Struck by Lightning

Should he go straight to Dugu Bo, or should he first get close to Dugu Yan to gain access to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well...

Jiang Bai quietly weighed his options.

The immortal herbs inside could not only resolve the Martial Soul flaw of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda and evolve it into the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda, but also greatly increase his strength...

He was immersed in fantasies of mapping out his future when a sudden change erupted in the sky!

The previously clear, brilliant night sky gathered a dense mass of dark clouds without warning. Black as ink, they resembled a giant hand that instantly blotted out the moonlight and starlight.

"???"

Jiang Bai froze, an ominous feeling rising in his heart.

These clouds had come far too strangely.

Before he could react—

"Crack—!!!"

A blinding silver-white bolt of lightning descended from the heart of the clouds with lightning-fast precision!

It struck Jiang Bai, who was lying on the roof, dead on!

"Boom!"

An indescribably violent force instantly tore through his entire body. Jiang Bai saw white, his ears rang incessantly, and agonizing pain and numbness spread throughout him.

His small body convulsed violently several times. His healthy wheat-colored skin instantly turned charred black, every strand of hair stood on end, and wisps of green smoke rose from him.

The fierce impact left his mind completely blank. Only after a long while did he regain a sliver of consciousness.

A faint yet exceptionally pure energy emerged from nowhere, slowly nourishing his body like a trickling stream.

Stiffly and in disbelief, he lowered his head to stare at his hands, which smoked black and looked like charcoal. Meaningless rasping sounds escaped his throat.

He instinctively opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but only expelled a wisp of black smoke carrying the smell of burning.

"..."

Spirit City.

Even in the dead of night, this holy land of Soul Masters exuded a majestic and mysterious aura.

Deep within the Pope's Palace, in an office decorated lavishly yet solemnly, Qian Xunji was reviewing the final document of the day.

Dressed in the Pope's robes, his face appeared profound and imposing in the candlelight.

As the current Pope of Spirit Hall, he bore heavy responsibilities and handled a mountain of official affairs every day.

"Knock, knock, knock—"

A gentle knock sounded at the door.

Qian Xunji did not even raise his head. "Come in."

The door opened, and a man in a splendid robe patterned with chrysanthemums entered at an unhurried pace.

He was delicately handsome with an almost feminine beauty, though his bearing carried a trace of eerie charm. He was Yue Guan, Chrysanthemum Douluo, one of Spirit Hall's elders.

Yue Guan stopped several steps before the desk and gave a slight bow. "Your Holiness."

"Why have you come at such a late hour?"

Qian Xunji set down his pen and looked up at Yue Guan.

"Reporting to Your Holiness,"

Yue Guan's voice was gentle but clear.

"Secret intelligence has arrived from the Balak Kingdom branch. They discovered an exceptionally gifted child in a small village."

"Oh?"

Qian Xunji raised an eyebrow.

"For the branch to send a secret report directly, he must not be an ordinary genius."

"He is indeed extraordinary."

Yue Guan nodded. "That child possesses Rank Nine Innate Soul Power!"

A flicker of interest passed through Qian Xunji's eyes.

Rank Nine Innate Soul Power was considered top-tier talent across the entire continent. Even among Spirit Hall's younger generation, it would rank near the top.

Yet Yue Guan's next words made Qian Xunji truly take notice.

"Furthermore,"

Yue Guan paused, his tone carrying a hint of deeper meaning. "His Martial Soul is the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda."

"The Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda?"

Qian Xunji frowned slightly, unconsciously leaning forward.

"A wild Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda?"

This news truly took him by surprise.

As the number one auxiliary-type tool Martial Soul in the world, the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda had always been passed down only through the direct bloodline of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. It was exceedingly rare for one to appear outside the sect.

"Are you certain he was discovered within the Balak Kingdom? This is not some decoy deliberately released by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

Qian Xunji asked cautiously.

"The branch steward confirmed it repeatedly,"

Yue Guan answered with certainty.

"The child's name is Jiang Bai. He lives in a small place called Niuma Village, and his mother died of illness a year ago. His mother was surnamed Jiang and was an ordinary Soul Master, while his father..."

At this point, a teasing glint flashed through Yue Guan's eyes. "It is said that his father was surnamed Ning, named Ning Fengping."

"Ning Fengping?"

Qian Xunji had never heard that name before.

"Just an insignificant nobody who did not know his place."

Yue Guan's tone was disdainful.

"It is said that this man's talent was mediocre, and he was never valued within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Several years ago, for the sake of an ordinary woman, he actually chose to leave the sect of his own accord and elope with her..."

"He left the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for a woman?"

Qian Xunji murmured the words again. For some reason, he found the situation strangely familiar.

But he quickly suppressed that odd feeling and began considering what it meant.

A Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Soul Master living outside the sect, and a Rank Nine Innate Soul Power genius at that...

"Where is the child now?" Qian Xunji asked.

"He is still in Niuma Village. The local steward has registered him, and he has officially joined Spirit Hall."

Yue Guan answered, then added,

"However, given his talent and the special nature of his Martial Soul, this subordinate believes it may be more appropriate to bring him directly to Spirit City for training."

Qian Xunji lightly tapped his fingers against the desk, sinking into thought.

The value of a Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Soul Master went without saying.

If they could nurture a Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Soul Master loyal to Spirit Hall, it would greatly benefit Spirit Hall's future strategic plans.

Especially since the child's background was clean, making it easier to foster a sense of belonging.

"Arrange for someone to bring him here."

Qian Xunji made his decision.

"Dispatch a squad of Hall Protector Knights directly from Spirit Hall. Ensure the child's safety at all costs. Once he arrives, place him in the Spirit Academy and observe him for a while."

"Yes, Your Holiness." Yue Guan bowed in acknowledgment.

"Right," Qian Xunji recalled something. "Record this as a merit for the steward who reported it and reward him. Also, keep this matter confidential for now. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect must not catch wind of it."

"This subordinate understands."

"One more thing!" Qian Xunji remembered.

"Have you investigated Tang Hao's situation?"

"We have investigated it thoroughly! It truly is a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!"

"Mm... Make preparations for this as well."

"Yes!"

After bowing, Yue Guan withdrew from the room and gently closed the door.

Two and a half months later, Niuma Village.

Jiang Bai stood before the small wooden house he had lived in for six years and took a deep breath of the air scented with earth.

Two and a half months had passed since his Martial Soul Awakening, and the traces left by that strange lightning strike had long since disappeared.

Surprisingly, although the lightning strike had made him suffer greatly, after recovering, he felt that his body had become somewhat tougher than before, and his Soul Power circulated much more smoothly.

Naturally, he had not told anyone about these subtle changes.

During this period, he continued helping the villagers herd livestock, though less often than before.

On one hand, Grandma Liu, the village chief, and several villagers knew that he would soon be leaving and no longer made him work. On the other hand, Jiang Bai himself needed to prepare for the coming journey.

The most important preparation was today.

Jiang Bai returned inside and dragged out a dust-covered wooden box from beneath his bed.

His mother, Jiang Ning, had handed it to him before her death, telling him to "open it after becoming a Soul Master."

The wooden box was utterly ordinary, a common item made by the village carpenter, without any decoration.

Jiang Bai brushed away the dust and gently opened the lid.

Inside lay a bracelet.

The bracelet was dark silver in color. Its material was neither gold nor iron, cool to the touch, with extremely fine, indistinguishable patterns engraved across its surface.

A storage Soul Tool?