Testing Their Talents

"One Soul Crystal for each of you. Keep these Beginner Soul Crystals close to you. You can use them until your Soul Power reaches five hundred. Once it exceeds five hundred, you'll need to buy intermediate Soul Crystals!" Nie Li said, handing the Beginner Soul Crystals to Du Ze, Lu Piao, and the others.

When Nie Li handed them the Soul Crystals, Wei Nan, Zhu Xiangjun, and Zhang Ming looked apprehensive.

"How can we accept something so precious?" Wei Nan said. A single Beginner Soul Crystal was worth a full thousand Spirit Coins—more than they spent on living expenses in two years. Yet Nie Li had just casually given one to him.

"Yeah, we can't accept these!" Zhu Xiangjun quickly protested.

Zhang Ming felt the same way. They were all commoners. When had they ever held anything so precious?

"Nie Li gave them to you, so accept them! Unless you don't consider us brothers." Du Ze furrowed his brow and spoke in a firm voice.

Though Du Ze was also born a commoner, he still carried considerable authority. Wei Nan and the others exchanged glances, then nodded and accepted the Beginner Soul Crystals from Nie Li, their hearts filled with gratitude.

"Nie Li, thank you. From now on, you're our big brother. Just tell us what you need, and we'll do it." Wei Nan and the others spoke up one after another. They had accepted Nie Li as one of their own and decided to follow him.

Hearing their words, Nie Li smiled faintly. With loyal brothers like these, everything he wanted to do would be twice as easy!

"Du Ze, you test first!" Nie Li said, looking at him. "Just like during the entrance exam!"

"All right." Du Ze nodded. He picked up the Beginner Soul Crystal and slowly channeled his Soul Power into it. The crystal gradually glowed brighter and brighter, illuminating Du Ze's youthful yet somewhat mature-looking face. Specks of light danced inside the Soul Crystal. The brightness was still a little short of what was needed for a Bronze 1-star Demon Spirit Master.

They could tell roughly how many there were at a glance. Each speck represented one point of Soul Power.

"Du Ze, you've improved so quickly! You already have fifty-two points of Soul Power!" Lu Piao said excitedly. With fifty-two points, Du Ze would likely be the first among them to reach a hundred and become a Bronze 1-star Demon Spirit Master.

Du Ze looked toward Nie Li, who was studying the Soul Crystal intently.

To Nie Li, Soul Power meant nothing, whether it numbered in the dozens or the hundreds. What mattered most was the attribute and form of one's demon spirit.

The white specks inside the Soul Crystal shimmered with a grayish-red glow. Every so often, they gathered together and shifted into different shapes, like a cloud.

At the sight, Nie Li stared in astonishment and blurted out, "It's the Thunder Fire Element, and his Soul Sea takes the form of a Sky Dragon Thundercloud." No wonder Du Ze had cultivated so much faster than the other brothers in his previous life. A Sky Dragon Thundercloud Soul Sea paired with Thunder Fire Element talent was a perfect match. Unfortunately, Du Ze had studied Sacred Fire inscriptions in his previous life, so Gold One Star had been the limit of his cultivation. But in this life, with Nie Li's help, everything would change.

"What Thunder Fire Element? What Sky Dragon Thundercloud?" Everyone looked bewildered.

"There are no useless Soul Seas in this world. The seven colors—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet—represent each person's unique character and talent. For various reasons, some Soul Seas are easier to cultivate than others, but that doesn't mean a red Soul Sea is useless. Find the right cultivation method, and even a red Soul Sea can unleash tremendous power. Those who rank Soul Seas into different grades are nothing but amateurs when it comes to cultivating Soul Power!" Nie Li said with a faint smile.

To Du Ze, Lu Piao, and the others, Nie Li's words landed like thunder on a clear day. It was utterly unbelievable. Ever since the founding of the City of Brilliance, legendary figures had told them that Soul Seas came in different grades, that orange was stronger than red, and yellow stronger than orange... Could it be that even those legendary experts were just amateurs?

When it came to understanding Soul Seas, even legendary experts weren't on the same level as Nie Li. He could look down on any legendary expert, because in his previous life, Nie Li had already reached a realm beyond the legendary level, one they could scarcely imagine.

Nie Li continued, "As long as you find the right cultivation method, any kind of Soul Sea can reach the legendary Heavenly Fate Realm! Du Ze has a Yellow Soul Sea and belongs to the Thunder Fire Element. His Soul Sea takes the form of a Sky Dragon Thundercloud. He's suited to Thunder Fire Element techniques and inscriptions, and the right demon spirit for him is a Sky Dragon beast. If all these conditions are met, his achievements will be astonishing. But if he cultivates with other inscriptions, his progress will be much slower."

Hearing Nie Li's words, Du Ze looked troubled. "Unfortunately, all the Thunder Fire techniques in the City of Brilliance are incomplete. Even the ones recorded in ancient texts are written in a very old script..." As he spoke, Du Ze suddenly remembered that Nie Li could even understand the Thunder Fire Sacred Codex. Hope rose in his eyes as he looked at Nie Li.

Nie Li gave him a confident smile. "With me here, what's there to worry about? It's only a Thunder Fire technique. That's no problem for me. I have sixty-nine of the most powerful Thunder Fire techniques. Which one do you want to cultivate?"

The Crimson Thunder Heavenly Fire Art? No, it was too domineering. The later stages could easily damage the meridians. The Sky Dragon Codex? It certainly suited Du Ze's physique. The technique itself had no problems, but no one had ever truly cultivated it, not even its creator. In Nie Li's view, the first nine stages of the Sky Dragon Codex were perfectly safe, but the final three would be very difficult.

There was no doubt that the Sky Dragon Codex was powerful. Reaching the ninth stage would already be astonishing. As for the final three, that would depend on Du Ze's fortune.

"I'll learn the Sky Dragon Codex. It's one of the three strongest Thunder Fire techniques. I'll teach you the formulas, and I'll also take the time to copy out the various martial skills for your future cultivation!" Nie Li passed the Sky Dragon Codex formulas on to Du Ze. They weren't difficult to understand, and Du Ze memorized them quickly.

As he silently recited and studied the formulas, Du Ze was utterly stunned. The Sky Dragon Codex was far more powerful than any technique he had ever encountered! Just silently reciting the formulas made his Soul Sea surge wildly, and he could feel his Soul Power beginning to increase. He hadn't even started cultivating, yet the formulas were already stirring his Soul Sea and strengthening his Soul Power!

It was easy to imagine how rapidly Du Ze would advance once he began cultivating the Sky Dragon Codex!

All this time, Du Ze had struggled for the fate of his family. His dream was to change the fate of his parents and clansmen, but he knew how distant and elusive that goal seemed. Yet now, Du Ze felt that as long as he devoted himself to cultivating the Sky Dragon Codex, none of it would be out of reach! Nie Li had given him all of this!

"I'll write out the details of every stage for you in the next few days," Nie Li said with a faint smile.

Du Ze was filled with gratitude. His eyes reddened, and he said solemnly, "I, Du Ze, will never forget your kindness in giving me the Sky Dragon Codex. If there's ever anything you need me for, Nie Li, I'll climb a mountain of blades or plunge into a sea of fire for you. If I so much as furrow my brow, may heaven strike me dead!"

"Don't say that. We're brothers! It's only a cultivation technique." Nie Li smiled and patted Du Ze.

To Nie Li, it was only a cultivation technique. But to Du Ze, it meant something entirely different!

Lu Piao had grown impatient by now. "Listening to you two talk is making my teeth ache. Brothers should share both blessings and hardships! Nie Li, I have a red Soul Sea. Can I cultivate Soul Power too?"

"Of course. Everyone can cultivate, even those with red Soul Seas. They just need different cultivation techniques!" Nie Li replied with a smile.

Lu Piao began channeling Soul Power into the Soul Crystal. Before long, it gave off a faint glow, and a dozen or so slightly reddish specks danced inside. They were far dimmer than Du Ze's! Seeing this, Lu Piao couldn't help blushing. His Soul Power was ridiculously low.

"A red Soul Sea, belonging to the Chaos Element, shaped like a Crimson Sun!" Nie Li furrowed his brow. "A Crimson Sun-shaped Soul Sea is fairly ordinary. But the Chaos Element is extremely rare. You might not find even one among tens of thousands of people. You should cultivate the Chaos Sacred Spirit Codex!"

"The Chaos Sacred Spirit Codex? Is it powerful?" Lu Piao asked excitedly. It sounded like something incredible.

"Of course. The Chaos Sacred Spirit Codex is every bit as powerful as the Sky Dragon Codex. And you don't need to work too hard at cultivating it. You only have to nurture the chaos energy within your body, so it's perfect for you." Nie Li smiled. "As for whether you can reach the highest realm, that depends on your fortune."

Hearing this, Lu Piao's eyes lit up. The technique was perfect for him. He grinned. "I don't need to reach the highest realm. I'll be satisfied if I become a Silver 1-star Demon Spirit Master."

A Silver 1-star Demon Spirit Master... If the creator of the Chaos Sacred Spirit Codex knew how "ambitious" Lu Piao's dream was, he'd probably want to bash his head against a wall.

"Silver 1-star..." Nie Li was at a loss for words. It probably wouldn't be long before Lu Piao realized how childish and laughable his current dream was. With the Chaos Sacred Spirit Codex, even staying at Silver 1-star would be as hard as reaching the heavens. As the chaos energy in his body built up, Lu Piao's cultivation would advance at a freakish pace!

Nie Li began testing Wei Nan and the others, giving each of them a powerful cultivation technique as well. Though they couldn't compare to the Chaos Sacred Spirit Codex or the Sky Dragon Codex, they were still far beyond the techniques circulating in the City of Brilliance. Each was perfectly suited to its recipient, and they would surely make their future cultivation twice as effective!

Once they reached the Bronze 5-star level and found demon spirits suited to them, their combat abilities would surge!

Looking at the Soul Crystal in his hand, Nie Li knew it was time to test his own talent. In his previous life, he had taken many wrong turns for various reasons, and his cultivation techniques had been scattered and unfocused. As a result, his progress had grown increasingly sluggish. But in this life, he would find the cultivation technique best suited to him!