Tang San smiled. "It's just luck." His strength was his own; he didn't need anyone to believe anything.
Dai Mubai told Ma Hongjun the names and Martial Souls of the four newcomers, including Tang San. As for Tang San's true strength, he didn't explain too much, only hinting to Ma Hongjun that it would be best not to provoke him.
After the introductions, Dai Mubai continued, "We'll all be living and cultivating together from now on, so there's no need to be too formal with how we address each other. Including the four of you newcomers, the academy only has seven people total. Xiao Ao and Fatty both call me Boss Dai, since I'm a bit older than them. You can just call me Mubai. As for Ma Hongjun, just call him Fatty. And that guy Oscar — you can call him Xiao Ao or Uncle Big Sausage, either one works. Tang San, how about I call you Xiao San from now on?"
Tang San nodded, indicating he had no objections. Although he hadn't had much contact with Shrek Academy yet, he was already developing a sense of belonging. Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun — these three students each had their own distinct personalities, but none of them rubbed him the wrong way.
Before Dai Mubai could get to the others, Ning Rongrong said cheerfully, "Just call me Rongrong. That's what all my family and friends call me."
Her smile was ever-present, and that simple sentence invisibly drew her closer to everyone.
Xiao Wu's nickname didn't need to change, of course. When Dai Mubai's gaze fell on Zhu Zhuqing, she stood up. "I'm finished eating." With that, she turned and walked out.
Ma Hongjun looked at Dai Mubai with some surprise. "Boss Dai, weren't you supposed to be irresistible among women — the so-called ladies' man? Why doesn't that new beauty even want to spare you a glance?"
Dai Mubai gave a bitter smile and shook his head, but didn't explain.
Tang San turned to Dai Mubai. "Mubai, we're all new here. Why don't you tell us about the academy's rules and curriculum?"
Dai Mubai forcibly pulled his thoughts away from Zhu Zhuqing and said, "The academy doesn't have many special rules. Simply put — no abducting or pillaging, but fighting is encouraged, and so is gambling."
A faint smile appeared on Tang San's face. The Monster Academy truly lived up to its name — even the teaching methods were completely different from Nuoding Academy.
Dai Mubai explained, "The teachers believe that combat is the best shortcut to mastering your Martial Soul, and that building real combat experience is extremely important. As for gambling, it's a battle of the mind — it's very beneficial for strengthening your mental fortitude, observation skills, and judgment. Of course, everything should be done in moderation. Simply put: no killing in fights, and don't gamble away your pants, and you'll be fine."
"As for the curriculum — I can't speak for the future, since our classes change at any time. After all, there are only so few of us, and there are actually more teachers than students. So the academy adjusts the curriculum based on each individual's situation. But today's curriculum I can be certain about — the most important item is: paying up. The academy's annual tuition is one hundred gold coins. For all of you who are Great Soul Masters, that shouldn't be a problem at all."
When Dai Mubai reached this point, Xiao Wu couldn't help but interject. "Boss Dai, you said yesterday that the academy was poor. But how could it be poor? The teachers we've encountered are at the sixty-something level, even the seventy-something level. Based on their ranks, the subsidies they receive from Spirit Hall should be astronomical figures on their own. Supporting such a small academy shouldn't be a problem, right?"
According to Xiao Wu's estimation, a Soul Master's subsidy was one gold coin per month, a Great Soul Master received ten gold coins, and by the Soul Venerable rank it should be one hundred gold coins. A Soul Ancestor would get one thousand, a Soul King ten thousand, and a Soul Emperor should receive one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins per month. Not to mention Zhao Wuji, whom they had faced yesterday — he was a Soul Saint, which meant one million gold coins per month. Just thinking about it was a staggering number.
Dai Mubai shook his head. "If things worked the way you described, the academy certainly wouldn't need to worry about income. But that's not how it actually is. The subsidies Spirit Hall provides are actually funded by the Empire and distributed by Spirit Hall on its behalf. Subsidies are only given up to the Soul Venerable rank — one hundred gold coins per month, just like what I get now. Beyond the Soul Venerable rank, not only do the subsidies not increase, they disappear entirely. In other words, starting from Soul Ancestor and above, Soul Masters cannot receive any subsidies from Spirit Hall. When you go to Spirit Hall each month to collect your subsidies, there's a Soul Power test, right? That's to determine whether your Soul Power has exceeded the fortieth rank. Once it has, the subsidies are immediately cut off."
This time even Tang San couldn't help but be curious. "Why would that be? Logically, the stronger a Soul Master is, the more valuable they should be."
Dai Mubai said, "But we have to look at it practically. Although Soul Masters are a noble profession and true Soul Masters are few in number, they still form a group that's not exactly small. You can all do the math — if subsidies were distributed proportionally all the way up, at the Soul Saint rank, the monthly subsidy would be one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, and per year that would be one point two million. What an enormous number that is! Never mind anywhere else — if our academy's teachers collected subsidies based on their ranks, and if the Empire paid in full, their combined annual income would equal one-tenth of Sotuo City's entire annual economic output. What an absurdly vast sum that would be! And across the entire Empire, while high-rank Soul Masters are few in number, distributing subsidies on that scale would be enough to bankrupt the whole Empire."
"That's why the Empire stipulates that subsidies are meant to encourage and assist low-rank Soul Masters in their cultivation, helping them improve their strength as quickly as possible. But once you reach the fortieth rank and above, you're already a fairly powerful Soul Master and can fully choose to swear allegiance to the Empire or join the military. In that case, the Empire will provide appropriate compensation. Of course, Soul Masters also have the freedom to choose — joining certain noble families can also bring in considerable income."
(End of Chapter)