Level 8 Soul Guidance Storage Device

Chu Yan had known all of this for a long time. No matter whether you acknowledged it or not, if you apprenticed yourself to a powerful figure from one of the top forces, others would count you as part of that force.

"This disciple will remember."

Seeing how serious he was, Leng Yaozhu stopped lecturing him and gave a small nod. Then, as if she had just remembered something, she glanced over him, her gaze settling on his bare wrist.

"Do you have a storage-type Soul Tool on you?"

Chu Yan looked down at his wrist and waist, then shook his head. "Not yet."

The Chu Clan had storage Soul Tools, but most were for communal use. Personal items for the children had to be specially made. He had awakened only a little over half a month ago, so there hadn't been time to prepare one for him.

Leng Yaozhu said nothing more. She merely raised her hand and lightly pressed the crimson bracelet on her left wrist.

A faint glow spread over its surface, and an object appeared in her hand out of thin air.

It was a silver-gray bracelet, about two fingers wide, made entirely of some kind of lightweight alloy. Its surface was smooth and warm to the touch, without any unnecessary decoration. A tiny serial number was engraved on the inside.

"A Level 8 Soul Guidance Storage Device."

Leng Yaozhu held it out to him, her tone casual and calm. "Its capacity isn't all that large, but it's enough for what you'll need at this stage. Once it recognizes you as its owner, only you can open it. I put a few things inside. Take a look when you get home."

Chu Yan took the bracelet in both hands without refusing, then put it on his right wrist.

It fit snugly against his wrist, so light he could hardly feel it.

"Infuse it with a wisp of Soul Power, and it'll recognize you as its owner," Leng Yaozhu reminded him.

Chu Yan did as she said, infusing a barely perceptible wisp of Soul Power into the sensor core on the inside of the bracelet.

The surface of the silver-gray bracelet warmed slightly. The serial number flashed once, then sank into the metal and vanished, as if a confirmation message had been read and erased.

A faint link of awareness extended from the bracelet and connected with his mind.

He sensed the size of the storage space and couldn't help but freeze. Was this what his teacher meant by "not all that large"?

It was a full three hundred cubic meters, roughly the size of a lecture hall at the university he'd attended in his previous life. It would be more than enough to last him for a long time.

Inside the space, he could sense several things.

Nine oddly shaped spirit fruits lay piled in a corner, radiating faint waves of energy.

There were also several neatly cut Soul Tool energy cores and a few small scrolls that seemed to contain cultivation methods or other records.

"I put in a few spirit fruits and some resources suitable for early-stage cultivation. Take your time using them when you get home. Remember to eat the fruits within three months. They're most effective around a hundred days after they're picked. After that, their potency will diminish." Leng Yaozhu's voice came from beside him, still casual, though her instructions were quite thorough.

Chu Yan withdrew his mental perception and looked up at Leng Yaozhu. "Thank you, Teacher."

That was without even counting the Soul Tool itself. There were six spirit fruits inside that each cost more than the Chu Clan could afford, even with two years' worth of income. And on top of that, two of them were spirit fruits that aided the cultivation of spiritual power.

"Enough. You don't have to keep thanking me." Leng Yaozhu waved a hand and stood, smoothing her skirt. Her manner had returned to the calm ease she'd shown at the start of the banquet. "It's about time I left. I have a few more engagements this afternoon."

She went to the door and opened it, then glanced back at Chu Yan, who was still standing in the middle of the reception room.

"Chu Yan."

"This disciple is here."

"Even though we haven't held the apprenticeship ceremony yet, you're my personal disciple. Don't disappoint me."

With that, she turned and left. Her dark red skirt swished through the doorway and disappeared into the depths of the corridor.

Her footsteps gradually receded until they could no longer be heard.

Chu Yan stood where he was, watching the door close again. He remained still for two or three breaths, then lowered his gaze to the silver-gray bracelet on his right wrist.

He let out a quiet breath and walked slowly out of the reception room.

The corridor had grown quiet again, its wall lamps casting a gentle blue glow.

Chu Yan retraced his steps along the short corridor and returned to the banquet hall, where only the staff remained.

Most of the tables and chairs had already been removed, and the staff were putting away the rest.

Chu Yan didn't stop in the hall. He went straight to the elevator and pressed the button to go down.

The elevator descended smoothly, much faster than it had on the way up. In no time, it reached the ground floor.

It was midafternoon when he stepped out of the front entrance of the Spirit Pagoda, and the sun was blazing.

Chu Yan squinted as his eyes adjusted to the change in light. Then he spotted the Chu Clan's dark gray Soul Tool car waiting at the edge of the plaza.

Chu Yuntian wasn't sitting in the car. He stood beside it with his arms folded, leaning against the door and watching the Spirit Pagoda's front entrance.

When he saw Chu Yan come out, he lowered his arms and strode over to meet him.

"Finished talking?" he asked in a low voice, quickly looking his son over to make sure he was unharmed.

"Mm." Chu Yan nodded.

"Let's talk in the car." Chu Yuntian didn't ask anything else. He opened the rear door, waited for Chu Yan to get in, then walked around and climbed in on the other side.

The doors closed. The Soul Tool engine hummed softly, and the car pulled smoothly out of the plaza and merged into the traffic on the central avenue.

Chu Yuntian didn't rush to ask questions. Only after the car had driven past two streets did he turn to his son and ask, "How did it go?"

Chu Yan leaned back against his seat and got straight to the point, briefly explaining what had happened.

"...She took me as her personal disciple, though we'll have the formal apprenticeship ceremony later, when I go to Shrek City. She also gave me this token and this storage bracelet."

As he spoke, Chu Yan showed his father the crimson Phoenix Token and the silver-gray bracelet on his right wrist.

Chu Yuntian's gaze lingered on the token for a good three or four breaths. He then looked at the bracelet, leaned back in his seat, and let out a long breath.

"This trip was well worth it!" Chu Yuntian burst out laughing. He'd known his son had the potential to reach the limits!

"But, Yan'er, since Tower Master Leng said we should keep this secret, don't tell anyone else. I'll tell your mother, and that's enough. Don't tell Xiao Yan or the others yet, either. This is a big deal, and it's best if too many people don't know." Chu Yuntian spoke to him seriously.

Leng Yaozhu was right to insist on secrecy. Where there were factions, there was infighting; where there was infighting, there were sacrifices. And with the Holy Spirit Cult lurking about, the sooner this was exposed, the more dangerous it would be.

"Okay." Chu Yan nodded. His experiences in his previous life had also made him reluctant to share important information with others.

If his parents and Xu Xiaoyan hadn't given him such sincere companionship in this life, he wouldn't even have mentioned the characteristics of the Yan Divine Weapon or the fact that Soul Rings could condense on their own.

By the time they returned to the Chu residence, it was already two or three in the afternoon.

Chu Yuntian got out at the entrance and reminded Chu Yan to get some rest before heading toward his study.

"If you need anything, just ask the steward. If the spirit fruits in your Silver Soul Guidance Bracelet don't keep well, you can store them in the Constant Temperature Storage Room in the residence."

"All right, Father."

Chu Yan answered and watched his father disappear around the corner of the covered walkway. Then he turned and headed for his own courtyard.

Back in his room, he closed the door and sat down at his desk.

Then he took the bracelet off his wrist, examined it in his palm for a moment, and infused it with Soul Power, sending his awareness inside.

A moment later, a blue-purple fruit the size of a fist appeared in his hand.

Thousand-Year Spirit Fruit: Deep Orchid Spirit-Focusing Fruit.