Spirit Hall Treasury

With Qian Xunji, the Pope himself, leading the way, the soul bone exchange went exceptionally smoothly; in less than an hour, they had already been converted into gold soul coins.

With that settled, Ban Shu was just about to take his leave when he saw Qian Xunji stop him with a smile.

"Xiao Ban, wait a moment."

"Teacher, what is it?"

"Come with me."

As he spoke, Qian Xunji pulled Ban Shu along, winding through several turns until they finally arrived before a massive palace.

"Teacher, what is this?"

Ban Shu stared blankly at the enormous doors before him; in his memory, he had never been here before.

"This is the treasury of our Spirit Hall. Within it lie countless rare treasures, all unearthed by our predecessors from ruins and deep mountains across the Douluo Continent."

Qian Xunji stood with his hands behind his back, speaking with pride.

"Does that mean there are not only soul bones inside, but also many treasures from those ruins?"

"That is correct."

Qian Xunji stepped forward and waved his hand. Two figures in gray robes appeared from the surroundings; seeing the Pope in person, they hurriedly knelt on one knee to await his orders.

"These two are the guardians of the treasury, both possessing cultivation levels above Spirit Douluo."

Qian Xunji nodded, and the two men, understanding his intent, worked together to open the treasury doors before gesturing for them to enter.

"Let's go, let's head inside."

Qian Xunji led Ban Shu into the vast treasury.

The moment he stepped inside, Ban Shu's first impression was one of grandeur—absolute, overwhelming grandeur.

The surrounding pillars were all gold, and between them stood rows upon rows of cabinets, with every item neatly arranged upon them, stretching as far as the eye could see.

There were soul bones, medicinal herbs, various unknown soul tools, and other items of mysterious origin. Most of these treasures shimmered with colorful light, nearly dazzling Ban Shu.

"Xiao Ban, go ahead and pick one."

Qian Xunji released Ban Shu and smiled at him.

"May I?"

"Mm."

Qian Xunji nodded. "Consider it a reward for this mission. Go on."

Hearing this, Ban Shu no longer hesitated. He walked forward slowly, carefully inspecting the items around him.

These objects were categorized by type, with each section housing a specific kind of item.

Ban Shu first bypassed the soul bone section. Although there were ten-thousand-year soul bones and even some approaching one hundred thousand years, he knew he had better options and could not waste his opportunity here.

Next was the section for rare herbs. Ban Shu gave them a cursory glance before moving on; while some were valuable, they paled in comparison to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

As for the soul tool section, he did not study them, nor did he have any desire to. This was the era of the first Douluo, and no amount of research would yield significant discoveries; besides, he lacked the expertise, so he skipped it.

Finally, he arrived at the section for rare curiosities, wandering back and forth until he stopped there.

Most of these items had been scavenged by Spirit Hall's predecessors from various ruins across Douluo; some were soul tools, while others were not.

However, they all shared one trait: they could not be activated by conventional means. In other words, if these items fell into the hands of an ordinary spirit master, they would be nothing more than scrap.

Yet, there were occasionally unexpected surprises hidden among them, such as legacies of godhood.

Do not forget, the Heaven Dou Empire's national treasure, the Vast Sea Universe Shroud, was an item from the Sea God's trials—the Heart of the Sea God.

If even the Heaven Dou Empire possessed such a treasure, Ban Shu did not believe that Spirit Hall or the Star Luo Empire would lack similar items.

It was highly probable that they simply did not know the true function of the objects and had left them to gather dust in the national treasury.

After all, before Tang San obtained the Vast Sea Universe Shroud, it had been no different from scrap, possessing only symbolic meaning.

Holding this thought, Ban Shu wandered through this section repeatedly. Although many items piqued his interest, none gave him that specific "feeling."

As for what that feeling was, he could not quite describe it himself—perhaps it was that sense of being summoned from the void.

Outside, Qian Xunji saw that Ban Shu had yet to make a choice, but he was not in a hurry; the treasury was vast, and it was only natural to take some time.

Time passed quickly. Ban Shu searched for a long while and was almost ready to give up; perhaps the thing he was looking for did not exist here, and everything had been mere speculation.

But just then, Ban Shu's entire body jolted. His heart began to beat uncontrollably fast, and wisps of lightning energy suddenly radiated from his body.

"What is happening?"

Ban Shu instinctively clutched his chest and summoned his Painted Halberd. The resonance became even more intense. Could it be?

Realizing the situation was not simple, Ban Shu hurried to follow the guidance of his spirit, running toward the source of the resonance.

After winding through several more turns, Ban Shu finally stopped in front of a gray, nondescript box.

"This is?"

Ban Shu could not help but pick up the box, finding it much heavier than he had imagined; he nearly struggled to hold it with both hands.

No matter what, I trust my spirit.

Though he didn't know what was inside, the guidance of his martial soul had never steered him wrong, and Ban Shu chose to trust it.

"Have you made your choice?"

Seeing Ban Shu emerge clutching something, Qian Xunji asked immediately.

"Yes, Teacher. I've chosen this."

Ban Shu lifted the box with some effort and nodded.

"This thing?"

Qian Xunji looked at the dusty, grey box in Ban Shu's hands, his expression one of surprise. "I recall that Golden Crocodile found this in some ruins back when he was young."

"Ruins?"

Ban Shu hurried forward to ask, hoping for a lead. "Teacher, what kind of ruins exactly?"

Qian Xunji shook his head. "I'm not sure. Uncle never spoke of its origins himself, but he should know. You can go ask him."

"I understand, Teacher." Ban Shu nodded.

Seeing how much effort it took for Ban Shu to carry it, Qian Xunji reached out and took the box with ease. "Since you've made your choice, let's go. You head to the library first; I'll have this placed in your room."

"Mm."

Ban Shu nodded, turned, and left the treasury, heading toward the library.

Qian Xunji looked at the box in his hands, finding nothing special about it. "I hope you haven't made a mistake, Xiao Ban."

Upon arriving at the library, Ban Shu witnessed a scene that left him between laughter and tears.

Bibi Dong was sitting upright at the desk, her eyes heavy with sleep, yet she was forcing herself to stay alert to keep up with the teacher, looking utterly miserable.

"Teacher, I'm late."

Ban Shu walked up with a smile and sat down beside Bibi Dong.

"It's fine, as long as you're here."

Seeing Ban Shu appear, Teacher Fang's face immediately lit up with a smile. "Sit down quickly; I'm about to cover new material."

"Mm."

Ban Shu nodded, and an ordinary day was about to begin.