Spirit City

Grandmaster?

It couldn't be that much of a coincidence, could it?

Duan Fan's expression turned strange.

Fortunately, Fang Qingshan was cultivating just then. Otherwise, Duan Fan would have had to reassure him all over again.

The information abruptly ended there, and Duan Fan had barely gotten his fill.

Fortunately, new content was soon compiled, and Duan Fan continued reading.

Just as he'd expected, the Grandmaster the senior Deacon had called out to was the very Grandmaster Duan Fan had in mind.

[Yu Xiaogang glanced at Ding Xiulun indifferently and gave a slight nod in greeting before continuing on his way.

This left Ding Xiulun somewhat displeased.

He was, after all, a senior Deacon at the Notting City Spirit Branch Hall—a man of some standing.

Yet this so-called Grandmaster, who wasn't worth a dog's fart, wouldn't even spare him a few words.

Where did he get that arrogance?

Tang San was now looking Yu Xiaogang over curiously.

The middle-aged man, who looked somewhat listless and dispirited, had been called "Grandmaster" by a senior Deacon of Spirit Hall.

Even when Deacon Ding greeted him, he'd responded only with indifference.

That meant he must be a very powerful Soul Master.

Perhaps he was even stronger than Deacon Ding.]

The new information was only a few lines long, and Duan Fan finished reading it quickly.

Seeing Ding Xiulun's inner thoughts, Duan Fan's confidence in changing Tang San's fate immediately soared.

"This senior Deacon at the Notting City Spirit Branch Hall doesn't seem all that impressive.

"His thoughts should be easy enough to change.

"Influencing Tang San through him is undoubtedly a good choice."

As for Tang San's habit of making wild guesses, Duan Fan had long since grown used to it.

"Come to think of it, this really is a coincidence. I thought Tang San and Yu Xiaogang wouldn't cross paths again, but somehow they've run into each other—and Tang San's already making all kinds of guesses. Could their master-disciple bond still have a chance to continue?"

"It wouldn't be so bad if it did. Changing Tang San's fate through Yu Xiaogang seems like it could work, too."

New content appeared once more.

Tang San asked Yu Xiaogang's identity out of curiosity.

Ding Xiulun gave a brief introduction, then mercilessly launched into a string of insults about Yu Xiaogang.

But Tang San was thoughtful by nature. Rather than looking down on Yu Xiaogang, he became even more curious about his knowledge.

He also began to doubt Ding Xiulun's character and thought about leaving him.

Fortunately, Ding Xiulun brought up what Tang San needed at the moment.

"You have Innate Full Soul Power. Once you obtain your First Soul Ring, you'll be able to advance smoothly to the Soul Master level."

"Tomorrow, I'll take you to the Soul Hunting Forest to find a suitable Soul Beast and help you obtain your First Soul Ring."

Hearing that he would be able to obtain his First Soul Ring, Tang San immediately gave up the idea of leaving Ding Xiulun.

"All right," Tang San agreed.

After reading this, Duan Fan's eyes lit up. "My chance to change Tang San's fate is here!"

Late that night.

Fang Qingshan and Duan Fan arrived safely in Notting City.

When they got home, his aunt, Ding Yutang, had even gotten up to cook a late-night meal for the weary travelers.

As they ate, Fang Qingshan excitedly told Ding Yutang everything they'd gained from the trip.

When she heard that Duan Fan's First Soul Ring was a four-hundred-year Dream-Weaving Spider and that he'd gained a powerful Soul Skill, Ding Yutang was surprised, but genuinely happy for him.

Perhaps Fang Qingshan and his wife had been talking too loudly, or perhaps the dumplings Ding Yutang had made smelled too good.

Either way, they woke Fang Qian, who'd already fallen asleep. The family of four gathered together, cheerful and content.

"Xiaofan, get some rest after your bath. Don't cultivate—it's already very late."

"Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to the Notting City Spirit Branch Hall for your Soul Master assessment. You'll officially register as a Soul Master, and we'll test your current Soul Power Level while we're there."

Fang Qingshan reminded him.

Duan Fan nodded. "All right, Uncle!"

Back in his room, Duan Fan wasn't the least bit sleepy.

He'd just taken a hot bath, and now he felt completely refreshed.

Lying on the bed, Duan Fan quickly went over everything that had happened in the past few days.

From his Martial Soul Awakening to safely returning home with his First Soul Ring, his fate had already changed beyond recognition.

Innate Full Soul Power.

The Fantasy Pen and Soul-Sucking Battle Axe.

The Eye of Insight.

An absurdly powerful First Soul Skill.

Everything was moving in a better direction.

Besides that, he'd finally learned a little about what had happened to his parents.

There was a very good chance Tang Hao had killed them.

Tang Hao had to die!

But that was a long-term goal.

Even a weakened Tang Hao was beyond Duan Fan's ability to deal with right now.

For now, he needed to keep growing stronger.

And to take control of Tang San's fate—thoroughly!

The next morning.

After breakfast, Fang Qingshan took Duan Fan to the Notting City Spirit Branch Hall.

On the second floor, they found the branch hall Deacon responsible for advancement assessments.

He was an elderly man, with a full head of white hair and a face covered in wrinkles. His name was Ma Xiunuo.

At the sound of Ma Xiunuo's name, Duan Fan quickly remembered that he was the branch hall Deacon who would later conduct Tang San's advancement assessment.

After a brief exchange, Ma Xiunuo led Duan Fan and Fang Qingshan to the room designated for advancement assessments.

The room was about two hundred square meters, spacious and tall, with a huge floor-to-ceiling window that let in plenty of light.

Five black stones were embedded in the walls, and the floor bore Spirit Hall's insignia: a longsword pointing straight toward the door.

In principle, anyone not involved in an advancement assessment wasn't allowed in the room.

Clearly, Fang Qingshan had special privileges.

Being a teacher at the Notting City Elementary Spirit Master Academy wasn't enough to get him all these perks. It was mainly because he was a Soul Elder.

A Soul Elder had plenty of clout in a small place like Notting City.

At Ma Xiunuo's gesture, Duan Fan stood in the middle of the insignia and released his Martial Soul.

White light surged, and the roughly thirty-centimeter Fantasy Pen appeared in Duan Fan's hand. A bright Yellow Soul Ring rose slowly from beneath his feet.

Seeing the Yellow Soul Ring around Duan Fan, Ma Xiunuo's wrinkled face showed surprise and envy.

"A Hundred-Year Soul Ring?!"

"With Teacher Fang here, it's no surprise he was able to obtain one."

Ma Xiunuo smiled at Fang Qingshan, then took out a yellow crystal ball and held it out to Duan Fan.

"Child, channel your Soul Power into it and let's test your current Soul Power Level."

Duan Fan immediately did as he was told.

The yellow crystal ball lit up at once.

Ma Xiunuo spoke in utter amazement. "Thirteen! You're already not far from fourteen!"

"Child, would you like to join Spirit Hall?"

Ma Xiunuo asked almost instinctively, his eyes full of hope.

But as soon as he'd asked, he looked toward Fang Qingshan.

Fang Qingshan calmly answered without the slightest hesitation. "He won't join."

As if he'd expected that answer, Ma Xiunuo wasn't too surprised.

He looked at Duan Fan regretfully, then said, "Your advancement assessment is complete."

"Duan Fan, Martial Soul: Writing Brush. Soul Master, level thirteen."

"Come with me in a moment to collect your Spirit Master Badge and your one Gold Soul Coin Spirit Master Subsidy."

A short while later, Duan Fan followed Fang Qingshan out of the Spirit Hall Branch.

Duan Fan now held a round badge, the symbol of his having reached the Soul Master level.

There was also a Gold Soul Coin in his pocket, his monthly Spirit Master Subsidy.

"Uncle, why wouldn't you let me join Spirit Hall?"

Duan Fan finally asked the question that had been on his mind.

When Ma Xiunuo had asked if Duan Fan wanted to join Spirit Hall, he'd thought Fang Qingshan would respect his choice, as he usually did.

He hadn't expected Fang Qingshan to reject the offer outright.

Fang Qingshan smiled and ruffled Duan Fan's hair. "I only said you shouldn't join the Notting City Spirit Branch Hall. I never said you shouldn't join Spirit Hall."

"What's the difference?" Duan Fan asked instinctively.

Fang Qingshan explained, "If you join here, your information will have to be reported up through several layers."

"Who knows how long it'll take for the people higher up to notice your talent?"

"And you'd have to stay at the Notting City Spirit Branch Hall during that time."

"What resources could the Notting City Spirit Branch Hall offer? It doesn't even have as much as the Notting City Elementary Spirit Master Academy."

"If you really want to join Spirit Hall, I'll take you straight to Spirit City."