Abilities and the Master

Excitement was contagious. The flush that had originally only been on Su Yuntao's face spread to Qie Si's as they spoke, his face lighting up with the red glow of excitement.

After a while, the two finished talking. Qie Si waved for the other villagers to return home, then followed Su Yuntao over to Wu Ling.

"Ling'er, Master Su Yuntao told me all about it. You've truly given me a surprise!"

In response, Wu Ling merely smiled somewhat bashfully and said nothing more.

Then Qie Si continued, "Ling'er, the master has already discussed it with me. You'll go straight to Nuoding City today."

Wu Ling asked in confusion, "Uncle Qie, aren't you coming?"

Qie Si casually waved a hand, speaking as though it did not matter. "I'm the village chief, after all. There's still plenty to do this year. For example, your Auntie Ba's sow is due to farrow in a few days. Your Uncle Qie also invited me to have a drink with him after your Martial Soul Awakening. I've had my eye on that family-inherited Shi Bao Wine of his for ages.

"So just go. Don't worry about this old man. As long as you can come visit me now and then when you have time, I'll have no regrets."

Wu Ling opened his mouth, but in the end, he still said nothing. He simply stepped forward and silently hugged Qie Si.

"I'm leaving, Uncle Qie."

"Mm. Go on, and be careful on the road."

After their final farewell, Wu Ling and Su Yuntao boarded the same carriage, and the driver steered it toward Nuoding City.

Watching the departing carriage, Qie Si could not help reaching up to wipe at the corners of his slightly reddened eyes. Only after the carriage had vanished from sight did he turn and walk back toward the village with unsteady steps.

"I really am getting old. Even the wind and sand get in my eyes more easily now.

"Let's go. This old man will be alone again from now on. But this time, perhaps I'll have something to look forward to..."

Inside the carriage, Wu Ling was somewhat silent because of his parting with Qie Si. Su Yuntao looked at him and, with unspoken understanding, said nothing.

Wu Ling sighed, suppressed the reluctance in his heart, and forced himself to shift his attention. His Unnamed Spirit Foundation Martial Soul became his focus.

"In the game, the Unnamed Spirit Foundation was used to summon Heroic Spirits. Ten Unnamed Spirit Foundations could summon one five-star Heroic Spirit. Now that it has become my Martial Soul, its ability is still summoning, but what it summons are beings similar to Shadows of Heroic Spirits.

"Including their Noble Phantasms, a Shadow of Heroic Spirit possesses all the abilities of that Heroic Spirit, except consciousness. I can become its consciousness.

"Simply put, it's like Zhuge Kongming in the game. I become the vessel it possesses, with my consciousness as the primary one, and then gain the Heroic Spirit's power. If there's any difference, it's that I can fuse with the Spirit Origins of nine Heroic Spirits at once.

"Here, one level of Soul Power is equivalent to one Unnamed Spirit Foundation. I currently have ten levels of Soul Power, which means ten of them. I only need one Holy Relic to begin my first summoning.

"And Holy Relics are Spirit Beasts. Spirit Beasts are divided into ten-year, hundred-year, thousand-year, ten-thousand-year, hundred-thousand-year, and million-year levels. The first five correspond to one-star through five-star ranks. As for the million-year level, that is already the realm of gods, so I'm not sure about it yet.

"One thing worth noting is that a ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring can summon a four-star Heroic Spirit, but it might also summon a one-star Heroic Spirit. That mainly depends on compatibility. If there are no Heroic Spirits of a particular rank with compatible traits, the summoning drops down to a lower rank. Of course, the Spirit Ring's level will not change, and that lower-rank Heroic Spirit will receive a certain degree of enhancement.

"The reverse is impossible. A ten-year Spirit Ring cannot summon a two-star Heroic Spirit or above."

Having understood his Martial Soul's abilities, Wu Ling began carefully considering the choice of his first Spirit Ring.

"My first Spirit Ring must be a hundred-year one. That means I can choose from one-star and two-star Heroic Spirits. But I've forgotten part of the content over these past six years. Trying to recall it all is really troublesome."

Just as Wu Ling sank into deep thought, they arrived in Nuoding City.

"Wu Ling, we're here. Wu Ling, what are you thinking about? Let's get off."

After getting down from the carriage, Su Yuntao hurriedly took him to find his teacher, Ma Xiunuo. Although Ma Xiunuo was only a Soul Grandmaster, his character and knowledge had deeply impressed Su Yuntao.

In particular, Su Yuntao had met Wu Ling only because he had insisted on following his teacher here. Whether out of gratitude or duty, he should tell him first thing.

In the end, Su Yuntao found Ma Xiunuo in the rear courtyard of the Martial Soul Branch Hall. Beside Ma Xiunuo stood a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties, speaking with him.

Su Yuntao glanced at the middle-aged man and found him unfamiliar. However, since he could speak with his teacher, he was presumably one of their own, so Su Yuntao directly said, "Teacher, Teacher, look! This child has Innate Full Soul Power!"

Su Yuntao's words made both Ma Xiunuo and the middle-aged man turn toward them. Ma Xiunuo asked uncertainly, "It's really Innate Full Soul Power?"

"Yes, Teacher. And he has already agreed to join Spirit Hall."

"Good, good, good! Then what Martial Soul does he have?"

"According to him, it's a mutated Martial Soul called the Heroic Spirit Disk."

"A mutated Martial Soul, Innate Full Soul Power, and he's joining our Spirit Hall too. Good, good, good!" Ma Xiunuo's repeated praise plainly revealed his mood.

But Wu Ling was not paying attention to the conversation between the two. His gaze was fixed on the middle-aged man.

From his appearance and that dispirited aura, Wu Ling had already identified him. The man before him was Tang San's teacher from the original story—Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang also shifted his gaze toward Wu Ling. He had heard Su Yuntao and Ma Xiunuo clearly. This child was actually a person with Innate Full Soul Power whose Martial Soul had mutated.

"I never expected that merely coming to meet the newly appointed Spirit Hall steward would lead me to encounter such an excellent seedling!" Yu Xiaogang looked utterly composed on the surface, but inwardly, he was already growing excited.

Originally, after learning that the Martial Soul Branch Hall had received a new hall master and steward, Yu Xiaogang had planned to show his face and let them know what the "Continent's Number One Theorist" meant. Simply put, he wanted to tell them to remember to show him respect and not provoke him without knowing their place.

Although most of the newcomers did not care about his so-called title of "Continent's Number One Theorist," Spirit Hall had been the one to issue that declaration. If they refused to show him respect, would that not be slapping their own faces? They did not have that kind of nerve, so they treated him politely.

However, what Yu Xiaogang never expected was that he would encounter a genius here. No, a monster!

"If I can make him my disciple, I'll be able to verify my Ten Core Competitiveness Theories. Then who would dare call me trash?"

Acting immediately, Yu Xiaogang walked over to Wu Ling while Su Yuntao explained the events to Ma Xiunuo. He asked, "Child, are you interested in taking me as your master?"

Yu Xiaogang's words made Su Yuntao and Ma Xiunuo stiffen for an instant before they looked at him with displeasure.

But Yu Xiaogang did not care in the slightest. He was the dignified "Continent's Number One Theorist." It did not matter how two mere Soul Grandmasters looked at him.

Just as Su Yuntao and Ma Xiunuo were about to speak up and stop him, Wu Ling answered with absolute decisiveness, "I refuse!"