Chapter 10:

Chapter 10:

….

Today, Itachi and Xiao Wu were heading straight to the Nuoding City Academy.

As usual, Xiao Wu had insisted on stopping to explore and visit many places before going to the academy, but Itachi, in his self-proclaimed role as her older brother, didn't let her play around too much and made sure to set limits. Reluctantly, she agreed to head directly to the academy with the promise that they would explore Nuoding City later. If it were up to her, both of them would be late just so they could take a tour around before going to the academy.

"Spirit Masters! Everything is ready for departure!" the carriage driver announced respectfully.

"Hn," Itachi nodded.

"Xiao Wu, let's go! The carriage is ready!" Itachi called out to the young girl, who was jumping and playing nearby.

Xiao Wu quickly ran toward the carriage, holding several carrots in her hands.

"And those?" Itachi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh-oh… this… is a gift from Miss Mei," Xiao Wu answered, smiling timidly as she tried to hide the carrots so he wouldn't take them away.

"I see…" Itachi sighed and shook his head, slightly amused by Xiao Wu's antics.

…

Moments later, the two of them boarded the carriage.

Finally, the coachman mounted his horse and began the journey toward Nuoding Academy.

"Alright! Time to hit the road!" the driver said enthusiastically.

And so, the three of them departed for the Nuoding City Academy, waving to some of the villagers from the satellite town, along with Miss Mei, who had gathered to see off the young Spirit Masters who had been staying with them.

"Well, Brother Itachi, how long will it take to get to the academy?" Xiao Wu asked impatiently, knowing he always had an answer for everything. In her eyes, she practically thought he knew everything.

"It won't take long—just a couple of hours," Itachi informed her. Although they could have arrived much faster on foot using their spirit power, he had chosen not to for several reasons, the main one being to avoid complications once they arrived at the academy.

Itachi had taken the time to research the academy and its staff thoroughly. Among the things he learned was that the gatekeeper could be annoyingly troublesome, especially with students from poor backgrounds. Knowing Xiao Wu's temperament, he didn't want to risk drawing unnecessary attention or creating conflict on their first day. Traveling by carriage and letting the driver handle their introductions was enough to ensure the gatekeeper wouldn't have second thoughts about them or their origins.

Xiao Wu nodded with a smile, as always accepting his words as though they were universal truths, and happily started munching on her carrots.

The three of them traveled along one of the empire's official roads, making the journey safe and quick. Besides, no one would bother robbing a carriage that mostly carried fruits and vegetables.

…

After just a couple of hours, exactly as Itachi had predicted, they finally saw the tall, thick walls of the city in the distance.

Even though Nuoding City wasn't considered a large city, its proximity to the Heaven Dou Empire's border meant the city walls were built to be especially sturdy.

They also noticed a large number of carriages and people nearby, a clear sign that, despite being a smaller city, Nuoding's economy and trade were thriving.

The three of them entered the city after being checked like all the other travelers passing through.

Along the way, they passed several shops. Xiao Wu insisted on stopping to look at some of the items, and Itachi agreed, as he also wanted to browse and pick up a few things they might need at the academy.

But that was all, even if Xiao Wu seemed to want to walk around all the time, he didn't let her until they had arrived at the academy and had already enrolled in it.

…

Moments later…

"Young Spirit Master! We'll be arriving at Nuoding Junior Spirit Master Academy in just a few minutes…"

"Hn, thank you for your service," Itachi said politely.

"Oh, no need to thank me! It's my pleasure to assist young Spirit Masters!" the driver replied enthusiastically.

Itachi nodded but sighed internally. The level of respect ordinary people had for Spirit Masters in this world was excessive. At least in the Elemental Nations, ninjas were met more with fear than respect.

Ninjas had never received such high regard from society, so Itachi still couldn't fully understand the stark difference between the two worlds.

…

Nuoding Junior Spirit Master Academy was located in the western part of Nuoding City.

In the distance, they could already see a large gate arch. The arch was twenty meters wide and over ten meters tall, made of solid rock. Below it were two jet-black iron gates that Itachi noticed had been meticulously forged.

Through the iron bars, a winding path was visible. A main road led straight inside, flanked by trees on both sides.

At the top of the arch, four large characters read, "Nuoding Academy."

Even from the gate, it was clear that the vocation of Spirit Master held significant importance on the Douluo Continent. And this was only a kinda primary Spirit Master academy.

The gate itself was imposing, with a single guard lazily keeping watch. To Itachi, the man clearly posed no threat and didn't represent any real security.

Beyond the gate, students in blue uniforms could be seen chatting and laughing as they strolled through the beautifully maintained grounds.

"We're here!" the driver announced.

But just as he spoke, a louder voice cut through the air.

"Halt!" the guard yelled, looking at the driver, Itachi, and Xiao Wu inside the carriage. "Register yourselves!"

Itachi glanced down at himself. He no longer wore the simple, slightly worn clothes he had when he first met Xiao Wu. Now, both he and Xiao Wu were dressed in new, fine clothing. Purchased obviously with his money, since Xiao Wu did not have a single copper coin.

The guard noticed their outfits and instantly realized that the young people before him weren't poor.

As Itachi had planned, neither he nor Xiao Wu needed to say a word. The driver immediately responded on their behalf, providing the guard with all the necessary information. He explained who they were and where they had come from, mentioning only the satellite town and the spot given to them by Miss Mei, as that was all he knew.

That was more than enough to satisfy the guard, who quickly let them through without any further unnecessary questions. After all, they had the backing of a satellite town leader, and it was common for students from such towns to arrive each year.

Moreover, neither of them looked poor, so causing trouble for them could have easily backfired.

…

Once inside, Itachi and Xiao Wu focused their attention on the cobblestone path beneath the carriage. It was clean and well-maintained, lined with benches and flower beds on either side. Ahead of them stood a large fountain, the water sparkling in the sunlight.

The whole scene was… serene.

"Wow, it's beautiful…" Xiao Wu said, her eyes scanning the picturesque grounds. The academy looked more like a luxurious estate than a place of learning.

Even Itachi found himself comparing it to Konoha's academy from his previous life, which was far more utilitarian. This place? It was pure luxury.

…

Shortly after entering, the carriage stopped again, and they disembarked.

Itachi let Xiao Wu step down first, then thanked the driver before stepping down himself. Together, they walked toward the academy, with Xiao Wu hopping excitedly and looking around with curiosity.

But her attention was quickly drawn to the sound of quiet laughter nearby. Turning, Xiao Wu saw a group of girls standing by one of the flower beds, giggling as they looked at the pair—or rather, at Itachi, who undoubtedly had the air of a noble and striking young man, distinguished by his refined features.

Her face flushed slightly as a wave of irritation washed over her. Fixing the group of girls with a sharp, warning glare, she silently told them to stay away unless they wanted trouble.

Naturally, Itachi noticed all of this but didn't bother to concern himself with such things.

….

They made their way toward the largest building on the grounds—the academy's main building, whose imposing presence was almost overwhelming. Once inside, they approached the reception desk.

The receptionist, a middle-aged man, lazily looked up as they handed over letters written by Miss Mei. These letters contained simple identification forms detailing their names, martial souls, and approval to join the academy using the student work-study program.

The receptionist briefly scanned the letters and, without a word, led them through the building to the principal's office.

After a polite knock on the door, a voice called from inside: "Come in."

The office was surprisingly modest, given the grandeur of the academy.

A thin man sat behind a large wooden desk, writing something. He looked up as they entered, his eyes scanning them briefly before moving to the letters handed to him by the receptionist.

The principal's eyes moved over the two letters. His expression was unreadable at first, but then his eyes widened slightly when he read Xiao Wu's letter.

Itachi noticed the change, though the principal quickly resumed his calm demeanor.

"Can you show me your martial soul?" the principal asked Xiao Wu, his tone polite but curious.

Itachi assumed the principal was interested because her letter mentioned full innate spirit power.

Regardless, Xiao Wu complied and activated her martial soul: the Soft-Boned Rabbit.

Her martial soul manifested fluffy ears and a tail, also giving her the physical traits of a rabbit.

The principal's face remained calm, though his eyes betrayed a hint of confusion.

"Hmm, a rabbit martial soul with innate full power. Interesting," he remarked, leaning back in his chair.

Since Xiao Wu didn't want it known that her martial soul was actually the rare Soft-Boned Rabbit, she had even told Miss Mei it was just a common rabbit. Itachi had agreed with the idea and was surprised that Xiao Wu had come up with it herself.

She could be sharper than she seemed when she wanted to be.

"Work hard, and you'll go far," the principal finally said in a neutral tone. Though Itachi noticed subtle shifts in his expression, he assumed the principal was trying to piece together Xiao Wu's background, perhaps suspecting she had some connection to a spirit master clan or someone powerful.

In the end, despite neither of them having Spirit Hall certificates, the principal caused no trouble for them. The work-study program spot, along with the letter of approval from Miss Mei, which contained all the information they had provided about their martial souls, ensured their acceptance into the academy. All they had to do was demonstrate their martial souls for the academy's records, and the dean allowed them to enroll without issue.

When Itachi demonstrated his martial soul, the principal wasn't nearly as interested as he had been with Xiao Wu. Though he mentioned something about Itachi's martial soul having a certain resemblance to that of grandmaster Yu Xiaogang since the martial soul of both manifests itself outside the body.

"You'll both be staying in Dorm Seven, where all the work-study students live. Each year, you can schedule a meeting with me through the receptionist to collect your stipend… and your teachers will inform you of the work you'll need to do as work-study students"

Xiao Wu and Itachi nodded and left the office.

As they walked out, Xiao Wu couldn't help but ask why the principal seemed to ignore him and focus entirely on her—something that made her both nervous and annoyed.

It was kinda obvious to Itachi, but apparently not to her. It seemed that while Xiao Wu could come up with intelligent ideas and strategies on occasion, she still lacked the knowledge to make full use of her budding intelligence.