Leasing

Tang San had recently felt that his luck had hit rock bottom.

Just a few days after he absorbed the Mandala Snake soul ring, Spirit Hall suddenly released an announcement that shocked the entire Spirit Master world.

They had developed an entirely new method of forming contracts with Soul Beasts.

This was not some simple soul ring absorption technique, but a revolutionary breakthrough that allowed Spirit Masters and Soul Beasts to form equal partnerships.

When Master Yu Xiao Gang saw the announcement, he nearly dropped and shattered his glasses.

This theoretical master had never imagined that the soul ring system he had spent his entire life researching would be completely overturned by such an unheard-of method.

In just half a year, a craze for "Soul Beast Pokemon" swept through Nuoding City.

Children accompanied by all sorts of Soul Beasts could be seen everywhere on the streets. Those Soul Beast companions, each with their own distinct forms and unique abilities, made Tang San green with envy.

After all, these were battle companions one could entrust with one's life!

This new type of Soul Beast Pokemon completely changed traditional combat methods.

The major Great Soul Arenas successively canceled their original team competitions and instead introduced dedicated "Soul Beast Pokemon Battles."

After all, as a Spirit Master's rank increased, the number of Soul Beasts they could contract also increased. A high-level Spirit Master with multiple Soul Beast companions could possess combat power far surpassing that of a traditional seven-man team.

More terrifying still, Spirit Masters and their Contracted Soul Beasts understood each other perfectly, making their coordination utterly seamless.

Even Wang Sheng from Dorm Seven, whom Tang San had once defeated with ease, had now contracted a century-old Dark Tiger. Every time they met at the academy, Wang Sheng would smugly show off his Soul Beast companion.

What frustrated Tang San most was that Wang Sheng and the Dark Tiger could now actually exchange a few moves with him. Of course, that was only if Tang San did not use Hidden Weapons.

Whenever he imagined what the future might look like, Tang San felt a wave of irritation.

If things continued at this rate, once Wang Sheng rose in rank and contracted more Soul Beasts, he might really be able to beat Tang San down.

By then, Tang San could only stare helplessly at his lone soul ring.

"Little Scumbag really has it rough. He's got the fate of an orphan through and through." Far away in Heaven, Ye Su sipped tea as he commented, "But the fortune surrounding him really is absurd. I reckon it won't be long before he gets a turning point."

"Even you, as God, have no way to interfere in something like this?" Solomon frowned slightly, his fingers unconsciously tapping against the tabletop.

Just as Ye Su was about to answer, a sharp voice interrupted him before the words could leave his mouth. "No! You absolutely cannot make a move against the male protagonist! That is a serious violation! I'm going to report you to the Main God!" The system suddenly popped out and began shouting and making a fuss, looking for all the world like Tang San's personal system.

"See? That idiot is the one getting in the way." Ye Su spread his hands helplessly.

The main reason he did not take action was because of this system.

Although the system was not particularly bright, its abilities truly could not be underestimated.

A large part of Ye Su's current strength relied on the system. That power was like duckweed without roots, drifting and unstable.

Before he truly gained a firm foothold, he absolutely could not fall out with the system.

Besides, who knew what other trump cards the system might be hiding?

"How are things on Michael's side?" Solomon naturally understood this reasoning, so he changed the subject.

Speaking of Michael, the owner of the Angel Spirit had left Nuoding City several months ago.

He had obtained clues about Tang Hao from Tang San and personally went to Holy Soul Village to investigate.

He discovered a hidden cave behind a waterfall, where traces of the Blue Silver Emperor's aura remained. Michael was now doing everything he could to track down Tang Hao's whereabouts.

"He's pretty career-minded, and he's a decent person." Ye Su gave a brief evaluation.

The two chatted for a few more moments before cutting off contact.

After ending the communication, Solomon began considering a new plan.

After all, with the matters at hand temporarily wrapped up, his mind began growing restless again.

As a transmigrator, he had never been able to understand how other transmigrators could adapt so well to this world that resembled the medieval era.

No phones, no WiFi, no chilled watermelon, and certainly no AAA games or delicious food... It was simply torture!

"Since the matters at hand have come to an end, why not use my main body's abilities to develop a Spirit Guide Network?" Solomon muttered to himself. "Then I could hold Soul Beast Pokemon leagues in every city..."

At that thought, he suddenly realized that he seemed to be neglecting his proper work.

"Forget it. I'll deal with all that after unifying Douluo Continent." Solomon sighed, then irritably raked his fingers through his hair. "Damn it! I really don't want to work!"

Meanwhile, on the back mountain of Nuoding Academy, Tang San was cultivating alone.

The afterglow of the setting sun fell across him, stretching his shadow long behind him.

Laughter drifted over from other students playing with their Soul Beast companions in the distance, making Tang San's mood sink even lower.

"Why can't I ever come across a suitable Soul Beast?" Tang San stared at his Blue Silver Grass Spirit and fell into deep thought.

Since Spirit Hall announced the contract method, he had also tried communicating with Soul Beasts, but he had never been able to establish a genuine connection. Of course, a large part of the reason was that Tang San himself was only level 16 in Soul Power, far from enough to contract a Soul Beast.

However, there were now claims that even if one lacked sufficient Soul Power, one could first cultivate rapport and affinity with a Soul Beast. When the time came, they could still form a contract with the Soul Beast they desired.

The only problem was that Tang San had no money.

Not to mention that most Soul Beasts were contracted within Soul Beast Forests. Aside from public places like Star Dou Forest, private locations such as Soul Hunting Forest charged fees if one wanted to form a contract with the Soul Beasts inside.

That was right, contracting Soul Beasts cost money too.

First, purchasing a specialized Contract Book from Spirit Hall cost one Gold Soul Coin. Then, admission to Soul Hunting Forest cost another Gold Soul Coin. After a successful contract, one also had to pay Spirit Hall a leasing fee every year. After all, publicly speaking, Soul Hunting Forest belonged to Spirit Hall. Naturally, the Soul Beasts within it belonged to Spirit Hall as well.

Furthermore, most people had limited lifespans. Humans could live at most around a hundred years, while Soul Beasts could live for an immeasurably long time.

When a contract ended, those Soul Beasts that originally belonged to Spirit Hall would also be reclaimed by Spirit Hall.

That was why the annual leasing fee had to be paid.

Within Soul Hunting Forest, contracted Soul Beasts did not belong to the Spirit Masters themselves, but were items being leased out.

However, the prices were not high. Ten-year Soul Beasts required only five Copper Spirit Coins per year, century-old Soul Beasts required five Silver Spirit Coins per year, and thousand-year Soul Beasts required one Gold Soul Coin per year.

For most Spirit Masters, that price was merely the cost of a meal. It was not expensive at all—if anything, it was remarkably cheap.