Countdown to Reckoning

Notting City, Spirit Branch Hall.

In the Branch Hall's inner courtyard, Deacon Su Yuntao had just returned from the countryside after presiding over a martial spirit awakening ceremony. He was carrying a report, preparing to submit it.

Suddenly, the synchronized thunder of iron cavalry charged through the Branch Hall gates, making him jolt all over.

Su Yuntao's eyes widened in shock as he saw hundreds of heavily armored knights directly take over the Branch Hall's defenses.

Immediately afterward, a carriage drove straight in and stopped before the steps of the main hall.

What shocked Su Yuntao even more was that Ma Xiunuo, their usually imposing Hall Master, was currently panting as he followed beside the carriage. The old Hall Master had clearly jogged all the way back from the city gates.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and a red-haired old man radiating the aura of an expert leaped down. He respectfully extended a hand.

Then, a child of around six dressed in luxurious robes slowly stepped down.

The child's expression was indifferent as he headed straight for the main hall. Hall Master Ma Xiunuo, meanwhile, bent at the waist like an old servant as he led the way from slightly ahead.

"My god, that's Lord Ma Xiunuo! Who exactly is that child?" Su Yuntao's legs went weak. He clamped a hand over his mouth, terrified that making a sound would disturb the distinguished guest.

The main hall of the Branch Hall.

Ma Xiunuo stood below, trembling. Su Yuntao, who had just followed them inside, could only obediently kneel in a corner.

Although he had already performed a grand salute at the city gates, facing this Holy Son alone still made Ma Xiunuo feel as though the air in the room was crushing the breath from his lungs.

"R-reporting to Your Highness the Holy Son..." Ma Xiunuo swallowed and stammered, "Notting City has been generally stable recently. This year, twelve commoner children within our jurisdiction awakened martial spirits with Soul Power. Among them, the most outstanding even has Innate Full Soul Power..."

"Innate Full Soul Power, yet his martial spirit is the useless Blue Silver Grass. His name is Tang San, correct?"

Qian Renyuan did not take the report. Instead, in a casual tone, he directly recited its contents.

The words left Su Yuntao, kneeling in the corner, utterly stunned. Cold sweat streamed down Ma Xiunuo's face.

Su Yuntao had only just brought this report back, and even Ma Xiunuo had not had time to read it. How could His Highness the Holy Son, far away in Spirit City, know everything so clearly?

"Y-Your Highness is omniscient and omnipotent. It is indeed Tang San..." Su Yuntao's voice trembled.

"I have no interest in these ants."

Qian Renyuan rudely cut off their rambling. His slender fingers lightly tapped the tabletop, producing a steady tapping sound.

Ma Xiunuo hurriedly shut his mouth in fright.

Qian Renyuan looked down at Ma Xiunuo and asked, "I will only ask you one thing. Is that waste named Yu Xiaogang still at Notting Junior Spirit Master Academy?"

"Yu Xiaogang?"

Ma Xiunuo froze. He never expected that the Holy Son would ask about someone like that before even taking a sip of water after arriving in Notting City.

He did not dare conceal anything and hurriedly answered truthfully, "In reply to Your Highness, that man is indeed at Notting Academy. Relying on his friendship with the academy's headmaster, he has stayed there freeloading. He always likes to publish theories about martial spirits and calls himself a master. But in reality, he is merely trash who cannot even break through Rank 30."

"Master? Heh..."

A mocking smile curled Qian Renyuan's lips. "A thief who stole Spirit Hall's records and pieced together the so-called Ten Core Competencies of Spirit Masters dares call himself a master?"

Bang!

Qian Renyuan slapped a token onto the table.

The instant Ma Xiunuo saw the token clearly, his legs gave out. He dropped to his knees again with a thud, his eyes nearly popping from their sockets.

The Pope Token?!

"Ma Xiunuo, heed my command!" Qian Renyuan's voice carried an authority that brooked no defiance. "Immediately gather all personnel of the Branch Hall. At dawn tomorrow, accompany me to Notting Academy."

"I will let that worthless fraud know that Spirit Hall's dignity cannot be sullied by such a clown. I will make him shut up forever."

Feeling the terrifying killing intent radiating from Qian Renyuan, Ma Xiunuo roared inwardly, Yu Xiaogang, Yu Xiaogang, what did you do to provoke this living King of Hell?

"By your command! This subordinate will gather the men at once. At dawn tomorrow, we shall await Your Highness's orders!"

"Enough. Withdraw."

"Yes." Ma Xiunuo and Su Yuntao did not dare linger any longer. After offering a salute, they left to prepare the personnel to be deployed tomorrow.

The hall returned to silence.

Qian Renyuan slowly walked to the enormous floor-to-ceiling window and gazed toward Notting Academy in the distance.

Jiangmo Douluo stood behind him. In the end, he could not suppress his doubts and asked, "Your Highness, there is something this subordinate does not understand."

Qian Renyuan did not turn around. "Speak."

Jiangmo Douluo frowned and asked, "At the city gates earlier, why did you reward that mud-covered country bumpkin with a piece of Top-grade Jade Marrow? Was someone like him worthy of such a treasure?"

Qian Renyuan watched the night outside the window, a cruel smile curling his lips.

"Jiang Mo, what do you think will happen to a beggar with no background if he holds a piece of top-grade spirit jade that even the City Lord would covet?"

Jiangmo Douluo was stunned, then understood at once.

A common man was innocent, but possessing a treasure made him guilty. That jade was not a reward at all, but a death warrant.

At that moment, a long-unheard mechanical notification abruptly rang out in his mind.

[Ding! Detected that Child of Destiny Tang San and important plot character Yu Xiaogang are about to come into contact.]

[Main quest: Expose the fake master, seize the opportunity, officially entering the countdown.]

Listening to the system's prompt, Qian Renyuan's eyes flashed with the calm amusement of a cat toying with a mouse.

"Yu Xiaogang, Tang San..."

"Are you ready to welcome your despair?"

The next morning, outside the gates of Notting Junior Spirit Master Academy.

Tang San had been kicked into a muddy pit by the city guards and had only just cleaned himself up. Holding the certificate issued by Spirit Hall, he was shoved to the ground by the academy's gatekeeper.

"Get lost, get lost, get lost! Blue Silver Grass can have Innate Full Soul Power? Your certificate must be forged."

Seeing the mud stains on Tang San's clothes, the gatekeeper mocked him without mercy. "I heard all about what happened at the city gates. A country bumpkin who got so scared by His Highness the Holy Son's carriage that he rolled into a mud pit dares come make trouble at Notting Academy? Why don't you piss and look at yourself to see whether you're worthy?"

Those words struck Tang San's pride hard, and the humiliating scene at the city gates surfaced in his mind again.

Tang San slowly climbed to his feet. His mud-soaked clothes clung to his body. Humiliation and rage made his left hand reach for his Sleeve Arrow once more, killing intent blazing in his eyes.

"You have earned death!"

Just as Tang San was about to strike.

"Stop."

A somewhat hoarse male voice suddenly came from inside the gates.

Tang San paused and turned to look. A plain-looking middle-aged man with a crew cut was approaching him unhurriedly, his hands clasped behind his back and a seemingly unfathomable smile on his face...