Officially Registered as a Probationary Deacon! Twenty-Two Gold Soul Coins a Month

On the way back, he walked as he digested the feeling of having just broken through.

His fifteenth-level soul power was far more robust than it had been at level fourteen. As it circulated, the fullness in his meridians made every finger feel stronger.

Combined with a body nearing the level of three soul rings, he was certain that even if he faced a two-ringed Grand Soul Master head-on, he would not be at a disadvantage.

"Second soul ring... I'm at level fifteen now, with five more levels to go before level twenty."

At his current cultivation speed, coupled with the medicinal baths, he should be able to reach it before the grand competition.

He paused, then recalled another crucial matter.

"And I need to raise the age of my second soul ring too."

His physical strength had already reached close to the level of three soul rings. As long as he continued building it up with medicinal baths and whale glue, by level twenty, his body might truly reach the middle or even upper stages of three rings.

By then, he should have a chance of absorbing a thousand-year soul ring.

The thought quickened his pace.

It was already afternoon when he returned to the branch hall.

He handed the beast core and tusks to the counter. After carefully inspecting them, the clerk stamped the third seal in his mission handbook.

"C-rank mission complete. Forty points have been credited. Current total: sixty-five."

The clerk closed the handbook and handed it back to him, adding, "All three basic missions have been completed. Your official registration as a probationary deacon is now in effect. Starting today, you are a probationary deacon formally recognized by Spirit Hall. Your monthly stipend will also increase by another ten Gold Soul Coins."

Li Long accepted the handbook and glanced down at the extra line of stamped words on the cover.

Official registration, Notting Probationary No. 037.

He nodded, feeling little excitement, and simply tucked the handbook into his clothes.

He could now take home twenty-two Gold Soul Coins every month.

That was just too good.

As he stepped away from the counter, Fanolan happened to be coming down the corridor. Seeing Li Long covered in dust but with bright eyes, he asked with a smile, "Done?"

"Done," Li Long said. "I got stronger, and I finished all the missions."

Fanolan nodded without asking for details. He merely patted Li Long on the shoulder. "Well done."

Li Long smiled at Fanolan, then turned toward the dormitory.

Today's missions and breakthrough had taken quite a toll on him. All he wanted now was to go back, take a bath, and soak in the medicinal bath he had just bought.

Everything else could wait until tomorrow.

Li Long locked the dormitory door and spread the medicinal packets he had just bought across the table.

There were three sets of medicinal bath ingredients, each wrapped tightly in kraft paper.

He opened one. Inside were dried roots, stems, leaves, and several pieces of ground beast-bone powder, all mixed together and giving off a faintly bitter herbal scent.

According to the formula from his memories of his previous life, the ingredients truly were not expensive. The main components were several common warming and restorative herbs, supplemented with a small amount of hundred-year soul beast bone powder as a catalyst. They could nourish and clear the meridians of a one-ringed Soul Master.

Though he was not completely certain, his own judgment was sound.

It was for external application rather than consumption. Even if the effects were weaker than expected, it should not cause any major problems.

He boiled water, poured in the packet, and stirred.

Light brown steam soon rose from the wooden tub, filling the room with the mingled scent of plants and beast bones.

Li Long took off his outer clothes and stepped into the tub. The scalding medicinal liquid rose to his chest.

At first, there was only a warm sensation. After about the time it took to burn a stick of incense, the medicinal effects began to seep through his skin, flowing in fine streams into the muscles and meridians beneath.

The feeling was nothing like the violent force of whale glue. It was more like a steady trickle, gentle yet unceasing.

He closed his eyes and entered a meditative state in the medicinal bath.

Guided by the medicinal effects, his soul power slowly circulated through his meridians. After one full cycle, much of the muscle soreness left behind by the battles of the previous days had faded.

His fifteenth-level soul power circulated more smoothly than it had at level fourteen. Both its speed and controllability had noticeably improved.

"A five-level difference in soul power really isn't just a matter of quantity."

He silently compared the two in his heart.

At level thirteen, when he unleashed his first soul skill at full power, he could barely leave a crack in Ling Su's protective soul power.

Now at level fifteen, combined with a body nearing three rings, if he used his first soul skill at full strength again, its destructive power would increase by at least twenty percent.

Though he was still no match for a Soul Emperor, it would already be difficult to find an opponent at the same soul power level.

The medicinal bath lasted nearly two hours. Only when the water had gradually cooled did he rise, dry himself, and change clothes.

That night, he slept exceptionally deeply, without even dreaming.

When he woke the next morning, his body had recovered to peak condition.

After breakfast, he did not rush to accept a new mission. Instead, he sat at the table, opened his mission handbook, and reevaluated his plans going forward.

His official registration as a probationary deacon had been completed.

The three basic missions had earned him a total of sixty-five points.

Fifteen for the escort, ten for the cleanup, and forty for the berserk wild boar.

According to what the clerk had said before, fifty points were enough to apply for Spirit Hall's internal procurement channel, where medicinal herbs were thirty percent cheaper than on the market.

"Use fifty points first and exchange them for a batch of higher-quality medicinal bath materials."

Having made up his mind, he got up and went to the supplies exchange window.

The middle-aged clerk in charge of exchanges was even less talkative than the one at the counter. From beginning to end, he said only three sentences: "What are you applying for? You have enough points. Delivery within three days."

Li Long filled out the application form and specified several warming, restorative ingredients older than those available on the market. After fifty points were deducted, he had fifteen left.

They would arrive in three days, which was just enough time for him to complete another mission.

As he left the window, he was considering what mission to choose next when, from the corner of his eye, he suddenly spotted two unfamiliar people standing in a corner of the branch hall's lobby.

One man and one woman, both dressed in dark gray cloaks. Spirit Hall's standard insignias hung from their waists, but they were not the bronze style used by Notting Branch Hall. Instead, they had silver bases with trimmed edges.

Only deacons from the headquarters in Spirit City wore that kind.

The man appeared to be in his early thirties. His face was ordinary, but his gaze was sharp as he spoke to Fanolan in a low voice.

The woman was somewhat younger. She stood beside him without speaking, but her eyes swept repeatedly through the lobby as though observing something.

Li Long passed behind and to the side of them without revealing anything. He neither deliberately approached nor deliberately avoided them.

As he passed, he caught fragmented words and vaguely picked out several phrases: Sunset Forest, disturbances in the outer region, not an isolated incident.

He did not stop walking and headed straight out of the lobby.

Once beneath the corridor eaves, he stopped and frowned slightly.

"But it has nothing to do with me right now."

He gathered his thoughts and temporarily pushed the matter aside. "I've only just broken through to level fifteen. My top priority is reaching level twenty as soon as possible. As for the forest, it won't be too late to get involved once I'm strong enough."

Over the next two days, Li Long did not accept any missions that required leaving the branch hall. Instead, he stayed inside and underwent focused training.

On the first day, he borrowed the training ground behind the branch hall and repeatedly practiced his swing angles and timing against iron stakes.

The Iron Rod Martial Soul's advantage lay in overwhelming strength, but he also understood that if he encountered a speed-type opponent, his hit rate would drop drastically.

To address that, he specifically added reaction training to his regimen.

He used a launching device to fire wooden targets in different directions, striking them precisely while in motion.