Once the soul ring had been fully absorbed, Leng Xiyue returned to reality.
The first thing she did upon returning was take out the storage device the system had rewarded her with.
This storage device was not a piece of equipment like a ring or necklace, but a sticker so thin she could barely feel it-or perhaps a tattoo. It had almost no texture to the touch, and whether she wanted to retrieve or store an item, she only needed to bring the sticker close to it.
Aside from that, it interfered with no other functions, nor did it affect the release of psionic energy. Leng Xiyue therefore stuck it directly onto her right palm, then hurriedly put the dagger away.
Who knew what might happen in a moment? Putting it away first was the safest choice.
Then she quickly used the simulation module to turn the black soul ring yellow before summoning it, making it look as though she had only just finished absorbing it.
"Little girl, you're awake?" Seeing that Leng Xiyue had finished absorbing the ring, Wang Yan walked over. But when he saw that the soul ring around her was merely yellow, he could not help freezing.
Strange. Wasn't the one she absorbed just now clearly black?
"Um... mister, did you need something?" Leng Xiyue put on a vacant expression and asked a question she already knew the answer to.
Whether he could accept the fact that black had turned to yellow or not, as long as she kept using a yellow soul ring, nobody would believe him even if he went around saying her first soul ring came from a ten-thousand-year soul beast. Instead, they would take him for a fool trying to exaggerate his own accomplishments.
It was precisely because no third person was present that she had dared to absorb it right in front of him.
"Ahem. Here's the thing. I'm sure you know you're quite talented, and I'd like to take you back to Spirit City." Wang Yan did not beat around the bush, stating his purpose outright.
He was a smart man. Whatever had turned that soul ring yellow had nothing to do with him. Innate full soul power was enough.
"What if I don't go? Are you going to tie me up and drag me back?" Leng Xiyue asked in return.
"Of course I wouldn't stop you. Spirit Hall isn't a gang of bandits, after all." Wang Yan spread his hands, then said with feigned nonchalance, "You'd merely be giving up the chance to become the Supreme Pontiff's disciple directly, an endless supply of cultivation resources, and the right to be appointed Holy Maiden at eighteen and become the next Supreme Pontiff. Everyone has their own aspirations, after all. Some people lick blood from the edge of a blade every day just to earn a little money for cultivation resources, and no matter how talented they are, they end up as nothing more than a Soul King or Soul Emperor in their old age."
"And then there are those who have a chance to ascend to the heavens in a single step, yet insist on wandering instead... ah, truly lamentable."
"Holy crap, the benefits are that good?" Leng Xiyue was instantly stunned.
After all, although Bibi Dong had taken Hu Liena as her disciple, she had not immediately become a candidate for Holy Maiden. By the time she became Holy Maiden, she was already twenty-five. It had been quite an arduous journey.
And that was only because there were no other candidates with comparable talent. Otherwise, she probably would have had to endure a power struggle as well.
But thinking it over, it made sense. In the first Douluo story, there were only six named characters with innate full soul power. Excluding the overpowered Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Qian Renxue, that left just three. Receiving such attention was only natural.
She was only six now. If Spirit Hall poured resources into her during this golden period for cultivation, her path would undoubtedly be exceptionally smooth.
Yet such a lofty position, combined with the peculiar nature of her cultivation system, would make her stand out like a crane among chickens. A bunch of old monsters might even seize her to study her.
If she had some strength, that would be one thing-at least she could run. But with nothing to her name right now, if she were captured, even Xiao Bai probably could not save her, could she?
Seeing that Leng Xiyue was somewhat tempted, Wang Yan chuckled and continued coaxing her. "I guarantee there's nowhere better than Spirit Hall. With your talent, you'd probably live more comfortably there than those imperial princesses."
"So even those wandering orphans who aren't suited for combat have to go through that trial of raising venomous creatures to devour one another?" Leng Xiyue narrowed her eyes, abruptly changing the subject as her expression grew unfriendly.
What Hu Liena and Xie Yue had suffered still rankled with her.
Wang Yan had not expected Leng Xiyue to care so much about this, but he still said, "Of course not. From their perspective, the atmosphere we create is indeed terrifying and hopeless. In reality, though, once it begins, we quietly take away those whose martial souls aren't particularly suited for combat. In the future, they only need to contribute their bricks and tiles to Spirit Hall's prosperity. We send them to dedicated orphanages or find suitable families to adopt them. There's no need to devote extensive resources to training them. As for the remaining Battle Soul Masters, naturally, we have to be a little stricter."
"And that so-called strictness won't cost them their lives. It's more about tempering their character. If they truly reach their limits and can't hold on, we rescue them, then rank them according to how long they survived. That determines how much priority they receive when resources are allocated in the future. Some great families also select children to adopt based on these rankings and their overall performance. You can imagine what their prospects would be afterward."
At this point, a trace of envy appeared on Wang Yan's face. Being adopted by a great family would already give them a considerably better standing than his own origins at the bottom of Spirit City.
"Trials like this are also an essential part of the curriculum at Spirit Hall Academy. By then, they'll be even harsher than this, and nobody will be watching over them. If they die, they really die. If they can't even accept a test at this level, how will they fight Evil Soul Masters in the future? Or murderous maniacs and lawless villains? And what about dealing with savage soul beasts?"
"As for those who use this opportunity to deliberately seek out and kill others so the trial will end sooner, we consider them to have already shown the potential to become Evil Soul Masters and evildoers. We won't keep people like that. If you hadn't acted then, I would have killed them myself. The others we've marked will also be quietly purged once the competition ends."
"That's also why there are no rules. Only without rules will they reveal their true nature, allowing us to distinguish between them and screen them."
"...I see." After hearing his explanation, Leng Xiyue nodded in satisfaction. She had wondered about this before, too. How could Spirit Hall possibly waste talent? They claimed only a hundred people would remain, but wasn't it entirely up to them when the trial ended? There was enormous room for behind-the-scenes manipulation.
If a Soul King like Wang Yan was assigned to watch over geniuses on Hu Liena and Xie Yue's level, then those watching the others had to be at least Soul Ancestors. The level of protection was remarkably high, showing just how seriously Spirit Hall took these children's safety.
Every soul master capable of fighting was exceedingly valuable, but a greenhouse could not nurture elite warriors hardened for battle. For these wandering orphans of humble origins, a survival trial like this was clearly very necessary.
Putting every person's talents to full use and making the most of every resource to maximize returns-that was what Spirit Hall wanted.
Wang Yan could not possibly be deceiving her about this. After all, he wanted to take her back to Spirit City. Lying to her about such common knowledge would undoubtedly turn her against him outright.
Before you continue