Buying a soul spirit 2

The Spirit Transmitter stepped forward and gently fitted a precision soul-tool scanner, contoured to the shape of the head, onto Tang Wulin's head.

A second later, the large digital soul-tool display before them lit up. The white numbers representing his spiritual power began racing upward.

1, 2, 3... They soared straight up, breaking past seventy in the blink of an eye without the slightest sign of slowing, before finally settling firmly at 99.

Just as the reading stabilized and both of them focused on the result, an exceedingly faint glimmer of blue-gold light flashed silently in the depths of Tang Wulin's Sea of Consciousness. It unobtrusively suppressed his true, off-the-charts spiritual power, deliberately lowering the reading and concealing his terrifying spiritual reserves, which far exceeded those of ordinary people.

Neither Tang Wulin nor the Spirit Transmitter beside him noticed this secret suppression of his score.

After a long moment, the Spirit Transmitter sucked in a cold breath and stared at the boy in disbelief. His voice was full of astonishment. "I never imagined your spiritual power would be so outstanding. You've already reached the late stage of the spirit origin realm, only one step away from breaking into the spirit connection realm. With spiritual power like yours, you could easily withstand even a direct fusion with a hundred-year soul spirit, without placing any strain on your mind or soul."

He simply could not understand why a child with level-five innate soul power and the trash martial soul Blue Silver Grass possessed such formidable spiritual power.

Once the spiritual power test was over, the Spirit Transmitter led a slightly stirred Tang Wulin out of the testing room and into a much larger soul spirit storeroom nearby.

This room was far larger than the testing room. Rows of shelves stood neatly inside, packed with perfectly clear, sealed glass jars. Each jar held a smooth, softly glowing soul spirit orb, with faint lights of various colors slowly swirling within. Their forms varied widely—these were all sorts of ten-year soul spirits awaiting selection.

The Spirit Transmitter approached a shelf of plant-type soul spirits and pointed to a slender, green orb, patiently introducing it. "Your martial soul is Blue Silver Grass, a plant-type control martial soul, so this ten-year solitary bamboo is an excellent match. Lone bamboo is naturally tough and extremely resilient. Fusing with it would greatly improve the flexibility and binding strength of your Blue Silver Grass, perfectly complementing your control-type martial soul."

Hearing the soul spirit's name, Tang Wulin's heart gave a jolt, and he could not help launching into a furious inward complaint:

Ten-year solitary bamboo?

Damn, why did I have to run into this soul spirit of all things? I don't want to learn pole vaulting.

Tang Wulin gently shook his head, plainly rejecting the ten-year solitary bamboo soul spirit.

The Spirit Transmitter did not press him. With a calm expression, he continued introducing the other plant-type soul spirits on the shelf one by one.

"This one is a ten-year life flower soul spirit. Its greatest advantage is its extraordinarily vigorous vitality. Apart from Blue Silver Grass, it is the most tenacious plant-type soul beast on the entire continent. Fusing with it can slightly improve your self-healing ability, making it very suitable for soul masters focused on endurance."

Tang Wulin remained unmoved. He listened quietly without speaking.

The Spirit Transmitter pointed to a beast-type soul spirit orb nearby, glowing with pale green light. "This is a ten-year wind baboon soul spirit. There's actually a bit of history behind it. The founder of the Spirit Pagoda, Lord Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao, had a ten-year wind baboon soul ring as his first soul ring in his early years. That gives this soul spirit considerable commemorative significance."

Tang Wulin's expression remained impassive, but he could not help silently scoffing inwardly.

A ten-year wind baboon?

Who doesn't know that Huo Yuhao's first soul ring wasn't an ordinary wind baboon at all? It was clearly the million-year soul beast Sky Dream Ice Silkworm in disguise. The whole thing was one colossal misunderstanding from beginning to end.

Yet his face betrayed nothing. He remained calm throughout, showing not the slightest hint of anything unusual.

Seeing that none of these satisfied him, the Spirit Transmitter simply walked to the farthest corner of the shelf and picked up a dull, utterly unremarkable soul spirit orb. The orb inside the glass jar was dim and plain, with nothing eye-catching about it.

"This last one is the most ordinary ten-year Blue Silver Grass soul spirit."

Looking at the soul spirit, the Spirit Transmitter's tone grew somewhat flatter as he explained honestly, "As far as distinguishing features go, it has practically no special abilities. The only thing worth mentioning is its naturally tenacious vitality. Even now, the Spirit Pagoda's research department has yet to discover any additional skills in an ordinary Blue Silver Grass soul spirit."

Then the Spirit Transmitter abruptly changed tack. Looking at Tang Wulin, he offered a highly tempting perk. "However, if you insist on choosing this Blue Silver Grass soul spirit, I can take it upon myself to give you a substantial discount. For the same seventy thousand Federation Credits, I'll replace it with a hundred-year Blue Silver Grass soul spirit."

At those words, Tang Wulin's pupils contracted slightly, and genuine surprise appeared on his face.

A hundred-year soul spirit had a market price of a full million Federation Credits. Getting a hundred-year Blue Silver Grass soul spirit for the price of a ten-year one was an enormous bargain.

Watching the boy's astonishment, the Spirit Transmitter's eyes filled with a hint of amusement as he slowly explained why:

"There's no need to be surprised. Blue Silver Grass grows all over the Douluo Continent. You can find it anywhere, in numbers beyond counting, so it has very little value. According to the Spirit Pagoda's research, ten-year, hundred-year, and even thousand-year Blue Silver Grass soul spirits have almost no differences in their abilities. None possess a unique soul skill. Only ten-thousand-year Blue Silver Grass develops rudimentary intelligence and begins to show slight differences in its abilities."

"Moreover, ever since the Spirit Pagoda was founded, not a single soul master has ever chosen a Blue Silver Grass soul spirit for their first soul ring. Everyone believes that pairing a precious first soul ring slot with useless Blue Silver Grass is nothing but a waste of their soul ring's potential. That's why nobody ever asks for this soul spirit, and we've built up a large stockpile."

"It's just sitting unused anyway. I might as well do you a convenient favor and exchange it for a hundred-year Blue Silver Grass soul spirit at a low price."

The Spirit Transmitter still wore a mild, easy smile. He appeared to be kindly offering a discount, but in truth, he was making careful calculations.

He had never been purely kindhearted; he merely had his own interests tucked away in his heart.

Hundred-year Blue Silver Grass soul spirits were worthless surplus stock that nobody in the pagoda wanted, piled up like mountains. Headquarters would never notice one missing, let alone investigate or hold anyone accountable.

Left in the storeroom, this useless hundred-year Blue Silver Grass soul spirit would only keep gathering dust until it went completely to waste.

But now, by charging Tang Wulin seventy thousand Federation Credits—the price of a ten-year soul spirit—he could pocket the entire sum as personal income without handing any of it over to the pagoda.

If a man doesn't look out for himself, heaven and earth will strike him down.

Looking at the innocent, astonished boy before him, the Spirit Transmitter chuckled inwardly:

Child, it looks as though you've picked up an enormous bargain, buying a hundred-year soul spirit for the price of a ten-year one and gaining a higher-quality soul spirit.

Meanwhile, I get seventy thousand Federation Credits in spending money for nothing and clear out some useless surplus stock without losing a thing.

You get a hundred-year soul spirit, and I get seventy thousand credits. We both get what we need—it's a win-win deal.

Tang Wulin lowered his eyes, his mind racing as he calmly weighed this deal that seemed like a pie falling out of the sky.

There was no such thing as a free lunch.

The other party was charging only seventy thousand Federation Credits for a hundred-year soul spirit with a market price of a million. There had to be hidden risks involved.

He instantly recalled the Federation's explicit laws on soul spirit transactions: once a soul spirit had been sold and taken beyond the Spirit Pagoda's doors, the buyer alone bore all subsequent risks, including fusion backlash, martial soul rejection, and soul spirit mutations. The Spirit Pagoda accepted no responsibility whatsoever; furthermore, once the transaction was complete, the Spirit Pagoda had no right to reclaim the soul spirit it had sold.

With that rule clear in his mind, Tang Wulin finally set aside his last trace of concern.

Putting all the potential pitfalls aside, this transaction was still a sure profit with no loss—a tiny investment for a tremendous return.

At the same time, he completely ruled out the original story's method of randomly drawing a mystery-box soul spirit.

A mystery-box draw depended entirely on luck. The odds were nebulous and utterly beyond his control. His original-story self had luckily drawn a defective ten-year soul spirit, whose later evolution depended entirely on the Golden Dragon King bloodline forcibly stimulating it. The whole process was full of uncertainty and extremely risky.

Even though that defective soul spirit ultimately transformed, it had never been the best match for his martial soul.

The hundred-year Blue Silver Grass soul spirit before him, however, shared the same roots and origin as his Blue Silver Grass martial soul. There was no risk of martial soul rejection whatsoever. It could also directly replenish the Blue Silver Grass's source power, gradually driving the evolution of his trash martial soul and perfectly meeting all his present and future needs.

Rather than gambling on an unknown mystery-box soul spirit, securing a hundred-year Blue Silver Grass perfectly attuned to him was the best path.

With that thought, Tang Wulin hesitated no longer. He looked up at the Spirit Transmitter and spoke crisply, without a trace of uncertainty. "I choose this hundred-year Blue Silver Grass soul spirit."

As his words fell, a shrewd gleam flashed through the Spirit Transmitter's eyes. He secretly rejoiced, but maintained his mild, harmless expression, quietly concealing his intention to pocket the money.

Once the deal was settled, the Spirit Transmitter led Tang Wulin into the final secluded room.

This room was likewise packed with glass soul spirit storage jars, their colorful orbs sealed quietly inside as light and shadow drifted around them. Yet it lacked the orderly arrangement of the front room and felt secluded and concealed—just right for this private transaction that could not be made public.

The Spirit Transmitter walked straight to the very back of the room, reached into an inconspicuous hidden storage compartment in the corner, and retrieved a softly glowing, pale-yellow soul spirit orb from a nook covered in a thin layer of dust.

This was the unmistakable color of a genuine hundred-year soul spirit. Its glow was subdued, without the slightest powerful aura, and it seemed no different from weeds beside the road.

He handed the hundred-year Blue Silver Grass soul spirit orb directly to Tang Wulin. All warmth vanished from his expression, and he lowered his voice, a hint of severity entering it. "Absorb and fuse with it right here."

After a pause, the Spirit Transmitter stared into Tang Wulin's eyes and solemnly warned him, "Remember, I never saw you today, and you never saw me. Understand?"

Tang Wulin's thoughts shifted, and he instantly understood the Spirit Transmitter's intentions completely.

He gently shook his head without betraying anything, his eyes clear as he offered a cooperative reply. "Did I come to the Spirit Pagoda today? No. I only came over here for a spiritual power test."

One sang, the other echoed; neither needed to spell it out.

The boy's understanding and perceptiveness, far beyond those of his peers, immediately eased the Spirit Transmitter's mind, and his tense expression relaxed.

He said no more, stepping back twice to give Tang Wulin space. He motioned for him to sit cross-legged and begin the soul spirit fusion without worry. "Begin. Calm your mind and guide your soul power to draw in the soul spirit. With me here to guard you, nothing will go wrong."

Tang Wulin tightened his grip on the warm yellow soul spirit orb, slowly closed his eyes, and sat cross-legged.

Tang Wulin extended his small hand and gently pressed it against the softly glowing yellow soul spirit orb, opening his palm upward.

With a thought, the gentle, sustained soul power of his Blue Silver Grass surged through his meridians. Wisps of pale-blue, phantom grass leaves slowly spread from his palm.

The hundred-year Blue Silver Grass soul spirit, previously silent and lifeless inside the orb, seemed to sense a higher, more primordial aura deep within his bloodline and involuntarily drew closer to Tang Wulin's fingertips.

The martial soul and soul spirit, sharing the same origin, attracted each other. The two stalks of Blue Silver Grass, one inside and one outside, slowly joined and began gradually fusing into one.

A gentle yellow halo slowly enveloped Tang Wulin's entire body. A hazy thought, so faint it was almost imperceptible, passed from the soul spirit into his consciousness. This Blue Silver Grass soul spirit possessed extremely little intelligence and no self-awareness, retaining only the pure source power of vegetation.

Tang Wulin opened his mind completely, accepting this soul spirit attuned to his very nature without reservation.

The next instant, vast soul power swept through every limb and bone, filling every gap at his level-ten bottleneck. His soul power surged wildly, breaking straight through its shackles and soaring to level eleven.

A solid, evenly formed yellow hundred-year soul ring slowly rose from beneath his feet and circled steadily around him, its glow soft and restrained.

At the same time, Tang Wulin's own Blue Silver Grass martial soul quietly transformed. Its originally thin, ordinary blue stems were instantly covered in fine, dazzling golden patterns. The golden light vanished in a flash, but the entire stalk visibly grew thicker and tougher, its vitality multiplying.

A sudden change erupted.

An inexplicable, restless heat exploded deep within his dantian and swept through his meridians into his entire body. His skin rapidly grew hot as waves of heat surged through him—nothing like the sensations a normal soul spirit fusion should cause.

Tang Wulin's brows abruptly knitted, his heart filled with bewilderment and surprise.

Something's wrong. This isn't a normal soul spirit fusion reaction at all.

The burning grew increasingly intense. His meridians felt as though they were being scorched by flames, sending out waves of stabbing pain. He clenched his teeth and silently endured the discomfort surging through him, not daring to let his concentration waver for fear that a mistake during fusion would damage the foundation of his martial soul.

The Spirit Transmitter guarding him nearby also immediately noticed the abnormality, and his expression changed sharply.

The boy's soul power fluctuations were chaotic, and his blood and vital energy were roiling restlessly—clear signs that the fusion had gone wrong. He instinctively stepped forward to interrupt the process, but his fingertips abruptly stopped in midair.

Soul spirit fusion was extremely perilous. Forcibly interrupting it could very well destroy Tang Wulin's martial soul and meridians outright, completely ending his path as a soul master.

Caught between advancing and retreating, the Spirit Transmitter could only watch anxiously, powerless to help.

Fortunately, the sudden burning pain did not last long. As the Golden Dragon King bloodline began circulating on its own, quietly digesting and refining the hundred-year Blue Silver Grass soul spirit, the restless heat gradually subsided, and the chaotic soul power stabilized completely.

A complete, bright yellow hundred-year soul ring floated steadily around Tang Wulin, its glow gentle and settled.

Tang Wulin let out a long breath of stale air and slowly opened his eyes. They were clear and bright, like flawless sapphires, with a faint, nearly imperceptible golden glimmer lingering in their depths.

The fusion with his first soul spirit was fully complete.

The yellow soul ring around him slowly withdrew into his body, and his restless soul power settled entirely. Tang Wulin gathered his thoughts and slowly stood up.

He bowed slightly to the Spirit Transmitter beside him, whose expression still carried a hint of gravity. With impeccable courtesy, he thanked him sincerely. "Thank you for guarding me just now, honored Spirit Transmitter. I'm completely fine now."

Though the unexpected disturbance during fusion had left the man too worried to intervene rashly, he had remained beside him and watched over him throughout. Tang Wulin ought to thank him for that consideration.

The Spirit Transmitter came back to his senses. Looking at the unharmed boy, his brows remained slightly furrowed, his heart full of confusion.

The boy's chaotic soul power and burning blood during fusion had clearly indicated rejection. Yet not only had he safely overcome it, his soul power had even broken through, and his martial soul's aura had become stronger and more restrained. Despite probing with his spiritual power, the Spirit Transmitter could find no source for the abnormality.

Suppressing his doubts, he waved a hand, his expression turning aloof again as he reminded him once more, "As long as you're fine. Remember, both of us must keep our lips sealed about what happened today."

"I understand." Tang Wulin nodded in agreement, knowing that this private transaction had now come to a definitive close.