The Spirit Hall was adorned with massive crystal windows. Sunlight filtered through the transparent crystal panes, refracting across the murals and casting dazzling golden light that made one feel almost intoxicated.
The reception hall bustled with people coming and going.
Among the crowd, they spotted a familiar face—Su Yuntao, walking toward them alongside a curvaceous, attractive female spirit master.
"Master Su Yuntao!" Tang San called out.
"There are still such young children in the Spirit Hall?" the female spirit master said in surprise.
"And you are...?" Su Yuntao looked at the two children, clearly not recognizing them based on their outfits.
"Master, I'm Tang San from Saint Soul Village. I awakened the Blue Silver Chicken spirit and have innate full spirit power. I've come for the advanced appraisal!" Tang San said with a smile.
"Ah, it's you? Your face is so swollen I didn't recognize you. Blue Silver Chicken… full innate spirit power, what a waste! And that Zhang… something… what was it? Another trash martial spirit..."
Su Yuntao shook his head, then turned to the female spirit master."I'll take them to see Master Matthew Nuo. Wait here for me."
"Go ahead." The female spirit master, upon hearing their spirits were both trash-tier, gave them a disdainful look.
Su Yuntao brought them to the second floor and knocked on the door."Knock knock..."
"Who is it?" A hoarse voice called out. The door opened, and an old man stood at the entrance.
"Ah, it's Yuntao. What brings you here?" Matthew Nuo asked.
"Brought two kids for advanced appraisal," Su Yuntao replied.
"They're here for spirit awakening? They look so young," Matthew Nuo said in surprise.
"Of course not! I handled their awakenings earlier. One has full innate spirit power, level ten. The other is level seven."
As he spoke, Su Yuntao patted Tang San on the shoulder.
"What classifications does the Spirit Hall have?" Tang San asked.
"Oh!"
Matthew Nuo nodded and led them to the advanced appraisal lab.
"Above the branch halls are sub-halls. Above sub-halls are main halls, which only exist in large cities. The capitals of the two great empires have fourth-level Spirit Sanctuaries. Level five is the Pope's Hall, and above that is the legendary Douluo Worship Hall. Only those who reach the Title Douluo level are qualified to enter. That is the ultimate dream of every spirit master."
After explaining, he continued,"Let's begin. Release your spirit. Summon it."
Tang San stepped to the center of the patterned platform, raised his right hand, and a flash of blue light revealed the Blue Silver Chicken in his hand—a red rooster with interwoven blue and silver patterns.
"Uh..."
Matthew Nuo was momentarily stunned upon seeing the spirit. A plant-based chicken? He found it hard to believe—utterly bizarre.
Then, Tang San's spirit ring lit up.
A yellow glow radiated brightly.
"Buzz..."
The Blue Silver Chicken now bore some of the Mandala Snake's markings, making it look even more peculiar.
"A hundred-year spirit ring?" Matthew Nuo rubbed his eyes, thinking he'd seen wrong."Not bad at all. A Blue Silver Chicken, but with a hundred-year spirit ring. What's your name?"
"Tang San!"
Matthew Nuo nodded, suppressing his astonishment."Based on that, you should be level eleven..."
Tang San placed his hand on the crystal ball. The glow wasn't particularly intense, but it was definitely remarkable.
"Level... thirteen spirit power."
Matthew Nuo stared at Tang San like he was a little monster."Could it be that the spirit ring itself is powerful and boosted your spirit power? What kind of spirit beast did you hunt?"
"Mandala Snake!" Tang San said proudly.
"That explains it," Matthew Nuo said, still visibly shaken.
"Alright, your turn." He took a deep breath.
Zhang Fan stepped into the center of the platform, raised his left hand, and a flash of purple light revealed a battered sword in his hand—rusted, dull, and downright ugly.
Matthew Nuo shook his head but said nothing.
"Buzz..."
The next moment, black light burst forth, dazzling and intense.
An overwhelming wave of spirit power surged out.
"Ah..."
Matthew Nuo was forced back a few steps by the pressure, his aged face filled with shock. His cloudy eyes widened to the brink of popping.
"A black... ten-thousand-year spirit ring!"
That black glow nearly gave old Matthew Nuo a heart attack.
His jaw hung open in disbelief.
If Tang San's spirit ring had been a pleasant surprise…
Zhang Fan's black spirit ring was like a thunderclap in his mind—utterly earth-shattering.
He was utterly shaken, unable to calm down.
This... this little fellow was an even bigger monster than Tang San by a wide margin.
"How did you even attach that spirit ring? I've lived for so many years, and I've never seen anything like this!"
As he said it, he felt he might've overstepped. Maybe this child just got incredibly lucky and came across a half-dead ten-thousand-year spirit beast and somehow managed to absorb its ring.
Still, that level of luck was absurd.
Tang San also stared, eyes filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment. His previous sense of superiority vanished in an instant.
He shook his head helplessly—once again outclassed. The bitterness in his heart grew.
Zhang Fan, seeing Tang San put on the "pain mask," felt elated.
His goal was simple—humiliate him, crush him, make him miserable.
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Then, Zhang Fan raised his hand and placed it on the crystal orb.
"Buzz..." A brilliant purple glow burst forth, even brighter and clearer than Tang San's earlier display.
"Level... sixteen!"
Matthew Nuo was once again stunned.He had assumed this kid's spirit power wouldn't surpass level fourteen."You leveled up six stages after attaching a spirit ring?"
"Not exactly. After absorbing the spirit ring, I leveled up four stages. Then, after returning to the academy, I gained another two," Zhang Fan explained thoughtfully.
"What's your name?" Matthew Nuo asked curiously.
"Zhang Fan," he replied calmly.
"Would you be interested in joining the Spirit Hall?"
Matthew Nuo immediately pushed Tang San aside, eyes gleaming as he looked at Zhang Fan.
"I know what you're thinking. You're here to register with the Spirit Hall to receive government subsidies. But joining the Hall would make you an official Spirit Hall spirit master, with access to advanced training in our academies."
"I've already joined Nuoding Academy," Zhang Fan replied with a shake of his head.
"A pity," Matthew Nuo sighed and shook his head.
Then Zhang Fan and Tang San left together.
Tang San remained quiet the entire way back.
Being overshadowed by Zhang Fan had clearly dampened his spirits.
Back at Nuoding Academy—
Xiao Wu had also advanced to a spirit master, completed her registration, and received a gold spirit coin.
Meanwhile, Tang San went to the forge to practice the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique his father had taught him.
Lately, he'd been researching the Hao Tian Dog and discovered something odd:
The Hao Tian Dog could enlarge its head and shrink its body, transforming into a hammer-shaped dog.
It resembled both a dog and a hammer.
Extremely sturdy, it could be used both for attacking and forging. This was a surprising discovery.The only downside was its ridiculous appearance—as if he were hammering metal with an actual dog.
"Ding! Plot modification mission triggered."
[Tang San swung the Hao Tian Dog toward the iron block.] — Modifiable content detected.
Zhang Fan saw the popup and immediately activated his mental command, changing "iron block" to "groin."
[Tang San swung the Hao Tian Dog toward his groin.]
"Ding! Plot modification successful. The plot has become unhinged. Awarded 70 modification points."
"Ahhh!"
A second later, a scream echoed from the forge.
Tang San rolled on the ground clutching his groin, drenched in cold sweat, face contorted in agony.
"Did he just... hit himself during forging?"
"Is this... training his groin?"
The other blacksmiths were completely baffled.
They thought this kid was attempting to sever his bloodline—
Was he training the Hammer of No Descendants?
(End of Chapter)