Joining the Spirit Pagoda

The Spirit Receiver led An Ping and Gu Yuena to an office and briefly explained the situation to the Spirit Receivers inside.

The Spirit Receivers in the office looked stunned. They had clearly never expected these two little children to be capable of killing the Guardian Beast of the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform. Talents like these had to be recruited into the Spirit Pagoda. After confirming it several times, they took out a form and asked the two of them for some basic information, recording it down.

After recording their information, one of them looked at the pair and asked, "The two of you have the best talent I've ever seen. Would you be interested in joining the Spirit Pagoda and becoming Spirit Receivers?"

Gu Yuena asked, "Joining the Spirit Pagoda to become Spirit Receivers? Can we do that at our age?"

Seeing that the girl seemed somewhat interested, the Spirit Receiver explained, "Of course, we aren't asking you to become Spirit Receivers right away. Cultivation is the most important thing for you right now. If you join the Spirit Pagoda, your talent will certainly earn you better cultivation resources. The Spirit Pagoda headquarters will also arrange better teachers for you. You might even be taken on as disciples by an important figure."

"The Spirit Pagoda?" Gu Yuena looked at An Ping. "An Ping, should we join?"

Hearing Gu Yuena's words, the Spirit Receiver also looked toward the thoughtful An Ping. "Don't worry. You're still young, and the Spirit Pagoda won't interfere with your studies. For children your age, you can only be considered reserves, and you'll retain a great deal of freedom. You won't formally come into contact with a Spirit Receiver's work until you reach adulthood and graduate from an advanced academy."

An Ping really was weighing the pros and cons, though he was not worried about his studies. Rather, he was considering what joining an organization would bring him. He was indeed tempted by the Spirit Pagoda's technology involving souls and space. After all, a Witch's power ultimately came from knowledge.

An Ping asked, "Do you want to join?"

"If you join, I'll join." Gu Yuena did not answer directly, only staring at An Ping.

An Ping nodded. "Alright, we'll join."

The Spirit Receiver revealed a gentle smile. "Believe me, you definitely won't regret this decision. Sign these, and from now on, you'll be reserve members of the Spirit Pagoda."

As he spoke, the Spirit Receiver pulled out two contracts and handed them to the pair, signaling for them to read them first. Taking the contracts, An Ping flipped through their contents. They mainly described the benefits and obligations of joining the Spirit Pagoda. Just as the Spirit Receiver had said, there were no excessive terms. An Ping casually signed his name. Seeing An Ping sign, Gu Yuena also casually signed hers.

Seeing the two of them sign their names, the Spirit Receiver nodded and said gently, "Alright, your teacher is still waiting outside. You can head back first. The contracts and your personal information will be submitted to the Spirit Pagoda headquarters. Once the headquarters confirms everything, dedicated personnel will contact you through the communication numbers you left behind."

The two nodded and followed the Spirit Receiver who had brought them there out of the office. When they reached the main hall, Wu Changkong and the other Cadets of Class Zero were waiting. Wu Changkong remained as cold and aloof as ever, while the other Cadets were quietly discussing something.

When they saw the two approach, they stopped chatting and looked at them strangely.

Wu Changkong said, "You did very well in the first part of your Final Exam. If I were grading you, everyone except An Ping and Gu Yuena would receive full marks."

He looked at An Ping and Gu Yuena, his tone turning somewhat cold. "As for the two of you, I always thought you were the most dependable members of the team. I never expected you to do something as dangerous as proactively challenging a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear. Therefore, I can only give you eighty points."

Hearing Wu Changkong's words, Xie Xie muttered quietly, "They're much stronger than us, and didn't they win?"

Wu Changkong swept Xie Xie a cold glance before continuing, "From the outcome, you did win. But you need to understand that although you won't truly die in the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform, suffering severe injuries inside can still seriously affect your minds. In the worst cases, it could even turn you into idiots. Don't do anything so dangerous again. You need to be responsible for yourselves."

"Understood." An Ping and Gu Yuena did not explain themselves.

Seeing that they had acknowledged their mistake, Wu Changkong nodded. "Alright, that's enough for today. Once you complete the second part of the exam, your Final Exam will be over. Return to the academy first. We'll discuss anything else after we get back."

After returning to the academy, Wu Changkong took Tang Wulin alone to his office, saying that he needed to speak with him about Tang Wulin's Spirit Soul. Gu Yuena also pulled An Ping away.

The two returned to their dormitory and entered An Ping's room. Gu Yuena sat down in a chair, looked at An Ping, and asked, "What happened earlier in the Spirit Ascension Platform? I felt like you didn't absorb that Soul Bone."

An Ping nodded, took out the Soul Bone that gleamed with dark golden light from his Storage Soul Tool, and handed it to Gu Yuena. "I didn't. When I tried to absorb it, you should have seen my Martial Soul suddenly appear."

Gu Yuena nodded. "I saw it. Did that have something to do with me?"

After pondering for a moment, An Ping said, "I didn't summon it voluntarily. When my Soul Power and the Soul Bone were about to establish a connection, it suddenly appeared and interrupted the process. It seemed extremely resistant to it."

"Is that so? The world truly is full of wonders. I never imagined there could be a Martial Soul that rejected a Soul Bone." Thinking of something, she asked doubtfully, "Never mind that. Can I ask how you brought it out?"

An Ping nodded. "We all know that what entered the Spirit Ascension Platform was a projection formed from our Spiritual Power. It wasn't our actual souls leaving our bodies and entering it. Spiritual Power and the soul are connected, so through that connection and a little spatial element, I created a temporary passage linked to my Storage Soul Tool and brought it out that way. We worked so hard to obtain it, after all. We couldn't just leave it in there for nothing."

"I see. Keep it safe. In this era where Soul Bones are scarce, this is a rare item, especially since it's an External Soul Bone. But precisely because of that, you'd better not let anyone know about it." As she spoke, Gu Yuena handed the Soul Bone back to him.

An Ping asked in confusion, "If it's so rare, don't you want it?"

Hearing An Ping's words, Gu Yuena broke into a smile. "Just keep it if I'm telling you to. Don't you like Soul Tool Technology? I remember that Soul Bones can also be used as materials for making Soul Tools. But if you make a finished product, I hope you'll let me see it."

"Alright. Since that's the case, I'll keep it. I'll try to see whether I can dismantle it. If I can, I might be able to make more than one item. I can give you one of the extras." An Ping nodded.

"Then I'll look forward to it." Gu Yuena said with a smile.

Suddenly thinking of something, Gu Yuena said, "Right, the Spirit Pagoda or Teacher Wu might ask you later what you plan to do about your Soul Bone skill."

"A Soul Bone skill? That really is a problem. Since the Spirit Pagoda placed this Soul Bone in the Spirit Ascension Platform, they should know something about it." An Ping began thinking. "What do you think about using the excuse that I was unlucky and only got a skill that boosts strength?"

After considering it for a moment, Gu Yuena said, "Let's go with that. The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear is a strength-type Soul Beast anyway. Saying you were unlucky and only gained a Soul Skill that boosts strength is believable enough."

"Then that's settled." An Ping nodded.