Sending a Letter and Paying a Visit

While Ling Yi was still familiarizing himself with the environment, his classmates, and his teachers at Green Leaf Elementary Soul Master Academy, conversations took place sooner or later in many residences within the inner city of Mu Zhi City.

The Attendant said, "My lord, a piece of news was marked today."

"Oh? What was it about, to be worth marking specially? Did some family's son or daughter have a mutated Martial Soul Awakening?" the lord asked with great interest.

The Attendant lowered his head slightly. "That is not the case, my lord. It was an enrollment registration for a new student at Green Leaf Elementary Soul Master Academy in the east of the city. The recorded information was marked."

"Innate Full Soul Power?" A sharp gleam flashed in the lord's eyes as he asked.

The Attendant froze. "Uh... no."

The lord frowned and asked again, "A mutated martial soul, with very high quality?"

"Also... also no..." A faint sheen of sweat appeared on the Attendant's forehead.

The lord looked somewhat displeased when he heard this. "Then what right did he have to be marked?"

"..." Holding a document whose corner had been stamped with a mark in both hands, the Attendant raised it above his head and presented it to the lord. Gritting his teeth, he mustered his courage and said in a low voice, "Because his soul power increased much faster than it normally should have—"

Hearing this, the lord's darkened expression eased slightly. He casually took the document and quickly read through it.

As he read, his brows could not help furrowing again.

Soon, after skimming through the recorded contents at a glance, the lord set down the document and looked expressionlessly at the Attendant. His voice held little fluctuation as he said, "A mere Blue Silver Grass martial soul, because there was a large amount of Blue Silver Grass in his living environment and he unintentionally achieved the effect of a Mimetic Cultivation Environment—this is also worth so much attention?"

"Did you not see that the boy said a Deacon from Spirit Hall had gone to verify it?"

"Three days have passed. I assume you also went down to verify it. What was the result?"

With three questions in a row, the lord looked intently at the Attendant.

The Attendant quietly swallowed and lowered his voice, answering meekly, "Reporting to my lord, it has been verified. That boy's home and village do indeed have a great deal of Blue Silver Grass. If a soul master with a Blue Silver Grass martial soul cultivated in that kind of environment, it should indeed be somewhat faster..."

"Because we have not yet found a suitable soul master with a Blue Silver Grass martial soul, we cannot verify exactly how efficient the acceleration is. However, your subordinates have already begun searching around the Capital City..."

"Wait." The lord raised his hand and cut off the Attendant's words, then asked, "Were you also preparing to find a place to plant Blue Silver Grass, then have the soul master with the Blue Silver Grass martial soul you found cultivate there to verify it?"

"Uh—" The Attendant stammered, at a loss for words.

Seeing this, the lord shook his head and directly ordered, "This matter ends here."

"My lord?" The Attendant was puzzled. "If it truly can speed up the cultivation speed of soul masters with Blue Silver Grass martial souls, then my lord could specially cultivate a batch of them. At the very least, they could obtain a First Soul Ring and become Soul Master Level..."

"First Soul Ring? Blue Silver Grass?" The lord gave a sneer. "What? Are you afraid of Blue Silver Entanglement?"

"It's true that this could cultivate some soul masters, but compared to what would have to be invested, it would hardly be worth it!"

As the lord spoke, his face carried an expression of someone with everything well in hand.

Just now, he had also considered it the same way the Attendant had. But standing in his position, he naturally knew just how low the probability was for a Blue Silver Grass martial soul to be born with Innate Soul Power!

If they truly spent manpower, resources, and money to create that "Blue Silver Grass Mimetic Cultivation Environment," and then searched everywhere for Blue Silver Grass martial soul possessors with soul power aptitude, how many years would it take before they obtained the harvest they imagined?

In the Douluo Continent today, only top-tier forces like Spirit Hall and the Two Great Empires had the time and foundation to do such a thing and wait for the fruit to ripen.

Ling Yi was not aware of the conversations above, but he had also made deductions in his heart.

After summarizing his own current situation, then making a horizontal comparison with the conditions of those noble big shots in the Duchy, it was just like comparing a Fortune 500 company in his previous life to a pancake stall on the roadside.

The Secretary said, "Chairman, I heard the pancake stall on the corner ahead has good sauce. Business is especially good!"

The chairman said, "Mm."

The Secretary said, "Chairman, are we not going to buy out the sauce recipe?"

The chairman said, "What's the rush? There are so many recipes in this world. Are we going to buy them all? Besides, how much would be appropriate for the recipe patent? If it's too little, he won't agree. If it's too much, am I stupid?"

The Secretary said, "Then—?"

The chairman said, "Then what? That's that. What? Are you afraid his pancake stall will go public and the price of pancakes will rise?"

"If he really has potential, once he develops to a certain level, we can just invest directly and absorb him into the Conglomerate."

Mu Zhi City, Anfang Street in the south of the city, Jin Geng Blacksmith Shop.

On the bustling street, Ling Yi raised his head and looked at the large characters on the signboard above, then lowered his gaze and focused on this storefront that occupied an extremely large area.

Taking out from his robes the letter that Master Jiang had previously given him, Ling Yi held it in his hand. After making sure it would not be easily overlooked, he stepped through the entrance of Jin Geng Blacksmith Shop.

If this were one of those novels about posturing and face-slapping, at this moment Ling Yi might have hidden the letter well, changed into an outfit called "free and easy" but actually ragged and tattered, then walked straight in and opened his mouth by asking for so-and-so. Then he would be looked down on by the shop assistant, treated coldly, snap back in mockery, get into a conflict, have a supervisor-level figure from the shop appear, exchange sharp words, say something shocking... and only then take out the letter...

Fortunately, Ling Yi was not following the arrogant-heaven style or the "thirty years east of the river" style. He followed the steady style.

He directly took out the letter and placed it in the most conspicuous position. He, Ling Yi, was only a child coming to help a blacksmith master who had left his school many years ago deliver a letter.

After all, Master Jiang had left this place many years ago. As for what his interpersonal relationships had been like during his years of apprenticeship back then, he had not said, so Ling Yi was completely in the dark.

On top of that, the man was nearly fifty and was still an intermediate blacksmith. Presumably, his forging talent was also average. If old Master Diamond, one of the Three Great Masters, did not remember such a dull disciple, would that not be awkward?

"Kid, who are you looking for?"

Ling Yi had only just stepped through the blacksmith shop's doors when a young man wearing a sleeveless short jacket immediately spoke up and asked.

The young man's tone was kind, and there was even a faint smile on his face.

Seeing the other man's gaze sweep over the letter in his hand and the Green Leaf Elementary Soul Master Academy uniform he was wearing, Ling Yi's mind remained as still as an ancient well, while a sweet smile stayed on his face.

"Hello, Uncle. I'm from North River Mouth Town. I came here to deliver a letter to Old Master Jin on behalf of Master Jiang, the blacksmith from our town~"

In that one sentence, the information was clear and straightforward. Coupled with the neat white uniform with green patterns and Ling Yi's face that made people like him at first sight, the young man immediately stepped forward twice and came up to Ling Yi. He bent slightly and asked with a smile, "Oh? Master Jiang from North River Mouth Town? Can you tell me Master Jiang's full name? And what about you, little friend? What's your name?"

Hearing this, Ling Yi first drew the hand holding the letter slightly back. A thoughtful look appeared on his small face. After thinking for a moment, he replied politely, "Master Jiang's name is Jiang Kai. My name is Ling Yi... Uncle, may I meet Old Master Jin and give him the letter?"

"Jiang Kai?" Seeing Ling Yi's reaction, the young man's smile remained unchanged. He went over it in his mind, and after confirming that he had never heard the name, he said to Ling Yi, "I'm sorry, little friend. Uncle hasn't heard that name before..."

Ling Yi's clear black-and-white eyes widened a little. "Then..."

"Don't worry~" The young man waved his hand and pointed to a corner inside the Blacksmith Shop. "Go sit over there for a bit first. I'll go ask my senior brother. He's been by Master's side for more than twenty years, so he should know the Master Jiang—Jiang Kai—you're talking about..."

As he spoke, he led Ling Yi to a place set aside for customers to rest.

After Ling Yi sat down, the young man casually poured him a cup of cool tea, then called out to the other youths and boys in the shop. He smiled at Ling Yi again, then turned and walked toward the courtyard behind the shop.