Inside the Spirit Hall training room, Su Yan looked at the familiar scene before him and shuddered.
"Tang Chi, don't be afraid. Charge at the spider's legs!"
Tang Chi gripped the Thunderclap Hammer, but his legs refused to obey him and trembled uncontrollably.
Bibi Dong charged over without hesitation. She was much less bloodthirsty than she had been when facing Su Yan, but Tang Chi was only a proper six-year-old child. He dropped his hammer, covered his head, and ran.
"Tang Chi, be brave! I'll buy you candy!"
"Saintess Instructor, I don't like candy..."
"Milk! Spicy strips! A whole snack hamper!"
"Waaah..."
Su Yan swallowed. He was tempted.
But Tang Chi would have to find his own courage.
Su Yan quietly opened the door and left them in a "peaceful and quiet" training room.
If he stayed any longer, he'd probably get hungry before Tang Chi passed the test.
Su Yan decided to go for a walk and learn more about this world, so familiar yet so strange. He also wanted to look for a place like the archives, where he might find some new insight into his unusual Martial Soul.
It was his first time leaving Holy Soul Village in six years.
Before he had transmigrated, the Douluo Continent had been nothing but cold, lifeless words on a page. Now, everything was real.
Real Martial Souls, real Soul Rings.
Real people and real things.
And Artificial Soul Bones he had never heard of before.
Bibi Dong had only told him that they were unique to Spirit Hall and worked just like ordinary Soul Bones. She didn't know anything beyond that.
Soul Bones were rare treasures on the Douluo Continent, often stirring up bloody storms. The power boost and additional skills they offered were truly captivating.
He reached the front desk. The desk, made of chrysanthemums, drew the attention of many Soul Masters who came by. They gathered in twos and threes to admire the table, which was practically a work of art.
Su Yan wandered over to the chrysanthemum table. "Sis Si Si, why haven't I seen Master Yun Tao?"
"Little Yan, you're asking about Yun Tao?" Si Si's face glowed with happiness. "Thanks to you and Little Chi, he went to the Main Martial Soul Hall to collect his reward. He might even come back as a steward of Notting City."
"Really? Congratulations!" Su Yan smiled. "Sis Si Si, where are Spirit Hall's records on Martial Souls kept? Can I go take a look?"
"Of course. I'll take you there." Si Si was about to get up.
An old man and a child hurried in through the door. "Young lady, young lady, you have to help us!"
"Little Yan, wait a moment." Si Si turned to them. "What happened, sir?"
"Young lady, a month ago, someone wearing your Spirit Hall uniform came to our village. Do you know about that?" The old man was so anxious his face had turned red. "He told us that Spirit Hall's Strength Pills would keep you alert and sharp with one pill, make you tireless with two, and guarantee you'd awaken Soul Power with three. But look at my grandson—he still doesn't have any Soul Power at all. What are we supposed to do?"
"Sir, please don't panic."
"How can I not panic? One pill cost a Silver Soul Coin, and three cost me three coins. That was every last bit of our family's savings!" Tears streamed down the old man's face.
"Little Yan, go find Hall Master Ma Xiunuo and ask him to take you there," Si Si instructed. Then she led the old man and child to the Enforcement Hall. The enforcers would know what to do.
It was obvious they'd been scammed. The trick was designed to target families hoping to raise a Soul Master.
Strength Pills? The name alone sounded suspicious.
Su Yan climbed to the second floor and found Hall Master Ma Xiunuo in the Soul Power Testing Room.
Another child was in the middle of a Soul Power test.
Hall Master Ma Xiunuo covered his nose and mouth with one hand and held a booklet of Martial Soul test results in the other. He said to the child inside, "Xiao Chenyu, Martial Soul: wolf. Soul Power: level 12, one level higher than last time."
"Thank you, Grandpa Ma Xiunuo." Xiao Chenyu took the booklet with satisfaction and left.
As soon as he saw Xiao Chenyu go, Su Yan hurried over—then darted right back out almost immediately. He clung to the railing and greedily gulped down fresh air.
The Soul Power Testing Room was filled with a foul stench, sour and sharp, like half a month's worth of bodily waste piled up.
Su Yan waited until Hall Master Ma Xiunuo had aired out the room before knocking and going inside.
"Grandpa Ma Xiunuo, who was that just now?" Su Yan asked, determined to steer clear of that walking gas bomb.
"Lord Xiao's own son, Xiao Chenyu." Hall Master Ma Xiunuo looked just as pained. "I don't know what Lord Xiao feeds his precious boy. He's constipated and keeps passing stinky gas."
Su Yan silently filed the name away. Someone he absolutely had to avoid.
"Little Yan, are you here to test your Soul Power?"
"No, Grandpa Ma Xiunuo. I'd like to look through Spirit Hall's records on Martial Souls."
"There are probably only records related to Notting City here. They're upstairs. I'll take you."
Hall Master Ma Xiunuo led Su Yan up to the third floor, the top floor of the Notting City Spirit Hall.
There was only one locked door on the top floor, and it was covered in a thick layer of dust. It was clear that almost no one had ever been up there.
Hall Master Ma Xiunuo unlocked the door, and a cloud of dust billowed out.
"Most of the records in here are probably more than a decade old," Hall Master Ma Xiunuo said, gesturing to the shelves. "Those over there are the earliest records of the hall's history, and those over there contain records on Martial Souls."
"Thanks, Grandpa Ma Xiunuo. I'll have a look around on my own."
"All right. Just remember to lock the door when you leave." Hall Master Ma Xiunuo reached the doorway, then turned back. "Little Yan, if you have questions about Martial Souls, you'd be better off asking the Holy Maiden. The Main Martial Soul Hall has the most complete records."
"Got it."
Hall Master Ma Xiunuo went downstairs.
Left alone, Su Yan began searching through the registers of Martial Souls.
At first, Martial Souls had only been divided into Beast Martial Souls and Tool Martial Souls, and the registers were organized accordingly.
He opened a register of Tool Martial Souls. From the earliest plant Martial Souls to a Soul Master who suddenly awakened a hammer Martial Soul, each entry was briefly mentioned in just a few strokes.
The Soul Master with the hammer Martial Soul had left behind a legacy, though. The renowned Clear Sky Sect had been founded by his descendants.
Su Yan spent the entire day there, breathing in dust as he skimmed through the records of Martial Souls.
Not a single one came close to his Martial Soul.
That mysterious, altar-like Martial Soul.
Obviously, it had been enhanced by Blind Douluo. It was a little special, which was understandable.
Su Yan didn't leave until the sun had set.
The sheer variety of Martial Souls on the Douluo Continent was astonishing.
The same Martial Soul could produce two entirely different effects in different Soul Masters, depending on their Soul Rings.
When Su Yan returned to the training room, Bibi Dong was sitting cross-legged on the floor. Tang Chi had long since collapsed and could no longer move.
"Master, did Tang Chi pass?"
"Barely." Bibi Dong breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm not good at teaching Tool Martial Soul users. There's quite a difference between wielding a weapon and being a weapon yourself."
She had lowered the requirements to the bare minimum.
When Su Yan had been at his physical and mental limits, he'd taken a brave step forward despite the aura of death bearing down on him.
Tang Chi, on the other hand, had faced the spider legs and finally raised his hammer to block one blow. That was all.
But Tang Chi's training wasn't over. Bibi Dong taught him the general method for cultivating Soul Power.
Despite his exhaustion, Tang Chi showed remarkable perseverance.
He stayed up all night, meditating from dusk until dawn.
After another full day, Tang Chi finally reached level 10.
That evening, Bibi Dong made an announcement to the two children. "Tomorrow, we'll set out for Soul Hunting Forest and choose a suitable First Soul Ring for each of you."
"Yay!"
"But remember, no matter what happens, you must stay by my side. Don't run off," Bibi Dong warned them gravely. "Soul Beasts will seize any opportunity to land a fatal blow. Remember, don't run off."
Before you continue