"Well? What do you think?" the Master asked with a small smile.
"Fascinating," Leland replied, unable to hide his admiration. The Master might not be strong in terms of combat, but his research on spirit avatars was truly unparalleled in the world.
This ranking covered almost all the major spirit avatars on Douluo Continent, with barely any omissions. Even for those avatars known only through legends, the Master had provided detailed explanations based on his understanding— a feat few could match.
"Hardly," the Master shook his head lightly. "The rankings in the Peerless Section feel right to me, but they aren't definitive.
Spirit avatars on Douluo Continent are endless. Countless avatars have never been seen, and some mutated ones are just as powerful as those on the list. Rankings are just rankings—they don't mean everything."
Leland nodded in agreement. Mutations happened often on the continent, some growing stronger, others weaker. Some avatars truly rivaled the Haotian Hammer or Blue Electric Tyrannosaurus.
The best example was Ma Hongjun. His ancestors all had lowly chicken avatars, yet he gained fire abilities, his avatar evolving into the Evil Fire Phoenix—a king among bird avatars, no weaker than top beast avatars like the White Tiger or Blue Electric Tyrannosaurus.
"As for the Legendary Section..." the Master frowned. "They're just legends, with no proof. All empty talk. Whether they exist is anyone's guess."
Leland fell silent. He was well-acquainted with the Master's meticulousness—always exhaustive in his approach and painstaking in every detail.
But from what Leland knew, avatars like the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda, Golden Dragon, and Jade Qilin had appeared. Some existed in the present, others millennia later, but they were real.
The only one that piqued his curiosity was the Celestial Emperor Hammer. This evolved form of the Haotian Hammer wasn't mentioned in the original tales, yet legends rarely sprung from nothing. Perhaps it truly existed in the Haotian Clan's history.
"You came to see me for something, didn't you?" the Master asked.
Leland nodded. "I'm old enough to awaken my spirit avatar, but Father's been away from the academy these days. I was hoping you could take me to the Spirit Hall for the awakening."
Typically, spirit awakenings at the Hall required a guardian's presence for identity verification. Not just anyone could waltz in—even remote villages needed their chief to organize it. It was a rule of the Spirit Hall.
"I see. Very well," the Master gathered his books. "I'll take you."
Leland let out a breath of relief. The Master had once been an honorary elder of the Spirit Hall, and though he'd been stripped of the title, his name still.
carried weight there. With him along, the awakening would go much smoother.
Nordin City's Spirit Hall was the lowest-ranked branch. By the Hall's standards, its master was roughly equivalent to a Soul Ancestor.
The Master wasn't strong, but to this lowly branch, a level 29 Great Soul Master counted as a minor expert.
They entered the Spirit Hall together, and the Master arranged for them to enter a small room.
On the floor was a hexagonal star array, each corner holding a black stone etched with faint runes.
This was a specialized awakening array—standard in every Spirit Hall, whether a lowly branch or higher temple.
A child stood in the center, and the awakening master infused a little soul power to complete the ritual.
Leland's awakener was a female soul master. She was decent-looking, but reeked of perfume, making Leland—with his sharp senses—wrinkle his nose.
"Hello, little one. I'm Sisi," she said warmly, her eyes lingering on Leland's face.
Leland was strikingly handsome—bright, piercing eyes, fair skin, sharp features, like a delicate porcelain doll. A faint coolness in his expression only added to his charm.
"Sisi... That name sounds familiar," he thought. He seemed to recall it from reading Douluo Continent in his past life, but the memory was fuzzy after so long.
"Probably not someone important," he mused, shaking off the thought.
"Little one, stand in the center of the hexagram. We'll start the awakening soon," Sisi said gently.
Leland nodded and stepped into the array's center.
"Spirit Possession: Pink Fox!" Sisi murmured. Pink light swirled around her, a pink fox 虚影 materializing behind her. Two soul rings—one white, one yellow—rose from her body.
"Pink Fox," Leland watched intently. Growing up with the Master, he'd learned plenty about spirit avatars.
The Pink Fox was a common fox-type avatar, nothing special. Its users usually had innate soul power between levels 3 and 5, rarely exceeding 5. Sisi, in her twenties and only a Great Soul Master, likely had level 3 innate power.
The strongest fox-type avatar was the Heavenly Fox—a top-tier beast avatar combining attack and charm, ranking just below the Blue Electric Tyrannosaurus on the Master's list.
In the original tale, Hu Liena of the Spirit Hall's Golden Generation had the Evil Fox, second only to the Heavenly Fox. Its attack was slightly weaker, but its charm abilities surpassed even the Heavenly Fox.
His thoughts drifted, but the faint golden barrier forming around him pulled him back.
The six black stones glowed faintly. As Sisi poured in her soul power, the light intensified, wrapping Leland entirely.
Heat—Leland felt a warm current flowing through his meridians. A tremendous power seemed to stir, making his body tremble slightly.
Wave after wave of energy radiated from him. Golden motes swarmed like stars, converging on his form.
At last, a blinding golden light shattered the barrier. The entire room drowned in gold, a fearsome pressure surging out. Even Sisi, with over level 20 soul power, trembled under it—a case of absolute avatar suppression...