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Su Yuntao was visibly delighted.
"Xiao Wen, you won't lose out by joining the Spirit Hall."
"It's just a pity—you wasted a whole year waiting for a chance at a hundred-year soul ring. With your talent, going to the Spirit City Soul Master Academy would've been no problem. Only there could you receive the highest level of cultivation the Spirit Hall offers. But even if you can't go to Spirit City now, our branch will still give you the best treatment we can."
Knowing Su Wen had spent a year without obtaining his first soul ring, Su Yuntao genuinely regretted not being more forceful on awakening day and pulling him directly into the Spirit Hall back then.
"Even if you spent that year looking for a reliable hunting team, those outside teams aren't trustworthy. I know all the soul-hunting groups around Nuoding City—none of them really have skill or knowledge."
"Oh, and you didn't pay a deposit, right?"
Su Wen shook his head. "No."
Hiring a team had only ever been an excuse—of course there was no deposit.
He hadn't expected Su Yuntao to fill in his own narrative and assume the year was spent searching for the right team.
"Good. For your first ring, I'll get two other deacons to go hunt with us."
Now that Su Wen was officially one of their own—and with his potential—helping him get a hundred-year ring counted as a benefit from the Hall. As a branch task, Su Yuntao and the two other deacons could also earn contribution points.
"Do you have a specific target in mind?"
He wanted at least a sense of direction. A book martial soul wasn't something he knew how to match with a soul ring, so he'd first hear Su Wen's ideas.
Later, when he consulted Master Ma Xiu Nuo, he'd ask again.
Every soul master in the Nuoding Spirit Hall branch getting a ring would take Ma Xiu Nuo's advice into account.
Su Wen outlined his intentions.
"Lots of soul power?"
Hearing such a broad condition, Su Yuntao internally sighed again.
Without guidance or a system, ordinary soul masters truly walked blind and crooked paths.
Thank goodness they pulled this kid into the Spirit Hall in time. Otherwise, he might've completely botched his first ring.
"Come on then—let's get your soul power tested and finish the final registration with Master Ma Xiu Nuo. After that, you'll officially be a member of the Spirit Hall."
Su Yuntao led him up to the second floor, stopping at one of the rooms and knocking.
"Enter," came an elderly voice.
"Master Ma Xiu Nuo."
"Oh, Yun Tao. What brings you here?" The old man seated behind a wide desk looked up.
Ma Xiu Nuo also spotted Su Wen.
"Master, this is Su Wen. I awakened his martial soul two and a half years ago. He's reached rank ten and is ready to join the Spirit Hall."
"Oh?"
Ma Xiu Nuo's eyes lit up.
Rank ten in only two and a half years since awakening?
With that talent, he might not reach Soul King, but Soul Sect should be nearly guaranteed.
Though only a branch, the Nuoding Spirit Hall had many deacons but not even a Hall Master. Soul Elders and above wouldn't stay in a small place like this—they'd advance to bigger sub-halls.
Strictly speaking, these branches existed mainly as small points to awaken martial souls for ordinary civilians.
A child with the potential to become a Soul Sect joining the branch was naturally welcome in Ma Xiu Nuo's eyes.
"Child, your name is Su Wen, yes?" Ma Xiu Nuo beckoned him over.
They ran the soul power test and completed the paperwork. Then Su Yuntao brought Su Wen to the second-floor library.
"This is the sub-hall's library. Inside are texts on martial soul cultivation. Our branch may lack high-level instructors, but materials are complete—far richer than what the Nuoding primary academy teaches."
He pointed at a shelf. "That section holds information on common soul beasts. Browse if you have time—see if anything suits you. Even Master Ma Xiu Nuo doesn't know how to cultivate a book martial soul, so we'll stick to your original idea. More soul power isn't a bad thing."
Su Wen stepped forward, scanning the categories until he reached the section on plant-type soul beasts. He went down the spines one by one, picking through potential targets.
Seeing he'd settled into reading, Su Yuntao quietly left to recruit the other two deacons.
"Soul Source Mushroom: possesses powerful regenerative abilities and can store large amounts of soul power."
"Heavenly Spirit Vine: abundant soul power and extremely high toughness."
"Star Yuan Grass: converts star energy to rapidly replenish soul power."
…
Su Wen's focus was clearly on plant-type beasts.
One of the Ten Core Competences of Martial Souls said beast-type souls could absorb plant-type rings and vice versa.
But just because you could absorb didn't mean you should.
A plant-type martial soul absorbing a beast ring—could it truly digest the intrinsic essence? More often, its mutation would rely on forcibly channeling the beast's attributes.
For example, the Mandala Snake's resilience and toxicity could empower the Blue Silver Grass, but they were different species; the enhancement was incomplete.
"I still need something suitable."
As long as it aligned with his development direction, it wasn't wrong.
Most tool-type martial souls couldn't find perfectly matching beasts anyway. You wouldn't find a 'hammer beast' for a hammer martial soul.
"But my book martial soul is a bit different."
Books were made from plants. Absorbing plant-type soul rings might make it easier to pull the soul power within the ring to evolve his martial soul.
"These soul beasts look good, but they're all just a bit off."
He kept flipping through entries.
Time passed.
With a book as his martial soul, Su Wen's efficiency in absorbing knowledge—especially by reading—soared.
Merging his martial soul into a text, a single glance let him take in and understand large swaths of information.
Not instant comprehension, but far faster than normal.
In only half a day, he'd read through nearly half of the library's soul beast section.
"Xiao Wen."
Su Yuntao's voice came from the doorway.
Su Wen replaced the book and headed over.
"Tao-ge."
"How is it? Found anything suitable?"
"Mm. I have a few in mind."
"No rush," Su Yuntao said. "Find the one that suits you best."
"Oh—these two will accompany us when we hunt," he added, stepping aside to reveal a man and woman in deacon uniforms.
"This is Sisi, my girlfriend—a Grand Soul Master with a whip martial soul."
"This is Feng Yuan. His martial soul is the Wind Baboon. He's the strongest of the three of us in direct combat."
(End of Chapter)