Spirit Master (Changing the Name and Still No One Reads It, I'm Already Broken!)

"Xu Xiaoyan!"

A sudden shout startled the figure around the corner, making her shrink back sharply.

"What is it, Sister Gu Yue!"

Xu Xiaoyan clutched the hem of her skirt and slowly stepped out from behind the wall, her cheeks burning.

"Could you stop tailing my Fang Yuan like some little tagalong? It's already the end of term—summer vacation's about to start!"

Gu Yuena stood in the middle of the corridor with her arms folded, her gaze icy and utterly unforgiving.

Students passed through the corridor in a steady stream, and quite a few glanced their way. Xu Xiaoyan lowered her head even further.

She had done this plenty over the past few months—blocking him after class, following him after school—all because she wanted to get on Fang Yuan's good side.

"Sister Gu Yue, doesn't Teacher Wu always tell us to learn from Fang Yuan?"

She forced herself to make an excuse, her voice growing softer and softer. "Fang Yuan became a Soul Grandmaster in less than half a semester. I just wanted to learn—why can little brother Fang Yuan cultivate so quickly?"

That was not entirely an excuse.

Her family had taught her from childhood to stay close to talented people.

For someone as monstrously gifted as Fang Yuan, there was not another like him in all of Eastsea Academy—perhaps even all of Douluo Continent. Being able to speak to him at all was already a gain.

She also harbored a few other little thoughts. With that adorable face and heaven-defying strength, what young girl would not look twice?

"Cut it out. Don't think I don't know you're after my Fang Yuan."

Gu Yuena snorted, seeing straight through her little schemes.

"I'm telling you, my Fang Yuan already has a child bride!"

"What child bride? How come I don't know about that?"

Fang Yuan had just finished packing his textbooks and walked out of the classroom, catching the latter half of the conversation.

He scratched his head, looking utterly baffled.

What child bride?

When had Mother arranged that? Why had he not heard a single word about it?

"It's nothing..." Gu Yuena's eyes darted aside, and she quickly shook her head. As though she had merely tossed out a joke, she changed the subject in an instant.

"Let's go, Gu Yue. I still need to complete my junior Spirit Master assignment after school." Fang Yuan did not pursue the matter. Slinging his schoolbag over his shoulder, he headed for the stairs.

His monthly task from the Spirit Pagoda had been delayed for nearly a week. If he did not finish it soon, his contribution points would be reset to zero.

"You're a Spirit Master too, Fang Yuan? That's amazing! Did you join the Spirit Pagoda?"

Xu Xiaoyan's eyes immediately lit up, as though she had discovered some enormous secret.

No wonder she always lost him whenever she followed him. So he did not go home after school—he went to the Spirit Pagoda to work!

Spirit Masters were an even more coveted profession than ordinary soul masters.

Countless people fought tooth and nail to get in, yet he had passed the examination at only six years old?

"Yes. After school, I'm going to an orphanage to awaken the martial souls of other children." Fang Yuan nodded slightly without elaborating.

"Little brother Fang Yuan is going to an orphanage? You can already awaken martial souls for people on your own?"

"You became a Soul Grandmaster less than a month ago, and you can already do that?"

"That's incredible!"

Xu Xiaoyan fired off one astonished remark after another, stars practically shining in her eyes.

Some of her elders worked at the Spirit Pagoda, so she knew exactly how difficult the junior Spirit Master assessment was.

Not only did one's Soul Power need to meet the standard, one also had to master awakening formations and precisely control spiritual power. Many Soul Grandmasters in their teens could not pass it.

No one would believe it if they heard Fang Yuan had done so at his age.

"My little Fang Yuan is going to awaken martial souls for people, so don't come bothering him."

Gu Yuena stepped forward and blocked Xu Xiaoyan from Fang Yuan's side, her tone carrying an obvious dismissal.

She hated this sort of clingy person most—like flies that could not be shaken off.

"I want to become a Spirit Master in the future too. Can I come with you?"

"Please, little brother Fang Yuan, Sister Gu Yue, please!"

Xu Xiaoyan pressed her hands together and pleaded with watery eyes, lowering herself completely.

Following Fang Yuan on a Spirit Master assignment would not only let her figure out his cultivation methods up close, but also familiarize herself with the Spirit Master process ahead of time. It was practically a gift from heaven.

"Then promise me first that you won't follow him around like some stalker all day, alright?" Gu Yuena fell silent for several seconds before speaking calmly.

It was better than having her secretly tail him every day. At least if it was out in the open, she could keep an eye on her.

"Okay, okay!" Xu Xiaoyan nodded so hard her head bobbed like a rattle drum, afraid Gu Yuena might change her mind.

"Then let's go. The sooner we finish the task, the sooner we can get home for dinner."

Gu Yuena said no more. Taking Fang Yuan's little hand, she led him downstairs.

"Wait for me, Fang Yuan!"

Xu Xiaoyan happily lifted her skirt and hurried after him, her heart bursting with joy.

This was her first time openly going somewhere with Fang Yuan. It was ten thousand times better than sneaking around and hiding in corners.

The three left the school gates, where Di Tian's car had already been waiting by the roadside. No one spoke during the ride, and a little over ten minutes later, the car stopped outside an orphanage on the outskirts of the city.

The gate was somewhat old, and the paint on the walls had peeled away. It did not look particularly remarkable.

The moment they stepped through the gate, a staff member came over, looking them up and down with open confusion in his eyes.

"Who are you children looking for? This is an orphanage. It isn't open to visitors."

Fang Yuan did not waste words. He pulled a bronze badge from his pocket and handed it over.

"Junior Spirit Pagoda Spirit Master. I'm here for the monthly awakening assignment."

The staff member took the badge, and even his fingers paused. The confusion on his face deepened.

"A Spirit Master this young? Isn't he... about the same age as the children at the school who are about to awaken?"

He muttered under his breath, clearly unconvinced.

Since when had the requirements to become a Spirit Master become so low? Could kids who had barely grown any hair become one too?

"Go contact the Spirit Pagoda staff and verify it. Don't let this be some child who ran off to cause trouble," he quietly told his colleague beside him.

His colleague nodded and hurried back to the office building to make a call.

Within minutes, the man came jogging back, his expression completely changed. He nodded repeatedly at the staff member.

The staff member instantly dropped his condescension. He returned the badge to Fang Yuan with a polite smile.

"My apologies, my apologies. We failed to recognize your status. Please, come inside. The summoning room is already prepared."

His attitude made a complete one-eighty as he respectfully led the three inside.

After all, the Spirit Pagoda had personally confirmed that this child was not only a legitimate junior Spirit Master, but also possessed an extremely high spiritual power rating. His background was unfathomable. He could not be offended.

The moment they entered the small building containing the summoning room, a stench of milk, sweat, and urine and feces hit them head-on.

Xu Xiaoyan immediately scrunched up her face and instinctively covered her nose.

"Put on a mask." Gu Yuena took two masks from her storage Soul Tool and handed one to Fang Yuan.

"Okay." Fang Yuan accepted it and put it on with practiced ease.

This was not his first time in a place like this. He had long since gotten used to it.

"Big Sister Gu, don't I get one too?" Xu Xiaoyan asked through her covered nose, her voice muffled.

"Dream on. Hold your breath yourself." Without even turning around, Gu Yuena coolly shot her down.

Xu Xiaoyan pouted. She could only endure it, feeling a little wronged but not daring to argue back.

Before long, the orphanage staff led more than a dozen children inside.

They were all six years old, the same age as Fang Yuan, thin and small.

Each of them looked timid, clutching the corners of their clothes and not daring to speak.

Being given a chance to awaken their martial souls was already the best treatment available at the orphanage. Only the most obedient and well-behaved children were qualified. The line was quiet, without any horseplay or noise.

"Line up. One at a time."

Fang Yuan walked to the center of the summoning array and spoke.

His voice was not loud, yet it carried an inexplicable steadiness. The children instinctively obeyed and quietly formed a line.

He took out the awakening crystals and array plate from his storage Soul Tool, arranging them one by one according to the steps in the manual. His movements were crisp and efficient, without the slightest hint of unfamiliarity.

Gu Yuena stood to the side, taking out a crystal ball for measuring Soul Power Level. She would be responsible for testing them afterward.

Xu Xiaoyan stood nearby like a curious child, looking at the array plate one moment and the crystals the next, firing off question after question.

"Fang Yuan, what are these crystals for?"

"Is this array plate issued by the Spirit Pagoda?"

"How much spiritual power do you need to control during an awakening?"

She chattered on endlessly.

At first, Fang Yuan gave a few perfunctory hums in response. Later, he could not even be bothered to acknowledge her, his brow furrowing.

So noisy.

He thought to himself.

Mother is better. Quiet and not much of a talker.

One child after another stepped forward and entered the summoning array.

Fang Yuan activated his soul power, lighting up the array patterns. Soft white light enveloped each child's body as their martial souls slowly emerged.

Most were useless martial souls such as farming tools, needles and thread, or wild grass. Eight out of ten had no soul power at all, while the remaining two only had half a level or one level—far from enough to be considered soul cultivators.

Fang Yuan had already been mentally prepared for this.

For children from ordinary families, it was already good enough if even one possessed Soul Power. Geniuses were one in ten thousand.

The Spirit Pagoda had a rule: for every gifted child with cultivation potential who awakened and was invited to join the Spirit Pagoda, fifty contribution points would be awarded.

After accumulating a thousand points, one could apply to advance to an intermediate Spirit Pagoda Master and join any administrative or research department.

Their clearance would be higher, they could requisition more advanced array disks, and they would gain access to many more confidential soul spirit files. Everything would become much more convenient.

He had never expected to find a genius at the orphanage. He only needed to go through the motions and complete his assignment.

Just as he raised his hand to awaken the next child—

Beep—beep—beep—

A faint electronic sound suddenly came from behind the pile of clutter in the corner.

It was quiet, but its rhythm was steady, making it especially clear in the silent summoning room.

Fang Yuan paused.

What was that?