Yang Chang'an walked with a spring in his step and soon reached the pavilion where he often met Fifth Uncle.
Weaving through the crowd, Yang Chang'an quickly arrived at the pavilion where he often met Fifth Uncle. He had only intended to try his luck, since it was already getting late, but when he reached the pavilion, a handsome, white-haired young man in blue was already waiting there. Who else could it be but Fifth Uncle?
Fifth Uncle had noticed him coming long ago. Seeing Yang Chang'an jog all the way over, he immediately curled his lips into a gentle smile and deliberately drew out his words to tease him:
"Well, look who finally decided to come back! I thought you'd forgotten your Fifth Uncle beyond the ninth heaven."
Hearing that, Yang Chang'an hurried over to the stone table, waving his hands earnestly as he offered an ingratiating smile.
"How could I, Fifth Uncle! Even if I forgot everyone else, I could never forget you! I just couldn't help it. I really couldn't get away this past month. The moment I had some time, I came straight over to see you."
Afraid Fifth Uncle still wouldn't believe him, Yang Chang'an quickly thumped his chest and continued, "Look, I didn't just come to see you. I even brought you some good stuff."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Chang'an began pulling things out of the soul tool he carried, one after another.
They were all local snacks he had made a point of buying in the towns and cities along the way: dried fruit, candied fruit, and several kinds of crisp pastries.
Before long, the stone table was piled high.
Fifth Uncle's eyes instantly lit up. He grinned, revealing a neat row of white teeth, then grabbed a few pastries and stuffed them into his mouth.
"At least you've got a conscience, brat. I haven't doted on you for nothing."
He praised Yang Chang'an between bites, his words muffled by the food.
With Fifth Uncle's status, what delicacy from the mountains or seas couldn't he have in Spirit City? These little snacks might be rare treats to others, but to him, they were hardly worth mentioning.
But when the person was different, the gifts naturally became different too.
Yang Chang'an sat opposite him, quietly watching Fifth Uncle eat with a look of utter contentment, and couldn't help smiling himself.
Come to think of it, he still couldn't quite figure out how old Fifth Uncle was. All he knew was that Fifth Uncle looked younger than his grandfather, Yang Wushuang, but was definitely much older in reality.
By that reckoning, Fifth Uncle had to be at least eighty.
Yet the man before him, white hair aside, had a face as youthful as a teenager's and an even younger heart. He loved games, snacks, and jokes, without a trace of an old man's stodginess.
There probably wasn't another elderly man in all of Spirit City with such a youthful outlook.
Once Fifth Uncle had eaten his fill, he picked up the tea beside him and took a couple of sips. He patted his stomach and leaned back on the stone stool in satisfaction, then his gaze grew serious again as he looked straight at Yang Chang'an.
"All right, we've eaten and had our drinks. Time to get down to business."
Yang Chang'an immediately sat up straight, knowing Fifth Uncle was about to get to the point.
Fifth Uncle watched him and spoke slowly, his voice much steadier. "Innate rank-nine soul power. Your talent is even better than I'd expected."
"I told you before that as long as your talent was good enough, I'd secure an extraordinary opportunity for you. Now it's time to keep that promise."
At those words, Yang Chang'an instantly perked up. His back went ramrod straight, and his eyes shone.
He had never forgotten that promise!
Fifth Uncle had told him that as long as his talent wasn't lacking, he would recommend him to a good place. Back then, he hadn't even awakened his martial soul. Now, not only had he awakened with innate rank-nine soul power, but his cultivation was almost at rank twelve.
Seeing his expectant expression, Fifth Uncle's lips quirked slightly, and he asked outright, "Your Yang Family has officially joined Spirit Hall now, so you've probably heard of the Purple Glory Training Camp, haven't you?"
Yang Chang'an's pupils contracted slightly. His expression immediately turned solemn, and he nodded without hesitation.
How could he not know about the Purple Glory Training Camp!
It was Spirit Hall's core institution dedicated to cultivating the younger generation. Calling it the cradle of Spirit Hall's geniuses would be no exaggeration.
Everyone who entered the Purple Glory Training Camp was a genius picked from ten thousand, or even a hundred thousand. Innate rank-seven soul power was merely the minimum threshold, and the actual selection criteria were even stricter. Everyone who emerged from it was a future powerhouse.
Moreover, the very best among its trainees would receive a Purple Record Medal.
Within Spirit Hall, that medal conferred a status even higher than that of a Black Bishop. Yang Chang'an remembered clearly that when the three geniuses known as Spirit Hall's Golden Generation were mentioned in the original story, their most dazzling distinction was that Purple Record Medal.
In other words, those three were the strongest representatives to emerge from the Purple Glory Training Camp.
At that thought, a faint suspicion was already taking shape in Yang Chang'an's mind.
Seeing him nod, Fifth Uncle dispensed with the preliminaries and asked directly, "Then do you want to get in?"
Yang Chang'an froze for a moment, his brows instinctively knitting.
To be honest, he didn't quite understand what Fifth Uncle meant.
With his innate rank-nine soul power, entering the Purple Glory Training Camp would hardly be difficult once his cultivation met the requirements. There was no need for Fifth Uncle to make a special recommendation.
More importantly-if he remembered correctly, didn't the Purple Glory Training Camp require applicants to be at least Soul Grandmasters?
Seeing the look on Yang Chang'an's face that plainly said, "Are you kidding me?" Fifth Uncle gave a light cough and hurried to explain:
"Ahem... well, don't misunderstand. I'm not asking you to join that training camp."
He paused, lowering his voice with a hint of mystery. "The Worship Hall is planning to gather a group of youngsters for intensive training, then send them over there to... exchange pointers with them. Yes, exchange pointers."
Yang Chang'an first went blank, then his pupils abruptly widened, and he nearly sprang off the stone stool in shock.
So when you asked whether I wanted to get in, you meant fight my way in?! Who in Spirit City doesn't know the Purple Glory Training Camp is Pope Bibi Dong's private turf? If I go challenge her people on her own ground, won't that madwoman set her sights on me?
How am I supposed to live in peace after that?
Shocked as he was, Yang Chang'an's heart suddenly sank. He had always assumed Fifth Uncle was, at most, some reclusive Elder from Spirit Hall's Elder Hall-someone of considerable standing, but not at the very top.
But from what Fifth Uncle had just said-the Worship Hall?
Unless he belonged to the Worship Hall, there was no way he could have obtained inside information like this, much less recommended Yang Chang'an for a team of youngsters organized specifically by the Worship Hall.
Fifth Uncle wasn't some ordinary Elder at all. He belonged to the Worship Hall!
Yang Chang'an's heart pounded, and he instinctively began studying Fifth Uncle closely.
Could Fifth Uncle be an Elder serving under the Worship Hall, or... an Enshrined himself!
At that thought, Yang Chang'an couldn't help taking another careful look at Fifth Uncle. Too many Titled Douluos had appeared on Spirit Hall's side late in the original story, many only fleetingly, while none of those who appeared earlier fit.
As for the Enshrined? Although the original story mentioned seven great Enshrined, only four were actually named: the Great Enshrined, Qian Daoliu; the Second Worship, Golden Crocodile Douluo; the Sixth Enshrined, Qianjun Douluo; and the Seventh Enshrined, Demon Subduing Douluo. The other three had never been named.
Yet Fifth Uncle matched none of those four named Enshrined, whether in appearance, bearing, martial soul, or manner of speech.
Then who exactly was Fifth Uncle?
Was he one of the three unnamed Enshrined, or did he have some other identity?
Fifth Uncle took in every change of expression, from surprise to confusion, then alarm, and finally wide-eyed curiosity. Amused, he curled his lips into an inscrutable smile and deliberately asked in a slightly teasing tone:
"Well? Want to give it a try? It'll be quite a thrill."
Yang Chang'an took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the towering waves in his heart. He sat there pondering for a long while before finally shaking his head slowly.
The fact was, this wasn't something a child like him could decide on a whim.
The Worship Hall and Pope Bibi Dong had never been of one mind, and the two sides had always been locked in a covert struggle.
If he agreed to Fifth Uncle's proposal without consulting anyone, joined the Worship Hall's team, and challenged the Purple Glory Training Camp, he would be placing himself directly against Bibi Dong.
When that happened, it wouldn't just be him. Yang Wushuang and the entire Yang and Niu families would suffer terrible misfortune along with him.
Fifth Uncle wasn't surprised in the slightest when Yang Chang'an shook his head in refusal. He merely shrugged indifferently and reminded him in a relaxed tone:
"I wasn't asking you to agree right now. You can go back and discuss it properly with your grandfather. Let the whole family decide together."
He paused, his gaze turning serious again as he emphasized each word:
"Remember this: for you and the entire Yang Family, this is a tremendous opportunity whose benefits far outweigh its drawbacks. Don't let it slip away lightly."
Yang Chang'an didn't answer immediately. He simply sat on the stone stool with his head lowered, saying nothing.