Inside the Spirit Hall in Winter City-
"Hello, I'd like to post a capture commission," Ling Yu said as he approached the commission counter and addressed a male Soul Master.
"What sort of Soul Beast do you need? And what is your bounty budget?" The man behind the counter was briefly surprised by Ling Yu's youthful appearance, but quickly slipped into his professional manner.
"An Ice Silkworm Soul Beast, around a thousand years old. My budget is twelve hundred gold coins."
The man was somewhat surprised. Someone who could produce that much money wanted only a Soul Beast as weak as an Ice Silkworm, and a thousand years was too high for a second Soul Ring, yet too low for a third. Professional ethics, however, kept him from prying into his client's affairs.
"A thousand-year Ice Silkworm isn't hard to catch, but they're relatively rare, so the price is around a thousand gold coins."
"We'll post this commission to nearby Soul Hunting groups. Our service fee is ten percent. Once they've captured it, they'll deliver it to your designated location. Do you have any other requirements?"
"How much does it cost to rent a Soul Beast cage?" During his time roaming the Frozen Forest, Ling Yu had discovered that the place had little order and was far too chaotic, so much so that a business in capturing Soul Beasts had emerged to safeguard the lives of wealthy Soul Masters.
"Ten gold coins a day, excluding wear and tear. We'll assess the cage's condition afterward. If the damage is too severe, you'll need to pay an additional amount, but there's no need to worry. An Ice Silkworm would have difficulty damaging the cage."
"That works. Here are the deposit and the delivery address." Ling Yu handed over his gold coin card and a slip of paper bearing the address.
The man took out a contract and explained its terms to Ling Yu, then called over his supervisor, and both parties signed.
Ling Yu returned to the small courtyard he had rented to wait for news. Within a few days, a Soul Hunting group accepted the commission.
While waiting, he also finished absorbing the piece of two-thousand-year whale rubber, then found a smithy and ate the six-thousand-year piece.
The improvement wasn't very significant. It seems the energy in whale rubber comes down to its properties. Once a certain quantity is reached, resistance develops. After eating it, Ling Yu assessed his physical condition and silently pondered.
After another month of waiting, he finally received good news from Spirit Hall.
Three days later, a party escorted a specially made carriage into a warehouse near Ling Yu's courtyard.
After activating his Soul Skill and sensing a plump little silkworm sleeping inside the carriage, Ling Yu went to Spirit Hall to pay the outstanding balance and part of the cage rental fee.
Without a companion, absorbing a Soul Ring alone is too difficult. Even the slightest accident could cause trouble. But absorbing a thousand-year second ring in front of someone else would be an even bigger problem, Ling Yu silently reflected on the way back.
Only after confirming that no one else was inside and that the surroundings were safe did Ling Yu enter the warehouse, carrying a poisoned blade.
"The metal this cage is made of is quite unusual."
"Was this Ice Silkworm knocked unconscious? Or drugged? Being able to knock out a Thousand-Year Soul Beast really is something."
Shaking off his stray thoughts, Ling Yu drove the blade into the Ice Silkworm's body, then immediately retreated.
The Ice Silkworm woke at once and struggled wildly. Fortunately, Ling Yu had already unhitched the horse from the carriage.
Just as the man behind the counter had said, the Ice Silkworm lacked the strength to damage the cage. Its vitality soon drained away, and a purple Soul Ring emerged.
"The Ice Silkworm Clan really is essential for spiritual-type Soul Masters in their early stages. A shame it's so far from Nuoding City."
After another sigh of reflection, Ling Yu sat cross-legged and drew in the purple Soul Ring to absorb it.
A hot current surged forth. Even with his tempered body and the support of the whale rubber, he struggled somewhat, but fortunately, it did not exceed his limit.
The following morning, Ling Yu opened his eyes and stood up. His clothes stretched tight; he had grown considerably again and looked full of vigor. His physique was sturdy without appearing cumbersome, and his skin was smooth and lustrous. One glance was enough to tell that his blood and vitality were abundant.
"To think it would be this kind of Soul Skill..." Ling Yu murmured.
His second Soul Skill-Spiritual Appraisal-consumed spiritual power and Soul Power to communicate with and perceive the true spirit of things, understanding and appraising their nature. The cost varied with their grade.
Ling Yu activated it on the cage before him. His spiritual power rapidly drained, and after a moment of dazed confusion, information appeared in his mind-
"Trait: can slowly absorb dissipating Soul Power." "Trait: carries an illusory effect." "Trait: hard in texture." "Age: one thousand and eighty-nine years. Attributes: ice, spiritual."
Ling Yu froze on the spot, not knowing where to put his hands. Even his breathing lost its rhythm, leaving him utterly at a loss. His heart pounded, and a flush rose to his face.
This Soul Skill suited him far too well. He could even say it was the very Soul Skill he had dreamed of obtaining.
"I wonder if it can appraise immortal herbs?" That was Ling Yu's first reaction when he recovered his senses.
"Could there have been Soul Masters with appraisal skills in the past, too? Is that why Soul Ring ages were recorded down to the single year? Right, doesn't the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda have something similar?"
Only after a long while did he slowly calm down and carefully assess his physical condition. After obtaining his second ring, his Soul Power had reached rank twenty-three, and there was also an indescribable feeling between his Soul Rings.
He quieted his mind and focused on the two Soul Rings, one yellow and one purple. Following that vague feeling, the two Soul Rings gradually drew closer together.
Suddenly, his first Soul Ring blazed with light, activating its Soul Skill. Ling Yu noticed that his detection range had expanded considerably in this state.
"Ring Fusion talent!" By this point, Ling Yu felt somewhat numb. The surprises that day had been too overwhelming.
Delight showing on his face, Ling Yu began trying to activate his second Soul Skill-Spiritual Appraisal-while using his first Soul Skill-Spiritual Detection. Like a child who had just received a new toy, he only reined himself in a little when he had played until his head felt ready to split.
Outside Heaven Dou City, capital of the Heaven Dou Empire-
After a long journey, Ling Yu gazed at the towering city walls. Like an immense barrier of black iron spanning heaven and earth, they rose from the ground and pierced the clouds.
The walls were built from enormous blue-black stones tempered a thousand times over, layer upon layer forming a seamless whole. Time and the flames of war had carved mottled scars into them. This was the resonance of history.
Ever since absorbing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring as his second ring, Ling Yu had never again gone to Spirit Hall to collect his stipend, nor had he revealed his Martial Soul.
If I want to use my Martial Soul normally, I need a faction to back me up. Among the current factions, the leaders of Spirit Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect are both too difficult to deal with, and there are too many restrictions.
The only ones that suit me are the two great empires, hungry for talent yet weak. There's no need to consider the Star Luo Empire.
The only trouble is that Xue Qinghe is Qian Renxue in disguise. Information about me will inevitably attract her attention.
But she belongs to the consecrators' faction. Even if she really does recruit me, at least I'll face fewer restraints.
So I can't go straight to her. I need to appear before Emperor Xue Ye first. Only with both sides checking and balancing each other can things remain stable. Along the way, Ling Yu considered many things before finally settling on a course.
After entering the city, he found somewhere to stay, then began asking around for news from within the imperial city.
Several days later, Ling Yu arrived at the Royal College of Arms on the western side of the imperial palace. The entire hall was built from cloud-white stone, its dome soaring into the sky. Viewed from outside, it was covered with stained-glass windows recounting the glory of the imperial family's founding ancestor.
Its authority included-
Overseeing the conferral, promotion, and revocation of all noble titles.
Recording noble genealogies, family coats of arms, fiefs, and hereditary rights.
Drafting edicts of ennoblement, certificates of nobility, and fief documents.
Presiding over investiture ceremonies, coronations, and noble oath-taking.
Verifying the qualifications of new nobles to prevent fraudulent claims to titles.