About two quarters of an hour later, in front of the Spirit Hall.
"As expected of the Spirit Hall's temple,what grandeur." Yang Yunhai looked up at the towering, majestic building in the distance and couldn't help but sigh in admiration before striding forward.
"Halt!" Before he could reach the entrance, a guard stepped forward and raised a hand to block him.
"Hello, I just had a breakthrough. I'm here to have my soul power level re-evaluated," Yang Yunhai said politely.
A man? A trace of surprise flashed in the guard's eyes, but it vanished quickly as he nodded slightly. "In that case, go on in. There's a sign by the inner door,just follow the directions."
Sigh, with a face like this, it's impossible not to attract attention, Yang Yunhai thought to himself. At his young age, it was normal for his chest to be flat, so facial features became the main factor in determining gender. That's why he was often mistaken for a young girl.
And not just any girl,a striking and spirited one.
Thinking about the attention he'd attracted on his way here, the only people who had kept their composure were the professional staff at the hotel earlier. Their expression control was impressive,they hadn't fallen for his looks. With that in mind, he gave the guard a slight bow.
"Thank you for the directions, big brother."
With that, he headed straight for the entrance.
"Whoa, this place is huge! No wonder they need a sign." Stepping inside the grand hall, he glanced around and was instantly stunned. It was truly enormous,probably over a thousand square meters,and beautifully decorated. Near the right side of the entrance stood a tall sign with directional markers.
After thinking for a moment, Yang Yunhai walked directly toward the hall used for testing soul power levels.
As soon as he stepped in, he felt something stir within him. His soul power seemed to be influenced by some force, pulsing lightly in a unique rhythm. Looking around, he noticed the walls were inlaid with black gemstones, similar to those he had seen when testing his soul power at the Spirit Hall in Nuoding City,except these looked even purer. Clearly, the materials here were of higher quality.
"Little sister, are you here to test your soul power?" a voice called from the right.
_Little sister..._ Yang Yunhai twitched slightly at the words, snapping back to attention. He turned to see a stunning woman in her thirties dressed in a Spirit Hall uniform. She had flirtatious peach blossom eyes, crimson lips with a small beauty mark beneath, a willow-thin waist, and long legs extending below.
"So this is the holy temple," he mused, realizing just how unique the Heaven Dou City temple was.
Still, I'm not tempted. My resolve is firm, he thought, then nodded politely. "Yes, beautiful big sister."
"Oh, so you're a handsome little brother!" The woman showed a fleeting hint of surprise before laughing behind her hand.
She picked up a purple crystal ball from the counter, opened a side gate, and walked with small, graceful steps toward the center of the hall, where special patterns were etched into the floor.
"Come on, little brother. Big sister will help you test your soul power."
"Thank you, beautiful big sister." Yang Yunhai nodded and quickly followed.
Once he was standing in front of her, the woman smiled and spoke in a soft, sultry voice unique to mature women. "Little brother, release your spirit and soul rings."
"Alright." Yang Yunhai nodded and released his martial spirit and soul rings.
"Three-ring Soul Elder!?" The woman's expression changed instantly. As someone who'd worked in the Spirit Hall for years testing soul masters, she had seen countless young cultivators and could usually guess their age at a glance.
For a boy so young to have reached the Soul Elder rank... she could count on one hand the number of times she had seen that.
"That martial spirit,is it some kind of vine?" she asked, puzzled. What kind of vine spirit allowed such rapid cultivation?
Yang Yunhai shook his head slightly. "No, it's Blue Silver Grass."
"How is that possible? Since when could Blue Silver Grass be cultivated so quickly?" she asked again, shocked.
"This isn't ordinary Blue Silver Grass," Yang Yunhai said with a smile.
"It really doesn't look like ordinary Blue Silver Grass. It looks more like a vine, and the thorns look quite sharp. I suppose it must be a mutated martial spirit," she said, raising her pale hand with the crystal ball as she voiced her thoughts.
"You're so smart, beautiful big sister. You guessed it right away," Yang Yunhai nodded.
"Such a sweet talker for someone so young. I bet you've charmed quite a few girls," she laughed, then handed him the crystal ball. "Come on, little brother. Put your hand on it, let's test your level."
Yang Yunhai nodded and did as she said.
The next moment, the woman's expression changed again. Her elegant face was filled with disbelief.
"You're level 32!?"
Shouldn't it be level 31?
All the data in her head told her that even with optimal soul ring absorption, one usually only gained a single level.
Suppressing her urge to ask what kind of soul beast his third ring came from, she maintained her professionalism and smiled. "Little brother, I didn't expect you to be such a genius. In all my years working here, I've never met anyone as talented as you."
"Would you like to join our Spirit Hall? We offer excellent benefits." She winked and extended an invitation.
"Uh... I joined when I was six," Yang Yunhai scratched his head.
"Then why are you here?" The woman's expression turned puzzled.
Given his age and level, she was sure his innate soul power was extremely high. A genius like him should've been admitted to the Spirit Hall's elite academy or even directly trained in Spirit City. He should have had dedicated tutors to help him hunt soul beasts. Why would he come here alone to test his level?
"For some special reasons," Yang Yunhai said with a smile, withdrawing his hand. He added, "It's confidential. Beautiful sister, it's best not to ask further. Also, please don't tell anyone what we talked about today."
"And one more thing,please report to Bishop Salas for me. Tell him I have urgent matters to report. I believe I now qualify to meet him."
"Oh, and by the way, I just turned..." he paused.
The woman's face changed immediately. Age mattered,there's a big difference between someone reaching level 32 at the beginning of the year and at the end. Her expression grew more serious.
"Of course," she said.
Just based on his age and soul power alone, he qualified to request a personal audience with the bishop.
The Spirit Hall thrived because of its focus on nurturing young soul masters. Even a Platinum Bishop like Salas had to obey that principle. To receive more cultivation resources from the Pope, even high-ranking members needed to contribute,discovering talented soul masters was one such criterion.
"Little brother, wait here. I'll report to the bishop right away." With that, she turned and hurried out.
Soon after, in Salas's office,knock knock knock.
"Bishop, I have an urgent matter to report," the woman called.
"Come in," Salas said casually, sipping red wine at his desk.
The door creaked open. The woman entered quickly, bowed respectfully, and reported, "Bishop, a young soul master came to test his level. His martial spirit is a mutated Blue Silver Grass. He's level 32, and he just turned..."
"What?" Salas sat up straight, eyes sharp as he stared at her. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely, Bishop," she nodded firmly. "I tested him myself. The age,he specifically mentioned after requesting to see you. He also told me he joined Spirit Hall when he was six."
"As for why he didn't attend our academy, he said it was due to special reasons."
Special reasons...Salas's face turned serious. This level of talent at such a young age was extraordinary.
But not studying in the main academy or residing in Spirit City? That was suspicious. He had to take it seriously.
He gave the woman a stern look until she instinctively lowered her head. Then he spoke:
"Bring him in. Also, starting today, your rank is increased by one level. I'll assign someone else to handle soul power testing soon. But remember,today, the boy tested at level 31, not 32. After the test, he declined Spirit Hall's invitation and left. Understand?"
"Yes, Bishop," she bowed and quickly retreated, closing the door behind her.
Moments later, she brought Yang Yunhai to Salas's office.
"Come in," Salas called out before they could knock.
"Go ahead," the woman said, motioning for him to enter alone.
"Thank you, beautiful sister," Yang Yunhai smiled and stepped inside under her gaze.
As he entered, Salas had already risen from behind the desk. Knowing Yang Yunhai's real gender, his expression remained neutral. He nodded slightly and pointed to the sofa.
"Sit."
"Thank you, Bishop." Yang Yunhai bowed slightly, pulled a paper envelope and his soul master ID from his pocket, and sat on the sofa across the table.
Salas sat opposite, facing him.
"Bishop, please take a look. This document contains my story and the information I wish to report. Everything is explained inside," Yang Yunhai said, handing over the envelope and ID.
"To be honest, just over half a month ago, my soul power was only at level 21."
"What??" Salas couldn't stay calm. His expression shifted as he took the envelope and tore it open.
He immediately began reading.
"Struck by lightning... awakened Blue Silver Grass spirit... innate power 0.5? Thought to be unable to awaken soul power at all..." Salas frowned deeply. But when he read that Yang Yunhai had attempted to train by attracting lightning, his expression changed again.
This kid must be crazy! Even as a high-level Soul Douluo, Salas wouldn't dare use lightning to temper his body.
Then he read about Yang Yunhai recovering, enrolling in Nuoding City's beginner academy, training diligently, and secretly using thunderstorms to strengthen his body,eventually breaking through to level 10 and proposing the theory of absorbing higher-level soul rings.
His face grew solemn.
Reading faster, Salas muttered, "This child... has incredible awareness."
When he saw that Yang Yunhai had successfully absorbed his first and second soul rings,nearly 500 and over 950 years respectively,Salas could hardly believe it. He was even a little excited.
If this theory of absorbing higher-year soul rings can be perfected, it could mean a huge breakthrough for the Spirit Hall,widening the gap between us and other factions.
My descendants could benefit too.
He read on.
Yang Yunhai later ate a mysterious bamboo shoot, gained immense power, evolved his spirit, and even awakened a special perception ability.
Salas was shocked again.
Such a miraculous treasure exists?
He had no reason to doubt the report.
Calculating the time taken to travel from the Star Dou Forest to Heaven Dou City, and accounting for hunting soul beasts alone, it was clear Yang Yunhai had only spent a few days. That rapid increase in power couldn't be faked.
Besides, many people could verify his soul power level when he became a Grand Soul Master.
And the second skill was registered as "Drain",clearly, before evolving, he could only absorb soul power.
To go from level 21 to 30 in a few days? Impossible via absorption alone. Even if you fed him live soul masters, it wouldn't work. The body needs time to adapt.
Which meant the most plausible explanation was eating the rare bamboo shoot. Especially since Yang Yunhai had described it in detail.
Such a groundbreaking theory, already proven in practice,this must be reported to Spirit City. Whether that bamboo shoot truly exists or not, the Pope will decide. Elder Chrysanthemum loves rare plants,maybe he'll recognize it.
He continued reading to the very end, finishing the letter with a heavy expression.
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