Six Years Old, Soul Power Level 18-Is This Even Human?

As he spoke, he reached into the belly pocket of his penguin suit, rummaged around several times, and pulled out an orange Doro had given him earlier. He placed it on the service counter. "Look! This is an orange my martial soul made for me!"

Xiao Yue lowered her head to look at the orange, her expression complicated.

The orange did look quite nice—golden-yellow, round, and plump—but what could that prove?

It could only prove that the child had an orange in his pocket.

The colleague beside her could not hold back a soft laugh and quietly remarked that the child was adorable.

"Little friend, an orange can't prove you're a soul master." Xiao Yue tried her best to make her tone sound less like she was coaxing a child, but it did not work very well. "To register for soul fighting, you need to test your Soul Power Level. It's not enough just to say so."

Jiang Lan's voice was not quiet, and several soul masters waiting in line nearby heard him. They all turned to look.

A young soul master in leather armor saw the little kid in a penguin suit leaning over the service counter and could not help laughing. "Level 18? Little guy, do you know what Level 18 means? It took me a full eight years to go from awakening to Level 18. How old are you?"

The others beside him started laughing as well. A female soul master holding a helmet said with a smile that this child was too interesting—he had probably read too many illustrated books about soul fighting matches.

Xiao Yue looked at the little bean who was sprawled across the counter and refused to get down, then sighed inwardly.

Although she did not believe the child was Level 18, she could not bear to refuse him again when he was being so persistent.

Testing him would not take much effort anyway. Once the result came out, he would naturally give up.

"Fine, then. Big sister will take you to test your Soul Power Level." Xiao Yue stood up, walked around the counter, bent down, and extended her hand to Jiang Lan. "Come, follow me. Once the test is done, we'll know whether you're a little liar."

"I'm not a little liar!" Jiang Lan let go of the counter and landed steadily on the ground. He straightened his crooked penguin hat, then took Xiao Yue's hand on his own initiative. Looking up at her with bright, sparkling eyes, he said, "Don't worry, miss. If I say I'm Level 18, then I'm Level 18. Not a bit of exaggeration!"

Xiao Yue looked at his chubby face, so serious and earnest, and suppressed a smile.

This child was simply too adorable. Even if he really was a little liar, she could not bring herself to dislike him.

Holding Jiang Lan's hand, she crossed the hall. Behind them followed the white little ball, waddling along on its short legs as they headed toward a stone door at the end of the corridor.

A metal plaque was embedded beside the stone door, bearing the words: Soul Power Testing Room.

Xiao Yue pushed open the door. Inside was a small room, with a waist-high stone platform in the center. Above it floated a fist-sized crystal ball, there.

"Put your hand on the crystal ball and pour in your Soul Power." Xiao Yue pointed at the crystal ball, then stepped aside and folded her arms.

She wore the tolerant smile of someone waiting to watch a child perform, with a hint of good-natured teasing in her eyes.

Jiang Lan walked up to the stone platform.

The platform was taller than his chest. He stood on tiptoe but found that he still could not reach it. After looking around, he dragged a small stool over from the corner, climbed onto it, and finally reached the crystal ball.

Watching this, Xiao Yue's smile deepened a little more.

Jiang Lan placed both hands on the crystal ball and slowly poured the Soul Power within his body into it.

The crystal ball lit up.

The smile on Xiao Yue's face froze. She unconsciously took half a step back, her almond-shaped eyes widening round.

A clear number appeared inside the crystal ball: eighteen.

The blue light slowly faded, and the crystal ball returned to its transparent appearance. The "eighteen" remained for several more seconds before gradually fading away like ink dissolving in water.

Xiao Yue stood there with her mouth open, unable to say a word.

She looked at the crystal ball, then at the chubby little boy still standing on the stool, calmly waiting for her response. It felt as though someone had stuffed her brain full of paste.

Six years old, Level 18—what kind of concept was that?

She had seen the most outstanding young genius in Vast Sea City. At twelve years old and Level 28, he had been hailed as a once-in-a-century talent. But how old was this chubby little boy in a penguin onesie, who had just been eating candied hawthorn?

Six years old?

Level 18 at six years old?

Was he even human?

"Miss, can I register now?" Jiang Lan jumped down from the stool, walked over to Xiao Yue, and looked up at her. Doro, perched on his head, tilted her head too, curiously staring with her purple bead-like eyes at the receptionist sister who was still petrified.

Xiao Yue finally came back to her senses. She crouched down and looked over the chubby little boy before her with an entirely new gaze. Not the gaze she used for a child, but the gaze she used for a proper soul master—though this soul master was not even as tall as her waist, had candy crumbs stuck to his cheeks, and had half an uneaten meat bun stuffed inside his penguin hood.

"Yes, of course you can." Xiao Yue stood up and took Jiang Lan's hand again, her tone becoming exceptionally serious. "Come, big sister will take you to register."

When they pushed open the testing room door, seven or eight people had somehow gathered in the corridor. Some were soul masters who had mocked him in the hall earlier, some were passing Soul Arena staff, and others were spectators who had come to watch the excitement.

"How did the test go? What level?" someone asked impatiently.

Xiao Yue drew a deep breath and tried to make her voice sound calmer. "Level 18."

The corridor went quiet for a moment, then erupted.

The young man in leather armor who had said it took him eight years to reach Level 18 stared wide-eyed, pointing at Jiang Lan as he stammered that he, he, he really was Level 18.

The female soul master beside him grabbed her companion's arm, her voice cracking. "Level 18 at six years old? Am I still dreaming?"

A staff member jogged off to call the supervisor. The onlookers whispered and discussed among themselves, and the entire corridor became as lively as a marketplace.

Standing in the middle of the crowd, Jiang Lan looked up at Xiao Yue. "Miss, can we go register now? I want to fight in the solo matches."

Before Xiao Yue could answer, a deep voice came from beyond the crowd.

"Let him register."

Everyone turned around. A middle-aged man in a black steward's uniform was standing at the end of the corridor, though no one knew when he had arrived.

He had a lean face and a neatly trimmed goatee. A silver badge was pinned to his chest, engraved with the words "Vast Sea Great Soul Arena · Supervisor."

His gaze passed over the crowd and settled on Jiang Lan. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, carrying a trace of scrutiny.

The onlookers automatically made way. The supervisor slowly walked over to Jiang Lan, looked down at the little boy in the penguin suit, then turned toward Xiao Yue. "Register this young soul master for the solo matches. Mark his level as 18."

"But Supervisor, the Soul Arena has never had a six-year-old contestant..." Xiao Yue hesitated.

"The rules never said six-year-olds weren't allowed to participate." The supervisor waved his hand, his gaze returning to Jiang Lan with the seasoned scrutiny of an experienced man. "But little fellow, the Soul Arena isn't a place for playing house. Once you step onto the ring, it's a real fight. If you get hurt, you can't cry."