The Spirit Hall and the Soul Fighting Arena in Heaven Dou City both stood where the inner and outer cities met, though in different directions. After entering the city, Fang Lin parted ways with Yu Feng and the others.
He followed the main street until a magnificent stone hall with a gilded roof came into view. A white jade Angel Statue stood solemnly at the main entrance, with silver-armored knights holding spears on either side.
As Heaven Dou City was the imperial capital, its Spirit Hall was a temple second only to the Pope's Palace, a rank above the main hall in Soto City.
Beyond the entrance was a hall with an exceptionally high dome, supported by dozens of carved stone pillars, each so thick it took two people to encircle it. All manner of patterns adorned the pillars, and green stone tiles with cloud patterns covered the floor. Light came through enormous crystal windows high above, which had cost a fortune.
People came and went through the hall, Soul Masters of every age among them.
Fang Lin first used his old Soul Grandmaster certificate to collect his allowance for the previous six months at the stipend window, a total of sixty Gold Soul Coins. Then he went to the Soul Power assessment room and pressed his palm against the Soul Power crystal ball. Golden light filled the room.
It was the golden radiance unique to tests of Soul Power above level thirty.
"Level thirty-three."
The assessor was a young deacon with a Soul Grandmaster's cultivation. He updated Fang Lin's Soul Power Level, recorded his age, and respectfully handed him a badge representing a Soul Elder.
"Young man, would you consider joining Spirit Hall? I can ask the chief deacon to recommend you."
The young deacon spoke with a note of wonder. Barely fourteen and already at level thirty-three in Soul Power-barring any mishaps, he would become at least a Soul Saint. If the deacon brought him into the temple, he would become a purple-robed bishop in the future.
"I haven't graduated yet." Fang Lin politely declined the young deacon's offer. Leaving aside the fact that he was still eating the Heaven Dou Empire's rice, if Xue Qinghe succeeded in launching a palace coup in the future, Fang Lin would certainly join without a second word.
Investing now was too risky.
In the original work, after the palace coup failed, the Martial Soul Temple in Heaven Dou City was wiped out to the last man. Only Qian Renxue managed to withdraw under the protection of two Titled Douluo; everyone else became cannon fodder.
The young deacon looked regretful. "If you change your mind after graduation, you can find one of our people at any Spirit Hall Branch. I'll report your information, and someone will recommend you when the time comes."
Fang Lin promised he would, then turned and took his freshly issued Soul Elder badge to the stipend window, where he collected this month's hundred Gold Soul Coins.
Spirit Hall issued allowances to all Soul Masters below the Soul Ancestor rank, requiring them to register their Martial Soul, level, age, place of origin, and other information to make recruiting talent easier. Those who had cultivated above level thirty, came from ordinary families, and had decent talent were a particular focus of its recruitment.
The same was true of Heaven Dou Academy.
If the situation became clear, Fang Lin wouldn't mind choosing a faction to join. Whether obtaining Soul Rings or cultivating, he would have some assurance in the future.
After leaving Spirit Hall, Fang Lin paid another visit to Begonia Studio.
Unfortunately, Uncle Ye had no new, older Whale Gelatin and was still strongly recommending his own medicinal treatments.
Fang Lin thanked him and took his leave, then headed for the inner city.
The inner city gate was somewhat smaller than the outer one, and Soul Masters in black armor stood guard instead of ordinary people. After showing his Soul Elder badge, Fang Lin was allowed through.
The streets looked much the same as those in the outer city, but the proportion of Soul Masters was noticeably higher. There were also nobles dressed in fine clothes. Here, one either had money or had rings-and at least three of them. Fang Lin strolled along for a while without seeing Begonia Studio, but he did spot the sign for Seven Treasures Pavilion first.
A pavilion stood beside the street, with a broad storefront and lavish decorations throughout. Compared with Spirit Hall's architecture, however, its style was much softer.
Inside were counters made of transparent glazed glass, displaying all manner of items. Attendants stood beside them to welcome customers, all wearing matching white robes patterned with gold and embroidered with a small tower on the chest.
The scene looked remarkably like the gold shops Fang Lin had visited in his previous life.
"Ahem, do you have Whale Gelatin here? Five thousand years old or more." Fang Lin circled the glass counters but couldn't find what he wanted, so he had to ask an attendant.
The attendant in white gave Fang Lin a quick look, and a knowing smile appeared on her lips. "Please follow me to the second floor, honored guest."
As they went upstairs, the attendant gave Fang Lin an introduction to Seven Treasures Pavilion.
The first floor sold Soul Beast materials and noncombat Soul Tools, such as lighting and information Soul Tools.
The second floor sold precious medicinal ingredients, tonics, and potions;
The third floor sold curiosities such as precious gems and exotic metals, mostly catering to nobles;
The fourth floor above that sold items used by high-level Soul Masters, including Storage Soul Tools and heavenly materials and earthly treasures that aided cultivation.
On the second floor, another white-robed shopkeeper came to greet them and introduced himself as Ning.
After learning what Fang Lin wanted, Shopkeeper Ning thought for a moment and shook his head. "We don't currently have any Five-Thousand-Year Whale Gelatin, but if you want some, we can have our Vast Sea City branch purchase it and send it over. We require one-fiftieth of the value upfront as a deposit. If you cancel the order before it arrives, I'm afraid the deposit is nonrefundable."
Vast Sea City lay in the westernmost part of the Heaven Dou Empire and connected to the islands overseas. Sea Soul Masters and land-dwelling Soul Masters lived there together, and older Whale Gelatin was more likely to circulate there than inland.
"How much is the deposit?" Fang Lin didn't hesitate. Aside from the auction house, he could only pin his hopes on Seven Treasures Pavilion for now.
"One hundred Gold Soul Coins." Shopkeeper Ning smiled. "We also accept items of equivalent value as collateral."
"One hundred?" Fang Lin's eyes went wide.
A deposit of one hundred meant the piece of Five-Thousand-Year Whale Gelatin would cost at least five thousand Gold Soul Coins. The twenty-six-hundred-year-old Whale Gelatin he had bought at Begonia Studio had only cost twelve hundred.
Five thousand. On a monthly salary of three hundred, Fang Lin would have to go without food or drink and save for over a damn year.
Shopkeeper Ning took in Fang Lin's expression and smiled. "You may not know this, honored guest, but Five-Thousand-Year Whale Gelatin can do more than simply provide a night of pleasure. That's why its price is many times higher than Whale Gelatin barely over a thousand years old."
Fang Lin's heart skipped a beat. Did someone at Seven Treasures Pavilion also know the value of Whale Gelatin? No wonder the price was so high.
Shopkeeper Ning leaned a little closer and lowered his voice. "Once Whale Gelatin passes five thousand years, its effects undergo a qualitative change. It can permanently enhance a man's performance. Once your honored father takes a piece, the matter will be settled once and for all."
So a single night of pleasure became pleasure every night...
Fang Lin wiped the nonexistent cold sweat from his forehead and thought, I wonder if there's a qualitative change in its effect on the physique, too? Otherwise, I'll have taken a huge loss.
"Thank you for explaining, Shopkeeper. I'll pay the deposit first." Fang Lin took out the hundred Gold Soul Coins he had just received. "It's fine if it's more than five thousand years old. I'll take it at the quoted price."
"Very well." Shopkeeper Ning accepted the deposit and handed Fang Lin a receipt. "The next time you come, you can ask someone to find me directly. My name is Ning Yuanzhi. You look young, little brother, yet you've cultivated to the Soul Elder rank, so I expect you have good talent. If you're interested in joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, I can make the decision to give you this Five-Thousand-Year Whale Gelatin outright."
It was common knowledge among most Soul Masters that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect stood behind Seven Treasures Pavilion.
Fang Lin simply hadn't expected to become so sought after once he reached the Soul Elder rank, receiving two recruitment offers in a single day. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's approach was even more direct: it opened by offering him five thousand gold.
"I appreciate your kindness, Shopkeeper Ning, but I'm still studying at the academy." Fang Lin once again promised he would next time.
Investing in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was no less risky than investing in Heaven Dou City's Martial Soul Temple down the road.
As a powerful backer, it wasn't as formidable as Spirit Hall, and when it came to opportunities, it couldn't even match the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. At least the imperial family had a divine artifact, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.
After leaving the second floor, Fang Lin wandered around the fourth. He saw a wrist-worn Storage Soul Tool with ten cubic meters of space, priced at ten thousand Gold Soul Coins-exactly two and a half years of saving for him.
The Storage Soul Tool Fang Lin had held only one cubic meter, and with his strength improving, it was long overdue for replacement. The trunk of the Mysterious Nether Gold-Entwining Tree from before, for example, would have been worth at least a few hundred Gold Soul Coins if he could have carried it out.
But two and a half years-two and a half years! He might as well steal some herbs from Dugu Bo's herb garden and sell them.