After returning home, Tang Wulin told his parents all about what had happened that day in detail.
Tang Ziran and Lang Yue fell silent together.
If they could help it, neither of them wanted to get involved with any major powers.
Tang Ziran had once been a Level Four Mecha Designer and pharmaceutical researcher for the Federation, but a groundbreaking design of his had drawn the attention of various factions. He had been forced to go into hiding in Aolai City with his wife, who was also a Mecha Designer and pharmaceutical researcher.
To avoid attracting attention, he had even taken a lowly job repairing Mechas, while Lang Yue had become a homemaker.
But now, a harsh reality lay before them: they simply had no extra money to support their son on the path of a Soul Master.
"Wulin, go to bed first. Your mother and I need to think this over."
After saying that, Tang Ziran took Lang Yue by the hand, and the two of them left the house.
Tang Wulin was confused, but all he could do was get ready for bed.
As for Na'er, she had gone to sleep long ago. He had no idea why she had turned in so early that day.
Long Yuan felt that something was wrong. He passed through the wall and entered the room next door.
Sure enough, Na'er was curled up beneath her blanket, her whole body trembling slightly.
Long Yuan placed a hand on Na'er's head, and the touch startled her awake.
She drowsily opened her eyes and glanced at him, then closed them again. Reaching out, she wrapped her arms around Long Yuan's, then drifted back to sleep, reassured.
"Big brother..."
Long Yuan frowned. "Big brother?"
Had she mistaken him for someone else, or had she said it unconsciously?
Long Yuan didn't know, but when he saw that Na'er had stopped trembling, he didn't dwell on it.
After carefully checking the seal and finding no change, he let Na'er sleep while holding his arm.
On a park bench, Tang Ziran and his wife sat together in silence.
"Honey, what should we do? Wulin..." Lang Yue trailed off.
Tang Ziran looked at his wife. After a long while, he finally said in a low voice, "Maybe we should just draw a random Soul Spirit. After all, Wulin's Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass, which is highly adaptable. It should be enough for him."
"But what if he draws a defective Soul Spirit? Even the Spirit Pagoda doesn't know whether something might go wrong. What if something happens to Wulin..."
Lang Yue argued against her husband's suggestion.
In her view, buying Tang Wulin a Soul Spirit that might have unknown problems was clearly irresponsible in the extreme.
"But you know our situation. We don't have any extra money."
Tang Ziran gave a bitter smile.
He was the only one supporting the family's expenses, and Tang Wulin and Na'er were eating more and more. He was happy they were growing, but the strain on their wallets was growing too.
Especially when compared with the yellow Soul Spirit Pagoda Master Li had offered them—having once been Federation researchers, they naturally knew the difference between a white Soul Spirit and a yellow one.
"Maybe we could release that design..." Lang Yue said suddenly.
"Have you lost your mind?!" Tang Ziran sharply cut off his wife's idea. "If we put that thing out now, what if those people set their sights on us again? Do you want to drag Wulin and Na'er into this too?"
"Enough. Go home first. I'll go see Brother Mang Tian and find out if I can borrow some money. We'll buy Wulin a white Soul Spirit."
"Okay."
That night, Tang Ziran went to see Mang Tian. No one knew what they discussed, but he didn't return until the next morning.
"Honey, Wulin, Na'er!" Tang Ziran pushed open the door. Dark circles ringed his eyes, but they couldn't hide his excitement.
"Honey, you're back. Why were you gone all night? Go get some rest."
Lang Yue hurried over to support him.
"I'm fine." Tang Ziran waved a big hand. "Come on, Wulin. I'll take you to the Spirit Pagoda to buy a Soul Spirit in a bit. I've already arranged for you to have the day off from the academy."
Tang Wulin leaped up happily. "Okay, Dad!"
He wolfed down his breakfast in a few bites, then headed out with his father.
The Spirit Pagoda organization had a history of ten thousand years. After creating the epoch-making Artificial Soul Spirit and the Spirit Ascension Platform, its status had soared. Not only did its branch pagodas spread across the three continents, but it had also used the opportunity to win over a large number of powerful figures, becoming one of the strongest and most influential powers.
Almost every city had a Spirit Pagoda. Those in large cities stood thirteen stories tall, while those in medium-sized cities had seven.
The Spirit Pagoda headquarters in Shrek City, after years of renovations, rose to a full eighty-one stories. It was called the most magnificent building on the Douluo Continent.
The Spirit Pagoda in Aolai City was a three-story, octagonal tower—the standard branch pagoda for a small city.
Each floor, however, was much taller than in an ordinary building. With the three stories combined, plus the roof and foundation, the tower stood nearly thirty meters tall.
The Spirit Pagoda's interior was spacious, with marble paving the floor. A ring of doors, their destinations unknown, lined the walls, each bearing the Spirit Pagoda's emblem. At the front was a counter-like desk, behind which sat a Spirit Master in a gray robe.
Seeing them, the Spirit Master stood up and asked Tang Ziran, "Hello. What can I do for you?"
"Spirit Master, I'd like to buy a Soul Spirit for my son."
"Buying a Soul Spirit, huh? Great. What kind are you looking for?" The Spirit Master perked up as soon as he heard he had customers.
After all, he earned a commission on every Soul Spirit he sold.
"We're planning to buy a white Soul Spirit, but we don't know what options there are. Could you tell us about them?"
"A white Soul Spirit?" Tang Wulin tugged at his father's sleeve.
The plan had clearly been to draw a random Soul Spirit.
Tang Ziran patted his son's hand, then shook his head at him. "Just trust me."
With that, Tang Ziran pulled a wad of bills from his shirt and handed it over.
The Spirit Master checked that the amount was correct and nodded. "You're certainly straightforward. Normally, you'd have to pay for a mental power test before choosing a Soul Spirit, but I'll waive the fee for you."
It was clear he'd had enough of customers who looked around but never bought anything.
"Thank you, Spirit Master."
"It's nothing. Come with me. The parent can wait outside." With that, the Spirit Master led Tang Wulin down a corridor.
He pointed to a machine, signaling for Tang Wulin to sit on it.
"I'll test your mental power now. I won't go into the details of mental power here; you'll learn more about it later at a mid-level Soul Master Academy. For now, just remember that mental power is divided into six levels, from lowest to highest: Spirit Origin Realm, Spirit Connection Realm, Spirit Sea Realm, Spirit Abyss Realm, Spirit Domain Realm, and the legendary God Origin Realm. As the saying goes, 'At the beginning of the primal essence, all things renew.' Almost everyone starts out at the Spirit Origin Realm, and this level can fuse with one yellow Soul Spirit."
As he spoke, a metal-helmet-like device descended from above, connected to a metal arm, and settled over Tang Wulin's head.
"Don't be nervous."
The machine worked quickly. Before long, the data on the soul-guidance screen stopped fluctuating. The Spirit Master glanced at it, his expression turning to surprise. "Fifty-five points! That's already close to the late stage of the Spirit Origin Realm!"
"I'll write up a report for you in a bit. Just submit it along with your other documents when you go to the intermediate academy."
Tang Wulin shook his slightly dizzy head and smiled happily.