"Is there anything else you need, my lord?"
Lu Chuan thought for a moment. Nothing for now, so he said:
"Go back to Star Dou first and have Di Tian and the others proceed according to plan. Secretly take control of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and Dragon Valley, but be sure to keep a low profile.
I need to keep growing in human society. Don't disturb me unless it's necessary..."
"As you command, my lord."
Bi Ji gave a graceful bow,
then with a flash,
vanished from where she stood,
leaving behind only a faint, fresh scent of grass and trees.
Lu Chuan was left alone beneath the Wutong Tree,
looking up at the vast starry sky.
"Tang San, your grand plan of ten thousand years? It's time someone else moved the pieces on your board."
Lu Chuan gave a cold laugh,
then turned and headed toward the home glowing with warm light.
Behind him,
night fell,
dark clouds veiled the Full Moon,
as if brewing a storm that would sweep across heaven and earth.
And at the heart of that storm was this seemingly ordinary family!
Three years later
Red Mountain Academy
Lu Chuan was cultivating beneath a tree,
comprehending the Path of Creation.
Several years had passed,
and Lu Chuan had grown ever more handsome.
His exquisite features
had shed the sharpness that had lent him a somewhat fierce air as a child,
settling into a gentle, jade-like handsomeness.
His nose was high-bridged,
his jawline clean-cut but not cold,
and his eyebrows in particular—
thick and long,
they tilted up ever so slightly, giving him a languid, careless air.
He had no idea how many junior girls at Red Mountain Academy had fallen for him.
Sure enough,
Tang Wuyue had fought her way through a sea of people
just to reach Lu Chuan's side,
and couldn't help grumbling:
"Big brother, you're so hard to find. That pack of lovesick girls had the whole way blocked. Good thing I'm no pushover, or I'd never have fought my way through!"
Hearing the little girl's triumphant tone, Lu Chuan couldn't help laughing. "Then what could possibly be so important that Her Highness the Princess would fight through a sea of people to tell me?"
Tang Wuyan giggled. "My Soul Power's broken through level ten! Will you come with me to the Spirit Pagoda to buy a Soul Spirit?"
Lu Chuan raised an eyebrow. "Have you saved enough money, too?"
"Of course! I'm a genius mecha designer!"
Tang Wuyue patted her pocket.
Inside were thirty thousand Federation Coins!
Thirty thousand Federation Coins
was no small sum,
but it wasn't enough to buy any Soul Spirit.
The Spirit Pagoda's Soul Spirits all had fixed prices:
seventy thousand for a ten-year Soul Spirit,
one million for a hundred-year Soul Spirit,
and five million for a thousand-year Soul Spirit.
Thirty thousand Federation Coins was only enough for a random draw from the Soul Spirit Lucky Draw Machine.
Lu Chuan knew that.
Tang Wuyue didn't.
Neither did Tang Ziran.
Fortunately,
Lu Chuan still had a trick up his sleeve!
He had secretly asked Bi Ji to prepare a Lucky Draw Machine filled entirely with thousand-year Soul Spirits,
including a thousand-year Nine-Leaf Sword Grass, a thousand-year Thunderous Hell Vine, a thousand-year Gourd Vine...
They covered the Power Attack System, the control system, and the life system, which leaned more toward support.
As for what she would draw in the end,
that would all depend on Xiao Wuyue's luck!
Of course,
if Xiao Wuyue didn't want to rely on luck,
Lu Chuan did have a little strength of his own!
Besides the Wuyue Exclusive Lucky Draw Machine,
he had also prepared five million Federation Coins,
which he had quietly saved over the past three years.
He had handed over who knew how many Thousand-Refined works,
including even some outstanding Thousand-Refined Grade One pieces!
"Then let's not tell Mom and Dad. Once we've bought a good Soul Spirit and become Soul Masters, we'll surprise them!"
Lu Chuan said with a smile.
But the real reason was that Xiao Wuyue was easy to fool.
Tang Ziran and Lang Yue were adults who had survived for years in the merciless, treacherous Douluo Continent.
They might see through some of his little schemes,
so he had to be careful.
Last New Year,
the couple had bought a pile of fine gifts
and sent them to the Federation government,
saying they were meant for the Jade Douluo.
They had nearly given him away.
Fortunately, there really was a newly appointed Jade Douluo in the Federation,
which let them cover it up.
School let out at noon.
Tang Wuyue went straight to her homeroom teacher for leave, saying she was going to buy a Soul Spirit.
The teacher approved it without hesitation.
For a homeroom teacher of a graduating class,
every additional Soul Master in the class
meant
another bonus for him.
So classes weren't all that important!
Lu Chuan asked his homeroom teacher for leave, too.
He didn't even need to give a reason.
That was because Lu Chuan's cultivation
was now on par with that of most homeroom teachers:
he was a Soul Grandmaster,
and some of them were even weaker than he was.
"Big brother, what kind of Soul Spirit do you think I'll get?"
On the way to the Spirit Pagoda,
Tang Wuyue was bubbling with excitement.
Lu Chuan looked at his younger sister's eager profile,
a hint of tenderness flashing in his eyes,
but it was quickly covered by a deeper emotion.
He ruffled Tang Wuyue's hair and smiled.
"Who knows? Maybe it'll be perfect for you, or maybe it'll be just so-so.
No matter what, Wuyue, remember this: we can't get discouraged, understand?
A Soul Spirit is only the beginning. True power still comes from the Soul Master."
"I know, I know. You're lecturing me again, big brother."
Tang Wuyue stuck out her tongue and quickened her pace.
"Come on, I can't wait any longer!"
Seeing that, Lu Chuan had no choice but to hurry after her at a jog.
His little sister was like a rabbit,
running at top speed.
Aolai City Spirit Pagoda Branch.
The tower stood dozens of meters high, built from some kind of gray-white stone.
Its spire gleamed with a metallic chill in the afternoon sun,
giving off an air of authority and aloofness that clashed with this little seaside town.
The hall was nearly deserted.
There were hardly any Soul Masters in a small place like Aolai City.
The Spirit Master on duty was practically falling asleep.
Of course,
it wasn't that they weren't diligent.
Assigned to this godforsaken place,
they got nothing but a meager salary.
As for performance?
Maybe they'd get a few cases a year,
and even those were small.
"Hey, you two kids. This is the Spirit Pagoda. Don't wander in here for no reason, or you'll get your bottoms smacked!"
The Spirit Master yawned and lazily offered a warning. He wasn't very serious about it.
His attitude was like someone dozing off in class, spotting two little bugs on the floor, and deciding to tease them.
But Xiao Wuyue was still frightened,
and hurried to explain:
"Sir Spirit Master, I didn't just wander in! I came to buy a Soul Spirit. My Soul Power has already reached level ten!"
"Oh, so that's why you're here. Did you bring enough money?"
At the mention of someone buying a Soul Spirit, the Spirit Master grew a little less sleepy.
Although two children buying a Soul Spirit
would most likely be after a ten-year one,
or even just a Lucky Draw Machine,
a little was still better than nothing, right?
More importantly,
he was so bored on duty that he was about to start smoking!
"I brought enough!"
Tang Wuyue answered with certainty.
The Spirit Master nodded at her words,
then led Lu Chuan and Tang Wuyue into the Spirit Soul Sales Area.
"Ordinary Soul Spirits cost thirty thousand, white Soul Spirits cost seventy thousand, yellow Soul Spirits cost a million. Which would you like to buy?"
"Don't you have Thousand-Year Soul Spirits?" Lu Chuan asked.
The Spirit Master glanced at Lu Chuan. "Thousand-Year Soul Spirits cost five million. Little friend, are you sure you have that much money?"
The corners of Lu Chuan's mouth lifted. He took out a yellow Federation Savings Card and slapped it down on the table.
Federation Cards came in white, yellow, purple, black, and red.
White Federation Cards were ordinary savings cards,
but yellow cards and above required proof of assets.
The lowest-tier yellow savings card required at least a million Federation Coins in savings to obtain!
In an instant,
the Spirit Master's eyes lit up.
He never would have expected
that the young boy in front of him had such wealth.
Most importantly,
if this boy could pull out a card with at least a million Federation Coins in savings,
his parents could probably produce a Purple Card holding tens of millions, or even a VIP Black Card with hundreds of millions of Federation Coins!
"Little Master and little princess, please forgive me for failing to recognize your importance.
The Thousand-Year Soul Spirit Sales Area is this way. Feel free to take a look.
But for the little princess's sake, I recommend testing her spiritual power first.
To absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Spirit, her spiritual power needs to reach the Spirit Connection Realm to ensure there's no risk!
Normally, there's a fee for testing spiritual power too, but seeing how lovely the little princess is, I'll waive it myself!"
The Spirit Master's attitude had changed by a full one hundred and eighty degrees.
There was none of his earlier teasing or fooling around left.
He had truly proven that saying:
Money could make even ghosts turn the millstone!
"Brother, I don't want to buy a Thousand-Year Soul Spirit. You're about to become a Soul Elder too, and you need money. I..."
Tang Wuyue tugged on Lu Chuan's hand and spoke softly.
Out of embarrassment,
she nearly buried her head in her neck.
Lu Chuan smiled and gently lifted her little head. "Be good. Let's test your spiritual power first. If it's at least 100, you'll listen to your big brother. If it's below 100, I'll listen to you. How about that?"
"All right, then," Tang Wuyue mumbled.
As far as she was concerned,
her spiritual power was definitely below 100.
Her classmates' spiritual power was still below 30!
Following the Spirit Master into the Testing Room,
Tang Wuyue sat down on an instrument,
and then,
something like a helmet
covered her little head.
A faint hum sounded as soft white light began to glow around the helmet.
The Spirit Master looked at the screen beside him, where the numbers were jumping wildly,
and felt his heart racing along with them.
The number shot from one to 140,
then didn't settle until it reached 160!
Spirit Connection Realm!
Spirit Connection Realm spiritual power at nine years old!
And not even just barely into the Spirit Connection Realm!
He was already a twenty-eighth-level Soul Grandmaster,
and his spiritual power was only eighty-seven,
barely enough to reach the middle stage of the Spirit Origin Realm.
A prodigy!
He'd just heard the little girl say
that her big brother was about to become a Soul Elder.
And he didn't seem very old either!
Which great clan did these two belong to?
The Spirit Master's mind churned like a storm-tossed sea.
"Sir Spirit Master, what's my spiritual power? Is it over 100?"
After the helmet was removed,
Tang Wuyue's little head was still a bit dizzy,
but she remembered her agreement with her big brother,
so she asked right away.
"160! Congratulations! You've reached the Spirit Connection Realm. You can fuse with a Thousand-Year Soul Spirit!
The Spirit Master was grinning from ear to ear.
Selling one Thousand-Year Soul Spirit
would earn him a hefty commission in Federation Coins!
However,
Tang Wuyue was full of worry.
The two returned to the Spirit Soul Sales Area,
each feeling a different kind of emotion.
Lu Chuan could tell from Tang Wuyue's expression
that the little girl had tested above 100!
"How much?"
"160! Little Master, would you like to take a look at the Thousand-Year Soul Spirits?"
The Spirit Master rubbed his hands together with a fawning smile.
Lu Chuan looked at Xiao Wuyue, who had buried her head in her collar again, and smiled.
"Let's not rush. My little sister's always been lucky.
So I'd like to try that Lucky Draw Machine. Is that all right?"
At his words, Tang Wuyue's little head suddenly popped out of her collar again.
She looked a bit like a little rabbit peeking out of its burrow.
She gazed at the Spirit Master expectantly.
His smile grew even broader, and he readily replied,
"Of course! Little princess, this way, please!"
Back when he'd just graduated,
he'd worked at a branch of the Spirit Pagoda in a major city,
so he knew rich people liked to try their luck and have a little fun with the Lucky Draw Machine.
But most of them drew defective Soul Spirits.
So,
as far as he was concerned,
Tang Wuyue trying the Lucky Draw Machine
was just handing him a little extra commission!
Before you continue