Two Honorary Elders

"How the hell would I know?" Nan Feng looked speechless.

He had only been out of Slaughter City for a little over a year, and he had spent almost all of that time in seclusion. Where would he have found the time to learn about these things?

However, back when he was at war with the Clear Sky Sect, he had wandered through a few cities along the way and discovered that most people held a uniform attitude toward Martial Soul Hall.

Awe.

The latter was the dominant feeling.

Of course, this was perfectly normal. To ordinary people, Martial Soul Hall was a violent organization composed of powerful Spirit Masters.

The social systems of the Two Great Empires were managed through a mix of Spirit Masters and commoners; the management class was not limited to Spirit Masters, and in fact, most were ordinary people without spirit power.

But Martial Soul Hall was composed purely of Spirit Masters.

Birds of a feather flock together.

The management class of the Two Great Empires included ordinary people, which meant they were approachable and connected to the commoner class who were also ordinary people. But Martial Soul Hall, an organization composed purely of Spirit Masters, had absolutely no intersection with ordinary people.

As for commoner Spirit Masters, there was a misconception here.

That was, once a family produced a Spirit Master, that family had already left the world of ordinary people and ascended to the Spirit Master Class.

And as everyone knew, a golden phoenix that flew out of a straw nest would never return to that nest.

Just look at Holy Soul Village; legend had it that an ancestor there had once been a Spirit Saint.

And then what?

It didn't change the fact that the place was dirt poor.

The only thing they had was a bit of so-called pride in shared honor, just enough to brag about. But in reality, that legendary Spirit Saint probably didn't even know they still had any influence over that village.

Once a person from a disadvantaged class had the opportunity to leave their original stratum, they would not be willing to leave a single trace of their origins on themselves.

Unless those traces could bring them benefits, they were nothing but a pure burden.

This was a very realistic issue.

The "new Romans" who arrived in Rome from the ranks of the beasts of burden would have no sympathy for the beasts; they would only engage in even more violent exploitation.

This point applied equally to commoner Spirit Masters.

From the moment they awakened their spirit power and could become Spirit Masters, they were no longer commoners.

Instead, they had become nobles who enjoyed the support of the commoner class.

How could a noble ever empathize with the common cattle and horses?

Only the cattle and horses would arrogantly assume they could empathize with the noble.

"Aren't you an Honorary Elder of the Martial Soul Hall?" Tang Yuehua asked, puzzled.

"Big Sister, I'm only thirteen this year. I've only been in Martial Soul City for a little over a year, and I've only joined the Pope Hall in the last few months. What could I possibly know?" Nan Feng retorted.

It was only after Bibi Dong succeeded as Pope that he managed to snag a cushy, do-nothing position in the Pope Hall. It wasn't until after the war broke out between the Martial Soul Hall and the Clear Sky Sect that Bibi Dong appointed him as a Staff Officer. He only earned the title of Honorary Elder after following Yue Guan and Gui Mei to the front lines and performing meritorious service.

"Thirteen?" Tang Yuehua was stunned.

"Are you serious?"

"If you insist on counting my previous life, then I've definitely lived for nearly thirty years," Nan Feng said.

"Then why did you join the Pope Hall?" Tang Yuehua asked, confused.

"Because the current Pope saved me," Nan Feng said.

If his spawn point hadn't been Slaughter City, his first choice would have definitely been to run to Heaven Dou City and serve as a strategist for Qian Renxue!

After all, the difficulty and danger level of Bibi Dong were far too high. Without the perfect conditions of time, place, and people that Slaughter City provided, it simply wasn't a feasible path.

Choices depend on one's position and environment, not personal preference.

If he had been born into the Clear Sky Sect, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, or the Star Luo Royal Family, then there would be no need to think twice—he would definitely be fighting against the Martial Soul Hall!

"..."

"Thirteen years old?"

Not far from the private room, Ning Fengzhi, having heard that an Honorary Elder of the Martial Soul Hall was visiting Heaven Dou City, had brought Gu Rong along to gather information.

Gu Rong, relying on the powerful spiritual power of a Title Douluo, was eavesdropping and relaying the conversation between Nan Feng and Tang Yuehua.

"Uncle Gu, are you sure you heard that right?" Ning Fengzhi asked, puzzled.

"Are you certain you didn't miss a word, or perhaps, did he say thirty?"

Gu Rong rolled his eyes at Ning Fengzhi, annoyed. "I may be getting on in years, but I haven't reached the point where I can't hear something as simple as that."

The corner of Ning Fengzhi's eye twitched. "But this is just too exaggerated."

He could have accepted thirty, but what the hell was this "thirteen"?

A soul master's age could not be judged by their appearance. Some looked mature at a young age, while others maintained a childlike appearance even in their later years.

That Nan Feng did indeed look like a young man in his teens, but he had also met that High Priest of the Martial Soul Hall, Guang Ling Douluo. That was an old man even older than Chen Xin and Gu Rong, yet he looked like a youth of fifteen or sixteen.

Who knows if it's some old monster pretending to be a young man?

"Judging by his words, he really doesn't know much about the Martial Soul Hall," Gu Rong said.

"But according to the news I received from the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, this Elder just robbed Xue Ye of five million Gold Soul Coins," Ning Fengzhi said.

"His style of conduct is exactly the same as the Martial Soul Hall, perhaps even worse!"

The overbearing and aggressive nature of the Martial Soul Hall is common knowledge in the Spirit Master World; after all, who can argue with those who hold the most power? From the Pope and the Elders down to a local Deacon, they all share the same lineage.

Aside from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, which started through commerce, the other major sects basically stay within their own small territories and rarely wander elsewhere. Only the Martial Soul Hall has established branch halls in almost every small city, maintaining a scale almost identical to the administrative units of the Two Great Empires.

The only difference is that the Martial Soul Hall only manages Spirit Masters, while the Two Great Empires manage everything.

Although the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has a reputation for having eyes and ears all over the world, that is merely an exaggeration. Their intelligence network relies on commerce; only where there are business transactions can the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect have eyes and ears.

"Why not just test him and find out?" Gu Rong said.

"You are an Honorary Elder, and he is also an Honorary Elder. You two are the only two Honorary Elders of this era. It is only reasonable for Honorary Elders to get to know each other, isn't it?"

"And then, I can use the excuse of an itch to spar to test his depth."

"The strange fluctuation on his body that blocked my Spiritual Power probe is different from other Title Douluos. I suspect it is highly likely a Martial Soul ability. To figure out his true situation, the only way is to have actual contact."

Ning Fengzhi thought for a moment and nodded. "Uncle Gu, be careful. If this person is truly an old urchin like Guang Ling Douluo, I'm afraid there will be trouble."

"Rest assured, don't you know my abilities?" Gu Rong stood up with a smile.

"Even if I can't beat him, I can run."

Ning Fengzhi smiled helplessly and stood up. "You can run, but I can't."

"Don't worry, Fengzhi, I'll take you with me," Gu Rong said, putting his arm around Ning Fengzhi's shoulder.

"When we've had to run in the past, have I ever left you behind?"

The corner of Ning Fengzhi's eye twitched. "But every time we've had to run, it was because you caused the trouble. Uncle Jian and I were purely implicated by you."

"Ahem." Gu Rong felt a little awkward.

"The past is like smoke; yes, let's not mention it!"