Spirit Origin Realm Peak

Tang Ziran looked at the unquestionable resolve in his son's eyes and seemed to see the same stubbornness his wife, Lang Yue, occasionally revealed.

He let out a long, deep sigh, as though he had aged several years in an instant.

His broad palm, heavy with love and helplessness, gently landed on Bai Lin's soft hair and gave it a firm rub.

"Alright..."

"Alright..."

"Since you've made up your mind..."

"Dad..."

"Supports you."

Every word carried immense weight.

He straightened up and turned toward the female Spirit Pagoda Master, whose face had already begun to show obvious impatience. He bowed slightly again, his voice pleading.

"Please..."

"Honored Spirit Pagoda Master, we..."

"Choose a random spirit soul."

"Mm." The female Spirit Pagoda Master answered coldly, her gaze sweeping over the father and son, whom she considered somewhat "overconfident."

By then, Bai Lin had swiftly pulled a small wallet containing his hard-earned savings from the pocket close to his body. He took out three thick stacks of brand-new ten-thousand Federation dollar bills and handed them over with both hands.

His movements were crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation or reluctance.

The female Spirit Pagoda Master raised her brows in surprise, apparently not expecting such an ordinary-looking child to produce so much cash at once.

She accepted the money and casually counted it. After confirming that everything was correct, she spoke in a businesslike manner.

"Before choosing a spirit soul, you must undergo a spiritual power test to match you with an appropriate type of spirit soul and ensure the success rate of the fusion."

"The testing fee is one thousand Federation dollars."

"Ah?"

"There's more..."

Tang Ziran instinctively tried to speak, embarrassment appearing on his face.

"Alright." Bai Lin's clear voice rang out again. Before his father could finish, he had quickly counted out another ten one-hundred-dollar bills from his wallet and handed them over without hesitation.

The motion was smooth and natural, as though that thousand was nothing more than insignificant pocket change.

"Hmph!"

Within the sea of consciousness, Hei Lin's cold intent was like a volcano on the verge of eruption, filled with overwhelming brutality and humiliation.

"Layer upon layer of exploitation!"

"Those high-and-mighty faces!"

"One day..."

"I'll personally smash this damned Spirit Pagoda..."

"Into dust!"

Bai Lin's consciousness hurriedly soothed him, carrying a trace of helplessness and clear-eyed practicality.

"Hei Lin, calm down."

"They..."

"Are charging according to the rules."

Though Bai Lin felt equally stifled inside, this was absolutely not the time to act out.

The female Spirit Pagoda Master put away the money, her expression still unchanged. She merely pointed matter-of-factly at a compartment nearby.

"Parents wait in the waiting area outside."

"Child, come with me."

Tang Ziran looked at his son worriedly. Bai Lin gave him a reassuring look, then followed the female Spirit Pagoda Master into the testing room, which was outfitted with sophisticated soul-guided instruments.

The cold metal instruments glimmered with a dim light.

"Sit there, put on this sensory helmet, and clear your mind."

The female Spirit Pagoda Master instructed.

Bai Lin did as told, sitting in the cold testing chair and putting on the helmet covered in sensing nodes.

He closed his eyes and tried to calm the heartbeat that had quickened slightly from tension and anticipation.

The machine activated with a low hum, and a soft blue glow lit up inside the helmet.

The female Spirit Pagoda Master watched the massive display beside her with casual indifference.

The bar graph representing spiritual power began to rise slowly at a steady pace.

10... 20... 30... The number climbed steadily.

50... 60... 70... The pace did not slow in the slightest.

80... 90... 95...

At some point, the female Spirit Pagoda Master had straightened from where she had been casually leaning against the console!

The indifference on her face had long since vanished, replaced by growing astonishment!

Her eyes were locked on the blue pillar of light on the display, which shot upward like an unbridled wild horse!

96... 97... 98... 99!

"Buzz—!"

The pillar of light abruptly stopped at the mark labeled "99"!

The glow at its peak flashed violently, emitting a faint buzzing sound!

The testing room fell dead silent.

The female Spirit Pagoda Master stood frozen as though petrified, her eyes wide, her mouth unconsciously hanging slightly open as she stared fixedly at that glaring, vivid red "99"!

Spirit Origin Realm peak! Only a single step away from the Spirit Connection Realm...

How was that possible?!

He was only a child of barely over six!

His martial soul had awakened only a year ago!

Even among those geniuses with innate full soul power and top-tier martial souls, it was already exceedingly rare for their spiritual power to reach fifty points at this age!

Ninety-nine points!

It was simply unheard of!

Never seen before!

She abruptly turned her head and stared at the boy seated in the testing chair as if he were a monster. His eyes were closed, and beneath the enormous helmet, he appeared especially quiet and well-behaved.

Her gaze was filled with extreme shock, disbelief, and a trace of...

An instinctive awe in the face of inhuman talent that even she herself had not noticed.

The cold soul-guided instrument let out a soft beep, and the gentle blue light within the helmet went out.

Bai Lin slowly opened his eyes, adjusting to the normal lighting in the testing room.

He removed the helmet and looked up at the female Spirit Pagoda Master.

She was staring fixedly at him with an exceptionally complicated expression.

Her gaze contained immense lingering shock, disbelief, a trace of instinctive awe, and...

An irrepressibly deep regret.

It was as if she were admiring a peerless piece of jade, only to discover that it had been set upon rotten wood.

The female Spirit Pagoda Master drew a deep breath, trying to calm her turbulent emotions, but her voice still carried a nearly imperceptible dryness and tremor.

"Spiritual power is one of the foundations of a soul master. It is especially vital for fusing spirit souls and controlling soul skills."

She sounded as though she were reciting a textbook, yet also as though she were forcing herself to recover her professional rhythm.

"According to Federation standards, spiritual power realms are divided into the Spirit Origin Realm, Spirit Connection Realm, Spirit Sea Realm, Spirit Abyss Realm, Spirit Domain Realm..."

"And the legendary Divine Origin Realm."

"The Spirit Origin Realm is the foundation, with spiritual power values ranging from one to one hundred points."

Her gaze fell on Bai Lin once more. The complicated emotions in her eyes were nearly overflowing, and her voice carried an emphasis that even she found absurd.

"And you..."

"Your spiritual power strength is ninety-nine points!"

"Spirit Origin Realm peak!"

"You are only one step away from breaking through into the Spirit Connection Realm!"

She paused, as if she needed to confirm the fact again, then repeated it with greater emphasis.

"Seven years old!"

"Your martial soul only awakened a year ago, yet you've already reached..."

"Spirit Origin Realm peak!"

"This..."

"This is simply..."

She seemed unable to find suitable words to describe it. In the end, she merely shook her head slowly, the shock in her eyes refusing to fade.

Bai Lin listened quietly, understanding dawning in his heart.

Sure enough, over the past year, the nourishment of the Golden Dragon King's bloodline had caused his spiritual power to far surpass that of ordinary people.

He was even a little curious. If he and Hei Lin underwent the test together right now, would the pillar of light directly break through the limit of the Spirit Origin Realm?

After all, they had originally been one and the same.

This test only measured half of their total spiritual power...