Brain Martial Soul Possessor: Romantina

Having taken leave, Zhou Qing and Tang San returned to Dormitory Seven, packed two sets of clothes each, then left the dormitory. They planned to go to Nuoding Guild to post a task and see whether any Soul Master teams were willing to accept it.

The moment they stepped outside, Xiao Wu approached them head-on, looking somewhat downcast. "Do you really have to go obtain spirit rings?"

"You seem to sympathize with Soul Beasts?"

Zhou Qing asked in return.

"No! I don't! Don't talk nonsense! It's just... just... there are cute kinds among Soul Beasts too, like Soft Bone Rabbits." Xiao Wu hurriedly waved her hands, stumbling over her words.

"This has nothing to do with whether they're cute or not. Without Soul Beast spirit rings, Soul Masters cannot improve their cultivation."

There was not a ripple in Zhou Qing's eyes as he said, "And if humans lack strength, they will be harmed by Soul Beasts. Their powerful strength can inflict tremendous damage on humanity. Other than a small number of Ten-Year Soul Beasts that can be tamed by humans, the vast majority of Soul Beasts—even herbivorous Ten-Year Soul Beasts—possess power more threatening than ordinary tigers and wolves."

"So—"

"If you want to pity Soul Beasts, you should also consider whether humans would become their food once we became weak."

With that, Zhou Qing and Tang San walked around Xiao Wu and headed toward the gates of Nuoding Academy.

"This Xiao Wu really doesn't seem like she came from some small village. She's a little too naive." Tang San spoke softly. "Could she really be a young lady from a distinguished family?"

"She just hasn't figured out who she really is yet."

Through his brief close contact with Xiao Wu yesterday, Zhou Qing had also realized that after taking human form, Xiao Wu's body should be nearly identical to that of a human. It was not some sort of illusion.

It could be said that aside from the fact that, before reaching the Soul Saint realm, she could drop a spirit ring and Soul Bone upon death, she was not strictly different from a human.

From this perspective, all Soul Beasts that chose to assume human form and cultivate anew had already left their original race behind, regardless of their reasons. Their ability to condense spirit rings on their own in the early stages was likely the process of gradually stripping away everything that belonged to a Soul Beast.

"Hasn't figured out who she is?"

Tang San did not understand the meaning behind Zhou Qing's words. He merely thought Xiao Wu was overly sentimental. "There aren't many precocious children like us."

"Wait!"

Xiao Wu caught up with them. "I'm going too."

"What are you going for?"

"I said I wanted to become an Adventurer and register as one at Nuoding Guild." Xiao Wu had her reasons, but more than that, she wanted to follow Zhou Qing and Tang San to hunt Soul Beasts. Instinctively, she understood that her future self had to get used to this sort of thing. The person who had killed her mother was not weak. If she wanted revenge, she needed strength too. She could condense the first six spirit rings herself, but for the seventh, she would need to hunt a Soul Beast to obtain one.

If she could not get used to hunting Soul Beasts, then even if she found the real culprit, she probably would not be capable of taking revenge.

In the original story, Xiao Wu had spent most of her time immersed in Tang San's protection. Coupled with her lively nature, she had kept those thoughts buried deep in her heart.

But now, she was not sharing a bed with Tang San, nor was Tang San treating her as a sister. She also had to complete the work-study student tasks assigned by the academy herself. At this moment, her desire for revenge held a slight upper hand, even overpowering that lively heart of hers... though there was no telling how long it would last.

"Then come with us."

Zhou Qing agreed.

The three left Nuoding Academy, asked passersby for the location of Nuoding Guild, and headed north through Nuoding City.

Nuoding Guild was located on the outskirts of Nuoding City, near the city walls. It was mainly for the convenience of Soul Masters taking on temporary tasks such as patrols and inspections, allowing them to switch shifts.

Nuoding Guild was not particularly large, resembling a bar from Zhou Qing's previous life.

Zhou Qing pushed open the door and was greeted by a bustling sight that really did resemble a tavern.

Aside from the passage leading to the task counter, wooden dining tables filled both sides. All sorts of Adventurers were eating, drinking, or playing finger-guessing games. The place was exceptionally lively.

However, judging by the fluctuations of soul power unconsciously emanating from these people, none of them seemed to have reached level twenty.

"It's so lively."

Xiao Wu lowered her voice. Faced with so many adults, she could not help displaying some of a rabbit's instincts: she was a little timid.

Zhou Qing found this lively scene somewhat familiar, and a trace of nostalgia surfaced in his eyes, only to vanish in an instant. He walked up to the counter, looked up at the receptionist dressed in white with black patterns, and said, "Hello, beautiful big sister. We want to post a task to hunt Soul Beasts and obtain spirit rings. What procedures do we need to complete?"

"Little friends, have your soul power levels reached ten?" the receptionist asked.

"That's right. We came from a small village and both have Innate Full Soul Power. These are our martial soul certificates." Zhou Qing handed his certificate to the receptionist, and Tang San did the same.

The Soul Masters at the surrounding tables turned their heads when they heard "Innate Full Soul Power." Quite a few were tempted, but they still intended to assess the situation first.

"It really is... it's just that your martial souls..." The receptionist saw "Blue Silver Grass" and "Heart," and looked somewhat regretful. Still, she did not directly reveal their martial souls, lest the other Soul Masters in the guild mock them.

"Martial souls aren't a problem. I also count as a Theoretical Grandmaster of martial soul cultivation—self-proclaimed—and I've already planned out the choice of First Spirit Ring for both of us." Zhou Qing smiled. "Beautiful big sister, could you tell us how to post a task? We have a total of thirty-six Gold Soul Coins in savings, accumulated by our families."

As he spoke, Zhou Qing took a small cloth pouch from his pocket and poured out thirty-six Gold Soul Coins.

The receptionist picked one up, looked at the date marked on it, and said, "Gold Soul Coins from over two hundred years ago. It seems they truly were accumulated by your family over generations."

Then the receptionist took out a form and asked, "What kinds of Soul Beasts do the two of you want to hunt? Do you have any ideas? Different Soul Beasts have different hunting difficulties, and task fees vary as well. Of course, I can only provide corresponding fee estimates. How much you actually pay is up to you."

"His choice for his First Spirit Ring is Wolf Bristle Grass, somewhere between three hundred and four hundred years old." Zhou Qing answered without hesitation. "I looked through Nuoding Academy's latest records. In the Soul Beast Forest near Nuoding City, there is an area where Wolf Bristle Grass Soul Beasts grow. Since there have not been many plant-type Soul Masters in Nuoding City over the past two hundred years, the Plant Soul Beasts among that patch of Wolf Bristle Grass still remain."

Originally, Zhou Qing had found Plant Soul Beasts better suited to Tang San in the Library, such as Lightning-Struck Wood and Thousand-Root Banyan. But after looking through the types of Soul Beasts in the Soul Beast Forest near Nuoding City—

Oh-ho!

There were none!

At their age, they could not possibly travel to a Soul Beast Forest outside Nuoding Soul Hunting Forest, much less the Star Dou Great Forest or other Soul Beast habitats that humanity had not fully explored.

Therefore, they could only settle for the next best option: Wolf Bristle Grass.

And Tang San thought Wolf Bristle Grass was quite good. Its Accumulate Life skill could protect the heart's meridians and increase the power of his future spirit ring Soul Skills, making it highly practical.

Tang San placed immense importance on protecting the heart meridians.

It could be said that even now, compared to his martial soul, Tang San still valued cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill more. With the ability to protect his heart meridians, he could begin breaking through the other meridians besides the Ren and Du Meridians ahead of time, completing the Great Zhou Circulation of soul power as quickly as possible and thereby increasing his cultivation speed.

"A Hundred-Year Soul Beast? That'll cost a bit more, but Wolf Bristle Grass, as a Plant Soul Beast, has no offensive abilities at all. The only danger is having to watch out for the other soul beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest. Under normal circumstances, fifty Gold Soul Coins should be enough."

The receptionist smiled. "To be honest, the usual cost of hunting a Hundred-Year Soul Beast is over a hundred Gold Soul Coins."

"We only have thirty-six Gold Soul Coins. Would ten be enough?"

Zhou Qing asked.

"It could work, but no one may be willing to take this mission."

The receptionist slid ten Gold Soul Coins over and informed Zhou Qing that two coins would be taken by the guild as payment, while the remaining eight would be the reward for the Soul Master who accepted the mission.

"And you?" The receptionist was quite patient. After finishing the record, she asked Zhou Qing again.

"As for me, I want to choose a Moo Spring Ox for my First Spirit Ring. That kind of soul beast can be found in the Soul Hunting Forest near Nuoding City. Three or four hundred years old will do," Zhou Qing said.

"A Moo Spring Ox? That soul beast may be gentle, but it's still an ox—thick-skinned, strong, and its horns are quite dangerous. Normally, it would cost two hundred Gold Soul Coins, but you only have twenty-six Gold Soul Coins..."

"Would twenty-five work? We'd like to keep the remaining coin in case of emergencies," Zhou Qing negotiated.

"That works too. Of the twenty-five coins, five will be the guild's payment, and the remaining twenty will be the reward for the Soul Master who accepts the mission." The receptionist continued writing and returned one Gold Soul Coin to Zhou Qing.

So the guild took a twenty percent commission?

Zhou Qing understood.

Afterward, the receptionist posted the mission notice on the nearby Mission Board wall.

"Thank you, big sister."

Zhou Qing thanked her. "May I ask your name, big sister?"

"My name is Alice. You can call me Miss Alice." Alice gave them a sweet smile.

"I want to register as an adventurer."

Xiao Wu suddenly spoke up and presented her martial soul certificate.

"You have Innate Full Soul Power too?" Alice took Xiao Wu's certificate, greatly surprised. But then she shook her head. "Only Soul Masters can register. Although you have Innate Full Soul Power, without a soul ring, you can't..."

Before she could finish, Xiao Wu activated Martial Soul Possession. A pair of rabbit ears sprouted from her head, while a fluffy white sphere emerged behind her waist.

More importantly, a yellow soul ring floated beside her, and judging by the depth of its color, it was definitely around four hundred years old.

In an instant.

The entire guild fell deathly silent.

Although they were all Soul Masters, and many of them even had higher Soul Power Levels than Xiao Wu, they all had uniformly white soul rings. Only a very small number possessed Hundred-Year Soul Rings.

They had never expected a little girl to possess a Hundred-Year Soul Ring!

Many people instinctively assumed that Xiao Wu must have some major power behind her. After all, according to their common sense, only those from great powers could afford to hunt a Hundred-Year Soul Beast for such a young girl.

Some even believed Zhou Qing and Tang San had also been born into some great power. Their arrival in tiny Nuoding City was likely only so their elders could teach them to appreciate hardship, while experts were surely watching over them in secret.

For a time, many adventurers began considering how to befriend them.

"So there's no problem now, right?" Xiao Wu asked with a beaming smile.

"N-No problem." Alice finally came back to her senses and immediately registered Xiao Wu as an adventurer. "However, you still need to pay the fee: one Gold Soul Coin."

"So expensive?" Having already learned the exchange rates between Copper Soul Coins, Silver Soul Coins, and Gold Soul Coins, Xiao Wu frowned tightly. After all, she only had one Copper Soul Coin left, and she had borrowed even that from Zhou Qing.

"The main reason is that adventurers have special identity cards." Alice returned Xiao Wu's martial soul certificate and took out a brown Adventure Card. "This card can record the amount of soul coins you have, and it can be used at all major banks across Douluo Continent. With an Adventure Card, most adventurers do not need to apply for another savings Soul Card."

Some parts of Douluo Continent really are quite advanced.

Zhou Qing silently grumbled.

Tang San, however, nudged Zhou Qing's shoulder, pointed at the Adventure Card, and asked quietly, "This should be a type of Soul Tool too, right?"

"Yes."

Alice answered him. "It is a type of Soul Tool. Compared to other Soul Tools, Soul Cards and Adventure Cards like these are already very cheap."

"Zhou Qing, don't you still have one Gold Soul Coin? Lend it to me." Xiao Wu held out her hand. "Once I have money later, I'll definitely pay you back."

"Here."

Zhou Qing was not stingy. He handed the Gold Soul Coin to Xiao Wu and added, "Since you've become a Soul Master, you can register at Spirit Hall. You can receive one Gold Soul Coin every month."

"That good?"

Xiao Wu's eyes lit up, but she did not return the Gold Soul Coin in her hand to Zhou Qing. She only said, "Then I'll pay you back next month."

"All right, here is your Adventure Card." Alice inserted the Adventure Card into a slot on a Soul Tool resembling a cash register on the table, then infused soul power into the top of it. She had Xiao Wu face a device resembling a camera lens at the front of the Soul Tool. The Adventure Card was then "activated," and Xiao Wu's portrait appeared on it.

"That really is amazing." Xiao Wu accepted the Adventure Card and stared at her portrait on it, murmuring to herself.

Tang San, however, was itching to know the internal structure of that Soul Tool.

But Alice said, "Sorry, this kind of Soul Tool is not sold externally."

Zhou Qing asked, "How does one store soul coins?"

Alice patiently explained, "If you want to deposit money, you can do so at any guild or bank. Hand the money over to the person in charge to count, then insert your Soul Card into this Soul Coin Machine. There are number buttons on it—enter the corresponding amount of Soul Coins, inject Soul Power, and press confirm. The corresponding currency amount will then be recorded on your Soul Card and Adventure Card."

"Withdrawing money works the same way."

"So, these Soul Coin Machines are not sold to the public. Even members of the Royal Family cannot directly control them. There was once a period in Heaven Dou Empire's history when Soul Coin depreciation occurred. At one point, the exchange rate between Silver Soul Coins and Gold Soul Coins reached 100:1, affecting the trade system of the entire Douluo Continent."

"For that reason, Spirit Hall intervened and worked with the Two Great Empires to gradually make adjustments, restoring the exchange rate between Silver Soul Coins and Gold Soul Coins to its former 10:1. From then on, private organizations and factions could no longer directly control these Soul Coin Machines. Only individuals jointly recognized by Heaven Dou Empire, Star Luo Empire, and Spirit Hall—people unaffiliated with any faction and possessing an exceptionally strong moral compass—could operate them."

Zhou Qing came to a realization. "I see—"

So Douluo Continent had experienced inflation too!

In this real world, even with supernatural powers, if the foundational economic system developed serious problems, having a hard enough fist would not be enough to solve them...

"Can I accept missions now?"

After becoming an official Adventurer, Xiao Wu asked Alice.

"You can."

Alice pointed at the Mission Board and smiled sweetly. "The missions are all posted there. Respected Lord Soul Master, you may choose one yourself."

"That girl wouldn't..."

Tang San had a feeling Xiao Wu would choose the mission he and Zhou Qing had posted: "Hunting Soul Beasts."

Sure enough!

Xiao Wu reached for their mission slip and turned back to make a face at them. "Twenty-eight Gold Soul Coins—I'll gladly take them."

Wasn't it just helping Zhou Qing and Tang San hunt Soul Beasts?

Easy!

Wolf Bristle Grass?

She had eaten it before.

Moo Spring Ox?

She had never even seen one.

Although Xiao Wu was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form, Soul Beasts like the Moo Spring Ox were exceedingly rare in the Star Dou Great Forest.

This was mainly due to geographical factors.

Moo Spring Oxen mainly lived in open grasslands and fields. They could also be found in relatively sparse woods, but in a dense primeval jungle like the Star Dou Great Forest, their survival itself was a problem.

After all, Moo Spring Oxen were herbivorous herd animals. An overly dense jungle obstructed their vision, while their massive bodies also made it difficult for them to escape through thick undergrowth when faced with predators.

However.

Just as Xiao Wu pressed her hand onto Zhou Qing and Tang San's mission slip, another hand pressed down on it as well.

It belonged to a Golden-Haired Girl over 1.7 meters tall, wearing White Armor and carrying a Black Wooden Staff on her back, its tip curved into the shape of a "?".

"Hey, I saw it first!" Xiao Wu raised her head, her gaze passing over the girl's full breastplate as she glared at those emerald eyes and shouted.

"My hand got there first!"

The girl refused to back down. Looking down at Xiao Wu, the two stared each other down with wide eyes, neither willing to yield.

Zhou Qing, however, noticed that when this girl went to accept the mission, the other Adventurers who had wanted to take their mission stopped in their tracks, some even returning to their original seats.

"Miss Alice, who is she?" Zhou Qing asked. "How strong is she?"

"Her?" Alice's expression turned slightly strange. "She's the daughter of Nuoding City's Vice City Lord. Her name is Romantina. She graduated just last year, but apparently her Soul Power Level still hasn't reached level ten. She's only a Soul Scholar..."

"But don't underestimate her because of that. Soul Power Level does not completely determine a Soul Master's strength. She once beat down a level-twenty... Support System Soul Master. With that black cane of hers, she beat the other person so badly that they fled with their head in their hands. And she trains her muscles regularly—her physical fitness is comparable to a Soul Grandmaster!"

"Come to think of it, her Martial Soul is similar to yours. It's also part of her body. Her Martial Soul is her brain."

A brain?!

That was a top-tier Body Martial Soul!

Zhou Qing had heard Su Yuntao mention it when he awakened his Martial Soul. He had not expected to actually encounter one—but why did this Romantina not seem very smart?

Watching Romantina and Xiao Wu glare at each other, competing to see whose eyes were bigger, Zhou Qing suddenly felt that having a Brain Martial Soul did not necessarily mean one's brain was intelligent. Perhaps only the part that controlled motor nerves was more developed.

This chapter was revised. Sure enough, nothing below the neck could be described...