Heaven Dou City, Planning

Ma Xiunuo's gaze fell upon Wang Xian, and he couldn't help but look surprised: "Are you certain this child is here for an advancement assessment, rather than a Martial Soul awakening?"

"I am certainly sure. I just saw his Soul Ring earlier; it was yellow," Su Yuntao replied with a tone of certainty.

Ma Xiunuo pushed up his glasses, scrutinized Wang Xian for a few moments, and then smiled as he beckoned: "Child, come over here."

Wang Xian stepped forward and politely called out: "Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo."

Ma Xiunuo stood up and took Wang Xian's hand: "Let's go. I will take you to conduct the advancement assessment."

He led Wang Xian out of the office and followed the second-floor corridor toward the inner part of the Martial Soul Hall.

At the end of the corridor, three tall arched doors stood side by side.

Ma Xiunuo pushed open the middle door to reveal a spacious room. In the center of the floor, complex patterns were carved, resembling some sort of formation.

"This is the Martial Soul Laboratory where the Martial Soul Hall conducts advancement assessments," Ma Xiunuo said with a smile. "Come, child, manifest your Martial Soul and release your Soul Ring."

Wang Xian walked to the center of the floor, stood still, raised his right hand, and focused his mind.

A pale green light surged from his palm, and strands of Blue Silver Grass extended outward, swaying gently in front of him.

At the same time, a yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet, pulsing up and down around his body and emitting a warm, gentle luster.

Ma Xiunuo had originally worn a gentle smile, but when he saw the Blue Silver Grass emerging from Wang Xian's palm, the expression on his face turned to astonishment.

"This... this is Blue Silver Grass?"

"My Blue Silver Grass is mutated," Wang Xian explained.

"I see," Ma Xiunuo nodded.

He took a crystal ball the size of a fist from a nearby cabinet and walked over to Wang Xian: "Come, place your hand on it and test your Soul Power Level."

Wang Xian controlled his soul power to flow out slowly, releasing only the intensity of about level eleven.

The crystal ball lit up with a faint yellow glow; the light was not dazzling, but it was clear enough.

Ma Xiunuo stared at the crystal ball for two seconds, a satisfied smile appearing on his face: "Level eleven soul power, not bad. How old are you this year?"

"Seven and a half."

"A Soul Master at seven and a half is quite rare in Notting City, and even in Heaven Dou City, it wouldn't be considered poor."

Ma Xiunuo put away the crystal ball and wrote a few lines on a form on the table.

He then took a circular metal badge from a drawer and handed it over.

"Alright, your advancement assessment is complete."

"From this moment on, you are a glorious Soul Master of the Heaven Dou Empire. Welcome to the ranks of Soul Masters."

Wang Xian took the badge with both hands and flipped it over to look. His name was engraved on the back, and the front featured two crossed thorns, symbolizing the rank of a Soul Master.

The material of the badge was quite unique; it was impossible to tell what metal it was, but it felt heavy and had a high-quality texture in his hand.

"From now on, you can come to the Martial Soul Hall every month with this badge to collect your subsidy. The subsidy for a Soul Master is one Gold Soul Coin per month."

"Once you reach the level of a Soul Grand Master, the subsidy will increase to ten Gold Soul Coins," Ma Xiunuo explained patiently.

"Thank you, Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo." Wang Xian carefully tucked the badge into his clothes.

Ma Xiunuo waved his hand and said with a chuckle: "Go on, cultivate well. The road ahead is still long."

Wang Xian thanked him and turned to leave the laboratory.

Su Yuntao was still waiting at the door. Seeing him come out, he patted his shoulder. He didn't say much, just a simple "keep up the good work," before hurrying off to find that female Soul Master.

Wang Xian went downstairs alone and walked out of the main gate of the Martial Soul Hall.

The sunlight outside was brighter than when he had entered, feeling warm against his body.

He stood on the steps, took the badge out from his clothes to look at it one more time, then put it away and walked toward the city gates.

His business in Notting City was now completely finished.

After buying some dry rations in the city, Wang Xian headed outside of Notting City.

Heaven Dou City, the imperial capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, is located in the northeast-central part of the empire.

It is not only the core of the political power of the entire Heaven Dou Empire but also one of the two largest cities on the entire continent.

On the Douluo Continent, only the imperial capital of the Star Luo Empire can compare to it.

Farnos Province is located in the northwest of the Heaven Dou Empire, and its position relative to Heaven Dou City could be described as being at opposite ends of the world; the distance was naturally not short.

Farnos Province is located in the northwest of the Heaven Dou Empire, while Heaven Dou City is in the northeast-central part of the empire; the two places could be said to be poles apart.

Wang Xian barely rested along the way, traveling by day and finding a place to catch a few hours of sleep at night, continuing his journey before dawn.

Even so, it still took him a full seven days to arrive at Heaven Dou City.

When he saw the towering city walls from afar, Wang Xian let out a long breath.

The walls of Heaven Dou City were taller than any building he had ever seen, constructed of neatly stacked gray-white stone bricks, with arrow towers spaced out along the walls, looking magnificent.

The city gates were wide open, with carriages and crowds of people flowing in and out, bustling with activity—far more lively than Notting City.

Wang Xian followed the flow of the crowd into the city. The stone-paved road beneath his feet was smooth and spacious, while the shops on both sides stood in dense rows, their signs cluttering the view as they sold everything imaginable.

The people on the street were dressed much more elegantly than those in Notting City, and occasionally, he could see a few individuals wearing Soul Master attire passing through the crowd, with badges of different ranks pinned to their chests.

There were two reasons why he chose to attend an intermediate academy in Heaven Dou City.

The first reason was simple: this was the capital of the empire, where a vast number of talented Soul Masters gathered.

The higher the quality of a Martial Soul, the more Cultivation Points he could obtain.

In a small place like Notting City, one would be lucky to encounter even a D-rank Martial Soul, but in Heaven Dou City, this situation should be much better.

The second reason was Dugu Yan.

Or more accurately, the person behind her: the Title Douluo, Dugu Bo.

Having transmigrated to the Douluo Continent, the one thing he absolutely could not miss out on was the Immortal Herb; that stuff was a true item for defying the heavens and changing one's fate.

Among the Shrek Seven Devils, apart from Tang San, none of the others originally had the potential to become gods, but after consuming Immortal Herbs, they were forcibly elevated to the level of Tier 2 gods.

If he could also get his hands on a few stalks, his strength would definitely be able to reach a new level.

But he was not Tang San; he possessed neither the Tang Sect poison arts nor the ability to help Dugu Bo detoxify.

Therefore, he could not just show up at their doorstep like in the original story; he had to lay the groundwork in advance, starting with Dugu Yan to slowly make contact with Dugu Bo.

Otherwise, if the Immortal Herbs were taken by Tang San and his group for nothing, and Tang San gained the assistance of a Title Douluo on top of that, it would not be a good thing for his revenge.

I can only start by making contact with Dugu Yan, Wang Xian calculated in his mind as he walked.

Besides, regarding the detoxification, perhaps I am not entirely without a way... Is it possible to obtain a trait that can help others detoxify?