Level Ten

"Boss, are you all right?"

Gu Han had looked like he had struck them with great force, but in reality, he had merely made them feel pain. He had not injured them.

Only after Gu Han left did the few of them dare to climb back to their feet. They gathered around the fatty and checked on him.

"I'm fine. Who would've thought this guy was from Spirit Hall? Don't provoke him again."

The fatty waved his hand, clutching his swollen face and sucking in a sharp breath as he warned his lackeys.

People like him were typical bullies who feared the strong and preyed on the weak. They knew exactly who they could provoke and who they couldn't.

Before learning that Gu Han was from Spirit Hall, the fatty had acted arrogantly and tyrannically, relying on his status as the city lord's grandson.

After learning Gu Han's identity, he immediately abandoned his thoughts of revenge.

He might have been overbearing, but he wasn't stupid. Just from his strength alone, it was clear that this Gu Han had fairly high Innate Soul Power—at least around level three or four.

The Spirit Hall in Cold Wind City would definitely value him highly. If they truly provoked him, their family would be the ones to suffer in the end.

Gu Han had no interest in the fatty's thoughts. He went straight to the library of Shuo Feng Junior Academy.

Having lived two lifetimes, he knew the importance of knowledge all too well.

The era he was living in was several decades earlier than Tang San's. He had plenty of time to develop, and perhaps he could even seize some of Tang San's opportunities in advance.

Although the Nameless Technique could make up for his cultivation speed, Immortal Herbs could improve his aptitude and make cultivation easier for him.

However, Immortal Herbs were still too far out of reach for him at present. The Ice Fire Yin Yang Well was located deep within the Sunset Forest, surrounded by Spirit Beasts that had lived for more than ten thousand years. Before he possessed a certain level of strength, he couldn't enter.

As for finding someone to cooperate with, it came back to the same point: without sufficient strength to rely on, such cooperation would be no different from courting disaster.

One had to be strong oneself.

Besides, the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well would not run away. At this point, Dugu Bo might not even have found the place. Even if he had, he probably wouldn't know the effects of the Immortal Herbs inside.

For now, he only needed to do two things.

First, become stronger. Second, accumulate knowledge.

After that, Gu Han was never challenged again. He was more than happy to enjoy the peace, spending each day in a life that seemed dull and tasteless to others.

Attend classes, consult materials, practice swordsmanship, meditate.

Just like that, nearly a year passed. Gu Han sensed a bottleneck that prevented his Soul Power from advancing even an inch further.

He knew that he had finally reached level ten.

It had to be said that nearly everyone in Shuofeng Junior Spirit Master Academy was a Soul Scholar. Only a few sixth-year students had reached the level of a level-ten Spirit Master.

There were many geniuses on this continent, but they were pitifully few in number and were almost all concentrated together. In a remote place like this, anyone who possessed a Spirit Ring while still in Primary Academy could already be considered a decent genius.

And Gu Han had advanced from level five to level ten in a year. That was already extremely fast.

Furthermore, the cultivation method Gu Han practiced was special. He had previously competed in Soul Power with several senior students around his level.

He discovered that the Soul Power within his body was at least several times purer and more substantial than that of people at the same realm.

Each level also required more Soul Power than ordinary Spirit Masters.

After school, Gu Han returned to the Cold Wind City Spirit Hall Branch and found Bishop Markel.

"Grandpa Markel, I discovered recently during meditation that my Soul Power has reached a bottleneck. I want to come back and test it."

The school could test it as well, but compared with the school, he trusted the people in Spirit Hall more.

"Haha, Xiao Han is back. Come with me."

At first, Master Markel had deliberately drawn close to Gu Han merely because he was a little genius.

But after a year of contact, he discovered that this child was obedient, sensible, eager to learn, hardworking, and possessed a mind of his own. Thus, he had come to regard Gu Han as his own grandson.

He had taken especially good care of Gu Han throughout the year.

When he saw Gu Han return, Master Markel smiled kindly and brought him to the Soul Power testing room.

The testing room covered an area of nearly two hundred square meters. A huge floor-to-ceiling window provided the room with ample light, while five fist-sized black stones were embedded in the surrounding walls.

A massive Token-shaped emblem had been carved into the floor. A long sword hung vertically downward from it. This was the lowest-level emblem of Spirit Hall, yet it was still something many people could only dream of possessing.

At the very front of the room stood a row of cylindrical white jade platforms. Soul Power Testing Crystals rested on top of them.

Markel took a Crystal Ball from one of the platforms and placed it in front of Gu Han. "Come, put your hand on it, then send your Soul Power inside."

Gu Han nodded, accepted the Crystal Ball, and skillfully sent his Soul Power into it.

Buzz—

The Crystal Ball instantly lit up with a rich blue glow.

Seeing this, Master Markel was even more delighted than Gu Han. He laughed and said, "Haha, Xiao Han, congratulations on breaking through to level ten. Once you obtain your First Soul Ring, you'll truly become a Spirit Master."

"Thank you for the praise, Grandpa Markel."

"By the way, Xiao Han, I often see you in the library. Your grandpa will test you now. What are your thoughts regarding your First Soul Ring?"

Master Markel had observed Gu Han's performance throughout the past year. Now, he had developed an urge to examine his knowledge. Stroking his beard with one hand, he asked with a smile.

Hearing the question, Gu Han nodded and said, "Grandpa Markel, I do have a target."

"Oh? Let's hear it." Markel raised his eyebrows and asked with interest.

Gu Han organized his thoughts and words in his mind before answering.

"My Martial Soul is the Mystic Ice Sword, an Ice Attribute Weapon Soul. So when choosing a Spirit Beast, I should definitely find one with the same attribute to strengthen my Martial Soul's properties. Ideally, I should also obtain a Soul Skill that enhances all attributes."

"A Soul Skill that boosts all attributes will be extremely important to me in the future."

"Based on my understanding of Spirit Beasts over the past year, a Spirit Beast called the Ice Crystal Hedgehog is very suitable for me."

"The Ice Crystal Hedgehog is an Ice Attribute Spirit Beast. Its back is covered in spikes resembling slender swords, and it can release Ice Crystal Sword Qi. Even some Soul Elders would find the Ice Crystal Sword Qi released by a century-old Ice Crystal Hedgehog difficult to deal with."

Gu Han knew very well how useful an all-attribute enhancement would be in the later stages. Such an enhancement would not be too obvious when one was weak, but once one became powerful, the effect of a percentage-based boost would reveal itself.

If two Title Douluo at the same realm fought, with one possessing a percentage-based enhancement and the other lacking one, the gap between them would naturally widen. The Title Douluo with the percentage-based enhancement would absolutely suppress the other.

"However, considering that Ice Crystal Hedgehogs are relatively rare, I also have a backup option."

"Oh? Let's hear it."

"Snowy Ice Wolf. It also possesses extremely powerful offensive and armor-piercing abilities, along with considerable Ice Attribute power."

"Mm, not bad. Not bad."

Master Markel stroked his beard, his face full of smiles.

"The Ice Crystal Hedgehog you mentioned is indeed somewhat rare. However, two were transported to the Soul Hunting Forest of Cold Wind City last year. One was less than a century old, while the other truly had a cultivation base of three hundred and ninety years. By now, it has probably reached four hundred years."

"Neither of those two Ice Crystal Hedgehogs has been hunted yet. Your physical constitution is pretty good, so perhaps you can try the four-hundred-year-old one."

As the Bishop of the Cold Wind City Spirit Hall Branch, Master Markel knew every Spirit Beast transported to the Soul Hunting Forest each year like the back of his hand. When Gu Han mentioned the Ice Crystal Hedgehog, he happened to recall this matter.

As the Bishop of a Spirit Hall Branch, he naturally knew more than an ordinary Teacher. The limits of a Spirit Master's first four Spirit Rings were closely related to the Spirit Master's physique. It was only the later Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings that required a Spirit Master to possess sufficient Spiritual Power.

Master Markel was not worried about Gu Han's physique. Gu Han set aside time every day to train his body and had even asked Markel to help him purchase some Medicinal Herbs for medicinal baths.

Gu Han's physique was now more than capable of absorbing a four-hundred-year-old Spirit Beast's Spirit Ring.