Choosing Soul Spirits
Bai Yushan did not arrive at school on time. Instead, Leng Yaozhu, acting as his guardian, requested leave and went to Skysea City!
When Leng Yaozhu set off with Bai Yushan, it was just dawn.
The exclusive soul-guided aircraft pierced through the clouds, its speed leaving only a golden-red afterimage. Bai Yushan leaned against the porthole, resting his chin on his hand as he looked down. The town below the clouds shrank into specks of light, rushing past rapidly.
"Teacher, where are we going?" he asked, tilting his head slightly, his tone somewhat casual.
"Skysea City." Leng Yaozhu sat opposite, flipping through the list of Soul Spirit in her hand. Her fiery red hair was loosely tied up, and her crimson-gold eyes were lowered. "The Spirit Pagoda branch has a batch of custom-made Soul Spirit stored over there. I'll take you there to pick out two."
Bai Yushan raised an eyebrow, didn't ask any further questions, shrugged, and turned back to look at the scenery.
He was well aware of his situation. Neither of his two Soul Ring came from Soul Spirit; this could be kept secret from ordinary people, but not from a powerhouse like Leng Yaozhu. Since she hadn't mentioned it, he was happy to play dumb.
The aircraft flew for less than an hour before landing on the top-floor helipad of the Spirit Pagoda in Skysea City.
The entire Spirit Pagoda is silver-white, piercing the clouds. A faint aura of Soul Power flows around its body, making it look like a giant sword stuck in the center of the city from afar. People throng the foot of the pagoda, with a constant stream of Soul Master coming and going, exuding an aura of majesty.
As soon as they landed, the branch manager led a group of people to greet them, all of them looking very respectful.
"Deputy Tower Master, everything you instructed has been arranged." The person in charge bowed deeply, not daring to raise his head.
"Lead the way." Leng Yaozhu uttered two words calmly and stepped forward.
Bai Yushan followed behind her, enjoying a smooth journey. All the staff along the way stopped and bowed respectfully upon seeing Leng Yaozhu, barely daring to breathe. A private elevator led directly to the seventh basement level, eliminating the need for identity verification; the level of authorization was terrifyingly high.
The elevator doors opened, revealing rows of sealed incubation chambers. The chambers glowed with a pale blue light, and various phantom Soul Spirit floated inside, some in the form of beasts and others in the form of plants, their auras varying in strength.
This is the core reserve area of Spirit Pagoda, storing only carefully cultivated, high-quality Soul Spirit that money can't buy elsewhere.
Leng Yaozhu waved her hand to dismiss her entourage, leaving only the master and apprentice in the vast training area.
She turned around, her crimson-gold eyes landing on Bai Yushan, and said calmly, "There's something I haven't asked you yet."
Bai Yushan's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm. "Teacher, please speak."
"Neither of your two Soul Ring was formed from a condensed Soul Spirit."
Leng Yaozhu spoke bluntly, without beating around the bush, "Modern Soul Master acquire Soul Ring through two paths: either hunting Soul Beast or absorbing Soul Spirit. You don't possess the violent aura of hunting Soul Ring, nor the life fluctuations of Soul Spirit. I don't care where you got them."
She paused, her tone turning serious. "But remember, people outside won't turn a blind eye like I do. Having a Soul Spirit Soul Ring spirit is troublesome if word gets out. Evil Soul Master, forbidden experiments, Mutated Martial Soul —they can throw all sorts of accusations at you."
Bai Yushan touched his nose and smiled.
He thought Leng Yaozhu would get to the bottom of things, but it turned out she was just thinking about his future.
"The teacher is very thoughtful." He grinned, a hint of warmth in his eyes. "I thought you were going to interrogate me."
"I don't have that kind of time."
Leng Yaozhu rolled her eyes at him, then turned and walked deeper into the cultivation chamber. "Everyone has their own secrets. If you don't want to talk about them, I won't ask. But we must provide some cover. Today, I'll pick out a suitable Thousand-Year Soul Spirit for you. The grade doesn't need to be too high; just enough to match your second-ring age. From now on, just tell everyone that your Soul Ring are all condensed from Soul Spirit, so that no one with ulterior motives will make wild guesses."
She stopped in front of a row of cultivation pods for lightning-attribute Soul Spirit, her fingertips tracing the pods, blue light spreading along her fingertips, and the phantom Soul Spirit inside immediately became restless.
"These are all lightning-attribute Soul Spirit that are around a thousand years old. Take a look and see which one catches your eye."
Bai Yushan stepped forward and glanced at it.
The Soul Spirit inside the pod were of various forms: there were Thunder-Patterned Rat Entanglement in electricity, Plasma Worm curled into balls, and Thunder-Winged Bee with transparent wings. Each one had a pure aura and was well-nurtured.
These Soul Spirit are all of good quality; for an ordinary Soul Master, picking just one would be considered extremely lucky.
But he's different. His Soul Ring weren't given by Soul Spirit, and he doesn't rely on Soul Spirit amplification in battle. Choosing a highly offensive one would be a burden. But this is Leng Yaozhu's wish, and directly refusing would be too disappointing. Choosing one that won't get in the way is fine.
He stood still, his fingertips unconsciously stroking his chin, his gaze slowly sweeping over the rows of incubation chambers, showing no eagerness whatsoever to select the Soul Spirit.
Leng Yaozhu stood beside him with her arms crossed, not urging him, just watching him.
She was actually quite curious about what choice this guy would make.
Having known him for so long, she had long since realized that Bai Yushan was completely different from ordinary children.
Teenagers are either impulsive and naive or conformist and law-abiding, but he was different.
He acts entirely on his own whim; rules, conventions, and the opinions of others cannot restrain him in the slightest.
He may be called an egoist, but he's done plenty of crazy things that harm others without benefiting himself; he may be called unconventional, but he knows his bottom line better than anyone else.
If I had to sum it up, this kid is aiming for absolute freedom.
He does whatever he wants, and nothing can stop him, not even if the sky falls. He even dares to carry around secrets like the origin of his Soul Ring, secrets that could shake the entire Soul Master World, without the slightest fear.
Such a person would certainly not choose Soul Spirit in the conventional way.
Sure enough, the next second, Bai Yushan moved.
A faint glint of electricity flashed in his eyes, while an invisible aura slowly spread from his body.
It was a "field" formed from pure will, domineering and flamboyant, with a crazy energy that seemed to say "I am the only one who can do it," like a silent storm slowly rolling over everything around it.
The Soul Spirit inside the cultivation chamber instantly went into chaos.
The timid Thunder-Patterned Rat shrank into a ball with a "whoosh," their electric sparks mostly extinguished; Plasma Worm scrambled around inside the cabin, making a clanging sound against the walls; Thunder-Winged Bee flapped their transparent wings, frantically crashing into the hatch. Some trembled with fear, while others were provoked into a ferocious frenzy, baring their teeth and claws across the cabin walls, yet daring not to approach the center of the aura.
The entire cultivation area hummed, and the pale blue light screen of the cultivation chamber flickered, creating a tense and oppressive atmosphere in the air.
Leng Yaozhu raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.
Willpower Coagulation Field?
At such a young age, he can actually project his will into a tangible sense of oppression. This is not something that can be achieved by simply relying on Soul Power; it requires a certain level of mental fortitude and unwavering conviction to produce such an aura.
This kid always manages to surprise people.
Bai Yushan ignored the chaos around him, his gaze sweeping over the rows of incubation chambers before finally settling on the most inconspicuous chamber in the corner.
The Soul Spirit inside was about the size of a palm, shaped like a bird of prey, with deep purple feathers covered with fine silver-white lightning patterns. It was curled up in a corner, dozing off, looking sickly and not moving for a long time.
The other Soul Spirit were in complete chaos, and it was too lazy to open its eyes at first, until that will pressed down on the edge of the cabin, and it suddenly opened its eyes.