Rejected Art Student Gu Shengge

Rejected Art Student Gu Shengge

It was only in the afternoon that Gu Shengge's roommate finally arrived—a tall, burly youth who looked a little simple-minded.

Apparently, he did not have Huo Yuhao's luck; he would not be getting a roommate disguised as a boy. Gu Shengge gave the newcomer a friendly smile and introduced himself.

"Hello, I'm Gu Shengge. My Martial Soul is the Holy Angel, and I'm a level thirty-two battle Soul Elder."

Hearing that Gu Shengge was actually a Soul Elder, the honest-looking youth's face filled with surprise. He hurriedly introduced himself as well.

"Hello, Brother Gu. I'm Han Yue. My Martial Soul is the Mountain-Shaking Stone Ape, and I'm a level twenty-one battle Soul Master."

Gu Shengge looked Han Yue over. His clothes were plain, and he carried a clean travel pack on his back. He did not seem to have any Soul Tools or anything similar either. He appeared to be from a commoner family—someone worth recruiting.

He still remembered his promise to Qian Renxue: to rebuild Spirit Hall. But that was not something that could be accomplished overnight.

The first requirement was members for Spirit Hall.

As the number one academy on the continent, Shrek Academy gathered geniuses from the three great empires aside from the Sun Moon Empire. It was an excellent place to scout for talent.

In the original story, Tang Ya had recruited Tang Sect disciples at Shrek Academy.

Since the Tang Sect could do it, so could Spirit Hall.

Gu Shengge's targets were the commoner students in the academy. As for noble and sect disciples, they were outside his consideration.

Han Yue put away his travel pack and made his bed, while Gu Shengge helped from the side. During the process, he learned that Han Yue was also an orphan. Several years ago, everyone in his village had been slaughtered by Evil Soul Masters. Han Yue had been attending a Soul Master Academy at the time, making him the only survivor from the village.

As he spoke, Han Yue's eyes reddened, and tears streamed down his face. He was utterly grief-stricken.

Gu Shengge showed an apologetic expression. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked so much."

Han Yue shook his head. It was not Gu Shengge's fault. If anyone was to blame, it was those Evil Soul Masters. Intense hatred filled his eyes.

Seeing this, Gu Shengge could not help sighing. "Ah, if only Spirit Hall still existed. Think back to the Douluo Continent ten thousand years ago—Spirit Hall suppressed every demon and monster across the continent. Where would there have been any Evil Soul Masters?"

Hearing this, Han Yue tried to restrain his grief and asked in confusion, "Spirit Hall? Wasn't that an evil organization that tried to rule the continent?"

According to the historical records of the Douluo Continent, Sea God Tang San had gathered the forces of the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires for the sake of peace and stability on the continent. He stood against Spirit Hall, the enemy of the continent, fought two gods alone, and shattered Spirit Hall's evil ambition to rule the continent.

"An evil organization? Little Han, how much do you know about Spirit Hall? Do you know what blessings Spirit Hall once brought to the Soul Masters and people of the continent?"

"History records are not necessarily true. You only know that Sea God defeated Spirit Hall, but you do not know why he defeated Spirit Hall. You only know that the continent was not unified, but you do not know the benefits that unification would have brought."

Han Yue was ultimately just a teenage boy whose mind had yet to mature. Faced with Gu Shengge's string of questions, he fell into confusion and did not know how to respond.

Seeing Han Yue's bewildered look, Gu Shengge spoke again. "Little Han, how many Gold Soul Coins did your Martial Soul Awakening cost?"

Han Yue froze. He had not expected such a question, but he did not give it much thought before answering, "Fifty Gold Soul Coins."

Although the purchasing power of Gold Soul Coins was no longer what it had been ten thousand years ago, fifty Gold Soul Coins were still enough for an ordinary family of three to live on for a month. It was clear just how expensive a Martial Soul Awakening costing fifty Gold Soul Coins was.

"Fifty Gold Soul Coins? That really is expensive. Little Han, did you know that when Spirit Hall still existed ten thousand years ago, Martial Soul Awakening was free? As long as you had reached the age of six, you could go to Spirit Hall for a free Martial Soul Awakening."

"What?!"

Han Yue was utterly stunned upon hearing that Martial Soul Awakening had been free. Back then, in order to scrape together fifty Gold Soul Coins for him, his mother had done needlework day and night until her eyes developed problems. His father had taken on grueling labor for others while tending to the family farmland, working himself until he could barely straighten his back.

If Martial Soul Awakening had been free, his parents would not have had to work so hard or suffer so much.

"Spirit Hall also gave Soul Masters subsidies. As long as you were a Soul Master, you could receive one Gold Soul Coin every month."

When Han Yue heard that Spirit Hall had even provided subsidies, his eyes immediately lit up—only to dim again soon after.

Sadly, Spirit Hall had been destroyed by the Sea God ten thousand years ago. Now, he could only listen to stories about it.

Seeing that Han Yue was tempted, Gu Shengge immediately pressed his advantage. Like a rejected art student, his gaze burned with fervor as he passionately described his dreams, ambitions, and goals to the honest youth before him.

"Little Han, I actually have a dream—to rebuild Spirit Hall, to bring benefits to the people of the continent, so they no longer have to exhaust their resources over expensive Martial Soul Awakening fees. Everyone should be able to undergo Martial Soul Awakening for free. Soul Masters should receive monthly subsidies. We should protect the people of the continent, eliminate the Evil Soul Masters who plague it, establish a new order, and restore peace and clarity to this land!"

His words echoed in Han Yue's ears like thunder, painting a beautiful blueprint before him.

If there were a Spirit Hall, he could have awakened his Martial Soul for free, and his parents would not have had to work so hard.

If there were a Spirit Hall, then as a Soul Master, he could receive a monthly subsidy and lessen his family's burden.

If there were a Spirit Hall, then all the Evil Soul Masters on the continent would have been eliminated, and his parents and village would not have been destroyed by Evil Soul Masters!

At that moment, Han Yue began to desperately long for Spirit Hall to return to the continent.

He looked at Gu Shengge standing before the window, bathed in sunlight. A brilliant golden Angel God Halo emerged behind his head, shining with dazzling splendor. Angel's Eight Wings unfurled behind him, radiant and flowing with light as golden feathers drifted down. He was like the Angel God descending upon the world once more—holy, noble, and resplendent, inspiring awe and worship.

Gu Shengge smiled at Han Yue. His smile was as warm as the sun and touched the heart directly. He extended a hand to Han Yue and made an invitation.

"Han Yue, are you willing to join me in rebuilding Spirit Hall and restoring peace and stability to this continent?"

At that moment, Han Yue's heart was conquered by Gu Shengge's words and the beautiful blueprint he had painted. He could not help but speak.

"Brother Gu, I'm willing! Please let me lend you my strength!"

Looking at Han Yue's increasingly bright eyes, Gu Shengge's lips curled into a smile. That had been easy.

"Good. Then let us work together for Spirit Hall and for the future of the continent."

He patted Han Yue on the shoulder. As though encouraged, Han Yue's spirits soared, and he nodded vigorously.

With a flip of his hand, ten Gold Soul Coins appeared in Gu Shengge's palm. He handed them to Han Yue.

"Han Yue, Spirit Hall will never mistreat any Soul Master who joins it. These ten Gold Soul Coins are your subsidy for this month. From now on, Spirit Hall will issue subsidies every month: one Gold Soul Coin for Soul Masters, ten for Soul Grandmasters, and one hundred for Soul Elders. There are many other commoner students like you in the academy. You can tell them that Spirit Hall welcomes every Soul Master who wishes to join. Let us rebuild Spirit Hall together!"

~

PS: Do you know how many Gold Soul Coins Martial Soul Awakening costs now? Fifty Gold Soul Coins! It used to be free!