Spirit Hall Academy was located in the very heart of Spirit City.
Whether in terms of teaching staff or the number and quality of its students, it deserved to be called the finest on the continent.
Ye Han followed Demon Subduing Douluo into the academy, walking slowly along the main road as he surveyed the interior.
The buildings were arranged in an orderly fashion, their style ancient and solemn, with the unique austere atmosphere of Spirit Hall permeating every corner.
Along the way, he saw quite a few students wearing uniform academy attire, Spirit Hall emblems pinned to their chests.
Demon Subduing Douluo said proudly:
"Kid, Spirit Hall Academy is the number one Soul Master Academy on the entire continent. Nearly everything here is top-tier. Even the Royal Academies of the two great empires, Heaven Dou and Star Luo, can't compare."
"I know. Spirit City is the holy land of Soul Masters, after all. Of course they can't compare."
Demon Subduing Douluo smiled and continued:
"We old fellows stopped involving ourselves in Spirit Hall affairs long ago. The current Pope is Bibi Dong, and she handles everything, including the academy. But since you're my god-grandson, and such a rare genius besides, arranging for you to become a core member of the academy team won't be a problem."
Ye Han shook his head.
"There's no need for me to be a core member. Being a substitute will do. But in the crucial matches, I want to stay on the field."
"What?! You want to be a substitute?!"
Demon Subduing Douluo frowned.
"Your Martial Soul is the Coiling Dragon Staff, and its quality far surpasses those kids' Martial Souls. You also have four Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Rings and an External Soul Bone. Though I haven't seen your true strength yet, I can imagine that it's absolutely not weak. You're more than qualified to be a core team member, so why be a substitute?"
Ye Han explained:
"There's only one year left until the Soul Master Tournament. They've been training and coordinating as a team for years, and I don't want to disrupt their rhythm. If I suddenly dropped in and directly took one of the core spots, they'd definitely be unhappy. I'd feel somewhat guilty too. Besides, I might not train with them."
"You brat actually know how to consider others. You've got decent bearing. Fine, we'll do as you say. You'll stay on the field during critical moments. I'll arrange a place for you to stay first, then take you to the training grounds."
Ye Han followed Demon Subduing Douluo toward the administration building.
The first step of his plan had gone smoothly, and the weight in Ye Han's heart finally eased.
In truth, he was a transmigrator who had arrived in this world, body and soul alike, only a month ago.
Like the vast majority of transmigrators, his cheat had arrived as well: a Selection System.
At the time, the system had given him two choices from four weapon Martial Souls.
Each Martial Soul came with its corresponding traits.
1. Sky-Piercing Spear: Yun Ming's Aptitude, Nine Qingtian Forms, Spear Stabilizes Heaven and Earth. 2. Clear Sky Hammer: Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, Grand Sumeru Hammer. 3. Seven-Kill Sword: Nine Absolutes of the Killing Sword, Man and Sword as One, Sword Opens Heaven's Gate. 4. Coiling Dragon Staff: A Break Evil Dragon was sealed within it, along with the nine forms of the Unyielding Staff Technique.
After making his choice, his first Martial Soul would come with four Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Rings.
He would also receive a pair of External Soul Bones, the Golden Light Wings, and his physical body would be strengthened a hundredfold.
No matter which two Martial Souls he chose, every time he broke through a ten-level threshold, he would automatically unlock an ultimate move in addition to gaining the corresponding soul skill. The ninth-form ultimate move was excluded and had to be unlocked through his own strength.
After the choice was made, the system would disappear and settle everything in one lump sum ten years later.
It was equivalent to giving him only two cheats. He still had to walk the path of growth on his own.
Four weapon Martial Souls lay before him.
Ye Han's first reaction was to eliminate the Clear Sky Hammer.
Although the Clear Sky Hammer was hailed as the world's number one weapon Martial Soul, its reputation had been built by Tang Chen.
In other people's hands, the Clear Sky Hammer might not possess that kind of power.
The Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer required advance charging. It was nothing but a useless gimmick.
Though the ultimate secret art, the Grand Sumeru Hammer, was immensely powerful, it was a desperate technique that injured its user nearly as badly as its enemy, and it placed extremely high demands on the user's physical constitution.
Besides, if he chose the Clear Sky Hammer, he would inevitably become entangled with the Rat Sect.
At this point, the Immortal Herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had already been plucked by Tang San.
Tang San had protagonist's luck, so he would probably still become the Rat Sect's favored son.
That guy was narrow-minded. How could he tolerate an outsider stealing his spotlight?
A dignified transmigrator becoming that loser's little brother?
That was absolutely impossible!
This was a world where the strong reigned supreme.
Gods played chess, toying with mortals.
Without becoming a god, all were ants!
Even someone as powerful as Tang Chen had ultimately failed to become a god.
Therefore, the Clear Sky Hammer could not be chosen. Ye Han discarded it without hesitation.
Once he made his choice, the system would vanish.
Four Spirit Rings were far too conspicuous. Without a powerful protector, he would likely have only one path ahead of him: death.
Ye Han thought of two people: Spirit Hall's two great consecrates, Thousand Jun Douluo and Demon Subduing Douluo.
Both possessed the Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul, and both were peak Level Ninety-Six powerhouses.
If he could obtain their help, he would naturally have nothing to worry about.
Thus, Ye Han chose the Coiling Dragon Staff first.
There was another important reason for choosing the Coiling Dragon Staff.
A Break Evil Dragon was sealed within the Coiling Dragon Staff.
The Break Evil Dragon was an anomaly among dragonkind, born of heaven and earth, beyond the control of the Dragon God and those human gods.
If he could gather the power of dragonkind, he would undoubtedly become even stronger.
Although the Immortal Herbs of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had been taken by Tang San, the remains of the Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King still lay at the bottom of the spring.
The Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng in Bai He's possession had yet to be taken by Tang San.
The dragon bone fragments of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan were still there as well.
All of these could be used to strengthen his Martial Soul and himself.
Moreover, the Coiling Dragon Staff possessed an unyielding will. The more it fought, the braver it became; the more it fought, the stronger it grew.
The ninth form of the Unyielding Staff Technique was Break Through to Godhood, its ultimate secret art. Break through, and one could become a god.
Ye Han knew that according to the predetermined course of fate, all of Spirit Hall's powerful consecrates would die.
Spirit Hall itself would ultimately be destroyed by Tang San.
But none of that had happened yet. There was still time to change it.
Having chosen the Coiling Dragon Staff and Spirit Hall, he would have to fight Tang San.
Which meant fighting Heaven Dou as well!
Since he had chosen to defy heaven, there was nothing left to hesitate over regarding his remaining Martial Soul.
Ye Han chose the Sky-Piercing Spear, which likewise possessed a heaven-defying nature.
The Seven-Kill Sword was good as well, but it was still slightly inferior to the Sky-Piercing Spear.
The wielder of the Sky-Piercing Spear Martial Soul was Yun Ming, the number one man on the continent during the era of Legend of the Dragon King.
Yun Ming was extraordinarily gifted. He became a Title Douluo at twenty-three, a Super Douluo at twenty-six, an Ultimate Douluo at thirty-one, and reached the Quasi-God level at thirty-five.
Without any external assistance, that rate of growth was not even inferior to Tang San's after taking medicinal herbs.
Yun Ming had once defeated sixteen Title Douluos alone in succession, suppressing an entire era.
Before his death, he elevated the Sky-Piercing Spear into a divine weapon, the Divine Sky-Piercing Spear.
By choosing the Sky-Piercing Spear, Ye Han would be granted Yun Ming's Aptitude.
Furthermore, staffs and spears had common ground, so cultivating his second Martial Soul in the future would go more smoothly.
If he could obtain the opportunities he knew of, then with external assistance, his growth rate might even surpass Yun Ming's. He would have a chance to become a god before Tang San.
Thus, Ye Han's final choices were the Coiling Dragon Staff and the Sky-Piercing Spear.
To seek protectors from Spirit Hall, he set the Coiling Dragon Staff as his first Martial Soul.
The system gave him four Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Rings and a pair of External Soul Bones, the Golden Light Wings.
His Soul Power directly reached level forty-five, and both Martial Souls unlocked their first four ultimate moves.
The Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul unlocked the first four of the nine forms of the Unyielding Staff Technique: Battle Heaven and Earth, Shaking Heaven, Shattering Earth, Heaven and Earth, and Covering Heaven and Earth.
The Sky-Piercing Spear Martial Soul unlocked the first four of the Nine Qingtian Forms: Spear Questions the Mountains and Rivers, Coiling Dragon Spiral, Rainbow Pierces the Sun, and Nine-Bend Heavenly River.
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