"Whoa, is this the Spirit Pagoda?"
Tang Wulin gazed at the building before him, marveling in his heart.
He had been able to spot this towering Spirit Pagoda from far away. Rising over a hundred stories, it stood more than four hundred meters high. Even in an East Sea City dense with skyscrapers, it remained an eye-catching landmark.
Whether viewed from afar or looked up at from its base, this Spirit Pagoda exuded an awe-inspiring presence, forming a distinctive feature on the East Sea City skyline.
Yesterday he had visited the Forging Master Association. Though it was quite large as well, the Forging Master Association was nowhere near as magnificent as this structure; the difference between the two was vast. (Mu Chen: ...)
At this moment, Tang Wulin gained a true sense of what a major power was. Gathering his thoughts, he stepped into the Spirit Pagoda, glancing curiously in every direction.
"Little brother, can I help you with something?" The sweet-looking young woman behind the first-floor counter smiled and asked as she saw Tang Wulin enter.
"Um, my name is Tang Wulin, and I'm here to collect my stipend." A bit shyly, Tang Wulin brought out his storage bracelet and set it on the counter. "May I ask how much I can receive each month?"
Although the bracelet had spared him from clashing with Xie Xie, every gain came with a loss. Because Xie Xie had not fought him, no one had paid for the damaged public property. Tang Wulin did not want to remain in debt for too long, so he had come to collect his stipend.
And along the way, he wanted to see just how grand the Spirit Pagoda was.
The young woman glanced at the bracelet without reaching out to touch it. After all, Tang Wulin had looked terribly nervous when taking it out, as if afraid someone might snatch it away.
*He must treasure it dearly.*
Thinking this, she smiled and said, "Please place the bracelet in the recess on the counter first."
Hearing her, Tang Wulin shifted his gaze. Sure enough, there was an indentation on the counter, and he complied at once.
The instant the bracelet fit flush into the groove, a soul tool screen snapped into view before the young woman.
Displayed on it was Tang Wulin's basic information, recorded by the Aolai City Spirit Pagoda just one week earlier.
Looking over the various details, the young woman gradually formed a clear picture.
Due to his height and angle, Tang Wulin could not see it, only marveling at how amazing this soul tool screen was for suddenly popping up like that.
"Little brother Tang Wulin, do you have any specialties? A secondary profession, perhaps?" Having finished reading his profile, the young woman asked with a smile, "If you have bonuses from a secondary profession, you can receive an even larger stipend."
"A secondary profession?"
Tang Wulin froze for a moment, and then his eyes instantly lit up. "Does forging count?"
"Of course it counts," she nodded.
"I just became a rank-2 Forging Master yesterday!" Tang Wulin said happily.
"! ! !"
The young woman's eyes went wide.
*Whoa, a golden legendary!*
Nine years old and already a rank-2 Forging Master—he had surpassed the Forging Association's previous record!
Her eyes shone. After Tang Wulin presented his rank-2 Forging Badge, she transferred thirty thousand Federation Coins to his account as quickly as possible, leaving him instantly lightheaded.
A single month's stipend was almost half the price of a Ten-Year Soul Spirit! And he did not even have to do any extra work; he merely had to check in at the Spirit Pagoda. It was even easier than making money through forging...
Thinking of this, Tang Wulin asked somewhat anxiously, "Could this be too much?"
"It isn't too much at all, little brother Wulin. If you officially join the Spirit Pagoda, the stipend will be even higher."
Chuckling softly, the young woman went on to introduce many of the benefits of joining the Spirit Pagoda before finally seeing the still-dazed Tang Wulin out of the building.
Afterward, she returned to the counter and instantly switched into work mode. Looking at the remaining soul tool screen, she typed out a passage of text:
*Tang Wulin, advanced to rank-2 Forging Master at only nine years of age. Currently friendly toward the Spirit Pagoda and treasures the Spirit Pagoda soul tool bracelet deeply. Recommend continued investment to recruit and nurture him within the forging department...*
Having typed up to this point, she paused, confirmed that the note contained no overly subjective opinions, and only then submitted the entry.
Over so many years, Spirit Pagoda had long since developed an established playbook for winning over commoner geniuses.
When it came to recruitment tactics, the Spirit Pagoda had plenty up its sleeve!
...
With nothing pressing to do, the Unrestrained Douluo was browsing through information on the Spirit Pagoda's internal network. Seeing the newly uploaded file on Tang Wulin, he raised an eyebrow.
"A Bluesilver Grass Martial Soul, innate soul power of rank 3, yet already a rank-2 Forging Master?"
Anyone familiar with the Spirit Pagoda's history would never look down on someone purely because of their Martial Soul or innate soul power, and he certainly would not either.
After all, among the Spirit Pagoda's founding members, there was a powerhouse whose innate soul power had only been rank 3, yet who had ultimately become a Super Douluo.
And across the past ten thousand years, among those who had defied fate to become pillars of the Spirit Pagoda, there had been several similar examples.
To discriminate against someone because of their Martial Soul would be nothing short of disrespect toward those predecessors.
Moreover, Hua Yichen also understood a fair bit about Thousand Refining. For a nine-year-old child to accomplish Thousand Refining required truly extraordinary physical strength. The boy was far from ordinary to begin with...
"Never mind. What's the point of overthinking it now? If he's willing to join the Spirit Pagoda, even if his cultivation truly drags down his forging talent, we could always apply to grant him a Bluesilver Grass soul spirit to enhance his talent."
Recalling some of the research projects at headquarters, Hua Yichen signed his name on Tang Wulin's profile, instructing his subordinates to keep close watch on him.
Ten thousand years ago, the first Pagoda Master had found a 190,000-year Bluesilver Emperor in the Sun Moon Empire. Because it had been unable to survive its Heavenly Tribulation, it had transformed into a soul spirit, which now stood as part of the Spirit Pagoda's enduring heritage.
With the advent of artificial soul spirit technology, some researchers had conceived the audacious notion of targeting Bluesilver Grass soul spirits. With the Bluesilver Emperor's assistance, tangible results had already been achieved.
A student in the advanced division of East Sea Academy who possessed a Bluesilver Grass Martial Soul had signed an agreement, after which Hua Yichen had sent him to headquarters to receive the fruits of that research.
That student had been quite lucky, as his Martial Soul carried a trace of the Bluesilver King's bloodline.
Those soul spirits all carried a sliver of the Bluesilver Emperor's bloodline. According to the researchers, once the soul spirit evolved to the ten-thousand-year mark, the contract's reciprocal feedback would transform that student's Martial Soul into a genuine Bluesilver King Martial Soul!
Tang Wulin might not be so fortunate, but elevating the Origin of his Martial Soul was well within reach.
Provided, of course, that he was willing to join the Spirit Pagoda.
...
"It seems Wulin is doing quite well."
Watching Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena walk away, Tang Ziran remarked with emotion, "The difference between a Ten-Year and a Hundred-Year Soul Spirit really is like night and day."
They had just joined the Mecha Master Association. Earlier, seeing Huo Yuhao and his companion wearing East Sea Academy uniforms, they had struck up a conversation, never expecting to actually hear news of Wulin.
Lang Yue smiled. "Yes, Teacher Mang Tian said that Wulin's Bluesilver Grass is exceptionally tough, likely because of that Hundred-Year Soul Spirit (in truth, it was due to the Golden Dragon King bloodline). And now he's been placed in Class Two because of it. That's truly wonderful."
"As long as he works hard, things will only get better in the future." Tang Ziran smiled and turned toward his workbench. "I've already scouted out a place. Let's earn enough money to buy back our home in East Sea City first, and then we'll tell Wulin."
Lang Yue nodded gently. "Mm!"
On the other side, Gu Yuena withdrew her gaze, utterly perplexed. Turning her beautiful eyes toward Huo Yuhao, she refrained from voicing the question in her heart.
She felt as though she had grown accustomed to gleaning intelligence about deities from his lips, and that kind of habit was far from good.
"They are indeed ordinary humans." To Gu Yuena's surprise, Huo Yuhao had already seen through her doubts. "There is no need to overthink it."
"..."
Gu Yuena pursed her lips.
*Am I really that easy to read?*
After offering an explanation, Huo Yuhao directed his gaze to the soul tool screen in his hand—an object resembling a thin sheet of crystal, somewhat similar to a mobile phone, yet distinctly different.
Looking at Tang Wulin's profile highlighted on the internal network, Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes.
Chapter 36