The principal chuckled bitterly, "Ye Yu, the academy can't come up with that much money all at once right now, at most we can offer six hundred Gold Soul Coins. Can we pay the rest in installments?"
Ye Yu said, "The academy's rules are like that, they never said anything about paying in installments. Isn't it supposed to be settled in full before a student leaves?"
The principal was in a dilemma, "I really want to pay it all at once, but we just can't come up with that much. If we could, I definitely would give it to you. The thing is, I never expected anyone could graduate in less than a day. Even if someone graduated in a year, we never considered it possible."
The principal sincerely wished he could hand over the eleven hundred Gold Soul Coins to Ye Yu in one go. Awakening the Martial Soul at the age of six, then becoming a twenty-first level Grand Soul Master at six, was simply astonishing, an extraordinary feat. The principal was sure Ye Yu would be remarkable in the future. Despite having a Wasted Martial Soul, rumors said Ye Yu had an extraordinary constitution. Perhaps, Ye Yu might really earn a name for himself someday.
Naturally, the principal wanted to build a relationship with Ye Yu. Paying in full would leave a good impression, and years later when Ye Yu became a Soul Douluo, Nuoding Academy would become famous. He believed that by then, children would flock to Nuoding for education.
So the principal really wanted to settle the debt in one go, but eleven hundred Gold Soul Coins was a substantial fortune even for noble families, and the academy couldn't manage such an amount at once.
Ye Yu also understood the principal's difficulty in only being able to provide that much initially and nodded, "Alright, then give me the six hundred Gold Soul Coins first. When will the remaining be settled?"
The principal solemnly stated, "The remaining six hundred Gold Soul Coins will be paid off in six months. Every month, I'll give you one hundred, and personally deliver it to you at Nuoding Intermediate Academy."
The principal, somewhat nervous and expectant, asked, "Ye Yu, after graduation, you will attend Nuoding Intermediate Academy, right?"
"Yes, the noble academies don't suit me; the people there are mostly arrogant second generations."
"That's good," the principal felt both energized and relieved, letting out a long sigh of relief.
"Please wait for a moment; I'll head to the treasury to get the money now."
The principal left at his fastest pace, quickly returning with a heavy, bulging bag. Opening it revealed stacks of the shining gold coins inside.
The principal didn't feel any pang of loss, believing that the returns in the following years would exceed the value of these Soul Coins.
Ye Yu, without any reservation, took the graduation certificate and the admission letter to Nuoding Intermediate Academy and left.
The principal then hurriedly left the academy, heading to Nuoding Intermediate Academy to inform the intermediate academy's principal. He wanted the intermediate academy's principal to focus on training Ye Yu and meet all the necessary conditions.
The intermediate academy principal, a friend of Master, was a forty-second level Soul Sect, around fifty years old, named Ma Yun.
Upon hearing the news, Dean Ma Yun was astonished and asked for details, to which the principal shook his head, "He didn't say, and I didn't ask much."
"Hmm, once Ye Yu graduates from school, the students will surely know. You should issue a notice saying that any student who leaks this information will be expelled and barred from entering academies in nearby cities."
"Understood."
They would not allow this matter to spread out of the academy, aiming to monopolize the news. Otherwise, if it leaked beyond Nuoding City, other academies would seek to poach Ye Yu. Although Ye Yu was already a Nuoding student, if a noble academy insisted on taking him, they weren't confident they could retain him.
At this moment, Ye Yu along with Tang San, Xiao Wu, Wang Sheng, and Xiao Lizi went to the cafeteria for a meal.
Since Ye Yu was about to leave Nuoding Junior Academy, they planned for a short reunion over dinner.
As for Xiao Shunzi, he would have to work a bit harder to clean the area they were supposed to tidy up.
In the cafeteria on the first floor, Ye Yu said, "Order whatever you like."
Wang Sheng showed eyes full of admiration, remembering something—scholarship money.
"Boss, did you get the scholarship? How much? Is it eleven hundred Gold Soul Coins by any chance?"
"Eleven hundred Gold Soul Coins. The school couldn't come up with that much, so they gave me six hundred Gold Soul Coins first."
"Wow!"
Instantly, Wang Sheng and Xiao Lizi's eyes sparkled, and Xiao Wu was also visibly excited.
Xiao Wu exclaimed, "Brother Yu is so rich now, I'll indulge in a big meal today."
Xiao Wu gleefully hopped off to pick out delicious food, and soon Tang San and the others began choosing at random. Even if they ate the most expensive and best dishes, the five of them would spend at most two Gold Soul Coins.
Shortly after, the table was filled with a feast of fish, meat, and delicacies. Ye Yu and his friends raised their cups of tea to clink glasses in celebration.
"Boss, I'm going to miss you. Although it's just been a day since we met, my admiration for you is like..."
"Halt there," Ye Yu interrupted Wang Sheng, reassuring him, "It's just a temporary goodbye. I'll be waiting for you at Nuoding Intermediate Academy."
"Yes, I'll work harder on my cultivation!" Wang Sheng said with great determination.
Tang San and Xiao Wu nodded, feeling less reluctant because they believed becoming Grand Soul Masters wouldn't take long.
After a lavish meal, Tang San and the others staggered out of the cafeteria with full bellies.
Just then, Xiao Shunzi arrived, nervously saying, "Boss, Glory has brought his cousin King, the third-year boss, who wants to find Brother Yu and supposedly give him a severe beating."
"Is that so? I thought it was something major," Ye Yu remained unconcerned.
At this time, in the distance, King and Glory were approaching the cafeteria. They had gone to the dormitory earlier, but couldn't find Ye Yu and learned he was in the cafeteria.
As they walked, they cursed continuously.
"Glory, how do you plan to handle him later?"
"Brother, after you defeat him, I want to thoroughly beat and stomp on him until he apologizes to me."
Remembering the past incident, Glory was enraged, having been punched and humiliated, rendering him powerless in Class Four.
"We're almost at the cafeteria. Once we find him, we must ensure he..."
Before Glory could finish his sentence, the sound abruptly stopped as an announcement echoed across the campus.
"Attention all students, the graduation record has been broken, a new record has been set. Check the bulletin board for details."
King paused in disbelief; the record was broken? How? By whom?
"How is this possible?" King frowned.
"Brother, did someone from the third grade graduate?" Glory was equally surprised.
King shook his head, "That's impossible. In the third grade, I have the strongest Soul Power. I should be the one breaking the record."
In disbelief, King hurried to the nearby bulletin board, with Glory following closely.
At that moment, the area was crowded, everyone staring at the announcement wide-eyed and slack-jawed, frozen on the spot. Even King and Glory were no exception.
Because the bulletin marked the new record holder as Ye Yu!
New Record Creator: Ye Yu! Verified by the principal as a twenty-first level Grand Soul Master and holder of a Grand Soul Master Badge. Ye Yu graduated in less than a day at the school, setting an unprecedented record that can never be broken! (Warning: All students and teachers are prohibited from spreading this matter; violators will be expelled and barred from any academies in nearby cities.)
Everyone was stunned; how could this be possible?
It was hard for them to believe, yet undeniable, with the principal's verification and the Grand Soul Master Badge proving its authenticity.
King was dumbfounded; he had thought two years to graduate and break a new, unbeatable record was his achievement. But now, a day's graduation record appeared! That was truly unbeatable! Compared to someone graduating in a day, what was the point of his two-year graduation?
At this point, Ye Yu and his four friends arrived.
Ye Yu quickly spotted Glory; it wasn't hard, considering the bright red hair.
"You must be King? I heard you want to avenge your cousin and teach me a lesson?"
Ye Yu's words caused King's body to tremble sharply.
Glory turned, face filled with fear, "Ye... Ye Yu..."
King, extremely nervous, shook his head repeatedly, "No... I never had such intentions. Brother Yu, you misunderstood."
King no longer had any thought of teaching Ye Yu a lesson; he was at level nineteen, and Ye Yu had already reached level twenty-one Grand Soul Master status. To challenge him would be asking for a beating!
"But I heard from a junior near the dorms that you were looking for me. So, what do you two plan to do? Stand still and let me have a go, or challenge me in a match?"
Glory and King were terribly frightened, with King inwardly cursing Glory, "Damn it, you've truly screwed me over."
"We... we wouldn't dare lay a hand on Brother Yu. Brother Yu, just hit us directly; we won't move."
King was utterly subdued, with no trace of arrogance. He had been the boss of Nuoding, but not anymore.
Ye Yu's next words made King and Glory feel their doom was impending.
Ye Yu turned to Tang San and the others, "Tang San, Xiao Wu, Wang Sheng, Xiao Lizi, you can join in too. When dealing with King of Glory, it's best if the five of us do it together."