Douluo Dalu: Sword!

Chapter 5: Take mine!

The two noble students approached Gu Lin's table, their steps echoing loudly on the cafeteria floor.

Bam!

The taller one slammed his hand on the table with a thud that made the plates tremble.

"Hey, freshman," he said, his voice loud and drawn out for everyone to hear. "Living at Nuoding Academy isn't cheap. We can guarantee your protection if you offer us a few coins for lunch. Consider it a welcome fee."

Gu Lin continued eating his stew, picking up a piece of meat with his chopsticks before replying without looking at them. "I see. So you're beggars. I thought nobles had their own money, not that they needed to beg from others."

His voice was calm, but every word was like a needle.

The previously noisy cafeteria fell silent. A nearby boy choked on his food to stifle a laugh. The faces of the two nobles turned from arrogant to furious red.

"You bastard! Are you mocking us?" The second boy yelled, a vein throbbing on his forehead. He lunged forward, hands open like claws to grab Gu Lin's collar.

The attack was a blur of rage, but Gu Lin moved even faster. The instant the boy got close, Gu Lin put his hands on the table and leaped, landing softly back in his chair.

With a movement no one could quite follow, his hand came down and grabbed his assailant's hair.

Bang!

A dull thud sounded as he slapped the back of the boy's head with his palm, and then, with a disgusting 'splash,' he forcefully pushed his face into the plate of stew.

"Didn't want money for lunch? You can have mine." He smiled, leaping back.

"You damn commoner! What do you think you're doing!"

The other noble yelled in anger and also lunged, his fist swinging at great speed, cutting through the air towards Gu Lin.

But Gu Lin simply took a step to the side.

Woosh!

The punch missed his face by inches. Before the attacker could regain his balance, Gu Lin spun and delivered a precise, strong kick to the back of his knee.

Crack!

A crack sounded, and the boy cried out in pain, falling forward and colliding with his friend's back, who was still wiping his food-stained face. The impact sent both of them sprawling to the floor in a heap, groaning and covered in stew.

Hahahaha!

A burst of laughter swept through the cafeteria. It was a loud, genuine, and humiliating sound.

With faces burning with shame and fury, the two untangled themselves and got to their feet. "We're going to kill you!" one of them growled.

They prepared to attack again, but Gu Lin gave them no chance.

He looked at the two with a cold smile and also advanced. His movement was silent and incredibly fast. In a blink, he was in front of the first noble. His right hand rose, index finger extended and hard as iron, stopping millimeters from the boy's eye.

A deadly silence fell upon them.

The student froze, his entire body trembling. The anger in his eyes was replaced by pure terror. He could feel a cold, dangerous aura coming from the tip of that finger, a promise of pain that made him break out in a cold sweat.

"I... I... admit defeat," he stammered, his voice almost inaudible.

Gu Lin held his finger in place for another second before slowly lowering it. "Great," he said, his voice cold. "Now, the withdrawal fee."

The two looked at each other, too afraid to argue.

With trembling hands, they unbuckled their coin pouches from their belts and threw them onto the floor. The sound of the coins clinking together, a metallic *clink-clink*, seemed to echo through the silent cafeteria. Gu Lin picked them up without hesitation.

Without another word, the two turned and ran off, almost tripping over each other in their haste to escape.

Meanwhile, across the hall, Xiao Wu laughed heartily along with Wang Sheng and the others. She slapped the table, impressed. She knew she herself was strong and that Tang San was too, but she didn't expect to find another freshman student so powerful and dominant.

She decided right then and there. When Tang San returned from his trip with the Grandmaster, she would find a way to fight that boy.

---

Gu Lin, on the other hand, returned to his table as if nothing had happened.

He set down his own coin pouch and added the other two to it. First, he calmly sat down and, to everyone's astonishment, opened one of them and poured its contents onto the table with a loud clatter.

Gold and silver coins spilled out. With methodical patience, he began to count them one by one, his expression serious.

"One hundred... one hundred ten... one hundred twelve gold coins. And some silver. So poor," he said to himself, but loud enough for those nearby to hear. "I thought these noble sons would have more."

The people who heard him say that almost spat blood. The two from before were already relatively rich in the academy, and yet, this Little Demon said they were poor?

Gu Lin paid them no mind. He put the coins into a single pouch, picked up his now empty plate, and left it at the counter before calmly heading to his next class.

Everyone remained silent, observing him. But in the end, no one dared to stop him or say anything.

---

Gu Lin attended the afternoon classes normally. He listened to the teachers attentively, absorbing the basic knowledge about the continent.

At noon, while the other students went for lunch, he left the academy gates and walked through the streets of Nuoding City for some time, following the signs until he reached his destination: the Spirit Hall.

The structure was large, with a giant dome that stood out in the city. The building was a brown hue and about twenty meters tall. In front, above the main entrance, there was a simple emblem: a single long sword. Gu Lin knew this was the symbol of the lowest level of a Spirit Hall. It made sense for a small city like Nuoding.

A guard at the door stopped him as he approached.

"Greetings," Gu Lin said calmly. "I've come to take the spirit rank advancement test."

Hm?

The guard looked at Gu Lin's clothes, noting the Nuoding Academy uniform. There was a glint of envy in his eyes. He himself hadn't awakened spirit power, so being a guard was a good job, but he always dreamed of being a Spirit Master. Unfortunately, his fate wasn't so fortuitous.

He nodded and stepped aside. "You may enter. Look for Master Ma Xiu-Nuo."

Gu Lin thanked him again and entered.

The interior of the Hall immediately surprised him. It was even grander than the exterior. The entire dome was covered in colorful murals, each showing different types of Martial Souls. A golden light filled the place, coming from enormous crystal windows that reflected the sunlight.

For a moment, Gu Lin felt a little lost with such grandeur.

"Can I help you, little boy?" a soft voice suddenly asked, catching his attention.

A graceful young woman, about twenty years old, smiled at him, approaching.

Gu Lin bowed slightly in respect. "Hello. I'm here for the spirit advancement test."

Oh?

The woman covered her mouth with her hand, laughing lightly. "You mean you're here for your Martial Soul awakening, right? You can come with me, I can do that for you."

"No," Gu Lin replied firmly. "I've already gone through my spirit awakening. I'm here for the advancement test."

"How is that possible?"

The surprise on her face was clear. She looked him up and down, seeing that he barely seemed seven years old. But seeing the confidence in his eyes, she nodded, still in shock, and pointed to the staircase to the second floor. "This way, please."

She guided him to the second floor, and he followed her with slow steps, entering a smaller room where an old man with white hair, impeccable clothes, and an imposing aura stood beside a large blue crystal sphere.

"Master Ma Xiu-Nuo," the woman said. "This boy says he's here for the spirit advancement test."

Hm? To take the spirit advancement test? Are you sure?

The old man looked at Gu Lin, ready to ask the same questions the woman had asked earlier.

However, even before he could speak, Gu Lin simply released his Martial Soul. A long black sword with purple gleams appeared in his right hand. Immediately after, a bright yellow spirit ring rose from his feet and circled around him.

Ma Xiu-Nuo swallowed the words he was about to say. A smile appeared on his face. "Good, good, very good. Come here, young man, put your hand on the crystal sphere."

Gu Lin nodded and did as asked.

As soon as his hand touched the sphere, it shone intensely with a blue light. Numbers began to appear inside the crystal, rising quickly before stopping.

[Spirit Power, Level 13.]

The two adults in the room looked at the number, perplexed.

"You're already at level thirteen?" Ma Xiu-Nuo asked, surprise clear in his voice. "Which spirit ring did you absorb? When was this?"

"A Three-Eyed Shadow Cat. A few days ago," Gu Lin replied, a mix of lies and truths.

The old man and the woman nodded. "The compatibility must have been extremely high to give you a three-level advancement," estimated Ma Xiu-Nuo.

Gu Lin said nothing, but he knew it wasn't just compatibility. It was mainly the effect of his cultivation technique (Path of the Star Jade Body).

In the end, after Gu Lin filled out the documents and received the badge of an imperial spirit master, the old Master looked at him with renewed interest.

"Boy, you have incredible talent. Would you like to join our Spirit Hall? We can offer much better resources than any primary academy."

Gu Lin politely shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, Master. But I'm already a student at Nuoding Academy."