Su Ming quickly arrived at Dorm 7, the dormitory assigned to him at Notting Academy. Dorm 7 was specifically for work-study students. With Su Ming's current wealth, he could easily afford to pay for a private room, but he chose not to.
One reason was that Xiao Wu would most likely be assigned to Dorm 7 as well. Another reason, of course, was Tang San.
Since both Su Ming and Tang San were from Holy Soul Village, it wouldn't make sense for Su Ming to have so much money. If Su Ming moved to a private room, it would raise suspicions.
Tang San would wonder where Su Ming got the money and why he would still take the work-study spot if he had enough wealth to live comfortably.
Su Ming didn't want to provoke Tang San yet—not because he feared Tang San's hidden weapons. At the moment, Tang San's hidden weapons were still relatively low-level, and with Su Ming's current strength, he could easily avoid them or even defeat Tang San.
What he was truly wary of was Tang Hao, hiding in the shadows. Su Ming didn't yet have the power to contend with a Titled Douluo. A simple burst of pressure from Tang Hao would be enough to immobilize him.
For now, Su Ming's focus was on writing his daily journal entries to earn rewards. Of course, he also needed to continue his soul power cultivation and practice his wood release abilities. He wouldn't let the presence of the system make him complacent.
With the system's support and his own effort, Su Ming was confident he could quickly increase his strength. After all, he knew that conflict with Tang San was inevitable at some point, and he needed to be fully prepared.
Another important reason for staying in Dorm 7 was that he didn't want Xiao Wu and Tang San to sleep in the same bed for six years!
Since he had crossed into the world of Douluo, those beautiful female characters wouldn't have any connection with Tang San.
Xiao Wu would be easy to approach. Even though she was a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast, she was quite innocent, having lived in the heart of the Star Dou Forest under the protection of her mother, Da Ming, and Er Ming.
The door to Dorm 7 opened.
As Su Ming entered, he immediately caught the attention of the other boys in the dorm.
Everyone stared at him for a moment before one of them stood up and said, "You must be the new work-study student. Let's have a fight."
Su Ming guessed that this boy was Wang Sheng, but he politely smiled and asked, "This is our first time meeting. My name is Su Ming. What's yours, and why do we need to fight?"
Wang Sheng, seeing how polite Su Ming was, responded, "My name is Wang Sheng. I'm currently the leader of Dorm 7. We have a rule here—every new person has to fight the dorm leader. If you win, you become the new leader."
"We have this rule because we're work-study students, and we need a strong leader to protect us from the noble students."
Su Ming nodded in understanding. In the original story, the head of the noble students was a character named Xiao Chenyu, whose father was the lord of Notting City. Soon after Tang San's arrival, Dorm 7 clashed with him.
Tang San eventually defeated Xiao Chenyu and made Xiao Wu the new leader of Notting Academy.
Su Ming thought about it for a moment and agreed. Becoming the leader of Dorm 7 had its benefits.
First, he would gain Wang Sheng and the other boys as underlings. Although they weren't strong, they could at least run errands. More importantly, as the leader, he'd have a reason to spar with Tang San and gauge his current strength. It was important to test the waters and see what he was dealing with.
Besides, Su Ming had received body technique mastery from the system and hadn't yet had a chance to practice it properly. Wang Sheng could be his warm-up.
Wang Sheng: "Thanks a lot!"
The two prepared for their match, and Su Ming said, "Go ahead, attack first. You won't get another chance."
Wang Sheng scoffed, "Arrogant!"
He then charged at Su Ming, aiming a punch at Su Ming's stomach.
"Come on, leader, get him!" the other boys in Dorm 7 cheered.
It was clear that Wang Sheng was well-liked among the work-study students, as they all encouraged him.
But Su Ming thought to himself, Unfortunately for them, they're about to get a new leader.
Remaining calm, Su Ming sidestepped Wang Sheng's punch and grabbed his arm. He bent slightly and, with a quick motion, performed an over-the-shoulder throw.
"Bang!"
Wang Sheng landed heavily on the ground.
"Cough, cough."
Su Ming helped Wang Sheng up and said, "Looks like I won."
Wang Sheng was shocked by Su Ming's physical prowess. This kid had just awakened his martial soul, but his physical strength was even greater than mine, who's been training for years!
Wang Sheng, holding his chest, where the throw had left him sore, asked, "Su Ming, what's your innate soul power and your martial soul? How are you so strong?"
The rest of the boys were equally curious.
When martial souls awaken, they give a small boost of energy to the soul master. Although it's not much, the higher the innate soul power, the greater the benefits, especially for those with beast-type martial souls, who receive the most enhancement to their physical attributes.
Su Ming didn't feel the need to hide anything and responded honestly, "My martial soul is the wood element, and my innate soul power is level seven."
Wang Sheng and the others were stunned. A level-seven innate soul power—this guy's a genius! No wonder he's so strong!
Wang Sheng conceded defeat, telling the others, "From now on, Su Ming is our new leader. Call him 'boss'!"
Wang Sheng led the way. "Boss!"
"Boss!"
"Boss!"
It was Su Ming's first time being addressed as a leader, and he couldn't deny that it felt good.
Su Ming then made a promise to the group: "Don't worry. As long as I'm here, I won't let any nobles bully you."
Since he was now the leader, he would take on the responsibility. He wasn't afraid of Xiao Chenyu or any of the other minor nobles.
Xiao Chenyu was only an eleventh-level soul master with a mere ten-year soul ring. Even without a soul ring, Su Ming wasn't afraid of him!
Still, Su Ming needed to find a time to test what level of wood release techniques he could currently use and how much soul power and mental strength they consumed. He really hoped the system would reward him with a cultivation technique for mental strength; otherwise, improving his mental power would be difficult.
Su Ming knew of two methods to enhance his mental strength. One was to secretly copy Tang San's Purple Demon Eyes with his Sharingan and use the early morning purple energy to cultivate his mental state.
The second method was to acquire a soul bone that increased mental strength, but that was far beyond his current reach.