Heavy Doors Are Hard to Knock Upon

Ning Chuan left the quiet room of Seven Treasures Pavilion, steeped in sandalwood incense and calculation, and merged back into Nuoding City's bustling crowds, yet his thoughts could not fully settle.

Manager Ning Yuan's seemingly amiable yet relentlessly probing questions still rang in his ears.

Scheming with a tiger was never easy, but the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect truly held immense potential.

"Knowledge monopoly... barriers of power..." Ning Chuan strolled along the bluestone street, turning those two phrases over and over in his mind.

His setback at the bookstore had given him a deeper understanding of this world's rules.

Since ordinary bookstores could not provide true knowledge, then perhaps Spirit Hall—the actual administrator of the continent's Soul Master system—might have knowledge regarding Soul Masters?

Even the most basic theories of Soul Power or an overview of the continent's soul beast distribution would be precious supplements to someone as lacking in knowledge as him.

With that thought, Ning Chuan changed direction and headed toward the Nuoding Branch Hall of Spirit Hall from his memories.

The Spirit Hall branch stood in Nuoding City's most prosperous district, far more imposing and majestic than Seven Treasures Pavilion.

Its towering doors were forged from heavy metal. Guards in gleaming silver armor stood on either side, spears in hand and sharp gazes fixed ahead. Their vigorous auras made it clear that they were all Soul Masters.

Most of those entering and leaving were well-dressed, either wealthy nobles or honored Soul Masters wearing Soul Master badges. A half-grown boy like Ning Chuan, dressed in coarse cloth, looked utterly out of place.

Ning Chuan took a deep breath, suppressed his unease, and walked calmly toward the entrance.

"Stop!" A guard stepped forward and leveled his spear across the way, his voice cold. "This is a restricted area of Spirit Hall. Unauthorized persons are not permitted inside!"

Ning Chuan stopped and gave a neither servile nor overbearing bow. "Sir, I'm not here to cause trouble. I came from Holy Soul Village and wish to consult some basic Soul Master materials and records of the continent. Could you make an exception?"

"Consult materials?" The guard looked him over from head to toe, frowning with undisguised contempt in his voice. "Kid, Spirit Hall's library isn't a marketplace. It's not a place just any stray cat or dog can enter! Do you have Soul Master credentials? A letter of recommendation?"

Ning Chuan's heart sank. Just as expected. He shook his head. "I don't have Soul Master credentials. I simply want to learn something..."

"Then get lost if you don't!" The guard waved him away impatiently. "Don't block the way!"

Just as Ning Chuan was preparing to leave helplessly, a middle-aged man in a white deacon's robe emerged from within the hall.

Hearing the commotion at the entrance, he walked over.

"What's going on?" the white-robed deacon asked.

The guard hurriedly bowed. "Deacon Mars, this country boy wants to enter the library to look up materials, but he has no credentials..."

The man called Deacon Mars looked toward Ning Chuan. His gaze was appraising, but not particularly hostile. "Child, what materials do you wish to consult?"

Seeing that this man seemed easier to speak with, Ning Chuan quickly explained his purpose again. "My lord Deacon, my name is Ning Chuan, and I come from Holy Soul Village. My Martial Soul awakening failed, and I have no Soul Power, but I deeply yearn for the world of Soul Masters. I wish to read some of the most basic knowledge about Soul Masters, as well as the continent's geography and local customs, to broaden my horizons. Does Spirit Hall permit ordinary people to borrow any non-core books?"

After hearing him out, Mars showed a trace of understanding—and a flicker of barely perceptible pity. He sighed. "Child, it is good to have the desire to improve yourself. However, Spirit Hall's collection does indeed have strict regulations, and core knowledge is never shared outside. As for basic travel journals and local gazetteers, we do have some, but they are usually not open to ordinary people."

After another pause, seeing the disappointment on Ning Chuan's face, he changed the subject. Seemingly recalling something, a slightly strange smile appeared on his face. "Still... you arrived at just the right time."

With that, he gestured for the guard to step back, then beckoned Ning Chuan over. "Come in with me. What kind of sight is it to stand around at the entrance?"

Hope rose in Ning Chuan's heart. He quickly thanked him and followed Mars through the gates of the Nuoding Branch Hall.

The hall was enormous, with a soaring dome, mirror-bright floors, and an air of solemn majesty.

Soul Masters in robes of various colors occasionally hurried past, casting curious or indifferent glances his way.

Mars did not lead Ning Chuan toward the library deeper inside the hall. Instead, he turned into a side chamber.

Several tables and chairs stood in the side chamber, as though it were meant for receiving ordinary visitors.

He had Ning Chuan sit down, then went to a bookshelf and began searching through it. As he searched, he said, "Child, although you cannot become a Soul Master, your thirst for knowledge deserves encouragement. Spirit Hall—especially His Holiness the Pope—has always been committed to popularizing and advancing Soul Master theory, hoping that more people will understand the greatness of Soul Masters."

Before long, Mars returned with a thin, plainly covered booklet and solemnly handed it to Ning Chuan.

"Here, take this. This is good stuff, the crystallization of a theoretical master's lifelong efforts in today's Soul Master world!"

Ning Chuan hurriedly accepted it with both hands, his heart racing. Had he truly encountered a kind person? Had he obtained some kind of beginner's treasure?

When he lowered his head to look at the booklet's cover, he saw several words written in an overly flamboyant font:

Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul

—By Yu Xiaogang

(Honorably Published by Spirit Hall)

Yu Xiaogang?

The name sounded somewhat familiar to Ning Chuan. After thinking for a moment, he remembered.

Wasn't this the man known as "Master," who had proposed the theory, "There are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters," and later became Tang San's teacher?

His theories... had become reading material promoted by Spirit Hall?