First, Become One of Their Own

"Level ten, and you still don't have a Soul Ring?"

Du Wenhe had intended to ask about the attempted hijacking first, but Xu Sheng's words made him look the young man over again.

He didn't look like a child who had just awakened, yet he was level ten without a single Soul Ring. Most likely, he was another newly arrived otherworlder.

He first called a physician to tend Uncle Liang's wounds and instructed the hall guards to watch Yu Duo and the medicine cart. Only then did he turn to Xu Sheng.

"I'm Du Wenhe, the deacon here. Come with me. We'll test your Soul Power first, then take a look at your Martial Soul."

Xu Sheng hurried after him. As he passed the guardroom, he glanced through the window. Yu Duo sat with his head lowered between two hall guards, the tiger stripes on his sleeves long since faded. Gone was the swagger with which he had attacked everyone he saw.

Looking at it this way, he really had come to the right place.

There was a bright side room next to the main hall. Du Wenhe took out a crystal ball and told him to place his hand on it. Bright light soon shone from within.

"Definitely level ten. Come on, bring out your Martial Soul."

White wings slowly spread inside the room, and only now did Xu Sheng get a chance to see the layers upon layers of feathers. He had been too busy fighting earlier, but now that he stood still and looked closely, the wings were even more beautiful than he had imagined.

The room was a little cramped, though. The wingtips were almost touching the table.

Strength surged down his shoulders and back into his arms. He tried clenching his fist, but pain immediately shot through his wrist, making him grimace.

Du Wenhe walked around to the side, his gaze moving from the white wings to Xu Sheng's shoulders and arms.

"Wings, and your physique changes when you possess them... Has anyone taught you before?"

"No. I only found out I had a pair of wings today. I got anxious just now and somehow brought them out without knowing what I was doing."

"You only awakened today?" Du Wenhe took another look at the white wings and reached out to steady a cup they had nearly swept over. "Quite a few otherworlders came today, but you're the first like this. Put them away for now. The physician is still waiting."

Xu Sheng folded his wings away as instructed, and the warmth between his shoulders faded with them. He was reluctant to put them away, and couldn't help asking, "Deacon Du, can I keep flying with these wings?"

"You flew just now? How long were you off the ground?"

"I jumped some distance, but I couldn't keep my footing when I landed. I want to see if I can go higher."

"Not in here." Du Wenhe looked up at the ceiling beams. "There's a courtyard outside. Wait until your hand is bandaged, then try. I'd like to see just how much your Martial Soul can do, too."

Xu Sheng glanced outside again before following Du Wenhe to the infirmary.

In the infirmary, the physician examined his wrist and said the bone wasn't hurt. He applied medicine and wrapped it in a layer of cloth. Uncle Liang was sitting nearby, and when he saw Xu Sheng come over, he tried to give up his stool again.

"Little Xu, sit here. You hurt your hand because of me..."

"Please stay seated. It's only my hand that hurts. I can stand."

The physician also reached out to keep Uncle Liang in his seat. "Your leg was just bandaged. Don't put weight on it again. If you really want him to rest, there are more stools nearby. I'll fetch one."

Only then did the old man stop moving. He kept telling Xu Sheng how fortunate he had been to have his help earlier, until Xu Sheng felt a little embarrassed.

Du Wenhe went out to give instructions about the medicine cart. When he returned, a tall man was behind him. The man had a coat draped over his shoulders and sweat on his forehead, as though he had just hurried over from the training ground.

"So this is the young fellow?"

"Xu Sheng, level ten, an Angel-type Martial Soul. He wants to cultivate here in the hall."

The man nodded to him. "My name is Shen Zhaolin. Uncle Liang said you pinned down the man who tried to rob the cart all by yourself?"

"I can't take all the credit. Uncle Liang helped." Xu Sheng glanced at his bandaged wrist. "He was two levels below me, and my Martial Soul gave me more strength. That's how I managed to pin him down."

He said nothing about the first-time protection. It had already been used up. If he fought again, he couldn't just stand there like a fool and let someone swing at him.

Shen Zhaolin looked at his torn clothes but didn't press him. He merely tilted his head toward the door.

"You can walk, right? Come to the courtyard. I'll see what sort of training suits you."

The side courtyard held wooden posts, sandbags, and weapon racks. Several young men were resting against the wall. Xu Sheng had barely found his footing when a thick layer of stone armor rose over Shen Zhaolin's body, and he grew taller with it.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple!

Four Soul Rings rose in succession. A perfectly ordinary man a moment ago, Shen Zhaolin now loomed before him like a massive stone wall.

Xu Sheng stared, wide-eyed.

This was a living, breathing Four-Ring Soul Ancestor! No matter how many times he had seen one on a screen, none of it compared to seeing one with his own eyes!

"What's the matter? Lost your voice?" Shen Zhaolin saw him standing motionless. "Scared?"

"No, I was wondering when I'd be able to train to your level." Xu Sheng stared at the Soul Rings, unable to hide his envy. "If I'd had that kind of ability just now, not one of those three would've gotten away."

Shen Zhaolin laughed, withdrew his Martial Soul, and took a short wooden training stick from the rack.

"Don't use your right hand. Use your left. Possess your Martial Soul and give the sandbag a hit."

Xu Sheng took the stick and weighed it in his hand. The men resting by the wall all looked over. When they saw Shen Zhaolin personally testing a newcomer's strength, even those who had been sitting stood up.

Now this was more like it!

Pleased, Xu Sheng spread his wings and swung hard at the sandbag.

Bang!

The sandbag swung out and struck the rack behind it. The stick in Xu Sheng's hand suddenly felt lighter. He looked down and saw that it had broken.

Someone by the wall let out a "Whoa."

Shen Zhaolin picked up the broken half, examined the break, then squeezed the sandbag. A split had opened in it, and fine sand was leaking out.

Without changing his expression, Xu Sheng put the remaining half of the stick back on the rack.

"Brother Shen, um... I don't have to pay for breaking that during training, do I?"

"I told you to hit it. Why would you have to pay?" Shen Zhaolin was still looking at his hand. "You really don't have a Soul Ring?"

Xu Sheng spread both hands.

"Not a single one. How about you find me one, and we try again?"

Du Wenhe laughed from the side.

"You were just asking me how to join the hall, and now you're already thinking about a Soul Ring."

Xu Sheng laughed too, but his eyes never left Shen Zhaolin's face.

Joining the hall, a Soul Ring, a way to cultivate-of course he wanted all of them. Since the subject had come up, he might as well ask!

Shen Zhaolin tossed the broken stick into a basket by the wall.

"I'm taking a team to the Soul Hunting Forest in the next few days. Let your injury heal and come with us. Have Deacon Du help you see what kind of first ring would suit your Martial Soul."

Xu Sheng was just about to thank him when he added, "I'm also short of reserve field personnel. Food and lodging are here in the hall. You'll cultivate normally, but when it's your turn for an assignment, you'll have to go out. Will you stay?"

"Yes!"

Did he even need to ask?

Afraid Shen Zhaolin might go on to ask someone else, Xu Sheng took half a step forward as soon as he answered.

"Look, I didn't bring anything with me. I can move in today."

One of the men by the wall finally couldn't hold back his laughter and pointed him toward the guest quarters behind the courtyard. Du Wenhe fetched the pending registration list and added his name, to be submitted for confirmation later. He also made a quick note of several things needed to prepare for the First Soul Ring.

Xu Sheng stood to the side, watching his name go down on the paper, his heart already bursting with joy.

Outside, level-ten Soul Scholars were banding together and begging people to take them ring hunting. Meanwhile, a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor had already agreed to take him!

"By the way, Brother Shen, are you usually in this courtyard?"

"When I don't have an assignment. Why?"

"If there's something I don't understand later, I'll come find you."

"Just come find me."

Xu Sheng hurriedly committed that to memory. Now he had a four-ring teacher too!

Afterward, Du Wenhe taught him how to meditate: withdraw his Martial Soul, calm his mind, follow the warmth he felt during possession to sense his Soul Power, and then try to guide its flow.

The first time he tried to guide his Soul Power, Xu Sheng couldn't get a good feel for it, so he simply pressed his left hand to his chest and tried bit by bit along the route Du Wenhe described. When the warm current flowed around his shoulders and back, he suddenly sat a little straighter. He didn't even spare a glance when Du Wenhe got up to pour water.

The footsteps in the courtyard grew distant, but the warmth in his chest and abdomen grew clearer and clearer.

So Soul Power wasn't just a number on a panel. It really could circulate through the body!

When Du Wenhe told him to stop, Xu Sheng still hadn't had enough.

"Deacon Du, I think I'm getting the hang of it. Can I try a little longer?"

"Eat first. There's still time to practice after the meal. You're level ten now. Accumulating more Soul Power is useful, but if you want to break through to the next level, you need a Soul Ring first."

As Xu Sheng followed him outside, he was still trying to stir the warm current. He had to eat, but he couldn't let his cultivation fall behind either. He wished he could make up even the half hour he had lost at the adaptation interface.

Only after returning to the guest quarters did he have time to look through his initial information.

Pioneer: physique and spirit slightly enhanced, initial reputation five hundred; special talent Kindness: initial affinity increased by thirty upon first contact with an indigenous person.

An extra thirty initial affinity!

Xu Sheng read the line over twice, then rubbed his chin and smiled.

Other people had to start by making themselves familiar faces, but he would save himself quite a bit of work the moment he met someone. When seniors came to the hall in the future, he would have to be diligent and get out and about more.

As he thought about it, he glanced toward the door again.

Uncle Liang was still sitting in the infirmary. Xu Sheng had promised to bring the old man a bowl of food. He couldn't get so caught up in his own happiness that he forgot him.

At the end of the Martial Soul description was something called "Premonition," which said he could occasionally perceive incomplete fragments of the future. Xu Sheng stared at it for a long time and tried closing his eyes, but all he could see in his mind were the four Soul Rings from earlier.

Well, there wasn't even an explanation of how to activate it.

He set it aside for the moment, tucked the meditation booklet under his arm, and went to the kitchen to fetch Uncle Liang's meal.

That afternoon, Xu Sheng had just returned from the infirmary when a group invitation suddenly popped up.

It was from the cart-interception recruitment post that morning. He opened it and was pulled into a group of more than forty people, who were discussing that night's operation.

Some wanted to look for opportunities at Shrek. Others thought they couldn't squeeze in around the protagonist and would be better off working with local Soul Masters to secure a position first.

The most talkative person was called Yu Cheng. His Martial Soul was a Black-Armored Rhinoceros, and he started at level ten.

Before long, Yu Cheng sent him a private message: "Xu Sheng, are you going tonight too? What's your Martial Soul, and what are you good at?"

"Close combat. First, what exactly are we doing tonight?"

"Intercepting a cart. Mr. Zhou says a noble owes him something on it. Once we get it back, he'll help us find a way to hunt for Soul Rings."

Yu Cheng sent a route map marked with the old bridge west of the city and two forks in the road. Xu Sheng looked through the group messages again. The latest one was clear: if the driver dared to run, break his legs first. The goods had to be brought back.

His expression darkened.

When Uncle Liang had sat down in the infirmary earlier, he had shifted twice for fear the blood on his leg would dirty the stool. Yet these people spoke so casually of breaking someone's legs.

"Which noble family? Did Mr. Zhou tell you?"

"He didn't say which one exactly."

"Have you met him in person?"

"Not yet. Someone in the group follows him. Zhou Xiang, level thirty-two, Red-Tailed Scorpion. Taking us to get our first rings shouldn't be a problem."

Xu Sheng didn't reply again. He got up and left the guest quarters.

Du Wenhe was checking the medicine crates from that morning in the front courtyard. Xu Sheng borrowed a stick of charcoal used to mark the crates and copied the old bridge and forks from the route map onto a scrap board.

"Deacon Du, is another medicine cart taking this route tonight?"

Du Wenhe paused, a ledger in his hand. "Yes. Where did you hear that?"

Xu Sheng told him about the recruitment, the interception, and the message about breaking the driver's legs, mentioning Zhou Xiang last.

Du Wenhe's frown deepened as he listened, and he turned to send someone for Shen Zhaolin. Before long, a wanted portrait was spread over a medicine crate. The thin, long-faced man in it looked exactly like the one whose image had been shared in the group.

Zhou Xiang, level thirty-two, Red-Tailed Scorpion.

He had once been a guard for the medicine transport team. He had injured a physician while stealing goods and fleeing, and both the city guard and the main hall were hunting him.

So much for something a noble owed him. He had set his sights on his old employer's medicine!

After hearing the story, Shen Zhaolin looked down at the route on the board.

"He chose the old bridge because people can hide on both sides. He really does know these roads well."

Xu Sheng pointed at the old bridge.

"They don't just know the roads. They also know when the medicine cart will come. If it doesn't go, Zhou Xiang will definitely switch locations."

Shen Zhaolin looked at him. "You want the cart to go as usual?"

"Send the medicine by another route and let this one go empty. They'll have to lift the crate lids before they know what's inside, anyway."

Xu Sheng's eyes grew brighter as he spoke.

"Also, I can see what they're saying in the group. All I have to do is ask, and we'll know how many people are lying in wait and where the backup is. We can switch the cart, then move the people providing support around..."

Shen Zhaolin reached out to steady the board and shifted the charcoal line Xu Sheng had drawn at South Gully a little to the side.

"The ground is lower here, and it'll be hard to see at night. It's a good place to station people. We'll need the city guard to block the north. Zhou Xiang knows my men, so they can't show themselves too early."

Xu Sheng looked up.

"You're going yourself?"

"He owes one of my men an arm. I'm worried he won't show up."

Shen Zhaolin picked up the board and strode outside. At the doorway, he stopped and glanced at the cart.

"Empty crates are too light. Put some stones in them. We don't want them hearing something's wrong before they even open them."

Xu Sheng immediately followed to help. Once they had filled the first crate, he took a moment to send Yu Cheng a message.

"That's a medicine cart from the main hall. Zhou Xiang used to guard medicine transports. He stole goods and hurt someone, and he's still wanted. If you really go with him, you'll have to shoulder the blame together."

Yu Cheng took a while to reply. "Is your information reliable?"

"I saw the same kind of medicine cart enter the main hall with my own eyes today, and I just checked his name. Ask the people following him again. See if he dares tell them what he used to do."

"Got it. I'll go talk it over with those friends."

He didn't try to act tough, nor did he argue about Spirit Hall's ending in the original story. A short while later, his name disappeared from the list of people providing support.

Relieved, Xu Sheng went back to Shen Zhaolin and lowered his voice. "Brother Shen, there's one more thing. Could you keep them from finding out I was the one who tipped you off?"

"Worried they'll retaliate?"

"A little. But I also want to keep gathering information in their group. If everyone knows I'm passing things on to the hall, they'll be on guard as soon as I open my mouth."

Shen Zhaolin glanced at him, then smiled and put the portrait away.

"All right. Leave South Gully to Deacon Du. Find out their signal for the people providing support."

"I'll ask right now!"

Xu Sheng agreed, then looked toward the weapon rack.

This was his first assignment for the hall. He didn't want to tag along just to watch the excitement. They had even prepared a cart for those people. How embarrassing would it be if the whole lot went home empty-handed tonight!