There Are Always Troublemakers Trying to Harm Me!

But if Li Yuan's soul rings were too astonishing, they would easily attract the attention of Spirit Hall's higher-ups. He was not foolish enough to put himself in such danger for a hundred Gold Soul Coins a month.

So, soul rings like these looked just right!

Sure enough, when Ma Le saw the soul rings Li Yuan had revealed, he was somewhat surprised but did not lose his composure. After all, he was a Soul Master from Spirit Hall, and it was not as though he had never seen monstrous geniuses before.

There were quite a few Young Soul Masters with soul ring configurations like Li Yuan's in the academies under Spirit Hall's jurisdiction.

"You're a three-ring Soul Elder, right? Oh, that's right—have you never undergone Soul Master identity verification before?" Ma Le asked.

"No. I had always been cultivating in the Sunset Great Forest and only left recently," Li Yuan explained.

"I see. The Sunset Great Forest isn't an easy place to stay. Li Xiaoyao, right? Then your actual combat ability should be pretty good."

Li Yuan could not quite figure out Ma Le's intentions, so he answered vaguely, "Oh, it's alright. Mr. Ma Le, when will we conduct the Soul Master identity verification?"

"We can do it now. Li Xiaoyao, come with me to test your Soul Power. Weiwei, wait outside for a bit. I'm borrowing your little boyfriend," Ma Le teased deliberately, apparently having misunderstood the relationship between Li Yuan and Tang Weiwei.

"Brother Ma, what are you talking about? Little Brother Li and I only just met. It's not the kind of relationship you think it is." Sure enough, Tang Weiwei's face immediately flushed red at those words, and she hurriedly explained. Yet it only made her seem as though she were trying to conceal the truth.

"Xiaoyao, have you ever considered joining Spirit Hall? Your talent is quite good. If you joined Spirit Hall, you should have a promising future." After bringing Li Yuan into a spacious room, Ma Le did not forget to make small talk with him.

He looked quite casual, but Li Yuan could not help feeling suspicious. Say, if I refuse, Spirit Hall won't silence me, will they?

Li Yuan felt somewhat guilty. It could not be helped—he had far too many secrets. There was even serious doubt over whether he was truly human, and each of his three soul rings exceeded the limits an ordinary Soul Master could endure.

On top of that, he had a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast as a pet. If any one of those secrets got out, Li Yuan would be in serious trouble.

So, after returning to the human world, Li Yuan constantly felt as though there were always troublemakers trying to harm him. He was deeply worried that one day, if he let his guard down, Spirit Hall or some other faction would capture him alive, tie him to an experiment table, and slice him apart.

"Oh, Mr. Ma, thank you for the kind offer, but I'm used to living freely. I'm afraid I'm not suited to joining Spirit Hall." Unable to discern Ma Le's intentions for the moment, Li Yuan could only politely decline his goodwill.

Li Yuan had no intention of joining any faction. For him, being a lone wanderer was the best choice.

"I see. What a pity." Fortunately, Ma Le did not turn hostile because of this. After sighing regretfully, he had Li Yuan stand in the center of the room before a floating crystal ball.

Then, in a gentle tone, he said, "Alright, let's test your Soul Power first. Place your hand on the crystal ball, then channel your Soul Power into it."

"Alright." Li Yuan nodded, naturally placing his hand on the crystal ball before beginning to channel in his Soul Power.

A moment later, rings of light burst from the crystal ball.

"A level thirty-three Soul Elder." Ma Le nodded at Li Yuan, indicating that the test was over.

"Oh, right, I forgot to ask. How old are you this year?" As though recalling something, Ma Le asked another question.

"I'm eighteen this year," Li Yuan replied.

In truth, Li Yuan was only Twelve Years Old. But a twelve-year-old three-ring Soul Elder with the optimal soul ring configuration would be just as shocking.

Before he became strong enough to contend with a Limit Douluo, Li Yuan did not intend to make himself stand out too much. For now, it was better to keep a low profile.

Thus, Li Yuan lied about his age, adding six years to it. An eighteen-year-old three-ring Soul Elder could still be considered exceptionally talented, but would obviously attract far less attention.

Li Yuan was not worried that Spirit Hall would see through him. His Transformation Technique could even alter his Bone Age. Even if Ma Le tested his Bone Age, it would be useless. With his strength, he could not see through Li Yuan's disguise.

"An eighteen-year-old three-ring Soul Elder. Not bad. Alright, let's head out. I'll handle the paperwork for you. From now on, you can come to Spirit Hall every month with your identification and collect one hundred Gold Soul Coins."

"However, once your strength breaks through level forty, you will no longer be able to receive the subsidy." Ma Le explained some common knowledge to Li Yuan.

Li Yuan had known these things for a long time. Spirit Hall's policy could be considered a form of welfare for low-level Soul Masters.

It was precisely through this that Spirit Hall had won the goodwill of the majority of Soul Masters.

In Li Yuan's view, such matters should have been handled by the state. Unfortunately, the two great empires were both rotten beyond belief.

The nobles only knew to drink and make merry while they could, completely indifferent to the lives of ordinary people. The royal families of the two great empires were also willing but powerless. They could only watch helplessly as Spirit Hall won over the people's hearts, knowing full well that if this continued, they would eventually be finished, yet unable to do anything about it.

"Alright, I understand. Thank you, Brother Ma Le." Li Yuan nodded to Ma Le to show that he understood, then followed him out of the room.

A moment later, Li Yuan received a badge. Four longswords crossed one another on it, representing his status as a Soul Elder.

This was the identification token Spirit Hall issued to Soul Masters. Nearly every Soul Master possessed one. For example, Ma Le also had a similar badge on his chest, except his had one more longsword than Li Yuan's.

Because he was a Soul Ancestor, one rank above Li Yuan.

Besides the badge, Li Yuan also received one hundred Gold Soul Coins from Ma Le. This was his subsidy for the month, and even for a Soul Master, it was no small sum.

Come to think of it, when Li Yuan had read the book before, he had always been confused about the purchasing power of Gold Soul Coins.

According to the book, one Gold Soul Coin was enough to sustain an ordinary family for an entire year. If converted into RMB, then one Gold Soul Coin would be worth at least around ten thousand RMB.

But if that calculation was correct, then the prices on Douluo Continent were not merely strange—they were downright absurd.