Yue Guan's gaze suddenly sharpened.
Never mind. Xiao Feng was his disciple, his one and only successor! No matter what, he had to try to secure this opportunity for Xiao Feng!
He set down the documents, turned, and headed toward the heights, where the Worship Hall stood—a place ordinary elders had no right to set foot in.
Gazing at the towering Pope Mountain, hailed as the sacred ground of the Soul Master World, Ye Feng stepped down from the carriage and began strolling through the streets.
Tsk, tsk. Spirit City really was on another level from places like Aolin City and Silves City.
Soul Masters were everywhere on the streets! Ordinary people were the rare ones here.
Squads of Spirit Hall Enforcement Squad members, clad in regulation armor, marched past on patrol. Even the weakest among them had stronger Soul Power than he did!
And this was only the patrol force in the outer city.
After wandering around, Ye Feng gained an even deeper understanding of Spirit Hall's strength.
Then, following the map Yue Guan had given him, he headed for the marked courtyard.
After passing through three bustling yet orderly streets, he reached a quiet, secluded neighborhood and spotted an exceptionally luxurious little courtyard.
It had gray roof tiles and green bricks, a vermilion-lacquered gate, and two imposing stone lions at the entrance.
Ye Feng took out the key, unlocked the gate, and went inside.
The courtyard was spacious, at least two hundred square meters, with everything from rockeries and flowing water to flourishing flowers and plants.
Tsk, tsk. What luxury!
After taking a lap around the courtyard, Ye Feng chose a sunlit master bedroom as his own.
Having someone take care of you really was the life!
Lying on the soft bed, Ye Feng let out a satisfied sigh.
But now that he was here, he might as well settle down and focus on cultivating until he became a Soul Elder!
Only once he reached Soul Elder and had three Soul Rings would he have the basic ability to protect himself on the Douluo Continent. There was no harm in waiting until then to venture out.
Just as Ye Feng was about to close his eyes and meditate, reinforcing the Soul Power he had just gained, he felt the temperature in the whole room drop in an instant!
Something was wrong!
Every hair on Ye Feng's body stood on end. His vigilance shot to its peak, and he sprang up from the bed in a flash.
He released his Martial Soul at once!
Beneath his feet, a yellow and a purple Soul Ring flickered in turn.
He warily scanned every corner of the room.
"May I ask which senior has honored me with your presence? Why not show yourself?"
"Interesting."
A hoarse, chilling voice, as if it had come from the depths of hell, rang out abruptly in the room.
On the floor not far away, a pitch-black shadow began to writhe as if alive, slowly taking the shape of a middle-aged man clad in black armor, his body radiating a ghostly aura.
He was like darkness itself. Just standing there dimmed the light in the entire room.
Ghost Douluo, Gui Mei!
The moment Ye Feng saw him, he knew the answer.
He immediately recalled his Martial Soul, lowered his guard, and bowed respectfully to the middle-aged man.
"Your disciple Ye Feng pays his respects to Martial Uncle Gui Mei."
"Well, old Ghost, now you've seen my disciple's talent for yourself!"
A languid voice, tinged with smugness, came from the doorway. Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan strolled in.
"Greetings, Teacher!"
Ye Feng bowed again.
"Not bad. A thousand-year second Soul Ring."
Gui Mei's emotionless eyes swept over Ye Feng. He spoke in a hoarse voice:
"Unprecedented, and never to be surpassed. If word of this gets out, it'll be worthy of a place in the history of the Douluo Continent."
"You flatter me, Martial Uncle Gui Mei."
Ye Feng answered calmly:
"This disciple's talent isn't anything special. If I don't give it my all and see what the view is like up high, I'll regret it for the rest of my life!"
A faint, almost imperceptible change seemed to cross Gui Mei's eternally expressionless face.
He casually tossed over a black-and-gold card.
"A little gift to welcome you."
Ye Feng caught it instinctively. The moment he glanced at it, his heart gave a mighty thump.
One hundred thousand!
The Gold Soul Coin card had a face value of one hundred thousand!
It was a fortune enough to drive even an ordinary Soul Master family wild!
"Thank you, Martial Uncle Gui Mei!"
Ye Feng suppressed his shock and put the card away.
Gui Mei merely gave a soft "Mm." He didn't reply further. His figure blurred, turning back into a shadow and melting into the darkness in the corner, as if he had never appeared at all.
"Xiao Feng, no matter how talented you are, you're still my disciple."
Yue Guan came up to Ye Feng and patted him on the shoulder.
"Your teacher believes that, with your perseverance and character, you'll have a place of your own on this continent one day."
As he spoke, he took an exquisite jade box from his Soul Tool and tossed it to Ye Feng.
Ye Feng caught it securely. The box felt warm in his hand.
"Teacher, what is this?"
"It's called Holy Flame Grass!"
A solemn look crossed Yue Guan's face.
"Don't underestimate it just because it's only a hundred years old. The Angel Lineage of Spirit Hall spent countless efforts carefully cultivating this top-grade medicinal herb!"
"It can't strengthen your foundations, but it can act directly on your Martial Soul and enhance its light attribute. One stalk should raise it by about ten percent!"
As he spoke, Yue Guan couldn't help sighing.
"Unfortunately, there's no ten-thousand-year Holy Flame Grass on the mainland, so it can't reach the rank of an Immortal Herb.
Otherwise, this one stalk alone could raise the light attribute of your Martial Soul straight to the highest level. It could also strengthen your foundations and completely make up for your lack of Innate Soul Power!"
At that, Ye Feng's heart trembled.
The Angel Lineage?
Wasn't that Qian Renxue's own faction?
His teacher was an elder of Spirit Hall, but everyone knew the Elder Hall had never seen eye to eye with either the Pope Hall or the Worship Hall. They were constantly at each other's throats, openly and in secret.
For his teacher to get this stalk of Holy Flame Grass from the Angel Lineage, he must have faced no small amount of difficulty. Perhaps... he'd even traded something of great value of his own for it.
At that moment, Ye Feng felt a surge of emotion he could hardly put into words.
"Teacher, you've already been so good to me."
Ye Feng's voice was a little hoarse.
"Before I met you, I was just a wandering orphan, never knowing where my next meal would come from. I'm already more than content with the life I have now. I never even dared dream of it before."
"I know my talent isn't enough, so I'll have to make up for it with conviction! As long as I keep climbing, I don't believe I'll be worse than anyone!"
"Good! Well said! You truly are your teacher's disciple!"
Yue Guan burst into hearty laughter. Every bit of effort he had put in now felt worthwhile.
"Today, your teacher will show you what true combat skills look like!"
"Good! Then please teach me a thing or two!"
Ye Feng's fighting spirit flared as well.
The three of them went to the middle of the courtyard.
Gui Mei's figure had reappeared from the shadows at some point. He stood quietly to the side, watching.
Ye Feng took a deep breath and released his Martial Soul. His first Soul Skill, "Radiant Body," activated at once!
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