Chapter 4: Even Crossing Worlds Cannot Let You Escape School

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Chapter 4: Even Transmigration Cannot Escape Going to School

A few days later, after finishing his spear practice, Zhong Yan pushed open the door of his home. Old Jack had already prepared the meal and was waiting for him.

“You’re back. Come eat.”

Zhong Yan had only taken a couple of bites when Old Jack spoke.

“Do you want to go to Spirit Hall?”

“Hmm... I’d like to visit Notting City first and study there for a few years. I don’t want to go to Spirit Hall so soon.”

“Ah, you’ve always been clever and had a mind of your own. Very well, then go to the city and attend a junior spirit master academy. That way, you can also look after Little San properly. That child has had such a hard life.”

At the mention of Tang Hao, Old Jack sighed and shook his head again. In his eyes, Tang Hao was practically the most irresponsible father in the world. Besides drinking and sleeping all day, he did nothing—not even cooking. Tang San had to prepare every meal himself. If Zhong Yan had not occasionally brought over some meat, Tang San would have been malnourished long ago.

...Break...

The day of departure for school finally arrived. Their training during this period had yielded excellent results. Zhong Yan’s physique had not merely grown stronger; he could now wield Rock Rain with considerable skill. At least in form, it was already quite impressive. As for the deeper force and intent behind it, he was still far from mastering them.

A rich fragrance of porridge drifted from Tang San’s house even before Zhong Yan reached the door.

This was the last time Tang San would cook for his father before leaving, so naturally he did not slack off. He had probably also saved some of the meat Zhong Yan had brought over but had not finished. After checking the firewood beneath the stove, Tang San added more water to the porridge. That way, when his father woke up, there would still be hot porridge waiting for him.

“Hey, Little San, it’s time to go.” Zhong Yan called toward the house. His voice was not loud, but Tang San could certainly hear him.

“Coming. Wait for me.”

As he spoke, Tang San pulled a piece of burned charcoal from the stove and wrote several lines on the ground. He then turned back and gazed reluctantly at his father’s room before shouldering his bundle and quietly leaving with Jack.

The door curtain lifted, and a tall figure emerged from the inner room. There was not the slightest trace of sleepiness in Tang Hao’s eyes. When he reached the doorway, he gazed in the direction the three of them had taken and stood there for a long time.

Written simply on the ground were two sentences:

“Father, Grandpa Jack and I have gone. Please take better care of yourself and drink less. The porridge is in the pot. Don’t forget to eat.”

“Little San...”

...On the Road...

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Tang San was leaving the village for the first time, and the longing for the outside world was difficult to suppress. He asked, “Grandpa Jack, could you tell me about the academy? What kind of place is it?”

“Let Ah Yan explain it to you. He knows far more than I do.”

“Little San, first, you’re entering as a work-study student. That means your tuition is waived, but you’ll have to work at the academy to earn money for your own upkeep. The school provides lodging, but not meals. Secondly, the place we’re going now is only a junior academy. It teaches basic knowledge, general studies about the continent, and cultural subjects. After six years, you can graduate.”

“What comes after that?”

“Afterward, there are intermediate academies. Generally speaking, their requirements aren’t high; they serve as a bridge between the basic and advanced levels. If you want to become a truly powerful spirit master, you’ll usually go on to an advanced spirit master academy. Of course, with the talent the two of us possess, that won’t be a problem at all. It’s just...”

“Just what?”

Zhong Yan did not know whether he should say it. After all, what exactly was Shrek Academy—the place Tang San would attend after graduation at the Grandmaster’s urging?

“Nothing. Where there are ordinary cases, there are naturally exceptions.”

“What exceptions?”

“Spirit Hall.”

“Why?” Tang San knew almost nothing about Spirit Hall. So far, his only impression of it was that it handled spirit awakenings.

“Spirit Hall belongs to neither empire. It possesses territory of its own: Spirit City, located between the two great empires. It is one of the most prosperous places on the continent. First, Spirit Hall provides free spirit awakenings for commoners. After all, the rulers of the two empires are nobles, and nobles look down on ordinary people.”

These opinions came partly from Zhong Yan’s memories of how nobles were depicted in his previous life’s stories about the continent. Having grown up under a red banner, he had an instinctive dislike of nobility, class divisions, and inequality.

Zhong Yan paused before continuing.

“Once you become a spirit master, you can go to Spirit Hall to collect money.”

“Collect money?”

“That’s right. Money. It isn’t a great deal, but you can receive it every month. Each time you break through to a higher level, the amount increases. It stops once you reach the Spirit Elder rank. After all, they can’t keep paying you forever. By then, you’ll be able to support yourself no matter what. Spirit Hall isn’t overflowing with money, either.”

“Spirit Hall sounds pretty good.”

“Yeah. It is.”

It was just a pity that you destroyed them and then caused the two great empires to wage war for more than ten thousand years.

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“All right, we’ve reached Notting City.” Old Jack glanced at his walking stick.

Tang San immediately raised his head. In the distance, they could already see a lofty arched gate. It was twenty meters wide and more than ten meters high, constructed entirely from hard stone. Beneath it stood two iron-barred gates, dark and imposing. Tang San could tell at a glance that they had been forged from the finest refined iron.

When they reached the academy entrance, the gatekeeper stopped the three of them. Perhaps because Zhong Yan had earned a little money in this life—and had never been stingy with himself—Old Jack, as part of the same household, was naturally not dressed too poorly either. Thus, even though Tang San had two patches on his clothes, the gatekeeper did not act as arrogantly as the one in the novel from Zhong Yan’s previous life.

“What brings you here?” the gatekeeper asked.

Old Jack said, “Young man, we’ve come from Holy Soul Village. These two children are the ones our village is sending to school this year. Do we need to complete any procedures?”

“Here to study? Do you have proof from Spirit Hall?”

“We do.”

As he spoke, Old Jack handed over the two certificates.

“Born with full spirit power?”

The young man’s expression immediately became respectful.

“Please, come in.”

After all, a certificate issued by Spirit Hall could not be false.

Even after the three of them entered, they could still hear the gatekeeper muttering quietly behind them.

“And there’s a Blue Silver Grass spirit? How could that possibly come with full innate spirit power?”

A flash of anger crossed Tang San’s eyes. No one could be happy at being looked down upon.

“There’s no need to stoop to his level.” Zhong Yan noticed Tang San’s displeasure. “A gatekeeper is a gatekeeper because his knowledge and abilities are only sufficient for guarding a gate. If you argue with him, you’ll only appear narrow-minded. You and he aren’t even in the same league.”

“Well said.”

A resonant voice came from behind them. Tang San turned and saw a medium-height, slightly thin man who had somehow appeared at their side. He looked to be in his forties or fifties, with short black hair cut close to the scalp and a very ordinary face. His hands were clasped behind his back, and his eyes carried a hint of languor and weariness whenever they opened and closed.

“Hello. Are you a teacher at this school?” Old Jack greeted him first.

“Teacher would be too generous. I’m merely someone who freeloads food and lodging here. You can call me Grandmaster. That’s what everyone calls me.”

So it was because you were unwilling to face your own name and your past. Only the title Grandmaster could offer you even a sliver of comfort.

Zhong Yan held the Grandmaster in considerable contempt. Even when he had read the novel in his previous life, he had thought the character was embarrassingly contrived, as though he had been forcibly pieced together simply to drive the plot forward.

I have no idea how many people are reading this book. Hmm... I’m considering whether to give the protagonist a little boost with his first spirit ring. Technically, his cheat ability is already set up, but if his first spirit ring isn’t at least purple, I’ll feel as though I’ve let down the authors of all those other fan works. On the other hand, I don’t want to make the protagonist’s advantage too overwhelming. Does anyone have suggestions about how powerful it should be?

End of Chapter