Commercial Street!

Lin Xia truly had not expected Salas's train of thought to be so bizarre. Even Lin Xia himself had never considered that.

But on careful reflection, the way Yu Xiaogang used his soul skill, it...

Forget it. Better not think about it. It was more than a little disgusting.

No wonder Yu Xiaogang had never used his soul skills himself in public. For someone as concerned with appearances as Yu Xiaogang, this was more unbearable than killing him.

After laughing for a while, the two gradually calmed down.

"If Elder Salas has nothing else, then this junior will take his leave!"

Salas waved a hand to signal Lin Xia to leave, and only then did Lin Xia bid him farewell.

After leaving Salas's office, Lin Xia first used the token Salas had given him to collect two sets of Spirit Hall deacon robes from the logistics department. After learning the location of his room, he went straight there to rest.

Once inside, Lin Xia immediately summoned Bulbasaur.

Looking at Bulbasaur, Lin Xia crouched down apologetically and slowly said, "Bulbasaur, we've joined Spirit Hall. We can finally live peacefully for a while!"

"Bana! Bana!"

"Bana, bana!!!"

Bulbasaur was visibly excited after coming out of the Martial Soul space. Although the Martial Soul space was a place where Bulbasaur could rest, it was ultimately too dark and lonely.

That was why it reacted like this upon seeing the light.

"All right, Bulbasaur. I know you were uncomfortable in there, but it shouldn't happen much in the future!"

"Now that we have Spirit Hall's protection, ordinary people won't dare mess with us!"

"Bana~ Bana!!"

Lin Xia's expression immediately stiffened after hearing Bulbasaur's words.

"Probably not. Not everyone is like Yue Hongsheng..."

"Forget it. We just need to be careful. If things really don't work out, we'll run away again!"

Bulbasaur's plump body trembled. Its red eyes were filled with resignation, and even its voice became weak and listless.

"Bana..."

"All right, don't be so pessimistic. Our goal is the stars and the sea! Pull yourself together, Bulbasaur!"

Seeing Lin Xia like this, Bulbasaur regained its motivation.

"Bana!"

Lin Xia smiled. Pokémon truly were magical creatures. As long as you treated them sincerely, they would surely respond to you and remain by your side.

"Bana, bana?"

"What about our training from now on?"

After thinking for a while, Lin Xia realized that this was not Plant Academy. There was no Sunlight Hall, no Emerald Black Soil, and certainly no courtyard full of toxic things for Bulbasaur to absorb from Yue Hongsheng.

Future training required money for everything, while he was merely a Soul Master.

With that thought, Lin Xia began pondering.

After quite some time, Lin Xia came up with a method that might greatly increase Bulbasaur's training speed!

"Bulbasaur, I've got an idea. Let's wash up, and then I'll take you to find a way to grow stronger!"

After saying that, Lin Xia carried Bulbasaur straight into the bathroom. Once they had washed thoroughly, he changed into the long deacon robe of Spirit Hall. Its comfort was far beyond anything the vine armor he had created with his External Soul Bone could compare to!

After tidying up a little, Lin Xia took Bulbasaur and headed directly out the door.

Their destination was the commercial street of Star Luo City!

Naturally, as Lin Xia left Spirit Hall, some of his colleagues spotted him. Seeing how young he was, along with the garlic-topped frog following beside him, most of them were dumbfounded.

What kind of combination was that?

And wasn't something wrong here? Since when had the requirements for becoming a Spirit Hall deacon become so low?

A child who looked like he had only recently awakened could become a deacon?

Still, despite their thoughts, the atmosphere within Spirit Hall was quite good. Moreover, Lin Xia respectfully greeted everyone he met along the way, quickly improving his first impression with the others.

After some casual conversation, they learned that Lin Xia had only joined Spirit Hall today and already possessed sixteenth-level Soul Power. Some colleagues even gave him welcoming gifts.

Most of them were Silver Soul Coins and Gold Soul Coins. Although the amounts were small, they were a substantial fortune to the current Lin Xia.

After all, while fleeing before, Lin Xia had thrown everything he carried into the river to avoid being tracked by Yue Hongsheng, including his money.

So Lin Xia did not stand on ceremony. After accepting the money, he silently memorized each person's appearance before heading toward the commercial street.

The moment Lin Xia entered the commercial street, he let out a sigh of admiration.

"As expected of a royal city. This level of prosperity is unbelievable!"

The instant Lin Xia stepped inside, a tide of sound and color crashed over him.

Ornately carved shops lined both sides of the street, their enormous signs shimmering with Soul Power lights of every color. Crowds pressed shoulder to shoulder along the broad avenue—people dressed in splendor, travel-worn passersby, hawkers crying their wares... together forming a vivid tableau of bustling prosperity.

The air was mixed with the scents of spices, food, fur, metal, and the faint smell of operating Soul Tools, so rich that it was almost impossible to disperse.

Precious soul beast materials, finely crafted weapons and armor, glittering jewelry and accessories—all shone enticingly from the display windows.

This magnificent scene exploded before Lin Xia like a kaleidoscope.

The seven-year-old boy had only just emerged from the strain of flight and the hardships of the forest. At the sight of such a scene, his mind was instantly shaken by its grandeur and clamor.

Lin Xia seemed to hear the sound of gold coins flowing and smell the scent of power and desire.

However, that brief daze lasted less than three breaths.

The shadow of Yue Hongsheng's relentless pursuit flashed through his mind, along with the perilous flight through the deep forest and the pressure of a Soul Sage that could crush him at any moment.

The gaudy splendor before him instantly shed all its alluring trappings. In Lin Xia's eyes, only a cold, false shell remained.

Without strength, all of this is nothing but fleeting smoke and illusion—perhaps even poison that corrodes one's will.

Alarm bells rang in Lin Xia's heart. He unconsciously clenched his fists as Soul Power flowed almost imperceptibly through his body, instantly tightening the mind that had relaxed from that brief shock.

He forced himself to look away and stopped paying attention to those gorgeous but useless luxuries.

His green-and-purple heterochromatic eyes swept toward the depths of the streets and alleys, his goal clear—

To find nourishment that could make Bulbasaur stronger, as well as the key item that might carry out the plan he had just conceived.

After searching for a while and asking around, Lin Xia turned into a relatively quiet side alley, where the clamor faded somewhat.

He stopped before a small shop with an old, weathered sign.

Its mottled wooden door stood open, and the interior was somewhat dim. Yet the counter and walls were filled with mirrors of every kind.

Clear bronze mirrors, blurry tin mirrors, dressing mirrors with ornate frames...

There were also piles of unpolished, grayish mirror blanks stacked in the corner.

"This is the place."