"Ahem." Kong Deming coughed a few times to ease the awkwardness, then asked, "Your Martial Soul is your own body, so it should have an attribute, shouldn't it?"
The current leader of the Body Sect, Du Busi, had poison as his Martial Soul's attribute. The boy before him should have one too. If he didn't, that was fine; Kong Deming could ask which attribute he liked and have him absorb a Soul Ring of that attribute.
That was the greatest advantage of a Body Martial Soul: with no attribute restrictions, its owner could choose one for himself.
"Spiritual power."
"What?!"
Kong Deming shot to his feet and stared at Lin Fan in disbelief.
As the Sun Moon Empire's foremost Soul Engineer, he knew spiritual power extremely well. A spiritual-attribute Martial Soul paired exceptionally well with Soul Tools, giving its owner a far easier path than other Soul Engineers. The reason was simple: learning to make Soul Tools consumed enormous amounts of spiritual power. Without enough of it, completing one independently was difficult, and a Soul Engineer had to rely on someone else's help.
Innate Full Soul Power, a Body Martial Soul, and the spiritual attribute—this boy was practically made for the Sun Moon Empire. He was Kong Deming's successor!
At that moment, Kong Deming decided he would pass on everything he had learned in his lifetime.
"Child, would you be interested in becoming my disciple?" Kong Deming asked at once, afraid someone might snatch the boy away in the next instant.
Lin Fan hadn't expected Kong Deming to get so excited. He hadn't even mentioned his Fate Attribute. But Kong Deming might not understand it, so he had settled for calling it a spiritual attribute. Who knew the old man would react like this?
Then again, it made sense. Lin Rui was the perfect future successor to the Body Sect, while he was Kong Deming's successor at the Sun Moon Empire's Worship Hall.
"I still don't know who you are. Could you tell me?"
"Who I am?" Only then did Kong Deming remember he had forgotten to introduce himself. No wonder the Little One seemed so calm. "I'm Kong Deming, the Sun Moon Empire's foremost Soul Engineer and the continent's foremost Level-9 Soul Engineer."
"I see." Lin Fan nodded, then asked, "What benefits do I get if I become your disciple?"
Kong Deming: "..."
Was this child always so direct?
He hadn't even become his disciple yet, and he was already asking about the benefits.
Kong Deming took out a Ninth-level Soul Tool barrier, placed it before Lin Fan, and asked, "What do you think of this?"
"What is it?"
"A Ninth-level Soul Tool barrier."
"Greetings, teacher." Lin Fan bowed a full ninety degrees and became Kong Deming's disciple on the spot. No wonder he was the Sun Moon Empire's number one—he was generous from the start, giving his new disciple a Ninth-level Soul Tool.
That was far better than a certain Grandmaster.
"Hahaha! Good, good, good!" Kong Deming stroked his beard, said "good" three times, then stood and helped Lin Fan up. "From now on, you're my second disciple."
"Yes." Lin Fan nodded. With someone powerful backing him, he could finally put his plans into motion.
The Body Sect and the Sun Moon Empire of the Peerless Tang Sect era had gained their most extraordinary successors. In the future, Shrek Academy was about to meet its two strictest fathers!
The Dragon King era.
A ray of morning sunlight entered the room, and Lin Nuo slowly woke. Last night's discussion in the Sea of Consciousness had yielded something useful: what Lin Xiu learned about Soul Tools could be passed to Lin Fan, who could then pass the knowledge on to the others.
They couldn't transfer physical objects, though. That remained a problem. It also confirmed that the Sea of Consciousness was a world of the soul's essence.
The bedroom door suddenly swung open. Na'er poked her little head in, saw Lin Nuo still sitting in bed, and ran over. She flopped onto his bed and said, "Brother, I'm hungry."
Lin Nuo looked at her cheeks, puffed up like little buns, and a faint smile spread across his face. With a hint of helplessness in his voice, he gently rubbed her fluffy pigtails, his fingertips brushing her soft hair. "All right, I'll make you breakfast." He braced a hand on the edge of the bed and started to throw back the covers.
But just as his foot touched his slipper, the doorbell rang. Ding-dong—ding-dong! Its clear chime broke the quiet, making them both pause.
Lin Nuo wondered who it could be this time. He barely knew anyone here. He went to the front door and slowly opened it.
A figure came into view. The person was wrapped head to toe in a black cloak, their features hidden. They radiated such crushing pressure that Lin Nuo felt they could kill him in an instant.
Na'er followed him out. Through her senses as the soul beasts' co-ruler, she could tell the cloaked figure was strong—extremely strong, even stronger than Zi JI, who was hidden nearby.
Na'er was hesitating over whether to reveal her strength and rescue her brother when the cloaked figure spoke.
"You're Lin Nuo, right?"
"Yes." Lin Nuo nodded, unsure what the stranger wanted.
The stranger stared hard at Lin Nuo for several moments. After a long silence, they took something out of a Soul Tool. "A senior asked me to give you the Soul Spirit inside this. Take it." Before Lin Nuo could respond, the stranger pressed it into his arms and left.
Like a ghost.
Lin Nuo fell silent. Deep down, he thought he knew the answer.
Lin Xiu didn't really send the Ghost Emperor to Aolai City, did he?
He slowly shut the door, carried the item into the living room, and set it on the table. Na'er came over too.
"Brother, what is this?"
"That person said there was a Soul Spirit inside, I think."
"Brother, why don't we take it to the Spirit Pagoda and have them check it first?" Na'er asked worriedly. Something from an unknown powerhouse might be dangerous.
Lin Nuo didn't answer. Instead, he slowly opened it. If his guess was right, Lin Xiu had sent this from the past.
Seeing her brother's curiosity had already gotten the better of him, Na'er could only watch closely. If anything went wrong, she would stop it at once.
"A Golden Spear Cub?"
Na'er couldn't help crying out when she saw the cub. Hadn't this soul beast been extinct for ten thousand years?
Artificial Soul Spirits couldn't have been created that early, yet one was right in front of them. Her mind went blank.
Lin Nuo turned to Na'er and asked curiously, "Na'er, do you know this Soul Spirit?"
"I... I suppose so." Na'er realized her outburst might have made her brother suspicious.
She hurriedly explained, "When I was little, I looked through some books about soul beasts at home. I happened to see an illustration of this one."
Lin Nuo didn't press her. His gaze settled on the Golden Spear Cub. He knew Lin Xiu had arranged this Soul Spirit for him, but he couldn't absorb it yet. The people from the Spirit Pagoda would be coming soon.
With Innate Full Soul Power, he had one chance to choose a Soul Spirit for free, and Spirit Pagoda staff would come to his home.
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than the doorbell rang outside, exactly as he had expected.
Before you continue