Salas's Letter of Recommendation!

Lin Xia lay quietly on a crude bed in the temporary shelter, listening to the orderly sounds of the enforcement team handling the aftermath outside.

The intense pain in his body had eased somewhat under the soothing Soul Power of Spirit Hall's healing Soul Masters, but the soreness in his meridians and the weakness from overexerting his Soul Power still clung to him like a shadow.

More oppressive still was the bone-deep exhaustion of surviving a disaster, along with the hollow feeling that came when tightly wound nerves suddenly relaxed.

"Bulba..."

Bulbasaur, cradled in his arms, unconsciously nuzzled against the crook of his arm, its breathing long and steady.

Lin Xia lowered his eyes. His fingertips gently brushed across its cool skin, which was no longer so fragile, and his gaze softened considerably.

Lin Xia spent the entire day resting and being observed in silence.

He cooperated with a stern-faced recorder from the enforcement team, recounting as thoroughly and calmly as possible how he had entered Skyhorn Village, encountered the Earth Crystal Snake, been hunted by the Skyhorn Snake, discovered the villagers' strange condition, and finally struggled and fought back after being swallowed by the Illusion Demon Spider.

Naturally, he concealed the true secret of Life Poison's two-way conversion. He merely vaguely described how, in a desperate situation, he and his soul beast companion had fought with everything they had, unleashed their potential, and by chance used his unusual toxic gift to severely injure the Illusion Demon Spider from within.

Even so, the recorder's hand paused several times as he held his pen, his eyes filled with disbelief and a trace of awe.

Those mouthparts capable of tearing apart a thousand-year Skyhorn Snake, that invisible web of mental control, the exceedingly rare and dangerous Illusion Demon Spider...

For all this information to come from a seven-year-old one-ring Soul Master whose aura was still wan and weak carried a shocking absurdity and a legendary quality in itself.

In the end, the enforcement team completed its thorough cleanup and pacification of Skyhorn Village.

After confirming that there was no further danger, they handed the villagers over to the local civil officials who had arrived later for proper resettlement.

Lin Xia also declined the enforcement team's offer of an escort.

Though his Soul Power had yet to return to its peak, the strength of his muscles and bones seemed to have become somewhat tougher through that terrifying process of destruction and rebirth. Walking alone posed no problem.

He carefully checked his travel pack—the purple card Salas had given him, the record book, several simple changes of clothes, and the awakening materials were all there.

"Deacon Lin Xia."

Before he left, the squad captain led the entire enforcement unit in solemnly giving him a formal Spirit Hall salute.

The gazes of all the team members were exceptionally complicated, mixed with admiration, astonishment, and a hint of caution toward someone beyond the ordinary.

"We will truthfully report the full details of this incident to the Hall. You... please take care of yourself!"

Lin Xia nodded without saying much. He simply clasped his hands and returned the salute.

"It was my duty. Thank you for your efforts, everyone. Farewell."

He took a deep breath, tightened his arm around Bulbasaur, checked the direction on the map, and set off toward the next village where he was to carry out an awakening mission.

Behind him, countless gazes followed that somewhat slender yet exceptionally unyielding figure as it slowly disappeared at the end of the country road, lingering for a long time without turning away.

"Captain... was what he said... true?"

A young enforcement officer finally could not hold back any longer, his voice dry as he asked.

The squad captain was silent for a moment before slowly letting out a breath, as though he were answering his subordinate but also trying to convince himself.

"A day and a night... then he crawled out of the belly of a five-thousand-year Illusion Demon Spider... We have no choice but to believe it. At the very least, the residual Soul Power fluctuations at the scene and the condition of the corpse cannot be faked."

"He is a... monstrous genius. Or perhaps... someone with monstrously good luck. His path is destined to be different from ours."

He shook his head and ordered:

"Immediately submit the full details, along with our observations and judgment, directly to Elder Salas at the highest priority!"

Several days later, in Salas's study.

When that detailed report, confirmed through multiple layers and bearing the personal seal of the Soul Ancestor captain of the enforcement squad, was respectfully presented to Salas's desk by a servant with trembling hands.

This Spirit Hall elder, who normally would not change expression even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, suddenly jerked as he held his teacup. Scalding tea splashed over the expensive papers.

He did not even bother wiping it away. He practically snatched the report over, his hawk-like eyes rapidly sweeping over line after line of startling words.

Earth Crystal Snake, thousand-year Skyhorn Snake, the entire village suspected of being mentally controlled, an encounter with a hidden Illusion Demon Spider, swallowed... emerged by tearing open its belly after a day and a night... the Illusion Demon Spider destroyed instead by its own toxins...

Salas's gaze fixed on the key phrases "five-thousand-year cultivation," "Illusion Demon Spider confirmed dead," and "Lin Xia survived," and his breathing unconsciously quickened.

"Hiss..."

Salas sucked in a sharp breath. For the first time, a clear crack called "shock" appeared on that always steady face.

He had not expected Lin Xia to truly survive such a desperate situation—and to return after slaying a top-tier predator and saving an entire village!

"A genius... no, this has already surpassed the realm of genius!"

Salas muttered, a brilliant light surging in his eyes.

A seven-year-old one-ring Soul Master had single-handedly turned a place like that upside down, walked out alive, and killed a five-thousand-year soul beast?

That was potential enough to pierce the heavens!

Previously, he had only seen the value of Lin Xia's talent. Now, however, he saw a future possibility—a budding peerless powerhouse capable of intimidating an entire region, perhaps even reaching the pinnacle!

This potential far exceeded what he had imagined before.

A powerful sense of urgency and impulse surged into his heart.

If such an uncut jade were left to bear the ordinary title of an externally assigned Spirit Hall deacon, carrying out trivial missions in these remote backwaters where he could die at any moment, then he, Salas, would truly be blind!

It would be a loss to all of Spirit Hall! It would even be a tremendous disgrace—calling it poor judgment would be putting it lightly. It would be nothing less than wasting a priceless treasure!

"No, this child must be given a greater stage and more room!"

Salas abruptly rose to his feet and paced twice around the study. Determination gleamed in his eyes.

"His Soul Power may not be strong enough yet, but his character, courage, and that... bizarre trait of surviving even such encounters and striking back are more than enough for him to gain experience in a more important position ahead of time!"

He immediately returned to his desk, spread out a special sheet of stationery bearing the sacred sword emblem of Spirit Hall, picked up an ink brush made from soul beast fur, and wrote in sweeping strokes. His handwriting contained a rare mix of excitement and solemnity:

To the esteemed members of the Spirit Hall Council of Elders:

There is an externally assigned deacon named Lin Xia, seven years of age. His martial soul is Bulbasaur, a detached beast-type martial soul. Though he possesses only one ring of cultivation, the steadfastness of his resolve, the extraordinary nature of his experiences, and the vastness of his potential are truly unlike anything I have seen in my life! He now has an astonishing achievement to prove it:

While carrying out a routine awakening mission in Skyhorn Village within the Star Luo Empire, Lin Xia did not shrink from danger and took the initiative to investigate the anomaly. He successively encountered a three-hundred-year Earth Crystal Snake and a thousand-year Skyhorn Snake, and even accidentally uncovered the shocking truth that the entire village had already been controlled by a five-thousand-year Illusion Demon Spider through a mental spiderweb!

At the time, the vicious beasts ran rampant and the villagers' lives hung by a thread. Lin Xia maneuvered alone against them, only to unfortunately be devoured by the Illusion Demon Spider!

Yet this was where the miracle was forged!

Trapped within the Illusion Demon Spider's belly for an entire day and night, Lin Xia, in the depths of despair, joined forces with his soul beast companion Bulbasaur. With astonishing willpower and unknown means, he severely injured and ultimately slew this vicious creature from within!

He burst from its abdomen and turned the tide, not only saving the villagers from imminent doom but also completely eradicating this cancer hidden within the forest!

The captain of an elite Enforcement Hall squad personally witnessed the scene. The soul beast's corpse, the remaining spiderweb energy, and the villagers' testimonies all remain. The evidence is irrefutable!

Such a feat of overcoming the strong while weak and rescuing the situation at its collapse is a heroic achievement by a rare talent unseen in Spirit Hall for a century!

His character is unyielding, his ability to adapt in crisis surpasses all his peers, and his martial soul and toxic gift hold limitless potential. He possesses the qualities to become a pillar supporting Spirit Hall in the future.

If he is allowed to remain confined to the insignificant post of a deacon, it would be like casting a pearl into darkness—a loss for Spirit Hall!

I, Salas, solemnly guarantee his potential and achievements with my position as an elder, and respectfully request that the esteemed Council of Elders examine this clearly!

I propose making an exceptional promotion for Lin Xia, placing him on a broader stage for training and focusing on his development, so that his talent may be fully unleashed and he may become a pillar of Spirit Hall's future!

I await your approval!

Respectfully submitted, Spirit Hall Elder Salas!