Spirit Hall Branch

After several days on the road, Lin Gang and his son, travel-worn and covered in dust, finally reached the town on the outskirts of Soul Hunting Forest.

The town was small, but Soul Hunting Forest made it unusually lively. Soul Masters in all kinds of gear could be seen everywhere, along with vendors selling supplies and groups recruiting temporary teammates.

Lin Gang didn't take his son straight to the entrance of Soul Hunting Forest. Instead, he led him toward the grandest building in the center of town.

The Spirit Hall Branch.

A huge statue of a Six-Winged Angel stood atop the hall, symbolizing the faith of Spirit Hall.

Lin Ze'an looked at the Six-Winged Angel in surprise.

As expected of a world of Soul Masters. Human labor was the cheapest thing there was. Even the Spirit Branch Hall in a place this small had a statue of a Six-Winged Angel. It must have taken quite a bit of work to build.

Lin Gang explained quietly, "A place like Star Dou Forest is far too dangerous. We can't go there right now."

"We're going to the Soul Hunting Forest, which is kept in captivity by the empire. But you can't just walk into the Soul Hunting Forest whenever you want."

He pointed to the Spirit Branch Hall. "You have to come to Spirit Hall for a test and prove that your Soul Power has truly reached the bottleneck where you need to obtain a Soul Ring."

"Also, according to the rules, at least three nobles have to jointly vouch for you before Spirit Hall will issue an entry permit."

At this, a hint of helplessness crossed Lin Gang's face.

Noble guarantors? How could people like them, from remote towns or villages, possibly know any nobles?

But when he looked at his son, his eyes lit up again. "Rules are dead, but people are alive."

"With your talent of Innate Full Soul Power, I expect the people at Spirit Hall will be willing to make an exception."

"After all, doing a favor for a genius is a kind of investment for them."

With that, Lin Gang straightened his slightly wrinkled clothes, doing his best to look more presentable. Then, taking Lin Ze'an by the hand, he stepped through the doors of the Spirit Branch Hall.

The hall was quite spacious, but there weren't many people inside.

A middle-aged man in a white robe, a Spirit Hall badge pinned to his chest, was leafing through some files.

At a glance, Lin Gang recognized him as the steward of this Spirit Branch Hall.

He led Lin Ze'an over and said politely, "Sir, sorry to trouble you."

Although the man's Soul Power Level was lower than his, the man represented Spirit Hall, so Lin Gang couldn't afford to put on airs.

The middle-aged man raised his head. His gaze swept over Lin Gang, who was dressed plainly, and the young Lin Ze'an. Then he asked in a businesslike tone, "What can I do for you?"

"Sir, this is my son, Lin Ze'an. He just turned six this year, and his Soul Power has reached a bottleneck. He needs to obtain his First Soul Ring."

"I'd like to apply for an entry permit to the Soul Hunting Forest for him," Lin Gang said respectfully, handing over two wooden tokens that identified them as villagers.

The middle-aged man took the tokens and looked them over, frowning slightly. "The rules require three noble guarantors. Do you have any?"

As soon as he said that, he suddenly came to his senses and hurriedly asked, "Wait, what did you say?"

He's just six? That means he only just awakened his Martial Soul? His Soul Power has reached a bottleneck?

He dug out a thick register and began scanning through it quickly.

A moment later, he looked up at Lin Gang and asked in confusion, "Your son, Lin Ze'an, isn't listed in the register."

"According to the records, this year's awakening ceremony is over, and all the children of the appropriate age have been registered. Did you awaken his Martial Soul yourself?"

Lin Gang nodded. "Yes, sir. When the steward came to our village, my son wasn't yet six, so he missed the ceremony."

"A child's cultivation is important, and I didn't dare let him fall behind. So I used an Awakening Stone I'd kept from before and awakened his Martial Soul myself."

At this, a troubled look crossed Lin Gang's face. "Sir, we're just ordinary villagers. We don't know any nobles."

Just then, a dignified man in a purple robe emerged at an unhurried pace.

His gaze swept over the astonished middle-aged steward before settling on Lin Ze'an.

The middle-aged steward hurriedly bowed. "Archbishop Orleans! This..." He explained everything that had just happened.

Orleans waved a hand, then looked eagerly at Lin Ze'an, a kindly smile on his face. "Young man, don't be nervous. Come with me."

His attitude surprised Lin Gang, but the man held a position of great authority. Lin Gang could only take his son by the hand and cautiously follow the purple-robed archbishop.

Orleans led them through the hall and into a quieter room in the inner sanctum.

At the center of the room, a huge, crystal-clear crystal, nearly half a person tall, floated quietly in midair, slowly turning.

Lin Ze'an's eyes widened in surprise. It was the first time he'd ever seen a crystal so huge that could float, too.

Orleans smiled and explained, "This crystal is used in the hall for precise Soul Power tests. It's much more accurate than the ordinary crystal balls outside, and can withstand stronger Soul Power as well."

"Come, child. Put your hand on it and let me see your Soul Power Level."

Clearly, the child had piqued his interest immensely.

If the boy truly had Innate Full Soul Power, and Orleans could recruit him into Spirit Hall, such an achievement might raise his standing within the hall.

Lin Ze'an nodded. Under Orleans's eager gaze, he stepped forward and pressed his small hand against the cool surface of the enormous crystal.

The instant his palm touched it and a trace of Soul Power seeped out—

"Hmm!"

A far more powerful and purer emerald-green light than the one at home erupted from within the crystal, like a green sun awakening.

In an instant, the light filled every corner of the room, bathing the faces and robes of all three in a clear, emerald glow, brimming with the aura of life.

Even the several ornamental plants in the flowerpot in the corner, drooping a little before, straightened up at a speed visible to the naked eye.

After all, testing Soul Power meant releasing it outward. Lin Ze'an's Martial Soul also had an extreme life attribute, so an unusual phenomenon like this wasn't strange.

The huge crystal floated steadily, perfectly bearing the force of his power.

The emerald light flowed slowly within it, finally gathering at the top of the crystal into a brilliantly bright ring. Its height came to a firm stop at the mark representing "level twenty."

The smile on Archbishop Orleans's face froze. In its place came shock and disbelief.

He abruptly turned to look at Lin Ze'an, wondering if his eyes had deceived him.

Lin Gang, standing nearby, was also dumbfounded, his mouth hanging slightly open. He couldn't make sense of what was happening.

But Spirit Hall's Soul Power testing crystal had been around for a long time. There was no way it could be wrong.

After a brief, dead silence, the shock in Orleans's eyes quickly turned into an almost feverish light.

The way he looked at Lin Ze'an changed, too, as if he were admiring a peerless treasure.