anytime to access the content inside it.

The first, "All Soul Beast Visual Book," featured intricate illustrations of countless spirit beasts categorized by habitat, power level, and spirit ring compatibility. The second, "Soul Core Formation Technique," detailed methods to form soul core which was introduced in SL2. The third, "All Immortal Products Visual Book," contained information on rare product and plant and even taught how to harvest and use it. It will be the most important in the future while taking immortal products

These weren't just books—they were treasures that even established academies might not possess in their entirety. I carefully opened "All Soul Beast Visual Book," marveling at the detailed anatomical drawings and spirit energy flow diagrams for each beast. This would be invaluable when choosing my first spirit ring.

A smile spread across my face as I realized the implications. The Achievement system wasn't just giving me arbitrary rewards—it was providing exactly what I needed at each stage of my journey. It understood the path I was on better than I did myself.

I spent hours poring over the new books, absorbing as much information as my tired mind could handle. The "Soul Core Formation Technique" will be important in later stage as it will become most broken improvement for me in later stage.