He knew full well that the ancient bloodline from Nidhogg within his body was the finest nourishment a Spirit Soul could have.
Once a Spirit Soul completed its fusion with him, his bloodline power could slowly nourish and transform it.
What was more, the lower a Spirit Soul's grade, the cleaner its foundation, and the greater the chance that his bloodline could thoroughly permeate it in the future, shaping it into a form uniquely his own.
"Knock, knock, knock-"
A soft knock sounded, and the director's gentle voice came through the door. "Little Lu, how is it going? Are you ready?"
Lu Chen immediately broke into a bright smile and answered crisply, "All ready, Mama Director!"
As he spoke, he nimbly hurried toward the door. Before leaving, he remembered to turn and wave at Na'er, his eyes curving as he promised, "Be good, Na'er. When I come back, I'll bring you a skewer of candied hawthorns-the sweetest kind!"
"I'll wait for you, big brother!" Na'er stood where she was, smiling and waving, yet a barely perceptible trace of wistfulness hid in her eyes.
Lu Chen ran outside in a few strides and immediately spotted the director standing under the corridor roof. With practiced familiarity, he reached out his small hand and clasped hers.
"Let's go, Mama Director. We're off to the Spirit Pagoda!"
The director stroked his soft hair, her palm carrying a reassuring warmth. Over the past three years, she had witnessed every bit of Lu Chen's hard work.
While other children were still playing to their hearts' content, he had kept working diligently at forging. He was so sensible at such a young age that it made her heart ache.
But looking at the thirty thousand in Lu Chen's hands, which he had spent three years saving, she felt a pang of sorrow.
That money was only enough for the lowest-tier random Spirit Soul draw. He was still seventy thousand federal coins short of even a somewhat decent ten-year Spirit Soul.
She had long since poured her entire life's savings into the orphanage, making it one of the best in Aolai City. Where could she find any spare money to make up the difference for Lu Chen?
The thought left the director's chest feeling tight. She could only sigh inwardly. This child deserved better.
Lu Chen understood it all as clearly as a polished mirror. From beginning to end, he never once mentioned asking the orphanage to help pay. Instead, he remained cheerful, without the slightest sign of dejection.
Before long, the two arrived at the Spirit Pagoda.
The tower could hardly be called imposing. It was only three stories tall, and the paint on its outer walls was already peeling in places.
The spirit master at the reception desk glanced up at them. When he saw the director's plain attire and Lu Chen's clothes, washed so often they had faded, he could not hide the indifference in his eyes.
The director stepped forward, tapped the counter, and said politely, "Hello. We're here to buy a Spirit Soul for this child."
The spirit master gave a languid reply and tapped his fingers idly against the counter. "All right, we have three tiers here. Thirty thousand federal coins gets you a random Spirit Soul draw. A hundred thousand buys you a guaranteed ten-year Spirit Soul. For a million, you can take home a hundred-year Spirit Soul. Which do you want?"
No sooner had he finished than Lu Chen tilted his little face up and answered brightly, "Uncle, we want the thirty-thousand one!"
As he spoke, he carefully took out a cloth bundle and opened it. Inside were neatly arranged stacks of money in various denominations, large and small, totaling exactly thirty thousand.
When he handed over the money, his eyes shone remarkably brightly, holding an unmistakable resolve.
The spirit master looked at the pile of small bills, then at Lu Chen's stubborn little face. He froze for a moment before letting out an involuntary sigh, his tone softening somewhat:
"Child, I have to warn you. With a random Spirit Soul draw, you might get a hundred-year Spirit Soul if you're lucky. But if you're unlucky, you could draw a defective product from a failed attempt at making an artificial Spirit Soul. Its Soul Power would be thin, and it would be unstable."
"A defective product?" Lu Chen blinked in feigned surprise and pressed him with a puzzled expression.
"Waste left over when an attempt to create a Spirit Soul fails," the spirit master explained flatly.
Lu Chen bit his lip, quickly weighing the orphanage's difficulties and the little money he had to his name.
Then he raised his head and said with particular seriousness, "Uncle, I'll take this draw. I can't cause trouble for Mama Director or the orphanage."
"Ah, what a good child." The last trace of impatience in the spirit master's heart vanished, and his gaze softened. He reached out and patted Lu Chen's head. "Come on. I'll take you to test your Spiritual Power first. That's a required step before drawing a Spirit Soul."
With that, he took Lu Chen by the hand and led him into a room farther inside.
The room looked quite plain, but it held many strange instruments. Most conspicuous was a metal chair that looked cold and uninviting.
The spirit master had Lu Chen sit in it. As he adjusted the equipment, he asked with a smile, "Little fellow, do you know why we have to test your Spiritual Power before you draw a Spirit Soul?"
Lu Chen nodded and answered clearly, "My teacher said that fusing with a Spirit Soul requires enough Spiritual Power to support it. Otherwise, it's very likely to fail."
"That's right." The spirit master smiled approvingly. "All right, don't be nervous. Just relax your whole body."
As soon as he finished speaking, the helmet on the chair gently settled onto Lu Chen's head. A faint hum sounded, and a soft white light lit up across its surface.
Strings of data flickered rapidly across the soul-guided screen beside him, settling down before long.
The spirit master glanced at the number on the screen and instantly froze, his eyes going round. He could not help blurting out in a low voice, "One hundred and seven! How is that possible?!"
A child who was not even a one-ring Soul Master yet actually had Spiritual Power of one hundred and seven?
This was simply unheard of!
Unless he was a Soul Master with a spiritual attribute.
Once the equipment stopped, Lu Chen removed the helmet and saw the spirit master staring at him as though he had seen a ghost. A little puzzled, he asked quietly, "Uncle, what's wrong?"
"Do you know how high your Spiritual Power is?" The spirit master drew a deep breath, his voice filled with disbelief.
Lu Chen followed his gaze toward the soul-guided screen. At the sight of the number, he opened his mouth wide in feigned surprise as well. "One hundred and seven?!"
The spirit master steadied himself and could not help asking, "May I be so bold as to ask what your Martial Soul is?"
Lu Chen thought for a moment, then answered according to what the staff member at his Martial Soul awakening had said. "The uncle who awakened my Martial Soul said mine was a dragon, an earth-attribute Earth Dragon."
"An Earth Dragon?" The spirit master rubbed his chin and nodded thoughtfully before remarking, "Then your Martial Soul probably isn't as simple as an ordinary Earth Dragon. It might even have a spiritual attribute! Otherwise, how could you have such high Spiritual Power?"
With that, he asked no more questions and led Lu Chen toward another room.
The moment the door opened, Lu Chen's attention was captured by the enormous instrument in the center of the room.
Inside the instrument, glowing spheres about a foot tall were packed densely together, each giving off a faint halo. They looked exceedingly mysterious.
Those were probably the Spirit Soul Balls the spirit master had mentioned.