Apprenticeship and Elders

Su Zhen walked toward the magnificent Martial Soul City, only to be stopped as soon as he approached the city gate.

"Halt. Martial Soul City is a sacred ground; those who are not Spirit Masters are forbidden from entering."

The guard, clad in heavy black armor, brandished his spear and barked at Su Zhen to back away.

Su Zhen was stunned; he had forgotten that Martial Soul City had such a rule. Although he possessed Innate Full Soul Power, he had yet to obtain a spirit ring, failing to meet the criteria for entry. He hadn't asked Qian Daoliu for a token before leaving, and no one would believe a guard if he claimed he was here to apprentice under the Great Elder.

Just as Su Zhen was at a loss, Qian Daoliu walked out from within the city.

"Slow down. Let him in."

The guards looked toward the source of the voice and were immediately struck with terror.

"Greetings, Great Elder!"

All the guards immediately knelt on one knee to pay their respects to Qian Daoliu. They might not have seen Qian Daoliu in person before, but they certainly recognized the angel pattern embroidered on his robes—the exclusive attire of the Great Elder.

Qian Daoliu waved his hand, signaling the guards to rise.

"Teacher, I have arrived."

Su Zhen carried Oscar as he approached Qian Daoliu.

The guards heard this child, who looked like a refugee, call the Great Elder "Teacher," and saw that the Great Elder did not deny it. Cold sweat began to pour down their backs; they had just blocked the Great Elder's disciple—would they even be able to keep their jobs?

Qian Daoliu turned and entered the city, signaling for Su Zhen to follow.

Flying was prohibited within Martial Soul City; this was an absolute preservation of the dignity of Martial Soul Hall, and even the Great Elder and the Pope had to lead by example.

"Congratulations on arriving at Martial Soul City within the allotted time. According to our agreement, from this day forward, I am your teacher."

"This disciple greets Teacher."

Su Zhen prepared to kneel while holding Oscar, but was lifted up by Qian Daoliu's spirit power.

"No need to kneel. There aren't so many rules for being my disciple, as long as you do nothing to damage the dignity of Martial Soul Hall."

"Let's go. We are going to the Worship Hall so you can meet my old friends."

Su Zhen was thrilled; he was about to meet the legendary Martial Soul Hall elite team from the novels of his past life.

Along the way, Su Zhen looked at the street vendors and shops with great curiosity. Having spent his entire life in the village, he had never seen so many strange and wonderful things.

Watching Su Zhen's expression, Qian Daoliu thought that he could give him more free time in the future to enjoy himself in Martial Soul City.

"Waaah~"

Oscar woke up, hungry. Su Zhen, familiar with the routine, pulled half a wild vegetable pancake from his robes, intending to soak it in water for him.

"Go buy some milk."

Qian Daoliu handed Su Zhen a ring. The ring was purple in its entirety, with archaic patterns carved upon it.

"This ring is a storage Soul Tool with fifty cubic meters of space. Consider it a gift for your apprenticeship. Inject your spirit power into the ring to use it. There are five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins inside; that is your pocket money for this month."

Su Zhen put on the ring and injected his spirit power to inspect it. The golden light reflecting off the piles of Gold Soul Coins nearly blinded him.

"Thank you, Teacher."

Su Zhen thanked Qian Daoliu and then went to a nearby shop to buy milk.

A short while later, Su Zhen emerged with a milk bottle in his hand. He handed it to Oscar, who clutched it and began to suck greedily.

"Teacher, aren't you curious about the infant I'm carrying?"

Su Zhen was puzzled; his teacher hadn't mentioned Oscar once from the very beginning.

"Did you really think I would let a six-year-old child travel to Martial Soul City all by himself?"

Qian Daoliu glanced at Su Zhen and answered casually.

Su Zhen was filled with gratitude. No wonder he hadn't encountered a single bandit on the road; it turned out his teacher had been protecting him from the shadows. At the same time, he realized his teacher must have known about the black-robed man he had encountered, but since the teacher didn't bring it up, he wouldn't either.

The three of them soon arrived at the center of Martial Soul City. There was a mountain here, with a white jade staircase stretching from the foot of the mountain to the summit. Every ten steps along the stairs stood a guard, with cultivation levels ranging from Spirit Elder to Spirit King.

"Xiao Zhen, hand Oscar to the guards. Someone will take good care of him."

Su Zhen handed Oscar to a nearby guard, who carefully carried him away.

"The Worship Hall is at the summit; it is also where we live and cultivate. The Pope Hall is on the mountainside; don't go there often..."

The two walked up the stairs, and Qian Daoliu introduced the general situation of Martial Soul Hall to Su Zhen.

It took half an hour for the three of them to reach the summit. Su Zhen certainly couldn't have made it in such a short time on his own; halfway up, Qian Daoliu felt he was too slow and used his spirit power to lift Su Zhen up the mountain.

At the summit stood an archaic and towering palace, guarded by two angel statues holding long swords in front of the entrance.

Qian Daoliu led Su Zhen through the doors. Inside, a tall statue of a six-winged angel stood in the center. Beneath the statue stood six magnificent figures, who quickly gathered around when they saw Qian Daoliu bringing someone in.

"Big Brother, is this the Su Zhen you spoke of? It is this kid's good fortune to be valued by you."

A white-haired youth of about ten-something years old stroked his chin, looking Su Zhen up and down. Embroidered on the youth's exquisite robes was a giant white bow. It was none other than the Fifth Elder, Qingluan Douluo.

"Old Five, be more composed in front of the younger generation."

A middle-aged man with a green phoenix embroidered on his clothes spoke up; the Third Elder, Qingluan Douluo, was usually the most composed of them all.

Qian Daoliu began to introduce the various elders to Su Zhen one by one.

"Greetings, Second Grandfather, Third Grandfather, Fourth Grandfather, Fifth Grandfather, Sixth Grandfather, and Seventh Grandfather."

Su Zhen politely greeted each of the Elders.

"What a good boy, Xiao Zhen. Come, this is a gift from your Second Grandfather."

Golden Crocodile handed Su Zhen a bracelet. It was a storage Soul Tool. Su Zhen injected his soul power into it, finding a storage space of thirty cubic meters—not small at all—filled with a mountain of Gold Soul Coins.

"Thank you, Second Grandfather. I like it very much."

"Just some worldly trifles. As long as you like them, Xiao Zhen."

Su Zhen loved Gold Soul Coins; Golden Crocodile Douluo's gift was exactly to his taste.

"Xiao Zhen, come here. Take this. Inside is a Heavenly Spirit Fruit, which can improve your constitution and strengthen your meridians. It is perfect for you, as you have yet to attach your first soul ring."

Azure Luan handed Su Zhen a jade box.

"Wow, Third Brother is truly generous. This Heavenly Spirit Fruit is a rare medicinal herb, mostly used by great clans to improve the aptitude of their juniors. It is extremely rare; the last time one appeared at the Heaven Dou Auction House, it sold for one million Gold Soul Coins!"

Guang Ling exclaimed in surprise.

"Ah? Third Grandfather, this is too precious. I cannot accept it."

Upon hearing how valuable the Heavenly Spirit Fruit was, Su Zhen hurriedly waved his hands to refuse.

"It is fine, Xiao Zhen. Take it. I have no descendants, and this fruit is useless to me. Giving it to you is putting it to good use."

Azure Luan glared at Guang Ling, then turned to speak gently to Su Zhen.

"Since your Third Grandfather gave it to you, just accept it."

Qian Daoliu spoke up.

"Thank you, Third Grandfather."

Su Zhen took the jade box with both hands and carefully stored it in the storage ring on his finger.

"Since Third Brother is so generous, as an elder, I cannot be stingy either. This soul bone is for you, Xiao Zhen."

Lion said this and immediately pulled out a lead box, handing it to Su Zhen.

Before Su Zhen could even refuse, Qian Daoliu snatched the lead box away.

"Xiao Zhen is only six years old and hasn't even attached a soul ring yet. It is too early for you to give him a soul bone."

Qian Daoliu said to Lion, speechless.

Lion also realized that giving it now was inappropriate and scratched the back of his head with a laugh.

"Xiao Zhen, what your Fourth Grandfather gave you is a thirty-thousand-year fire-attribute right leg bone. I will keep it for safekeeping, and I will give it to you once you are able to absorb it."

"Understood, Teacher. Thank you for the soul bone, Fourth Grandfather."

Su Zhen felt that these Elder grandfathers were wealthier than the last, pulling out medicinal herbs and soul bones as if they were nothing.

"Very well, everyone is so well-prepared. I won't be outdone either."

"Xiao Zhen, this Ice Scale Soft Armor was something I obtained while exploring ruins in my youth. It can withstand most attacks from a Soul Emperor. It is yours."

Guang Ling began to compete with his brothers. He had originally intended to give something else, but his competitive spirit drove him to offer the soft armor.

"Thank you, Fifth Grandfather. I will be able to wear this soft armor for many years."

Su Zhen took the soft armor and placed it into his storage ring.

The two Elders, Thousand Jun and Falling Devil, exchanged a glance and each took a jade box from their respective Soul Tools.

"Xiao Zhen, what your Seventh Grandfather and I are giving you is also a medicinal herb, called the Yin Yang Body Forging Lotus. This lotus has one stem and two flowers; they share the same root but possess opposite attributes—one Yin and one Yang. Consuming them together can greatly enhance your physical constitution."

"The Yin Yang Body Forging Lotus is extremely difficult to find. In the history of Martial Soul Hall, only three have ever been found. The current Pope of Martial Soul Hall was only able to achieve the feat of a thousand-year second soul ring because they consumed the Yin Yang Body Forging Lotus."

When Thousand Jun mentioned the Pope, the atmosphere in the Worship Hall turned icy, though only for a fleeting moment.

"Thank you, Sixth Grandfather, Seventh Grandfather."

Su Zhen looked at the members of the Worship Hall surrounding him, filled with joy. This would be his home from now on, and these grandfathers were his family. He swore that he would never let the future history of Martial Soul Hall play out as it once did.

Su Zhen touched his chest, where an inner pocket held his father's wooden hairpin, kept close to his heart.