Due to the typhoon and torrential rain, the once bustling streets of Donghai City were almost deserted, appearing somewhat desolate and quiet.
Lin Xiuran continued his slow progress in the heavy rain, raindrops still pattering against his already completely soaked clothes.
Fortunately, the typhoon had largely moved away, leaving only the rain continuing to fall; otherwise, he might have been blown away.
His solitary figure appeared somewhat lonely amidst the downpour. He certainly hated the rain, as it had soaked him completely, yet he was also grateful for it, for at this moment, only the endless rain accompanied him.
The typhoon and torrential rain slowed Lin Xiuran's journey considerably; it took him about an hour to reach Donghai Academy.
This time was actually relatively fast. A large part of the reason was that he frequently walked from the Xu family villa and was very familiar with the route; otherwise, it might have taken twice as long.
Donghai Academy was a large academy, possessing both intermediate and advanced academic qualifications. Therefore, the academy is divided into intermediate and advanced departments.
Lin Xiuran is a student in the intermediate department, currently in Class 1 of the first year. The ranking of a class is determined by the promotion competition, making his class quite strong. However, in reality, it's just an ordinary class because the academy has integrated resources to create a "Zero Class" for their year, accessible only to the most outstanding students. He didn't join Zero Class, even though his innate soul power is level nine. His martial soul, the Wind Bird, is too ordinary.
Level nine soul power with an ordinary martial soul is strange and illogical. After all, to a certain extent, the higher the martial soul level, the higher the innate soul power; the quality of the martial soul and the level of soul power are directly linked. This is difficult for Lin Xiuran to accept. In this world, the martial soul essentially determines a soul master's upper limit. Even with level nine innate soul power, it's almost impossible for him to achieve significant breakthroughs in the future.
Because of the typhoon, Donghai Academy was closed and classes were suspended. The classroom of Class 1, Grade 1 was empty, providing Lin Xiuran with a temporary refuge from the storm.
Ironically, the lower and intermediate academies were under the federally mandated Yiwu education system, free of charge. If tuition were required, he might not be able to afford school and would lose this last refuge.
His parents had never given him a penny of pocket money, let alone tuition. For years, he had earned extra money through part-time jobs, buying clothes and saving for soul spirits, all to prepare for the tuition of the advanced soul master academy.
He couldn't afford not to improve; becoming stronger was the best way to escape his current predicament, so he had to plan ahead.
In the empty classroom, after thinking for a while, Lin Xiuran slumped weakly onto his desk, his mind growing increasingly heavy, his consciousness fading.
"
Where...am I?"
His eyelids were still heavy, but Lin Xiuran could already smell the pungent disinfectant. He slowly opened his eyes, and all he saw was a white ceiling.
"Awake?"
Lin Xiuran looked towards the source of the voice. Sitting next to him was a girl, who looked to be fourteen or fifteen years old. Her figure was already quite developed, and even a pink coat couldn't hide her alluring figure. Her skin was as white and smooth as jade, and her long blue hair was neatly tied in a ponytail. The girl was very beautiful, with delicate features and large, watery eyes.
"Sister Zixin, what are you doing here?" Lin Xiuran called out with some difficulty, his voice very hoarse, and his throat extremely sore.
Seeing Ouyang Zixin, he subconsciously tried to get up, but even the slightest movement made his whole body ache, as if it were falling apart. "Don't move, just rest." Ouyang Zixin quickly helped Lin Xiuran lie down and tucked him in.
"Xiaoyan called me via soul communication, saying you ran away from home. I just arrived at the academy and ran into your homeroom teacher, Ye Yingluo, bringing you to the infirmary. They found you had a high fever."
Ouyang Zixin then took out the medicine prescribed by the doctor and placed it on the bedside table, saying, "Teacher Ye just left. I'll wait here for you to wake up."
Lin Xiuran looked at the girl beside him, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Sister Zixin, it's you and Teacher Ye who helped me again. I don't know how to thank you enough."
"What nonsense are you talking about, little brother?" Ouyang Zixin laughed and scolded, then said without thinking, "Who told you to be Senior Xu's brother?"
Lin Xiuran's expression froze, and he finally managed a rather awkward smile before gently closing his eyes.
Ouyang Zixin didn't think anything was wrong. Just then, a soul communication came in, so she went out to answer it.
Returning shortly after, she saw Lin Xiuran with his eyes closed, assuming he wanted to rest. She smiled and said, "Little brother, take good care of yourself. There are some new clothes I prepared for you. Your clothes were all soaked, so the doctor changed you into a hospital gown. Change into it after you've rested. Okay, your brother's calling me to eat. I need to go to my dorm to prepare."
After instructing Lin Xiuran, Ouyang Zixin couldn't wait to leave. Her eyes were filled with undisguised joy, even though she tried her best to suppress it.
Only after Ouyang Zixin had completely left did Lin Xiuran slowly open his eyes, his expression filled with complex emotions.
Before, in his eyes, Ouyang Zixin was arguably the person he was most grateful to and looked forward to in the world.
Before awakening his martial soul, Lin Xiuran had known Ouyang Zixin. She was a few years older than him and had always taken good care of him.
Their relationship had always been friendly; despite the age difference, they could be considered childhood sweethearts—or at least, that's how Lin Xiuran perceived them.
But now, for no apparent reason, he felt a sharp pain in his heart.
This feeling was complex, and it wasn't entirely because Ouyang Zixin had feelings for Xu Xiaoyu. More than anything, he feared that Ouyang Zixin's help wasn't genuine, but rather because of his nominal brother, Xu Xiaoyu.
If that were the case, their relationship would be tainted.
After resting for a while, Lin Xiuran got up to go out. He had originally planned to go to the Spirit Pagoda; he was now level nineteen and needed to acquire a Soul Spirit. He had saved enough money these past few days to buy a cheaper Soul Ring.
Since it concerned cultivation, Lin Xiuran didn't feel like lying there any longer. Actually, his body was much better now; after all, he was a Soul Master, with a physical constitution far superior to that of an ordinary person. A mere heavy rain couldn't defeat him.
(End of Chapter)