Ma Xiunuo's Excitement

"Young friend... no, Your Excellency the Spirit Master," Ma Xiunuo's attitude became extremely solemn and enthusiastic. "I am Ma Xiunuo, a deacon of the Nuoding City Spirit Hall branch. You say you are eighteen years old and your spirit power has already reached level thirty?"

Qian Renxue nodded slightly. "Yes."

"Hiss..." Even though he had mentally prepared himself, hearing the confirmation with his own ears still made Ma Xiunuo gasp.

An eighteen-year-old Spirit Grandmaster! In a small place like Nuoding City, this was simply unheard of!

"A genius! A true genius!" Ma Xiunuo was so excited that his beard trembled. His previous dignity had vanished, leaving only the ecstasy of discovering a raw piece of jade.

"Quick! Quickly, follow me to the testing room! Please forgive any lack of hospitality!" He personally stepped aside to lead the way, his posture lowered significantly.

Qian Renxue did not refuse; this was one of the reasons she had come here.

She followed calmly behind Ma Xiunuo toward the testing room in the inner hall.

Behind them, they left a group of stunned onlookers in the lobby, along with the clerk who was still slumped in his chair, lingering in fear.

Entering a relatively spacious testing room with black crystal balls embedded in the walls, Ma Xiunuo carefully closed the door, cutting off the view from the outside.

"Your Excellency, please." Ma Xiunuo pointed to the crystal ball in the center of the room. His attitude remained respectful, his eyes filled with anticipation and a hint of imperceptible scrutiny.

He was very curious: what would the spirit of this young man with such terrifying talent be?

Light Dragon? He had never heard of such a powerful dragon-type spirit.

Qian Renxue walked up to the crystal ball.

She did not intend to reveal the full extent of her hundred-thousand-year spirit ring and the Emperor War Dragon spirit here. That would be too shocking and would inevitably attract the attention of the higher-ups in the Spirit Hall, which contradicted her current goal of hiding her identity to uncover the truth.

She slowly raised her right hand, her thoughts shifting slightly.

A dazzling golden light condensed in her palm, instantly illuminating the entire testing room!

The light was so pure and sacred, carrying a supreme majesty that made Ma Xiunuo feel his soul trembling, as if he were facing a god!

Although it was only a blurred, majestic dragon head phantom composed of pure light energy, it flashed and vanished.

She did not fully manifest the War Dragon form, but the terrifying pressure and vast power of light contained in that fleeting glimpse were enough to strike Ma Xiunuo, a well-informed old deacon, like a bolt of lightning, leaving his mind blank!

"This... is this the Light Dragon spirit?!" Ma Xiunuo's voice was filled with extreme shock.

The pressure emitted by the mere glimpse of the dragon head phantom far exceeded any top-tier spirit he had ever seen! This was definitely not an ordinary dragon!

The purity and nobility of this light even subconsciously reminded him of the sacred aura emitted by the Angel God statue worshipped in the Spirit Hall! No, it seemed even more... more overbearing than that!

Qian Renxue ignored Ma Xiunuo's loss of composure and placed her hand on the black crystal ball used for testing spirit power.

Hum—!

The black crystal ball instantly erupted with a dazzling white light!

The intensity of the light was so great that it made the entire testing room as bright as day!

The column of light inside the crystal ball surged without resistance, instantly breaking through the mark representing a Spirit Master, and finally stopped steadily at the top graduation line—level thirty!

"Th... thirty! It really is a level thirty Spirit Grandmaster!" Ma Xiunuo looked at the brilliant column of light, trembling with excitement, his old eyes almost brimming with tears.

Witnessing the birth of such a young genius Spirit Grandmaster was, for a deacon who had spent half his life in a small city, the peak moment of his career!

"A genius! A peerless genius! Your Excellency, your... your future achievements will be limitless!" Ma Xiunuo spoke incoherently, his gaze toward Qian Renxue filled with fanaticism and awe.

He was now absolutely certain that the grade of the "Light Dragon" spirit belonging to this plainly dressed young man had definitely reached the legendary top tier, and might even be... the prototype of a god-level spirit!

"Now, can we proceed with the registration and collect the subsidy?" Qian Renxue withdrew her hand, the light of the crystal ball dimmed instantly, and the testing room returned to its normal lighting.

"Of course! Of course!" Ma Xiunuo snapped back to reality and nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, his attitude ten times more respectful than before.

He personally retrieved the spirit master registration form, carefully handed it to Qian Renxue to fill out, and prepared the new badge representing the status of a Spirit Grandmaster along with a heavy money bag as quickly as possible.

Inside were fifty golden Spirit Coins, the one-time subsidy provided by the Spirit Hall for a level thirty Spirit Grandmaster.

"Your Excellency, this is your Spirit Grandmaster badge and this month's subsidy, fifty Spirit Coins. Please keep them safe." Ma Xiunuo offered them with both hands, his posture almost devout.

He hesitated for a moment, but could not help but speak, his tone filled with immense earnestness: "Your Excellency's talent is shocking; staying in Nuoding City is truly a waste!"

"I wonder... I wonder if you have any interest in joining the Spirit Hall? With your aptitude, I can immediately recommend you to the Spirit Holy Hall in Heaven Dou City or even the headquarters in Spirit City!"

"You will surely receive the best resources and training; becoming a Titled Douluo in the future is no empty promise!"

His eyes were filled with anticipation, as if he could already see the supreme glory brought by his recommendation.

Qian Renxue took the badge and the Spirit Coins, putting them into her bag without even looking at them.

Regarding Ma Xiunuo's invitation, she merely glanced at him indifferently.

"Join the Spirit Hall?" A faint curve seemed to touch the corner of her mouth, so fast that one might think it was an illusion. "For now, I'm not interested."

Having said that, she did not linger, turned around, pushed open the door of the testing room, and walked out of the gate of the Nuoding City Spirit Hall branch with steady steps, carrying that worn-out bag.

Deacon Ma Xiunuo stood frozen in place, watching the figure disappear at the entrance, his heart in turmoil.

Refused... so decisively rejected the olive branch of the Spirit Hall! Who exactly is this mysterious "Ye Yang"?

No, he had to report this. There was no such thing as a weak dragon-type spirit; if he didn't report it and was held accountable later, he would be unable to shirk the blame.

After obtaining the funds, Qian Renxue turned her attention to Nuoding Academy.

Meanwhile, on the other side, inside the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, the daily morning court session had begun.

Inside the resplendent, golden-hued palace, the atmosphere was solemn and grave. Civil and military officials stood in rows on either side, while Emperor Xue Ye sat upright upon the high throne. His expression was calm, radiating an effortless authority as his gaze slowly swept across those below.

Ye Yang, wearing the identity of Xue Qinghe, stood beside Emperor Xue Ye, feeling utterly bored. Although it was his first time attending the morning court and it had seemed novel at first, it turned out to be nothing special—quite dull, in fact.

He then glanced toward a position in the corner.

There, Xue Beng was staring at him with a face full of venomous resentment.

"State your business if you have any; otherwise, the court is dismissed," the eunuch standing to the side announced in a shrill voice.

No sooner had the words fallen than Xue Beng dropped to his knees with a heavy thud.