Eastsea City.
Tang San was covered in dirt from head to toe, without a single clean spot on him.
Looking at the 30,000 Federation Coins he had finally gathered, he managed to squeeze out a smile.
"I finally have enough."
A dignified God King of his generation could hardly conceal his excitement.
At his peak, what would 30,000 Federation Coins have amounted to?
Unfortunately, a tiger fallen into the plains was bullied by dogs. Huo Yuhao had crippled his heaven-reaching cultivation, and he had no choice but to bow his head.
"Next, I can go to the Spirit Pagoda branch, buy a Ten-Year Soul Spirit, and become a Soul Master. Then I can gradually grow stronger and regain my strength!"
Tang San clenched his fist and couldn't resist giving it a little wave.
"Once I become a rank ninety-nine Titled Douluo again, I'll remember today's humiliation and repay it twofold someday."
At the thought of how he had been like a rat crossing the street, with everyone shouting for him to be beaten, Tang San's little face filled with humiliation.
A dignified God King like him had fallen so low!
Who could put up with that?
By the time Tang San arrived, the Spirit Pagoda's main doors were already wide open. A sea of people filled the place, leaving him to wait.
After all, this was Eastsea City, a major city, and the number of Soul Masters had gradually grown.
When Tang San's turn finally came, a Spirit Transmitter in a long gray robe was sitting behind the front desk.
At the sight of Tang San, the Spirit Transmitter stood up and looked at him. "Hello, what can I do for you?"
"Hello, Lord Spirit Transmitter. I'm here to buy a Soul Spirit. My Martial Soul has already reached rank ten," Tang San said respectfully.
The Spirit Transmitter looked Tang San up and down, taking in his dirt-covered appearance and beggar-like clothes. The warmth on his face faded somewhat. Clearly, this was a pauper.
"Did you bring enough money?"
Tang San naturally knew the man looked down on him. He clenched his fist in secret, but had no choice as he put on a smile. "I brought enough."
"What grade of Soul Spirit do you want to buy?"
"The 30,000 Federation Coin grade. Is that all right?"
The Spirit Transmitter said impatiently, "Thirty thousand? Are you sure? I say, do you even know that our Spirit Pagoda offers four ways to buy Soul Spirits?"
Tang San's little face turned red at once.
Why was this completely different from what he had learned earlier?
Seeing his reaction, the Spirit Transmitter looked at him with contempt, but still dutifully did his job:
"The Spirit Pagoda has four ways to buy Soul Spirits: ten-year white Soul Spirits, hundred-year yellow Soul Spirits, thousand-year purple Soul Spirits, and a random Soul Spirit draw."
"There are more than a hundred choices of ten-year white Soul Spirits and dozens of choices of hundred-year yellow Soul Spirits. There are only eleven choices of thousand-year purple Soul Spirits."
"White Soul Spirits cost seventy thousand, yellow Soul Spirits cost one million, and purple Soul Spirits cost between five and ten million. The 30,000 Federation Coin grade you mentioned is the random draw."
"With a random draw, you might get a ten-year, hundred-year, or thousand-year Soul Spirit. The type is uncertain, and the Soul Spirit you draw may well be unsuitable for your Martial Soul. Some people choose this method to try their luck and save money. But I don't recommend it. Choosing a ten-year white Soul Spirit that suits you would be more helpful."
Tang San's face stiffened. Looking at the mere 30,000 Federation Coins he had, he gritted his teeth:
"I'll take the random draw."
The Spirit Transmitter said flatly, "A warning beforehand: a random draw can yield a ten-year, hundred-year, or thousand-year Soul Spirit, but it can also yield a defective one."
Tang San froze. "Defective? What do you mean, defective?"
"Artificial Soul Spirits aren't produced successfully every time. Sometimes they turn out defective. You can still fuse with one, but its effect won't match that of an ordinary Ten-Year Soul Spirit. Make up your mind carefully and don't regret it. There are no refunds."
"I'm sure."
Tang San took a deep breath.
It's all right.
My luck has always been good.
I'll definitely draw a Soul Spirit that suits me.
I'm a transmigrator, the protagonist!
How could the protagonist's luck be bad?
The Spirit Transmitter was expressionless. "Follow me. We'll test your Spiritual Power."
He led Tang San into a room and gestured for him to sit in a metal chair.
After Tang San sat down, something like a metal helmet descended from above, connected to a metal arm, and settled over his head.
"Don't be nervous. Relax your whole body. You may feel a little dizzy shortly. That's normal."
The test showed that Tang San's Spiritual Power was sixty-five, which came as a surprise.
The Spirit Transmitter led Tang San out of the Spiritual Power testing room and into an adjacent room.
"The green button starts it, and the red button stops it. Once it stops, the Soul Spirit Ball containing the Soul Spirit you randomly drew will roll out. You can start whenever you're ready."
Tang San pressed the green button without hesitation.
His face was full of confidence.
There was no need to look. He would definitely be given a good Soul Spirit.
Then he placed his hand on the red button and pressed it hard.
"Bang-"
The spinning stopped. A pure white Soul Spirit Ball dropped from the machine's outlet and rolled into a metal box beside Tang San.
The Spirit Transmitter walked over, took out the Soul Spirit Ball, and handed it to him.
Tang San hurriedly pressed the button, and a faint breath of life immediately emerged from the Soul Spirit Ball.
Then the Spirit Transmitter glanced at Tang San.
"A Ten-Year Soul Spirit, and a defective one at that. Congratulations, you spent 30,000 Federation Coins on a mushroom Soul Spirit."
Tang San's confident expression froze on his face.
Ten years?
And defective?
The Soul Spirit isn't even a blade of grass, just a... mushroom?
"No... impossible!" Tang San couldn't quite accept it for a moment. He looked at the Spirit Transmitter, his face full of anger. "You must have tampered with it in secret. Your Spirit Pagoda actually-"
Before he could finish, the Spirit Transmitter threw him straight out.
The Spirit Pagoda saw cases like this practically every day. In the end, being a Soul Master was something only the wealthy could afford.
Ordinary civilians who could just about scrape together enough money were still all right, but if they had no money... how could they possibly compete with others on the little they earned each month?
Thrown out in front of everyone, Tang San felt humiliation blazing up in his heart like a roaring fire.
"It must be that bastard Yuhao deliberately targeting me. That's right, he's a child of destiny. He must have stolen all my luck."
Unable to accept the truth even now, Tang San gritted his teeth so hard they were almost about to shatter.
Huo Yuhao, you and I cannot live under the same heaven!
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao, who had entered Eastsea Academy and become Tang Wulin's roommate, sneezed.
His situation was different from Tang San's. Tang San had seized another body, while he had been directly reborn as his younger self. The Soul Spirits that had followed him before he became a god were all still there, but they had lost their strength, suffered grievous injuries, and fallen into a deep sleep.
As a result, he didn't particularly need to buy the Soul Spirits at the Spirit Pagoda.
Huo Yuhao was now a rank eleven Soul Master, and he owed his ability to attend Eastsea Academy largely to Yu Longyue.
He also had the card Yu Longyue had given him tucked inside his clothes, with a full ten million Federation Coins on it. Yu Longyue had helped him so much, and Huo Yuhao was deeply grateful for his generosity.
So he called Yu Longyue.
Elsewhere, Yu Longyue had just finished dealing with the matter of the company, and its boss had agreed to become his puppet. When he received Huo Yuhao's call, he had just arrived at a café. He took a seat and placed his notebook on the table.
"Hope you've been well, Yuhao. What are you calling me for? Have you run into a problem?"
"No, I just wanted to thank you. You've helped me so much that I really don't know what to say." Huo Yuhao sounded a little embarrassed.
"No need to say anything. Since you're so grateful, do me a favor."
Recalling the family test his father had given him, Yu Longyue said calmly:
"I'm the future heir of my family. Without loyal people around me, it'll be hard to get things done. Yuhao, do me a favor. I need some capable children with good character and morals to bring under my wing."
The moment he said that, Huo Yuhao understood almost instantly.
He wanted loyal subordinates who were capable of getting things done, and that bond had to be cultivated from childhood.
"Just tell me."
"I have a list. See what you can do to help me: Tang Wulin, Xie Xie..."
The names he mentioned were mostly members of the Shrek Seven Devils from Douluo Dalu III: The Legend of the Dragon King.
Huo Yuhao readily agreed:
"No problem. Leave it to me."