The Lucky Random Spirit

Suddenly, a series of lights illuminated within the machine, casting a faint glow upon each of the spirit spheres.

There were at least a hundred spirit spheres inside the machine, and they began to rotate slowly along their tracks. Their speed was incredibly fast, creating a dizzying, overwhelming sensation.

The exterior of the spirit spheres completely isolated the spirits within; nothing could be discerned by sight alone. Everything was left to fate.

Not long after pressing the green button, Situ Xuan quickly pressed the red button.

"Bang—"

The rotation stopped, and a pristine white spirit sphere dropped from the machine's exit, rolling into the metal box beside him.

"Child, this is your spirit sphere. You can open it once you get outside."

The Spirit Master handed the spirit sphere to Situ Xuan and then led him out of the room.

Looking at the device the Spirit Master had handed him, Situ Xuan paused for a moment before pressing the button without hesitation.

As the spirit sphere unfolded, light slowly shone out from within.

The yellow light made the Spirit Master stare at Situ Xuan in shock. "A... a century-level spirit?!"

No way, brother, did you actually hit the jackpot?

As a Spirit Master of the Spirit Pagoda, it was theoretically possible to randomly draw a century-level spirit, but the odds were incredibly slim!

Having been a Spirit Master for over a decade, if he didn't know that, then who would?

Situ Xuan looked at the small black tiger in his palm, which had the character "King" etched onto its forehead, and chuckled softly. "That's quite a coincidence."

"Thank you."

After a simple word of thanks, Situ Xuan headed toward his home.

The Little Black Tiger was very active; it crawled out of the spirit sphere early and stood on Situ Xuan's shoulder, looking around constantly, seemingly unaware that if it weren't absorbed, it would eventually dissipate completely.

"Situ Xuan?!"

Just as he stepped outside, Situ Xuan heard a shout.

He turned his head and saw a young boy with short black hair waving at him. His large eyes were clear and bright, with long eyelashes that even many girls would envy.

"Situ Xuan, are you here to buy a spirit too?"

As the boy walked closer, Situ Xuan remembered that this was his classmate and the protagonist of this era, Tang Wulin.

"Yeah."

Situ Xuan tilted his head to look at the Little Black Tiger on his shoulder. "This is my spirit."

Seeing the lifelike Little Black Tiger, Tang Wulin's large eyes brightened significantly, as if he were looking forward to something himself.

As classmates who were both in the same boat with low Innate Soul Power, Tang Wulin had a good impression of Situ Xuan, though Situ Xuan usually didn't pay him any mind.

"Wulin, is this your classmate?"

Tang Ziran looked at the boy, who was clearly a head taller than his own son, feeling a bit incredulous.

"Yes, Dad, this is my friend from class, his name is Situ Xuan."

Tang Wulin introduced him to Tang Ziran.

"Hello, Uncle."

Situ Xuan spoke politely, though there wasn't much of a smile on his face. "I have things to do, so I'll be going now. I wish you both success in obtaining a good spirit."

"Ah, right, thank you for your kind words."

Tang Wulin scratched his head, but knowing this "monster" from school, he understood that being able to exchange a few words was already a courtesy extended because his parent was present, so he didn't press the matter.

"Wulin, your classmate... his personality is a bit cold."

Tang Ziran looked at Situ Xuan, opening his mouth, not knowing what else to say.

"Our classmates are all used to it."

Tang Wulin didn't think much of it. "Situ Xuan is a good person, just a bit solitary."

Tang Ziran didn't dwell on it too much and ruffled his son's hair. "Let's go! It's our turn to obtain a spirit!"

"Awoo!"

Back home, Situ Xuan reached out and picked up the Little Black Tiger. Seeing the little guy wasn't afraid, a smile appeared on his face.

He extended his right hand toward the Little Black Tiger, seemingly expecting something.

The moment Situ Xuan's right palm touched the tiger's paw pad, a cold, stinging pain shot from his palm straight into his marrow. The skin between his brows tightened slightly, as if an invisible crack were quietly blooming. The cultivation method of the Black Heart Evil Palm began to circulate uncontrollably in his dantian—a frigid, baleful aura surged out like a tide, rushing along his meridians and finally gathering in his palm.

The Little Black Tiger tilted its head, its amber cat-eyes reflecting Situ Xuan's face. It didn't struggle, nor did it show any signs of discomfort; it simply stepped forward calmly and lifted its other front paw, gently pressing it against Situ Xuan's wrist.

Whoosh—!

The baleful aura surged violently. Situ Xuan felt an invisible force pulling at his soul power, and the Little Black Tiger's spirit body seemed to become a bottomless abyss, crazily devouring this energy tainted with the power of the Black Heart Evil. He let out a muffled groan, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead. His muscles tensed like rock as he forcibly suppressed the surging evil thoughts within his body.

"No rejection?" He frowned slightly, his heart on high alert.

Cultivation of the Black Heart Evil Palm relied on baleful aura, but an excess of it could easily backfire on the mind. If ordinary living beings came into contact with it, they would suffer mental confusion at best, or the disintegration of their soul and body at worst.

However, the little fellow before him showed not a hint of pain; instead, it looked as if... it was relishing the experience?

He focused his gaze and discovered that deep within the eyes of Little Black Tiger, a faint wisp of black energy had condensed, spreading slowly like a drop of ink in water. Its pupils had contracted into slits; unlike the rounded eyes of an ordinary tiger cub, they now possessed a sharp edge, as if the keenness of a blade were hidden beneath a clear sky.

"Interesting." Situ Xuan whispered, his eyes cold and steady.

He no longer obstructed the flow of the baleful energy, allowing the cultivation method of the Black Heart Evil Palm to run on its own. Soul power and baleful energy intertwined, pouring continuously into the little tiger's body. A black mist, resembling a ghostly shadow, faintly emerged and coiled around Situ Xuan's wrist, yet it did not spread outward; instead, it was completely absorbed by Little Black Tiger.

Suddenly--!

"Clang!"

A faint metallic vibration exploded in Situ Xuan's mind, sounding like a sharp sword being unsheathed, or perhaps an invisible chain snapping. His entire body shuddered as the circulation of his Black Heart Evil Palm suddenly accelerated. A previously blocked acupoint was forced open, the baleful energy flowed back, and his soul power surged significantly at that very moment!

"A breakthrough?"

A trace of surprise flashed in Situ Xuan's eyes. "No, it's the successful absorption of a soul spirit..."

A pale yellow soul ring appeared on Situ Xuan's body, signifying his successful transition from a Soul Apprentice to a one-ring Soul Master.

He had been stuck at the bottleneck of level ten soul power, but now it had climbed directly to level eleven, and it was... still slowly rising!

All of this was because, during the process of absorbing the soul spirit, the baleful energy of the Black Heart Evil Palm had resonated with the soul spirit, drastically increasing his cultivation efficiency!

Little Black Tiger remained calm, but the fluctuations of soul power within its body were more solid than before. Although there was no change in its physical form, it gave off a feeling of being... more ferocious.

It was as if it were no longer an ordinary soul spirit, but a being tempered by baleful energy.

Situ Xuan narrowed his eyes and slowly withdrew his palm.

Little Black Tiger leaped lightly, landing gracefully on his shoulder. It flicked its tail and rubbed against his cheek affectionately, just as it always did.

But Situ Xuan knew that something... had changed completely.