Golden Generation, First Meeting and Undercurrents

Upon hearing this result, Su Ming felt not a shred of disappointment; on the contrary, he was quite satisfied.

He had never liked being constrained.

Coming to Spirit Hall, all he wanted was the top-tier resource support available here.

Not becoming a disciple actually granted him a great deal of freedom.

Su Ming bowed immediately, "Thank you, Your Holiness. Su Ming understands."

Beside him, Hu Liena breathed a slight sigh of relief. Since they were not master and disciple, it meant she remained the sole successor.

Yet, at the same time, she knew she could not let her guard down.

Su Ming's existence would constantly threaten her status.

After it concluded, Hu Liena took Su Ming to familiarize him with the surroundings.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Hu Liena, Spirit Demon Fox, level thirty-nine Battle Spirit Grandmaster. From now on, I am your senior," Hu Liena said, walking in front and glancing back at Su Ming from time to time.

She did not say "senior sister," as that would require them to share the same master.

"Su Ming, Spirit Evil Fire Phoenix, level twenty-two," Su Ming introduced himself simply.

Based on the original timeline, he was the same age as Tang San, which meant Hu Liena was about six years his senior.

Fifteen years old, level thirty-nine.

"Teacher asked me to show you around, so let's head to your residence first. Spirit Hall has always been extremely generous with resources for core geniuses; you have been granted the highest specifications for your rank," Hu Liena said, leading the way.

The two walked along the path and soon arrived at an exceptionally quiet area.

Here stood a massive complex of palace buildings.

The architecture was magnificent, shimmering in yellow and white. The main gate was crafted from heavy agarwood, inlaid with a brass Spirit Hall emblem.

On the plaque above the main entrance were three imposing, majestic characters—Golden Hall.

They stepped inside the grand hall.

Six young women hurried out from a side chamber.

These women were around twenty years old, beautiful in appearance, and dressed in uniform white spirit master robes.

Upon seeing Su Ming, they immediately bowed in unison.

"Greetings, Master."

Hu Liena explained from the side, "These six are spirit master attendants specially trained by Spirit Hall, all with spirit power around level twenty."

"Their job from now on is to take care of your daily needs. If you have any trivial requests regarding your life, you can order them to handle it directly."

Su Ming nodded upon hearing this.

He looked at these women—twenty years old, level twenty.

Their talent was not particularly good.

But if they were outside, they would still be considered high and mighty.

Yet here in Spirit Hall, they could only serve as his attendants.

Thinking of this, and then recalling his days at Shrek, Su Ming became even more certain that leaving Shrek had been the right decision.

In a world like the Douluo Continent where social classes were rigid, choosing a top-tier faction with deep foundations as a backer was the only correct path to rapidly skyrocketing one's strength.

Of course, it wasn't that Su Ming hadn't wanted to join Spirit Hall from the start, but before his spirit had awakened, he had received many favors from Flender.

He could not bring himself to be ungrateful.

In the end, their conflicting philosophies made leaving Shrek an unavoidable necessity.

Seeing that Su Ming had finished looking over the room, Hu Liena continued, "You've seen the residence. Next, I'll take you to the living and commercial districts."

"Inside Spirit City, there are markets specifically for high-level spirit masters to trade materials, as well as restaurants that provide high-energy food..."

Su Ming interrupted her in a flat tone, "That is not important. I would like to see the Spirit Hall's mimicry cultivation rooms first, if possible?"

Hu Liena's words came to an abrupt halt.

She looked at Su Ming with some surprise.

In her experience, any young spirit master newly joining Spirit Hall would show some curiosity or enjoyment when faced with the luxurious treatment of the Golden Hall and the prosperity of Spirit City.

Moreover, Su Ming was only nine years old—an age when a child should be full of curiosity about everything around them.

Yet, there was no desire for pleasure in Su Ming's eyes; his goal seemed extremely clear: cultivation.

"Of course."

A faint smile remained on Hu Liena's face. "The core cultivation area is behind the Pope Palace. Follow me."

Soon, the two arrived at the core cultivation area.

The fluctuations of spirit power here were significantly denser than in the outside world; it was clearly an extraordinary place.

At this moment, two young figures stood before the door of a cultivation room marked with a Grade A sign in the very center.

They wore the red and gold robes of Spirit Hall core disciples, with fine beads of sweat on their foreheads, clearly resting outside after just finishing a round of grueling training.

These two were none other than Xie Yue and Yan.

Hearing footsteps, both turned their heads simultaneously.

"Nana?"

"Xie Yue, Yan." Hu Liena greeted them.

The two youths immediately walked over, their gazes landing first on Su Ming, who was following behind Hu Liena.

"And this is?" Xie Yue asked.

Hu Liena stood between the three of them.

She introduced them to Xie Yue and Yan: "This is Su Ming. He just arrived in Spirit City today. His Holiness the Pope has personally granted him special approval to join our sequence and enjoy the same Saint-level resource treatment as us."

Afterward, she turned to Su Ming and said: "Su Ming, these two are Xie Yue and Yan. They also live in the Golden Hall."

Xie Yue's gaze swept over Su Ming.

Looking at Su Ming's still-youthful height and face, he instantly concluded that the boy could not be more than ten years old.

To be granted special Saint-level treatment by the Pope at such an age, his talent must surely be exceptional.

He immediately nodded to Su Ming and smiled, "Welcome to the team. I am Xie Yue, spirit Moon Blade. We are partners from now on; if you have any questions, feel free to come to me."

Yan, standing to the side, looked somewhat unnatural.

He keenly sensed that when Hu Liena looked at Su Ming, her eyes held a hint of special concern.

It was a kind of concern she had never shown him.

Yan had always viewed Hu Liena as his future partner, and seeing her so close to a newcomer stirred a wave of displeasure in his heart.

However, given that this was their first meeting, and considering Su Ming carried the status of being personally approved by the Pope, Yan naturally could not show his true feelings.

He echoed Xie Yue, saying: "Welcome. To receive this kind of treatment at your age is truly impressive. I hope we have the chance to spar and learn from each other in the future."

His voice carried a hint of provocation.

But Su Ming did not care.

He nodded slightly, showing politeness, "Thank you, I am also happy to meet you all."

After the introductions, Hu Liena continued to Su Ming: "Su Ming, now you know the location of the simulated cultivation rooms."

"Next, I can take you to the Spirit City library, or we can go check out the Spirit Hall branch at the Great Spirit Arena."

This time, Su Ming chose to decline: "Thank you, but I don't want to go anywhere else for now. I would like to stay here and cultivate for a while."