After leaving the Martial Soul Awakening room, Su Haitao led the two straight into the room next door.
The door opened, and the space suddenly widened.
A colossal machine stood in the center of the room, three meters tall and six meters wide, its metal shell gleaming with a cold light. Through its translucent walls, dozens of spheres hung densely inside, each containing a hundred-year or ten-year Soul Spirit.
But everyone looked at the lottery machine.
Su Haitao spoke up. "According to regulations, the Spirit Pagoda can give you one free Soul Spirit. The free ones are usually Artificial Soul Spirits. Given your circumstances, I recommend paying extra for a rare Soul Spirit. It will be better for your future development as Soul Masters."
He handed them a Soul Guidance tablet. Its screen lit up, displaying a densely packed catalog of Soul Spirits.
"Pick one yourselves."
In truth, he earned a much higher commission from selling Soul Spirits. There was no commission on the free ones.
Xiao Mu took the tablet, his fingers sliding across the screen. He skipped over the dragon-type Soul Spirits. A Soul Spirit could be weak, but it absolutely couldn't be a turncoat.
His gaze settled on the Soul Spirits with Phoenix, Titan, and Qilin bloodlines.
Then he stopped at one Soul Spirit.
Titan Snow Demon.
A descendant left behind after an ancient Ice God had lain with a Titan Giant. In terms of race alone, none in the Far North could rival it. The young were born ten meters tall, and adults grew to over fifty meters. This one was nearly a thousand years old and already twenty meters tall.
Xiao Mu stared at its name for a long time, wondering whether it could withstand the Silver Dragon King and Golden Dragon King's bloodlines without betraying him.
He'd keep it as a backup for now.
He kept scrolling.
Light flickered across his face. Then another Soul Spirit caught his eye.
A Soul Spirit with a Qilin bloodline. It had a powerful build and dark golden fur, and its bright green eyes gleamed like glazed jade, their sharp gaze intimidating.
Raised golden markings adorned its forehead. Its limbs were thick and strong, and its fierce, imposing bearing radiated a savage aura.
Xiao Mu studied it for a long time, so long that Su Haitao thought he was going to choose it.
"This Soul Spirit is no ordinary one. It possesses the bloodline of an ancient Qilin. Qilins are every bit as formidable as dragons."
"It's a good one, but I'll keep looking."
Xiao Mu continued scrolling and spotted another suitable Soul Beast.
It was a Three-Legged Crow.
It was covered in dark feathers that gleamed faintly, with countless fine, brilliant golden patterns running across its body and wings, their light shimmering.
It stood on a single three-toed foot, its lithe form majestic. Its feathers unfurled in the breeze, golden patterns shining brightly as a searing aura surrounded it. It looked strange and imposing, clearly no ordinary creature.
Xiao Mu stared at it and thought it looked good. But when he glanced at Su Haitao, he saw that his expression had turned rather grim.
"Master Su, is there a problem with this Soul Spirit?"
Su Haitao fell silent for a moment before answering. "This Soul Spirit has a few minor flaws. You can tell from the price."
"What's the problem?" Xiao Ming pressed, though he had already guessed.
"It's an Unyielding Soul Spirit," Su Haitao explained. "Among the Soul Spirits stored in our Spirit Pagoda, not all can be absorbed by Soul Masters. That was true in ancient times, and it's still true today. Most of those that can't be absorbed are too proud or too unruly. We call these Unyielding Soul Spirits."
"If a Soul Master tries to forcefully absorb one, their life will certainly be in danger."
"As for why this one is being sold, it's entirely because it used to be the guardian of the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform. It can take control of every Soul Beast in that Spirit Ascension Platform for a period of time. Any Soul Master below the four-ring level who enters will be swarmed and attacked..."
As he listened, Xiao Mu couldn't help wondering: wasn't the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform's capacity limited to Soul Masters below the four-ring level?
And a hundred-year-old Soul Spirit already knew how to organize a group. From the sound of it, it was smarter than Di Tian.
Anyone who came in would get mobbed.
"This Soul Spirit sounds pretty good. Its intelligence doesn't seem like that of a hundred-year Soul Spirit at all." Xiao Mu had already made up his mind. Though the Golden Crow in Douluo was golden-red, it wasn't even an ultimate attribute.
This Three-Legged Crow, on the other hand, was intelligent enough, and according to the description, it could transform into a red sun, blazing like the midday sun.
"Can I try? My Spiritual Power should let me communicate with it briefly," he continued. It would only be a mental connection, so there shouldn't be much risk.
Su Haitao hesitated, then said, "I'll have to ask my superior first."
He turned and walked to a corner, speaking quietly into his communicator.
Xiao Ming turned to his son and said, "Unyielding Soul Spirits are too dangerous. You should choose something else."
"Dad, if I back down at the first sign of danger, what kind of Soul Master would I be? This Soul Spirit can definitely give me a powerful Soul Skill."
Xiao Mu's voice was calm. If he'd only wanted to play it safe, he wouldn't have bothered investigating.
Even if the road ahead plunged ten thousand zhang into the abyss, he would still carve out his own path. If he was alive, he ought to live a life of boundless brilliance.
There are no gods in this era. There is only me!
Before long, Su Haitao returned. "The tower master says it's fine, but I have to stand by and guard you."
"Tower Master Li?"
"Yes, our tower master is called Li Jing." Su Haitao nodded.
"Does he have three sons?" Xiao Mu asked in confusion.
"How did you know? I had to pay out three times."
"I guessed."
Xiao Mu tried hard to hold back his laughter. What a coincidence. Since the East Sea was right next door, he'd just taken a guess. He hadn't expected Su Haitao to be so good at reading the room.
Suddenly, the door opened.
Li Jing walked in. He looked to be in his early forties, with a tall, straight build and the composed air of someone long accustomed to authority. He held a specially made Soul Spirit Orb in his palm. Unlike the lottery spheres, this one could be retrieved after a certain amount of time.
"So you're the genius with Innate Full Soul Power and Innate Spirit Connection Realm."
"Have you considered joining the Spirit Pagoda?"
Xiao Mu shook his head. "No."
He had absolutely no interest. He just wanted to find somewhere he could study weapons without anyone raising questions. Of course, borrowing the neighboring continent for explosive tests would be even better.
As for the question of ownership, wasn't it always the case that...
Li Jing said no more. He simply stepped to the side and pressed a special button. The sphere slowly descended, leaving only a thin wall between the Three-Legged Crow and Xiao Mu.
"You can send your Spiritual Power inside. If it doesn't suit you, I'll retrieve the Soul Spirit again," Li Jing said coldly. He, too, found this Soul Spirit a headache. Who said having a Spirit Ascension Platform made Soul Spirits easy to store?
This one had completely wrecked the Spirit Ascension Platform's function.
He had never seen a Soul Spirit this clever.
Xiao Mu took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His Spiritual Power surged out like a tide.
Soon, he connected with the Three-Legged Crow.
The Three-Legged Crow felt like the sun itself: scorching, haughty, and utterly imperious, as though all things beneath the heavens were ants and only it hung high in the firmament, looking down upon all life.
Above heaven and earth, only I reign supreme.
Xiao Mu felt like a speck of dust floating in its light, about to be vaporized at any moment. Yet, strangely, he also felt the awe-inspiring weight of being watched by a king.
Was this really a Soul Beast?