Purchasing a soul spirit 1

The night passed without a word, their hearts heavy.

At daybreak the next morning, Tang Ziran took Tang Wulin to the local Spirit Pagoda Branch Tower in Aolai City as promised, ready to choose a first soul spirit suited to his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.

Standing in the city center, the Spirit Pagoda Branch Tower was grand and solemn. Built entirely from special soul guidance stone, it glowed with a faint, soft blue-white light, exuding a weighty, imposing dignity. Standing before it, Tang Wulin could not help recalling the earth-shaking shifts in power that had swept across the entire Douluo World over the past ten thousand years.

Ten thousand years ago, the Sun Moon Empire had launched a massive invasion, crushing the once-mighty Heaven Dou Empire. Unwilling to submit, the remaining imperial family, soldiers, and civilians of the Dou Ling Empire had poured their entire nation's strength into setting sail across the boundless ocean. After weathering raging winds, towering waves, and perilous waters, they had discovered an entirely new, unknown continent. They drove out the indigenous inhabitants, occupied the land completely, and named it the Heaven Dou Continent, putting down roots and raising generations there.

Meanwhile, the Sun Moon Empire, which had remained on the Douluo Continent, rose rapidly through ever-advancing soul guidance technology, its national strength soaring. The neighboring Star Luo Empire declined by the day. Knowing it could not contend with the flourishing Sun Moon Empire, it followed the Dou Ling Empire's example, committing the whole nation's resources to a voyage across distant seas. It found another new continent and relocated its entire population.

The Star Luo Empire took every resource, text, and expert within its borders, leaving not a scrap of usable material for the Sun Moon Empire. It then named its newly occupied land the Star Luo Continent and later restructured itself into the Star Luo Federation.

From that point on, the Sun Moon Empire had no rivals left on the Douluo Continent. It unified the entire continent, renamed itself the Sun Moon Federation, and reigned supreme over Douluo's original homeland.

As for the Spirit Pagoda, it had endured steadily for ten thousand years since Huo Yuhao's ascension to the Divine Realm.

Its groundbreaking research into soul spirits had completely transformed the ancient practice of soul masters hunting soul beasts for soul rings, easing some of the conflicts between humans and soul beasts at the time. The Spirit Pagoda's prestige had risen like a boat on a swelling tide, and its standing now surpassed even Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect.

Its influence spanned the Douluo Continent, Heaven Dou Continent, and Star Luo Continent, with branch towers and institutions scattered throughout the world. It ranked among the foremost superpowers across all human territories.

Precisely because the Spirit Pagoda's influence reached every corner of the world, even a remote little city like Aolai City had an official Spirit Pagoda Branch, allowing local soul masters to select and fuse with soul spirits.

Before leaving that morning, Tang Wulin had returned to his bedroom alone and left a handwritten letter by the bed.

In the letter, he neither asked where she was going nor insisted that they meet again. He simply reminded Na'er gently to take good care of herself wherever she went and never let herself suffer. He also wrote down their home address and contact information, telling her that whenever she wished to return, she would always have a home here.

From beginning to end, he had never intended to ask Na'er where she was going or what mission she carried.

As a transmigrator familiar with the original story's main plot, he already knew why Na'er was leaving and what lay ahead of her. Asking would serve no purpose.

He accepted their parting calmly, certain in his heart that fate's pull would bring them together again one day.

Gathering his emotions, Tang Wulin set out with his father, Tang Ziran, for the Spirit Pagoda Branch Tower in Aolai City.

The Spirit Pagoda's doors were already open, and father and son entered side by side.

This was Tang Wulin's first time inside the Spirit Pagoda. Unable to conceal his curiosity, the boy instinctively looked around.

The Spirit Pagoda's hall was magnificent. Its floors and walls were lined entirely with smooth, lustrous white marble, gleaming and translucent, and the vast space stretched beyond sight. Closed, concealed doors dotted the edges of the hall, while deep corridors led to unknown destinations—Soul spirit cultivation rooms, testing rooms, or fusion rooms. A solemn, mysterious air permeated every corner.

At the service counter in the center of the hall sat a Spirit Transmitter dressed in a standard gray robe.

Noticing the father and son entering, the Spirit Transmitter stood and greeted them with a warm, professional smile. "Hello. How may I help you two?"

Tang Ziran stepped forward respectfully and answered, "Hello, honored Spirit Transmitter. I've brought my child here to purchase a suitable soul spirit."

At those words, much of the warmth instantly faded from the Spirit Transmitter's face, and a barely perceptible indifference entered his eyes.

On the rigidly hierarchical Douluo Continent, soul masters held a higher status than ordinary people from birth, a distinction that had long since become deeply rooted. Tang Ziran showed no trace of soul power fluctuations. As a mere ordinary man, he naturally did not receive the same respect from the Spirit Transmitter.

Tang Wulin watched silently and sighed inwardly.

Even after living three lives, he still struggled to fully accept this world's naked class divide. Yet he also knew that absolute fairness did not exist. Even the modern society of his previous life had offered only relative fairness, let alone this fantastical world of soul masters where strength reigned supreme.

Dispensing with further pleasantries, the Spirit Transmitter asked flatly, "Have you prepared the Federation Credits needed to purchase a soul spirit?"

"Yes," Tang Wulin immediately stepped forward and answered.

"What level of soul spirit would you like to purchase?"

With a steady gaze, Tang Wulin answered clearly, "I need a ten-year soul spirit."

The Spirit Transmitter looked up with interest and studied the boy before him. With neat, short azure hair, delicate, handsome features, and a straight posture, he was a very endearing little boy. The man raised an eyebrow, a touch of surprise entering his expression. "You're young, but you already know how soul spirits are classified."

"I just did a little research beforehand," Tang Wulin replied politely and modestly.

The Spirit Transmitter nodded and patiently explained the two basic soul spirit options and their prices. "Let me explain. Soul spirits suitable for low-level soul masters currently come in two grades: ten-year and hundred-year. There are seventy-three varieties of ten-year soul spirits to choose from, priced at seventy thousand Federation Credits. Hundred-year soul spirits have only eleven varieties available and cost one million Federation Credits. Which would you like?"

After hearing the prices, Tang Wulin drew a deep breath and gave his final answer without the slightest hesitation:

"We'll choose a ten-year soul spirit."

In fact, before coming to the Spirit Pagoda, Tang Wulin had already settled the matter with his father, Tang Ziran.

He had saved fifty thousand Federation Credits through three years of blood and sweat. His family also had a little set aside, so making up the remaining twenty thousand was not difficult. That brought them to exactly seventy thousand Federation Credits, enough to purchase a suitable ten-year soul spirit.

The Spirit Transmitter beckoned gently to Tang Wulin. "Come with me, little one. Your father can wait in the hall. Soul spirit fusion and spiritual power testing are matters reserved for soul masters. Ordinary people may not observe them at will."

This was an unwritten rule of the soul master world. Tang Ziran nodded in understanding and remained in the hall, watching the boy follow the Spirit Transmitter into an inner room.

The testing room lacked the hall's lavish marble decor. Instead, precision soul guidance instruments emitting faint blue light filled the room, their wiring neatly arranged. Every corner conveyed the cold rigor of modern soul guidance technology.

The Spirit Transmitter motioned for Tang Wulin to sit in the cold metal testing chair at the center, then asked, "Do you know why we must test spiritual power before fusing with a soul spirit?"

Tang Wulin answered calmly and unhurriedly, "The strength of a soul master's spiritual power determines the level and quality of soul spirits they can withstand and fuse with. If their spiritual power is insufficient and they force a fusion with a high-level soul spirit, their soul will be injured at best, or utterly scattered at worst."

That clear, precise, and knowledgeable answer brought an unmistakable flash of surprise to the Spirit Transmitter's eyes.

Knowledge about the compatibility of spiritual power and soul spirits was specialized material taught only at an Intermediate Soul Master Academy. The boy before him came from a remote elementary academy and, by all rights, should never have encountered it.

Noticing his surprise, Tang Wulin calmly added an explanation. "I read books on the subject while studying on my own at the Federation Public Library in Aolai City."

"The Federation library..." Realization dawned on the Spirit Transmitter. Looking Tang Wulin up and down, he said with a smile, "So you're that well-read child. A friend of mine works at the Federation library and told me some time ago about a very young child who had read almost every book there on soul master theory and general knowledge of the continent. I never expected it to be you."

Tang Wulin scratched his head sheepishly and gave an awkward smile, momentarily unsure how to respond.

Taking a liking to the earnest, intelligent boy before him, the Spirit Transmitter decided to explain the spiritual power realms in greater detail, offering him a little extra instruction:

"Many low-level soul masters neglect cultivating their spiritual power, believing soul power to be the foundation of everything. In truth, spiritual power is vital to a soul master. At lower levels, soul power alone can just barely sustain them, but once they enter the ranks of high-level soul masters, differences in spiritual power create a gulf in their combat strength. The stronger the soul spirit and the more domineering its bloodline, the greater its demands on its host's spiritual power."

He then slowly outlined the five spiritual power realms recognized throughout the continent, along with the supreme realm beyond them that existed only in legend:

"The spiritual power of ordinary people and soul masters is divided into five major realms, from lowest to highest: the Spirit Origin Realm, Spirit Connection Realm, Spirit Sea Realm, Spirit Abyss Realm, and Spirit Domain Realm. Beyond those lies a supreme realm that exists only in legend, forever beyond the reach of mortals—the Divine Origin Realm."

"Every one of us is born with spiritual power at the most basic Spirit Origin Realm. To improve it afterward, we must slowly temper it through meditation, secret methods, or special treasures of heaven and earth."

With that, the Spirit Transmitter raised his hand and activated the Soul Guidance Spiritual Power Detector before him. Its display slowly lit up. "All right, let's measure your spiritual power first."