Spirit City

In the blink of an eye, afternoon arrived.

After lunch, Lin Hao packed a few things at home.

Village chief Old Leo, along with the villagers and children of Golden Chrysanthemum Village, gathered to see him off.

Lin Hao waved goodbye to the village where he had always lived, to Grandpa Old Leo, and to all the uncles and aunties there, then climbed onto an ox cart.

The cart set off from Golden Chrysanthemum Village and headed toward Nuoding City.

After arriving in Nuoding City.

Lin Hao said goodbye to Uncle Niu Dali, who had driven the cart, then headed straight to the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City.

Nuoding City, Spirit Hall Branch.

As the head of the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City.

Ma Xiunuo was in his office, recording the information submitted by the deacons who had recently performed martial soul awakenings in the villages surrounding Nuoding City.

Suddenly, a deacon's excited voice rang out from beyond the door.

"Branch Head! Branch Head!"

"Wonderful news! Wonderful news!"

Ma Xiunuo paused at the sound, then frowned.

"What is it? Why are you making such a fuss?"

"This is a Spirit Hall Branch. Mind your behavior!"

But the deacon still could not contain his excitement.

"Branch Head!"

"A child named Lin Hao has come. He says he wants to join our Spirit Hall and study in Spirit City."

"And his martial soul is actually the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, with innate full soul power!"

"That's the very same martial soul as His Eminence Chrysanthemum Douluo of our Spirit Hall-the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum!"

"What?!"

Ma Xiunuo shot to his feet, his eyes widening, his face filled with shock and disbelief.

A moment later, that gave way to excitement and delight.

"Take me to him at once!"

Led by the deacon.

Ma Xiunuo soon reached a room and met Lin Hao, who was waiting there. A kindly smile immediately spread across his face as he asked.

"Child!"

"My name is Ma Xiunuo, and I am the head of the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City."

"I hear your martial soul is the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, with innate full soul power, and that you wish to join our Spirit City."

"Is that correct?"

"Yes!"

Lin Hao stood up and spoke with admiration written across his face.

"My name is Lin Hao. I've always held the great Spirit Hall in deep reverence."

"If the great Spirit Hall didn't send deacons to perform martial soul awakenings for commoner children like us."

"We would never have a chance to change our fate in our entire lives!"

"So I hope to join Spirit Hall and repay that great kindness. Please allow it, Branch Head Ma Xiunuo!"

Ma Xiunuo had not expected Lin Hao to be so grateful, and he was rather moved.

"To think there are still good children like you in this world who remember and repay kindness."

"But sending soul masters to help the continent's commoners awaken their martial souls is only what we ought to do."

"Even without our Spirit Hall, other powers would surely do the same."

Not necessarily!

That was Lin Hao's inward response to Ma Xiunuo's words.

He could only feel that the people of Spirit Hall set their moral standards far too high.

At least, as far as he knew, in the era of Peerless Tang Sect ten thousand years later.

After Spirit Hall's destruction, no soul master organization performed martial soul awakenings for commoners free of charge anymore.

Instead, they charged exorbitant fees, practically wishing they could squeeze three generations of those mud-legged peasants' purses dry before helping them awaken their martial souls!

Even a genius like Jiang Nannan had to sell herself to save her mother.

As for other commoners, there was no need to say more!

"Our Spirit Hall has always welcomed talented people. Since you wish to join us, little Hao, we naturally have no reason to refuse."

"I hear your martial soul is the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, with innate full soul power."

"With your talent, you qualify to study at our junior Soul Master Academy in Spirit City."

"Tomorrow, I'll personally take you to Spirit City and recommend you for admission to our Spirit Hall and its junior Soul Master Academy."

Ma Xiunuo gently stroked the snowy-white beard beneath his chin as he spoke with a warm chuckle.

Afterward, Ma Xiunuo arranged for Lin Hao to stay temporarily at the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City.

That evening, he even treated Lin Hao to a lavish dinner at an upscale restaurant in Nuoding City.

The next day.

Ma Xiunuo hired a carriage and personally escorted Lin Hao out of Nuoding City.

After two or three days on the road.

They finally arrived in Spirit City.

After entering Spirit City.

Ma Xiunuo led Lin Hao toward the hill at the city's center.

This hill was the heart of Spirit City.

Atop it stood both the Pope Hall and Douluo Hall, Spirit Hall's two highest administrative bodies.

In addition, the Genius Recommendation Office, where Spirit Hall Branches from across the land brought talented children to register for admission to Spirit Hall, stood at the foot of this hill.

With Ma Xiunuo leading the way.

Lin Hao arrived at the Genius Recommendation Office.

Inside its main hall stood several heads of Spirit Hall Branches from other regions, each accompanied by the talented boys and girls they were recommending.

These boys and girls were lined up before a desk.

When they saw Ma Xiunuo and Lin Hao enter.

Both the other branch heads and the talented boys and girls they had brought could not help frowning.

Ma Xiunuo looked presentable enough.

But Lin Hao was an orphan who had grown up eating at the villagers' tables in Golden Chrysanthemum Village. His clothes were covered in patches, marking him as a commoner at a glance.

He looked utterly out of place among the other talented boys and girls in the hall.

Who is this guy?

His clothes are covered in patches. He's obviously some mud-legged peasant.

He'd be lucky to have innate soul power above rank five.

But to be recommended to the Genius Recommendation Office, you need innate soul power of at least rank seven!

Could a mud-legged peasant like him really have innate soul power of rank seven or higher?

Inside the hall.

The talented boys and girls looked at Lin Hao with nothing but contempt and disdain in their hearts.

At that moment, behind the desk in the Genius Recommendation Office.

A Cardinal sat examining the martial souls and innate soul power of the talented boys and girls recommended for admission to Spirit Hall, checking whether they met the requirements.

"Lin Ao, is it?"

"Summon your martial soul!"

When it was the turn of a boy dressed in fine black clothes, whose reasonably handsome face bore an exceptionally arrogant expression.

The Grand Cardinal asked his name, then gave that instruction.

At his words, the boy named Lin Ao let out a low shout and summoned a Gale Demon Wolf amid a burst of azure light.

"Martial soul: Gale Demon Wolf!"

After recording his martial soul, the Grand Cardinal continued.

"Come, let's test your soul power."

The test showed that this boy named Lin Ao had innate soul power of rank seven.

"Innate soul power of rank seven, martial soul: Gale Demon Wolf."

"Not bad! You meet our Spirit Hall's requirements for talented recruits. Go sit over there for now!"

"Once enough people have passed, we'll arrange for someone to take you all to the academy together."

The Grand Cardinal nodded and pointed toward the rows of seats nearby, telling Lin Ao to sit there for the time being.

Seeing that the talented child he had brought had been accepted by the Genius Recommendation Office.

The head of the Spirit Hall Branch who had brought Lin Ao to Spirit City could not help brimming with excitement and delight.

Because once the talented child he brought was accepted by the Genius Recommendation Office.

He would not only receive a substantial reward.

He would also receive priority consideration when a higher-ranking position became vacant!

However, on his way toward the sofas.

As he passed near Ma Xiunuo and Lin Hao.

Lin Ao suddenly stopped, folded his arms across his chest, and lifted his head to look at Lin Hao, speaking with pronounced arrogance.

"Where did you come from?"

"This is Spirit Hall's Genius Recommendation Office. You need innate soul power of at least rank seven to qualify for admission."

"This isn't a place for a mud-legged peasant like you!"