Hm? Alright, you're here for a soul spirit, right? Wait—second soul spirit?
Kid, are you messing with me?
The Spirit Pagoda clerk behind the counter had first assumed Nan Fusheng was here to obtain his first soul spirit, like most newcomers. But upon hearing he was there for a second, the clerk was shocked.
As a certified Spirit Master himself, the clerk knew very well what kind of spiritual power was required to fuse a second soul spirit. Taking a closer look, he recognized the boy.
"Wait a minute… isn't this the student from Eastsea Academy? The one from Class Zero?"
Nan Fusheng, as a member of the elite Class Zero, had been visiting the Spirit Pagoda weekly for spirit ascension platform training. Though their visits were typically brief and without much interaction with staff, this clerk now recognized him.
"Yes," Nan Fusheng replied calmly. "I'm here for my second soul spirit."
The clerk frowned slightly.
"You do understand the spiritual requirements for a second soul spirit, don't you?"
"I do," Nan Fusheng nodded with confidence.
"Alright then. What kind of soul spirit are you looking for?"
The Spirit Pagoda was built for precisely this—to provide and administer soul spirits to Soul Masters. Since Nan Fusheng seemed certain and composed, the clerk saw no reason to doubt him. After all, this child didn't seem like the type to bluff something so serious.
Nan Fusheng had long since made up his mind.
Over the past three months of visiting the Spirit Pagoda, he had secretly parasitized one of the staff members through a dream-state link. From there, he had harvested knowledge about the available soul spirits held in Eastsea City's archive.
"I'd like a hundred-year Moonlight Moth soul spirit," he said.
The Moonlight Moth was a support-type soul spirit. At night, it could absorb starlight and moonlight to enhance cultivation. It wasn't known for offensive capabilities, but for Soul Masters with celestial-type Martial Souls—like Moonlight, Star Crown, and the like—it was an excellent match.
"Alright. That will be one million federal credits, plus five thousand for the spiritual test.
Please follow me to the testing room."
The clerk was mildly surprised by how specific and decisive the request was. Most Soul Masters—aside from those from noble clans—would spend a long time browsing the catalog before making a choice.
Still, the clerk composed himself quickly and led Nan Fusheng into a testing room.
The room was spacious—no expense spared by the affluent Spirit Pagoda. Only Nan Fusheng and the clerk were present as the latter began calibrating the machine.
"Alright, step forward and relax. You've done this before, haven't you?"
Nan Fusheng nodded and sat down. He was quite curious to know his current spiritual level. As the device activated, soft white light glowed from the helmet while data began to appear on the adjacent soul-screen.
At first, everything looked normal. The readings climbed steadily and quickly passed the 100-point mark.
The clerk exhaled in relief.
At least he's reached the Spirit Connection Realm—more than enough to fuse two hundred-year spirits.
But then…
The numbers kept rising—fast.
200…
300…
400…
"Five hundred!?"
The spiritual meter's color suddenly shifted from yellow to purple—a sign of a breakthrough in the spiritual tier.
The clerk stood there stunned.
This… This isn't possible! A student from a basic Soul Master academy with spiritual power this high!?
The device kept ticking.
600…
700…
800…
932. That was the final reading.
A monster. This kid is an actual monster.
That was the only thought running through the stunned clerk's mind.
Could this even be called human? Could a child possess this level of spiritual power?
This was no minor feat.
Human spiritual strength typically grows steadily with age, especially up to around forty years old. After that, a gradual decline begins. For Soul Masters, cultivation and special training could extend that growth up to sixty.
The clerk had heard of Class Zero—Eastsea Academy's special elite class—but this was ridiculous.
"He's only around ten years old, right?" the clerk muttered inwardly.
According to Eastsea Academy's new student admissions, he was barely ten. And yet, he had already reached the Spirit Sea Realm—over 930 points of spiritual power!
Spirit Sea Realm: Mind vast as the ocean. Boundless and profound.
It is the threshold of elite strength, the foundation of peak Mecha Masters and Soul Masters alike.
A spiritual power at this level could support up to five yellow soul spirits, or three purple, or even one black.
In short, Nan Fusheng now had the spiritual qualifications to rise to the top. And he was just getting started. With age on his side, his power would only continue to grow.
"This has to be reported to headquarters… we must report this!" the clerk thought in a panic.
A genius like this had to be recruited into the Spirit Pagoda.
If he could claim credit for discovering and recommending such a talent, he'd be handsomely rewarded. At the very least, it was a golden opportunity to build rapport with a future powerhouse.
But before he could even act on those thoughts—
A faint, subtle pulse of soul power shimmered through the room.
The clerk blinked, swaying slightly. A wave of fog clouded his mind.
The numbers... the data... his memories of Nan Fusheng's exact test results...
Began to fade.