Chen Ping exhaled quietly, his mind racing as he flashed a practiced smile.
He quickly recalled the details of the client's case. As long as this burly soul master wasn't here to cause a scene, things would be fine. If he handled this well, he might even convince some nearby parents to buy meal plans for their kids.Tang Xiaolong?
That's nonsense!" the man barked, visibly annoyed. "My son's name is Wang Xiaolong. He takes my surname. Don't listen to his mother's nonsense."The man's expression darkened, as if a troubling thought had surfaced. He hesitated before adding,
The Tang Sect's barely hanging on these days. If my son took the Tang name, he'd be walking into a disaster."Chen Ping knew better than to dig into personal matters. He nodded swiftly.
My mistake. Wang Xiaolong. Innate soul power of 2.5, eight years old, currently at soul power level 5. He's aiming for the Seventh National Academy of Heavenly Soul, right?It's close to home, well-regarded, and the tuition's affordable since it's a national school, Chen Ping went on.
It's a great choice. With hard work, he's got a solid chance."He rifled through his basket, pulling out the relevant documents while confirming the details with the soul master.
The man's stern face softened a bit. Chen Ping's clear recollection of his son's information seemed to ease his irritation, though a trace of resentment lingered—likely due to Chen Ping's steep fees."Your facts are straight,
the man said, arms crossed. "But why, you profiteer, did you convince my son to switch from a control-type soul master to a healing-type?
Don't you know his martial soul is the same as the Sea God Tang San's from ten thousand years ago? With the Tang Sect's techniques, he should be—Chen Ping gently interrupted, pulling a freshly printed statistical table from his basket.
The Seventh Academy of Heavenly Soul is among the top twenty advanced academies in the Heavenly Soul Empire.
Control-type soul masters need to reach level 20 by age fifteen to get in and level 30 by age twenty to graduate. Auxiliary-type soul masters, though, only need level 18 by fifteen for admission and level 25 by twenty for graduation.
He let the numbers sink in. "Over the past twenty years, the Seventh Academy's graduation rate is 91%.
That means nine out of every hundred students don't graduate. Most of those who fail have innate soul power of level 2 or 3.
They work hard to get in, often outpacing peers with level 4 or 5 soul power at the same age. But if they ease up even slightly after enrolling, they fall behind and can't meet the graduation requirements. They leave with a completion certificate, not a diploma."Chen Ping's tone grew serious.
Most schools, except Shrek with its strict entry and graduation standards, are lenient on admission but tough on graduating. Getting into a good school is hard, but earning a diploma is harder—especially for soul masters with Blue Silver Grass martial souls."He glanced at the man.
The Tang Sect's techniques are impressive, but they don't suit everyone.
As parents, you don't want your son to miss out on a diploma over a preventable mistake,
right? Plus, if he goes the auxiliary route, can't he learn from his mother?"The man's eyes twitched, clearly irked at being called
parents" by someone just a few years older than his son. Still, Chen Ping's words hit home. His approach was straightforward: lay out the data and let the man decide for himself.
The man didn't know where Chen Ping got his numbers, but they struck a nerve. In this era, soul masters needed academic credentials for good jobs. Without a diploma from a proper soul master academy, options were slim.
The man himself, unable to graduate from an intermediate academy, relied on his naturally strong martial soul to work as a dock laborer—a better gig than most soul masters of his level could land."But a healing-type soul master?" the man asked, still skeptical.
Can Blue Silver Grass even handle that?"Chen Ping flipped through his backpack and pulled out a crisp manuscript, scanning a few pages.
Here's the stat breakdown for Blue Silver Grass. Among plant-based martial souls, its toughness, length, flexibility, and tensile strength are near the bottom. Its additional attributes? Basically nonexistent.
No toxicity, no elemental damage modifiers. We're not talking about a rare mutation like Thundering Hell Vine here."He pointed to the chart.
The only standout traits for Blue Silver Grass are its growth rate and recovery rate.
It uses minimal soul power to spread over a large area. Instead of competing with control-type soul masters who have far stronger attributes, why not lean into its strengths?
An auxiliary-type soul master path makes more sense."Chen Ping's voice grew earnest.
And let's be honest—Blue Silver Grass as a control-type martial soul is outclassed. It's not just competing with other plant-based soul masters. Against elemental control-type soul masters, it has no edge at all.
He leaned in slightly.
If Tang San's Blue Silver Grass wasn't secretly the Blue Silver Emperor, boosted by rare treasures like the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Fiery Apricot for ice and fire immunity, he'd have been crushed by elemental control soul masters of his level.
The man bowed his head, deep in thought. Chen Ping's argument was persuasive, but he clung to one last objection.
Still, the Tang Sect's ancestor from ten thousand years ago…
Chen Ping waved a hand, careful not to reveal that Tang San's martial soul was the Blue Silver Emperor. "The Blue Silver Grass Tang San used and the one your son has?
They're not the same. Look, I'm guessing your wife's family is tied to the Tang Sect, right? Have your son learn a few of their techniques from her—especially the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
An auxiliary soul master with strong survival skills will be in demand everywhere.
You'll be set for life.
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