Volume One

A violet gleam burst from his palm, followed by a purple-black scythe slowly materializing, radiating a dense aura of death. "Child, stand in the center of the pattern on the floor, then release your martial soul," Ma Xiunuo said with a smile. Su Xing remained composed, not particularly surprised. In the original story, Tang San had absorbed a four-hundred-year Datura Snake and jumped from level ten to level thirteen. It was only reasonable that he had reached level fifteen after absorbing a seven-hundred-year soul beast. Nuoding Academy's cafeteria was divided into two floors. The first floor was generally where ordinary work-study students and self-funded students ate, while the second floor was expensive and was mostly frequented by noble children. "Who is it? Come in if you need something." An elderly voice came from inside the room. "Hello, Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo. My name is Su Xing. I've come to register as a soul master." Ma Xiunuo then let out a long breath, trying to calm his excitement. He picked up a yellow crystal ball from a nearby desk, walked over to Su Xing, and said, "Child, inject your Soul Power into it. Let's see what Soul Power Level you've reached." "This... you've actually reached... level fifteen Soul Power." Ma Xiunuo looked at Su Xing as though he were a little monster. "Child, could you show me your Spirit Proof?" When they reached the end of the corridor, three tall arched doors appeared before Su Xing. Ma Xiunuo was greatly shocked. "It's actually the most terrifying of low-level soul beasts, a Blood-Devouring Demon Spider. No wonder it had such an effect. No, that still isn't right. Even if you possess Innate Full Soul Power, it should have been impossible for your first soul ring to absorb a seven-hundred-year soul beast. Child, did you perhaps get it wrong?" The biggest difference between the first and second floors was that the first floor served ordinary food, while the ingredients on the second floor came from soul beasts. Their nutritional value far surpassed that of common poultry. Bang! A spicy rabbit head was made from the head of a ten-year Soft Bone Rabbit, marinated and braised with the fruit of a ten-year Red Sea Chili. It was delicious and truly a fine dish. "Come in, child. This is where Spirit Hall conducts soul master appraisals." As he spoke, Ma Xiunuo pushed open one of the doors and led Su Xing inside. Su Xing had a little money on hand, so he naturally went to the second-floor cafeteria and ordered several dishes he liked. As he spoke, Ma Xiunuo rose from his office and led Su Xing along the second-floor corridor toward the inner section of Spirit Hall. Su Xing walked in and casually closed the door behind him, discovering a bright office. Ma Xiunuo sat behind a large desk. His neat soul master uniform and the standard three-sword insignia on his body showed that he was a battle soul master at the Soul Grandmaster rank. Hearing this, Ma Xiunuo smiled at Su Xing. "Child, I'm hardly a Grandmaster. Still, it truly surprises me that you obtained your first soul ring at such a young age. Come, I'll take you for your soul master appraisal." A huge token emblem was carved into the floor, with a longsword pointing straight down toward the entrance. After a moment, Ma Xiunuo's expression suddenly turned solemn. He asked grimly, "Xiao Su, would you be willing to join Spirit Hall?" Su Xing walked to the center of the floor pattern and stood still. He raised his right hand, focused his mind, and urged his Soul Power forth along with his scythe martial soul from his palm. By the time Su Xing left Spirit Hall and prepared to return to Nuoding Academy, his Soul Tool, the Eternal Star Domain, contained an additional Soul Master Badge and a Gold Soul Coin. "It's actually a... a hundred-year soul ring." Ma Xiunuo rubbed his eyes. Once he confirmed that he had not seen wrongly, his gaze toward Su Xing was filled with admiration. A bright yellow hundred-year soul ring then rose beneath Su Xing's feet. Its dazzling radiance circled up and down around his body. After entering the room, Su Xing found it broad and lofty, spanning a full two hundred square meters. A huge floor-to-ceiling window above provided ample lighting. Hearing Ma Xiunuo's words, Su Xing did not know how to answer for a moment. He could hardly say that he possessed an eighty-thousand-year soul bone that strengthened his physique, so he hurriedly changed his claim to a four-hundred-year soul beast. After entering the first-floor hall, Su Xing did not see that old man Ma Xiunuo. He thus climbed the nearby stairs to the second floor of Spirit Hall. "Child, you actually... possess Innate Full Soul Power. But even after absorbing your first soul ring, you should not have jumped five levels in a row. Can you tell me what soul beast you hunted to obtain this soul ring?" Ma Xiunuo asked in surprise as he looked at the Spirit Proof in his hand. Upon reaching the second-floor corridor, Su Xing found an office with a direct view of the first-floor hall. Clearly, this was where Spirit Hall conducted its business. Su Xing did not conceal anything. "A seven-hundred-year Blood-Devouring Demon Spider!" Ma Xiunuo revealed a gratified smile. "Congratulations on becoming an outstanding soul master. I'll issue you a Soul Master Badge and this month's subsidy shortly. A soul master receives one Gold Soul Coin per month, a Soul Grandmaster receives ten per month, and a Soul Elder receives one hundred per month. The next time you come to Spirit Hall, you need only present your Soul Master Badge to collect it." "Oh, I see. Then we really were a step too late. Even Spirit Hall has no right to forcibly poach students from an academy. But it isn't without a solution. Once you graduate from Notting Junior Soul Master Academy and need to study at a more advanced Soul Master Academy, you can come find me at Spirit Hall. Then, you can join Spirit Hall directly and attend one of the schools operated by Spirit Hall." Ma Xiunuo sighed, but after a moment, his eyes lit up and he continued. Su Xing knocked on the half-open door. After hearing Ma Xiunuo's suggestion, Su Xing pondered briefly, then smiled. "That would be six years from now. All right, then it's settled, Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo. I'll come find you after I graduate and join Spirit Hall." A stir-fried Blue Silver Vine Heart was made from ten-year Blue Silver Grass. After the outer skin was peeled away, its tender core was blanched in boiling water to remove the bitterness, then stir-fried over high heat with quality yellow peppers. Sweet, crisp, and tender, it was exceptionally delicious. Su Xing nodded, urged his Soul Power to put away his scythe martial soul, and touched the crystal ball. As his Soul Power flowed into it, the crystal ball shone brilliantly, its light filling the entire hall in an instant. Su Xing had known that this old man would ask such a question, so he was not particularly surprised. "Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo, I'm afraid not right now. I'm already studying at Notting Junior Soul Master Academy." Having worked at Spirit Hall for decades, Ma Xiunuo understood soul ring attachment requirements all too well and immediately realized the crux of the matter. After returning to Nuoding Academy, it was just time for dinner. Su Xing did not return to his dormitory, instead heading straight for the academy's largest cafeteria. After all, in this life, Su Xing intended to lead Spirit Hall and overthrow the evil Tang San. He absolutely could not allow that fellow to drag history backward again. A serving of Colorful Void Chicken wings was made from the wings of a ten-year Colorful Void Chicken. Under the chef's preparation, they were golden and glossy, with golden oil shimmering over the plump meat. They were an absolute delicacy. Thus, Su Xing took out his Spirit Proof from his Soul Tool and handed it to Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo. "All right, thank you, Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo," Su Xing said with a smile. Su Xing scratched his head and gave an awkward smile, hurriedly explaining, "Uh... Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo, perhaps I remembered incorrectly. It seemed to be a Blood-Devouring Demon Spider of around four hundred years." Hmph, it's fortunate this young master didn't encounter a thousand-year soul beast. Otherwise, if I had gotten a purple thousand-year soul ring, wouldn't I have scared you to death? Su Xing thought.