I started by submitting to the Douluo Continent, and the nation helped me become a god.

Chapter 21 Becoming a Teaching Assistant

Nottingham.

This small town, located on the border of the Heaven Dou Empire, is practically a rural-urban fringe area compared to the bustling Soto City or the magnificent Martial Soul City.

The streets were narrow, and the cobblestone path was full of potholes. Every few steps, you had to walk around a small puddle or a pile of excrement left by some unknown animal. Most of the houses on both sides were two or three stories high, made of wood and stone, with mottled walls and some windows with yellowed cloth curtains hanging on them, swaying weakly in the wind.

A mixture of smells filled the air—the smoky aroma of breakfast stalls, the pungent smell of hay from the stables, and the sour odor of pickled vegetables wafting from some unknown corner. Most of the pedestrians on the street wore coarse cloth clothes, their faces bearing the simplicity and apathy characteristic of residents of a small border town.

Looking back on her journey, Li Fulan felt as if she had returned from a first-tier city to a small, third-tier county.

But for a time traveler familiar with the plot, this is where the dream begins.

Or more accurately, it's where the "leeks" begin to grow.

He stood at the main gate of Notting Junior Soul Master Academy, looking up at the slightly mottled signboard.

Several patches of paint had peeled off the plaque, and the words "Notting Junior Soul Master Academy" were written crookedly, clearly the work of a senior whose calligraphy wasn't very good. The main gate consisted of two heavy wooden doors, with rusted copper nails and a dent in the threshold from being worn down.

A few teenagers dressed in various clothes stood sparsely at the entrance, presumably new students who had come to register. Some were dressed fairly decently, clearly from well-off families; others wore old clothes covered in patches, probably children from poor families trying their luck.

"So this is the starting village..."

Li Fulan straightened his collar, patted the Spirit Hall token in his arms, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

"Although it's a bit dilapidated, the air is filled with the scent of 'fortune'."

He silently considered it in his mind.

According to the original timeline, Tang San and Xiao Wu should already be here. That loli who was transformed from a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast is currently living a harmless life with that blue-haired boy from Holy Soul Village.

And Yu Xiaogang, the "useless master" ridiculed by the entire Soul Master world, should also be an unpopular theoretical teacher in this academy, reciting his "Ten Core Competencies" theory to a group of students who don't take him seriously every day.

Thinking of this, Li Fulan's smile deepened.

Yu Xiaogang, oh Yu Xiaogang, your theories might not be accepted in this world, but on our Earth, they're a treasure that would make countless sports researchers kneel down and call you "daddy." Just that "Soul Power Suppression Theory" and "Attribute Restraint System" alone would keep Old Yuan and his team studying for months.

But that's all for later; the most urgent thing right now is to get in.

Li Fulan did not line up to register like other freshmen.

The line wasn't long, but everyone in it was a kid around ten years old. It was so incongruous to have a "twenty-something" adult like him mixed in.

Besides, using the main entrance is a privilege reserved for the main character. As someone who's going to do things behind the scenes... uh, as a behind-the-scenes assistant, of course I should use the VIP entrance.

He skillfully navigated the crowd and slipped in through the side door.

The college is even more dilapidated inside than outside.

The grass on the playground was sparse, patchy with yellow and green, looking like it had been chewed by a dog. The training stakes were stuck crookedly in the ground, some of them almost rotten. The teaching building was a three-story brick and stone building, its exterior walls covered with unknown vines, and the windows were incomplete, some simply boarded up.

Li Fulan shook her head as she walked.

How tight is the college's budget? Or has the dean embezzled all the money?

He walked along a path strewn with fallen leaves to the office building; there wasn't even a security guard at the entrance. Pushing open the door, he found the corridor quiet, the air thick with a musty smell.

The dean's office is at the very back on the second floor. There is a sign on the door that reads "Dean's Office," but the words are almost illegible.

Li Fulan knocked on the door.

Who is it?

A high-pitched voice came from inside the room, tinged with impatience.

"Come in."

The dean's office was small, only about twenty square meters, but the furnishings were surprisingly exquisite. There was a mahogany desk, a huanghuali chair, several calligraphy and paintings that looked quite valuable hanging on the wall, and an antique bronze vase in the corner.

It stood in stark contrast to the dilapidated scene outside.

Sure enough, the funds all ended up in someone's pocket.

Behind the desk sat a middle-aged man, who looked to be in his fifties. He was slightly overweight, with fleshy cheeks and narrowed eyes. He wore thick-rimmed glasses, and his eyes darted around behind the lenses, clearly indicating that he was an overly shrewd person.

This person is named Zhang Fu, the current dean of Notting Academy. He has virtually no presence in the original work and is considered a "tool NPC" level character.

He was looking down at some documents at the moment, and didn't even look up when he heard someone come in.

"What is it?"

"I apologize for bothering you, Dean Zhang."

Without wasting any words, Li Fulan took out the pale gold token from her bosom and gently placed it on the table in front of the dean.

The token made a crisp sound as it hit the table.

Zhang Fu subconsciously looked down and his expression immediately changed.

The token was engraved with the Spirit Hall's emblem—a phoenix with outstretched wings circling a longsword. Although it wasn't a high-level envoy token, in a small place like Notting City, anyone who could produce a Spirit Hall token was someone he couldn't afford to offend.

Even the lowest-ranking members of the Spirit Hall, when dispatched, hold considerable power in this remote town. Moreover, this young man before them possessed an extraordinary air, unlike the kind of insignificant errand boy.

Zhang Fu put down his pen and immediately put on a smile. Although he wasn't exactly servile, his respect was obvious.

"This person... is he a fellow practitioner from the Spirit Hall?"

He asked tentatively, his eyes darting over Li Fulan several times, trying to figure out who she was.

"I guess so."

Li Fulan casually sat down on the sofa opposite the dean, crossing her legs. Although the posture was not very elegant, her aura was just right—neither humble nor arrogant, with a touch of nonchalance.

"My name is Li Fulan. I was recently transferred to Notting City. I was assigned a task to stay at your academy for a while."

"A mission?" Zhang Fu frowned slightly, but quickly relaxed. "What kind of mission is it? How is our academy required to cooperate?"

"It's not that complicated." Li Fulan waved his hand, a cryptic smile on his face. "The higher-ups are currently researching some new cultivation theories and need to collect data at the grassroots level. Your Notting Academy, while not large, has the advantage of being... quiet and having a diverse sample."

As he spoke, he pulled a thin booklet from his pocket and casually pushed it in front of the dean.

"These are some cultivation insights I've compiled, tips on how to improve the meditation efficiency of low-level Soul Masters. Consider it a small gift for the Dean."

This is certainly not a research result of the Spirit Hall, but rather Li Fulan "localized" the most basic and least secret-related parts of the "Quantum Meditation Method".

But for the dean of this remote small town, even this scrap is enough for him.

Zhang Fu opened the booklet with some skepticism, but after only a few glances, his breathing became heavy.

Although he was just a seasoned veteran at the Soul Venerable level, he had been in this business for decades and still had some insight. The things written in this booklet, although only some basic theories, were novel in perspective, clearly organized, and many parts were refreshing.

If these resources were used for teaching, wouldn't the college's graduation rate increase significantly? Then the government could allocate more funding...

"This..." Zhang Fu closed the booklet, his gaze towards Li Fulan becoming much more eager. "Brother Li, you're too kind. How can we cooperate with you?"

"It's very simple." Li Fulan nodded in satisfaction; the fish had taken the bait.

"I don't want too many people to know my identity, as that would affect my 'observation.' Therefore, I need a legitimate identity that allows me to move freely within the academy."

He paused, revealing a set of pearly white teeth.

"I think your college is short of a teaching assistant? The kind that specifically takes care of first-year students."

"Teaching assistant?" Zhang Fu paused for a moment, then suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly. "We're short of them! We're desperately short of them! We have a batch of new work-study students who need extra supervision... oh no, we need to focus on them. If Brother Li is willing to help, it would be a real blessing for them!"

"Then it's settled."

Li Fulan stood up, putting away her nonchalant expression, and her eyes became slightly more serious.

"Don't reveal my identity to outsiders, to avoid trouble. Outside, I'm just an ordinary young teaching assistant with some decent skills."

Zhang Fu nodded hurriedly, "I understand! I understand everything! Don't worry, Brother Li, I'll keep this to myself!"

Li Fulan patted the dean on the shoulder with satisfaction and turned to walk towards the door.

As his hand gripped the doorknob, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and smiled.

"By the way, Dean. I heard there are a few interesting youngsters among this year's work-study students? Send their information to my office another day."

"Especially..."

His eyes narrowed slightly, and the curve of his lips was meaningful.

"That guy named Tang San."