Chapter 7: Thunder

AN: Special thanks to my new patrons: Dervonwarren and Eakamdeep Brar both joining as rank 2!

Enjoy the chapter!

....

???

"Is the machine broken?" The Soul Master uttered in confusion; as he saw the numbers portraying on the soul screen being unknown. But that shouldn't be possible.

Although the spiritual power examination soul machine wasn't new, this was brought in when this branch of Spirit Pagoda was established: which was a few dozen or so years ago, but it was made to last for half a century before it would be decommissioned.

"Is something the matter sir?" Xiu Ye asked at the Soul Master, after seeing that strange world of a hill with swords and a bright sun flashing in front of his eyes once more for several moments before snapping back to reality.

He slightly squirmed around to make himself comfortable; of having a somewhat futuristic helmet on his head.

'If only this soul master wasn't here in the room, I would have gone "Link Start!" in here.' Xiu Ye sulked.

The Soul Master ignored Xiu Ye for several moments, walking around in circles as he mumbles to himself about "how defective equipments are" and "low budget" before turning towards the child.

"Kid, I'm going to be honest with you. This is the first I've run into such a situation where the spiritual power examination soul machine isn't working properly. Normally, I'd immediately leave to report to my superiors about this but I heard that they're currently in an important meeting." The Soul Master then removed the helmet around Xiu Ye's head.

"So, now what?" Xiu Ye asked as he blinked and rubbed his eyes several times to remove the slight vertigo he was feeling.

"Well, this would be a very risky move, but it is common knowledge that those with Innate Full Soul Power are born with similar amount of innate great spiritual power; fully capable of absorbing a yellow spirit soul or otherwise known as a hundred year old soul ring."

Xiu Ye nodded in agreement as really, it makes total sense. It probably even helps that he's a reincarnated person so his spiritual power is probably higher than normal soul masters.

"Listen kid, Spirit Origin realm can be ranged between level 1 to 100 spiritual power. Levels 30 and below are elementary ranked. Levels 30 to 60 are intermediate ranked. Levels 60 to 90 are advanced rank. Levels 90 to 100 is the peak of Spirit Origin. A soul master with Spirit Origin intermediate ranked spiritual power will be able to fuse with a yellow spirit soul. So I'll just put into the registration that you have a spiritual power of 33: so if anyone asks, just tell them that your spiritual power is 33 okay?"

Xiu Ye nodded and the Soul Master walked towards a certain direction where a pair of metal doors stood, to which the former soon follow after.

"This here is where we keep our spirit souls and where you will choose your choosing spirit soul. I should warn you, do not try to steal any spirit souls in here okay?" The Soul Master warned with a strict expression.

Xiu Ye obediently nodded fearfully and the Soul Master's expression softened. "With all that is said, are you ready?"

Xiu Ye's heartbeat couldn't help but quicken. He somewhat remembered in the story that the quality of a spirit soul played a significant role in a Soul Master's strength. Fusing with a strong spirit soul would help a Soul Master upgrade their own power. On the other hand, if they fused with a weak spirit soul, the spirit skill bestowed upon them would be equally weak. A Soul Master could have a maximum of nine spirit skills. Although it was exceedingly rare for someone to reach nine spirit rings, this just made the lower level spirit skills that much more important.

'Okay, just look around and find the most useful and compatible spirit soul with my martial soul, it should be easy enough... fuck I just jinxed myself didn't I?'

Xiu Ye took a deep breath, trying to calm down his messy emotions, and said towards the Soul Master, "I am ready."

The Soul Master nodded and opened up the pair of doors and the two went inside.

Xiu Ye's eyes widened in awe as four white stand rows of neatly packed spirit soul balls, like what you see in a lobby with a magazine stand, appeared in front of him.

The room shone in a translucent blue color, with grey lines all around. The room looked to be about 30 cubic meters in all sides, shining brightly in its futuristic splendor.

"So what're you waiting for kid?" Xiu Ye turned towards the smirking Soul Master. "Go on, the yellow spirit soul is at the left side last row. There should be the place where you want your spirit soul is."

Xiu Ye nodded and wandered around the room. He let down his hand to touch the rails of the spirit soul balls shelves of the front left row and slide it as he walked it by.

Although he wanted a yellow spirit soul, that doesn't mean he won't examine the rest; who knows, maybe he would get a suitable spirit soul of ten years old. Besides, with the technology of today he could just upgrade his soul ring through the spirit ascension platform later on.

The row in front of him had only white colored spirit soul balls, meaning that they're ten year old spirit souls. As his eyes turned towards the other two stand rows on the right side, he also saw that there were only white colored spirit soul balls while the last one had exactly eleven yellow colored spirit soul balls.

Xiu Ye then randomly grabbed a white spirit soul ball and examined it.

The pokeball, eh, spirit soul ball looked to be translucent, with a white colored light lighting it up, showing an image of a sleeping green frog with a golden pair of eyebrows in the middle of it.

"Oh, that spirit soul is the Golden Eyebrow Frog. A spirit soul that is very compatible to any amphibian type martial soul or those with a relation to either the water element or poison. I advise you kid, that spirit soul isn't advisable for your martial soul as your's is a sword with the highest affinity with the fire element that I have ever heard of." The Soul Master both explained and warned Xiu Ye of the clearly incompatible spirit soul for the latter's martial soul.

'This kid is good. Despite looking nonchalant at the start and looked and acted kinda arrogant, the way he didn't immediately went towards the yellow section of the spirit souls shows that he's very patient, intelligent and calm compared to his peers. Finding a suitable spirit soul is the most important to become a successful soul master.' The Soul Master nodded in appreciation at Xiu Ye's maturity.

"Hm." Xiu Ye nodded, clearly agreeing with the staff, before putting back the spirit ball on the stand shelve in front of him then grabbing another spirit soul ball.

"That's the Barbaric Flame Lizard, a ten year old spirit soul. I'd say that it could be a suitable spirit soul for you, as it also has the affinity with fire, but this spirit soul is mostly about strengthening the soul master's physique; which makes it only more suitable for those with beast soul type martial soul."

"Ten year old Bronze Tiger Orangutan. Definitely not a suitable spirit soul for you..."

"Ah, the ten year old spirit soul Flame Heart. A flame type spirit soul made with the genes of a ten thousand year old Fire Dragon but the Spirit Pagoda had focused on creating the spirit soul with its powerful flame. This spirit soul should be very suitable for you."

"..."

"..."

Several minutes passed and Xiu Ye finally finishes on checking the white section of the spirit souls.

He paused for a moment in place.

'Some of them are compatible to my martial soul, especially that Flame Heart, but why do I have a strange feeling that not one of them are the ones for my martial soul?'

"Kid?" The Soul Master interrupted Xiu Ye's train of thought.

"Nothing. I'll check the last row." Xiu Ye then grabbed one yellow colored spirit soul ball.

"That's the hundred year old Romanti Snake. Rumored to be the first spirit ring of the Sea God Tang San. Only suitable for those plant and snake type martial souls and those with poison power. Not suitable for you." Xiu Ye then grabbed another one.

"That's the Light Spear spirit soul. Only suitable for those with the spear tool soul martial soul and light element."

"Sand Shark Devil. A very powerful spirit soul but only for those with either a rare aqua type soul beast or having the earth element."

As Xiu Ye picked up another spirit soul ball, the excitement in his heart slowly went down. As he listened to the Soul Master's explanation of the spirit souls he grabbed further, his excitement became disappoinment.

Even if the Soul Master told him of some of the spirit souls being compatible for him, he just somehow knew that those spirit souls aren't suitable for him.

'By the looks of things, I should just comprised and suck it up.' Xiu Ye let out a sigh as he grabbed the last yellow colored spirit soul ball, his eyes widened.

A strange energy seemed to flow into his hands until it slowly spread all across his body. Feelings of comfort, excitement, and joy transmitted into his brain.

Xiu Ye looked down and observed the spirit ball in his hands.

Like the previous spirit balls, it was a translucent ball in color but lighted up in a yellow light. Sleeping in the middle of it was a small steel looking hammer with thunder like designs around the sides of the head.

"I choose this one." Xiu Ye said without any hesitation.

However, the Soul Master didn't share his feelings of excitement, as he shook his head and said.

"Kid, I advise you to not get this spirit soul."

Xiu Ye frowned.

"Why?"

"Because that spirit soul in your hands is simply incompatible with you. That spirit soul is called the Thunder Hammer. One of the many and rare artificial tool spirit soul the Spirit Pagoda has created with great difficulty. As its name suggest, it's a hammer with the ability to control thunder and lightning; completely incompatible with your martial soul whose affinity is with fire."

Xiu Ye pauses for a moment, brows wrinkled, clearly thinking over what the Soul Master had said, and shook his head.

"I'm sorry sir Soul Master, but, this is the only spirit soul that I feel a certain connection with. The rest of the spirit souls aren't responding to me, even those with the fire element."

Hearing Xiu Ye's explanation made the Soul Master frown as well. This is the first time he'd ever heard such a situation where one would have not felt a connection to a spirit soul with similarities of their martial soul.

Looking at Xiu Ye, the Soul Master knows that he wouldn't be able to persuade the boy to change his mind.

"... Are you sure to take this spirit soul as your own?" The Soul Master asked Xiu Ye; if he is certain of his choice.

"I am sure." Xiu Ye said without any hesitation, making the Soul Master close his eyes and nodded to concede.

"Very well, Xiu Ye, from this point on you are now an official Soul Master after you fuse with the spirit soul. Come back here when you have time off of school to register your soul power rank and spirit soul. Then go to the Federation office to register yourself as an official Soul Master and get a monthly stipend of 1000 thousand soul coins, which can barely cover the cost of tuition at an intermediate academy. The amount per month will increase once you becomes a spirit grandmaster. Got it?" Xiu Ye nodded in understanding.

"Good, you can go now." Xiu Ye bowed towards the Soul Master out of appreciation and turned to walk towards the exit.

"Oh by the way child." Hearing the Soul Master speaking caused Xiu Ye to halt in his steps. " Out of curiosity, have you decided on what type and system of a Soul Master you'll be?"

Xiu Ye thought of it for a moment and said.

"Battle Soul Master, Power Attack & Agility System Soul Master." With those said, he left, ignorant of the Soul Master widened eyes.

"... That kid sure is ambitious." The Soul Master said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Being both a Power Attack and Agility System Soul Master? That path is almost aligned with the ultimate fighter system soul master, which only one in the entire history of the planet was capable of doing. Sadly, that person's history and feats was lost to time.

....

In the third layer of the Spirit Pagoda, a pair of golden eyes narrowed their eyes and turned towards the dozen people seated around a long oblong table.

"Remember, you will not tell anyone of this matter, especially the Federation and Spirit Pagoda, about the boy, am I understood?" A cold yet alluring voice resounded the entire meeting room of the Spirit Pagoda of Glorybound City.

"Yes, your highness." The entire board of directors of Glorybound City's Spirit Pagoda simultaneously said with emotionless voices. Their eyes completely blank and unresponsive to everything except for the source of the voice.

"Good." After that was said, all the board of directors fell asleep on their comfy leather black chairs, completely forgetting what they were doing.