Why Don't You Look Behind Them?

Lin Yang and the others followed the man, soon arriving at the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City.

Nuoding City was only a small, remote city, so its Spirit Hall was naturally of the lowest rank, as the single-sword emblem above the entrance made clear.

The man turned around with a professional smile.

"We're here. Your friends can wait here for a moment while I take you inside."

"We all have business at Spirit Hall. They need to come in too."

"All right, then. Follow me."

The man nodded without another word, then turned to lead the way.

They entered the lobby. The staff inside merely glanced at them before lowering their heads and returning to work.

The man led the three straight up to the second floor and stopped before a door.

"Steward Zhang is already inside. Go on in."

With that, the man turned and went downstairs as though his task were complete.

Lin Yang looked around. This door was no different from the others apart from its number.

Before he could reach out to push it open, the door swung outward from within, revealing a middle-aged man with a thick, full beard.

"Steward Zhang, you wanted to see me?"

Lin Yang dispensed with pleasantries and went straight to the point.

Steward Zhang nodded and looked at Tang San and Xiao Wu behind him.

"And these two are?"

"Hello, my name is Tang San, and this is Xiao Wu. We're here for a Martial Soul level assessment."

Tang San stepped forward of his own accord and briefly explained why they had come.

Steward Zhang rubbed his stubbly chin and regarded Tang San thoughtfully.

"Tang San... the one that lad Su Yuntao was talking about a couple of days ago?"

He murmured the name but asked no further questions, stepping aside a little.

"All right, come on in."

"Zhang, is he here? Eh? Why are there three of them?"

Beyond the door was a tidy, bright office. An elderly man behind the desk set down his pen and looked up.

"Master Li, the long-haired boy in the middle is Lin Yang. Those beside him are his friends. Perhaps they'll give you an even bigger surprise."

Steward Zhang first cupped his hands respectfully toward the old man addressed as Master Li, then turned to the three.

"This is Master Li, a senior with extensive experience. He'll take over from here."

With that, Steward Zhang withdrew.

"Master Li, we're here to register as Soul Masters and have our soul power assessed."

Tang San cupped his hands respectfully as he spoke.

"Oh? You're already Soul Masters? Good, very good. Come with me, youngsters."

Master Li voiced his approval twice, then rose with a smile and headed out.

They arrived before a tall archway at the end of the second-floor corridor. Master Li pushed open the left-hand door and entered, with the others close behind.

Inside was a room of over two hundred square meters, lit by an enormous floor-to-ceiling window. The floor bore the same emblem as the entrance.

"This is the Martial Soul laboratory for advancement assessments. Who wants to go first?"

Master Li closed the door and stepped aside, smiling at them.

"I'll go first." Tang San was the first to step forward.

"Release your Martial Soul and Soul Ring."

At those words, Tang San raised his right hand, focused his mind, and steadied his breathing.

The next moment, countless thick strands of Blue Silver Grass surged forth, and a bright yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet.

"This is... Blue Silver Grass? And a hundred-year soul ring... is this the surprise Zhang mentioned?"

A flicker of astonishment crossed Master Li's face.

"What's your name, youngster?"

"Tang San."

"Tang San... you're the Blue Silver Grass wielder with innate full soul power that lad Su Yuntao kept talking about?"

Master Li looked at the Blue Silver Grass, far thicker than a finger, then at the yellow Soul Ring, his expression turning peculiar.

He took a crystal ball from the side and walked up to Tang San.

"Come, let's test you and see what level you are."

Tang San placed his hand on it. The next moment, a hazy yellow light shone forth, making even the drab room seem a little warmer.

"Level thirteen?!"

Master Li's expression had turned to outright shock, and he was just about to ask something.

"Excuse me, isn't it my turn now?"

Lin Yang's voice came from behind him. Only then did he rein in his expression a little and turn around.

"Oh, yes, of course. Release your Martial Soul so I can take a look. An eye Martial Soul-that's a rare thing indeed."

Though Master Li said that, his expression made it clear that most of his attention was still on Tang San.

Lin Yang paid it no mind. He drew a deep breath and closed his eyes.

The next moment, his eyes slowly opened, a pair of scarlet Two-Tomoe Sharingan replacing his original black eyes.

Within those scarlet eyes, two black tomoe slowly revolved in mirror symmetry, looking distinctly sinister.

Master Li gave a soft exclamation of surprise and stepped closer.

"Zhang said there was one tomoe, but now there are two. Has it mutated?"

That was not all. A deep yellow Soul Ring slowly rose from beneath Lin Yang's feet, and Master Li's eyes instantly widened.

"A Soul Ring over seven hundred years old? How is that possible?!"

Lin Yang sighed at his expression.

They say showing off feels great in the moment, so why did I find it so annoying?

He walked over to Tang San on his own, took the crystal ball from his hands, and poured soul power into it.

Yellow light shone once more, but this time its hue was a little deeper.

"Hmm? Level twelve. That's very good too, but the quality of this Soul Ring, and the strength of this soul power..."

Master Li stepped forward and took the crystal ball, analyzing something with a frown. Tang San's case had temporarily been cast out of his mind.

Lin Yang moved a few steps aside and pondered quietly.

Tang San's level thirteen came partly from the quality of his Soul Ring, and partly from years of practicing the Mysterious Heaven Skill, his long accumulation finally bearing fruit.

His own Soul Ring far surpassed Tang San's in quality, and the Sharingan's enhancement of soul power was not necessarily much weaker than the Mysterious Heaven Skill's.

But my soul power level was twelve. Was it because the quality was higher?

Master Li had probably thought of that possibility too. His furrowed brow relaxed, and a smile bloomed across his wrinkled old face once more.

"Good, very good! A few days later, and that old fellow Ma Xiunuo would have taken over from me. I'd have missed seeing such promising young talents."

He turned around, his expression growing a little more serious.

"You're both talents found only once in ten thousand. Would you be interested in joining our Spirit Hall?"

"With Spirit Hall nurturing you, you'll surely become great Soul Masters one day. What do you say?"

Master Li extended an olive branch. In his eyes, no one would turn down an invitation from Spirit Hall.

"Haven't you forgotten something?"

Lin Yang interrupted him.

"What?"

Master Li's expression froze for a moment before he looked behind the two boys.

A timid-looking girl stood there. She had not said a word since coming in, and Master Li had unconsciously overlooked her.

Looking at Xiao Wu, who stood silently with her head slightly lowered, Lin Yang thought of something.

"Little girl, I'm sorry. I got too excited. Come over here and release your Martial Soul."

Xiao Wu silently walked to the center of the emblem, and pink light began to bloom from her body.