A Route to Becoming a Probationary Deacon! A Path of Growth Carved Through Killing!

Li Long did as instructed.

The soul-testing orb lit up, and a number appeared: thirteen.

Ling Su stared at the number for two breaths before asking, "It really is level thirteen. The five-hundred-year soul ring raised you two levels from the level eleven you should have been at. Not bad."

After a pause, he asked again, "Does your first soul skill truly increase both strength and defense by two hundred percent?"

"Yes," Li Long answered.

"Use your first soul skill and attack me with all your strength."

After speaking, Ling Su retreated three steps and slightly spread his arms. A layer of pale cyan soul power formed tightly around his body. It was not thick, but it was as solid as glazed crystal.

"Excuse me."

Li Long looked at Fanolan, who gave a slight nod.

"First soul skill—Mighty Vajra Staff."

The iron staff instantly expanded to one and a half meters. Its black color faded as golden light covered it, and the phantom of a Mighty Vajra flashed behind him before vanishing.

His strength and defense doubled at once, and a heavy sensation spread through his entire body from his arms.

He stepped forward and swung the staff down in a full arc.

Bang.

The instant the golden and cyan lights collided, spiderweb-like cracks appeared in the stone slabs at Ling Su's feet.

A hairline crack spread from the point of impact across the surface of his protective soul power, but the following surge of soul power quickly filled and repaired it, preventing it from being torn open completely.

What a joke—he was a Soul Emperor.

Ling Su did not budge. Only his eyelids lifted slightly.

Yet there was unmistakable surprise in his eyes.

A moment later, he withdrew his protective barrier and spoke four words: "Your force is sufficient."

Coming from a six-ring Soul Emperor, those four words carried plenty of weight.

He took another folded parchment from his robes and spread it open. It was densely covered in clauses.

Turning his gaze to Li Long, he said, "I have two options to convey to you on behalf of headquarters. First, you can transfer to Spirit City Intermediate Soul Master Academy for systematic training. Food and lodging will be fully covered, and you will be assigned a dedicated mentor. Second, you can be exceptionally admitted into the probationary deacon ranks and take the path of advancement through real combat. You can exchange mission points for resources, but your life and death will be your own responsibility."

He placed the parchment on the table and looked Li Long directly in the eye. "I'll give you three days to consider it. Tell me once you've decided."

With that, he turned and walked out of the courtyard. When he reached the gate, he suddenly paused, as though casually adding a remark.

"Oh, right. Half a year from now, Spirit City will hold a grand competition for young soul masters. If you want to climb higher, that will be your true springboard."

"My personal advice is that you should participate. Give it everything you have and show all your strengths. Do not hide anything. Your future will reach greater heights."

"Think it over carefully."

As his words fell, he was already far away.

Li Long stood where he was, his chest rising and falling slightly.

In his palm was the iron staff, its golden patterns not yet fully faded. At his waist was the bronze badge he had worn for only two days.

Half a year from now. The grand competition. A springboard!

He ran those words through his mind, then put away the iron staff and headed back toward the dormitory.

"Within three days, I need to think this choice through."

He said it to himself.

Li Long returned to the dormitory, closed the door, and removed the bronze badge, placing it on the table.

Beneath it lay the salary voucher for twelve gold soul coins.

The two items sat side by side, one light and one heavy. Both were the results he had earned over the past three and a half years.

He sat on the edge of the bed, clasped his hands, and pressed them against his forehead. Ling Su's two paths kept turning over in his mind.

Spirit City Intermediate Soul Master Academy: food and lodging included, a dedicated mentor, and cultivation step by step.

It sounded secure, but it meant his cultivation pace would have to follow the academy's curriculum. Whatever the schedule said, that was what he would learn, and the time he could freely control would be tightly restricted.

If he wanted to hunt soul beasts on his own, search for medicinal herbs, or secretly temper his body, he would have to file reports and wait for approval. It would be slow and troublesome.

The probationary deacon ranks: freedom, missions, points, resources, life and death at his own risk.

There would be no mentor teaching him step by step, but no one would control what he trained each day, where he went, or how he cultivated.

Moreover, the probationary deacon mission system clearly stated: ten points for each D-rank mission completed, thirty for C-rank, and one hundred for B-rank.

Points could be exchanged at Spirit Hall branch halls of every level for medicinal herbs, soul tools, cultivation manuals, and even, after obtaining sufficient clearance, access to distribution intelligence on high-level soul beasts.

That was what he cared about.

There was information on whale glue. Pharmacies still had stock of eight-hundred-year whale glue, but anything over a thousand years old could only be bought in major cities.

But if he took the probationary deacon route, he could exchange mission points within Spirit Hall. The channels for thousand-year whale glue should be broader than those of outside pharmacies, and the price might not even be higher.

"The academy route... its upper limit is a path arranged by others."

"The probationary deacon route... its upper limit is something I carve out myself."

He voiced the conclusion in his heart. His voice was not loud, but it landed with exceptional clarity in the empty room.

Early the next morning, Li Long found Fanolan and got straight to the point. "Grandpa Fanolan, I've made my choice. The probationary deacon ranks."

Fanolan was organizing documents. Hearing this, he looked up at Li Long but did not respond immediately.

After several breaths of silence, he finally said, "Are you sure? The intermediate academy has many restrictions, but it's safe. You can steadily reach level thirty without any trouble. Probationary deacon sounds nice, but if your first mission gets you killed, then you'll have nothing."

"I'm sure," Li Long said. "I'm not afraid of taking risks. What I fear is having no right to choose."

"Besides, flowers grown in a greenhouse are soft. Only those that fight their way out of the battlefield can grow thorns!"

Fanolan stared at him for a while, as if judging whether this nine-and-a-half-year-old child had truly thought it through.

In the end, he slowly nodded, took a new file from the drawer, and pushed it across the desk.

"Since you've decided, sign here. I'll submit the probationary deacon registration letter left behind by Envoy Ling for you."

Li Long took the pen and signed his name at the bottom.

Fanolan took back the file, then handed him a thin booklet. Printed on its cover were the words Spirit Hall Basic Mission Manual (Notting Sector).

"This is yours. Your status as a probationary deacon takes effect from the moment you sign, but to register officially, you must complete at least three basic missions within three months. The missions listed in the manual are all marked with their difficulty and points. Choose for yourself."

Li Long took the manual and flipped through several pages, his eyes swiftly scanning the entries.

Clear out the wandering ten-year soul beast packs around Notting City. D-rank, 10 points.

Escort a batch of medicinal herbs to neighboring Soto City. D-rank, 15 points.

Assist the patrol team in investigating Area Three along the edge of Soul Hunting Forest. D-rank, 12 points.

He closed the manual, already having chosen his first target.

Points could be exchanged for cultivation resources. Compared with attending school, he truly preferred venturing outside. Opportunities were out there as well.

And he liked fighting.

"The escort mission. Soto City. Two days round trip. It won't be difficult."

Fanolan gave a grunt. "Go register to accept the mission at the counter. Set out this afternoon. Once you reach Soto City, hand over the goods manifest and come straight back. Don't cause any unnecessary trouble."

"Understood."

After leaving the deacon's office, Li Long did not go directly to accept the mission. Instead, he turned out of the branch hall gates and hurried along Notting City's main street toward the herbal shop in the western part of the city.

He had patronized that shop for three and a half years. The owner was an old retired herbal farmer surnamed Zhou, quick with both hands and honest with customers young and old alike.

The shop was not large. Wooden shelves were filled with bottles, jars, and dried medicinal herbs, while the air carried the bitter scent of mixed grass roots and beast bones.