Spirit Hall of Notting City

With Nurse Joy acting as intermediary, Qian Bing finally traded with the Pokémon Care Center for a chance to enter the A-Rank Warehouse and select a Spirit Egg. His previously arranged "Newbie Love Loan" was also waived.

In exchange, Qian Bing gave up the Butterfree he had just obtained, as well as the 40,000 Alliance Coin commission he was originally entitled to for the capture mission "Breeding Kakuna."

As a result, he had an excuse to rightfully demand back the Aura Cape that had been hanging from Butterfree's feet.

Nurse Joy had long grown accustomed to Qian Bing's stingy habits. This time, she did not reveal any particular expression and simply kept her sweet smile as she continued speaking with him.

"Little Trainer Bing, I've also directly submitted the sudden mission 'Viridian Forest's Mysterious Current' for review. The results should be out within a week. If it's confirmed that no other Electric-type Pokemon were causing trouble, the mission reward will be transferred directly into your account."

It had to be said that Nurse Joy truly was a shrewd and capable woman. Qian Bing did not even need to explain the details of the sudden mission; she had already made her own judgment and deduced that the Pokemon causing trouble in the forest had been the Pikachu Qian Bing captured.

Seeing how perceptive Nurse Joy was, he was happy to save himself the trouble. Without wasting words, he took the Octagonal Adventurer Badge from his pocket and handed it to her.

"Thank you. Then I'll wait for your good news."

"You're welcome. It's simply part of my job."

Although Qian Bing could no longer receive the commission for the capture mission, the 200 Adventurer Points reward was still issued as usual.

Nurse Joy accepted the Adventurer Badge and added the Adventurer Points he had earned for completing the capture mission.

"Oh? After completing this mission, your Adventurer Points have reached exactly 2,000. Congratulations on becoming an Intermediate Adventurer. From now on, as long as you obtain one more Gym Badge, you'll be able to accept A-Rank Missions. Whether it's the commission or Adventurer Points, the rewards for completing A-Rank Missions are much higher."

Qian Bing had also been looking forward to becoming an Intermediate Adventurer and taking A-Rank Missions for a long time, but he was likewise stuck at the Gym Badge requirement.

Feeling helpless, he sighed inwardly.

"Looks like I'll need to train my Pokemon properly for a while, then hurry to Pewter City for my first Gym Challenge. Nurse Joy, thank you for your advice today."

At that moment, the conveyor belt on the counter happened to deliver a Spirit Ball to Nurse Joy's side. She casually picked it up and handed it to Qian Bing.

"You're welcome. From the sound of it, you don't plan to immediately take another batch of missions. Mm, that's the right choice. I hope that when you come back to accept missions next time, you'll have already obtained a Gym Badge and become a beginner Pokémon Trainer.

"Here, this is your Pikachu. Be careful not to let it battle within the next week."

Qian Bing took back the Spirit Ball, nodded gratefully to Nurse Joy once more, then waved goodbye and left the Pokémon hall without lingering.

For once, he did not impatiently rush straight to the Pokémon Care Center to choose a Spirit Egg. Instead, he hurried back to the hotel where he had rented a long-term room, because by his calculations, it was about time for him to wake up in reality.

Qian Bing lay down on the large hotel bed. When he opened his eyes again, he was back on the large bed in Seven Dorm at Notting Academy.

He had woken up a little late today. Tang San and Xiao Wu, who were in the same class as him, had already gone to class early.

With class about to begin, he could only hurriedly get up and wash. He did not even have time for breakfast before rushing straight to the Teaching Building.

After finishing the simple and tedious morning lessons, Qian Bing ate lunch in the academy cafeteria, then asked his teacher for personal leave. He planned to go to Spirit Hall for an advancement assessment.

The Spirit Hall of Notting City was a massive domed building. Its front alone was more than a hundred meters wide, twenty meters tall, and three stories high.

The entire building was brown. The Spirit Hall emblem above its main entrance bore only a single longsword.

Qian Bing knew what that meant. An emblem with only a single longsword represented the lowest-ranking Spirit Hall.

From afar, he noticed that the two guards at the entrance looked to be around twenty years old. The fluctuations of Soul Power around them were not obvious; it seemed that they had not even reached the rank of Soul Master.

He quietly sighed at how remote Notting City truly was. The rank of its Spirit Hall and the guards stationed there showed just how little importance this city held within the Heaven Dou Empire.

As he thought this, his steps did not slow. He quickly reached the entrance.

"Stop. Little friend, this is Spirit Hall. You can't just barge in."

Qian Bing was not flustered in the slightest when the guards stopped him. He pointed at his school uniform and obediently said, "Hello, uncles. I'm a first-year student at Notting Academy. My teacher asked me to come here and have my Soul Power level assessed."

Only then did the two guards notice the emblem on Qian Bing's chest. A glint of envy unconsciously appeared in both their eyes. The guard who had spoken earlier said again, "So that's it. Then go on in. Find Great Soul Master Mashuno in the reception hall. He'll help you."

"Thank you."

Qian Bing nodded in acknowledgment and hurried into the hall.

The two guards watched his departing figure with envious eyes until he disappeared. One of them said, "If I could have afforded to attend Notting Academy back then, maybe I'd be a Soul Master by now too.

"Eh? Notting Academy should have its own tools for testing Soul Power. Students only come here when they advance in rank. Why did this kid come to our Spirit Hall?"

"Who knows? It's nothing. He's still just a child. Maybe his teacher asked him to deliver a letter or something. Some matters can't be stated outright."

What kind of grandeur did a twenty-meter-high dome possess? The moment Qian Bing entered Spirit Hall's main hall, he was immediately swept up by its majestic atmosphere.

The dome above the entire hall was covered in murals. Each little square depicted a different kind of martial soul.

The background was a glittering golden color, making the place appear magnificently splendid without losing its ancient simplicity.

The surrounding walls were lined with enormous crystal windows. Sunlight refracted through the transparent crystal and fell across the murals, and the shimmering golden light was even more dazzling and mesmerizing.

"The reception hall... where's the reception hall?"

After taking in the atmosphere of the hall, Qian Bing began searching for his destination.

At this time of day, there were not many people inside Spirit Hall. Only a few servants were cleaning nearby.

He didn't know where the reception hall was, so he found a kind-looking, slightly plump aunt nearby and asked her:

"Hello, Auntie. Do you know where Master Mashuno is? I'm here to test my Soul Power."

The slightly plump woman sweeping the floor was merely an ordinary person. Seeing a Soul Master speaking to her, she dared not be negligent. She immediately set down her mop, wiped her fairly clean hands on her apron, and politely replied:

"Honored Soul Master, Master Mashuno is on the second floor of Spirit Hall. There are many rooms upstairs—would you like me to take you there?"

"That would be wonderful. Sorry to trouble you."