Arrival at Spirit City

Time flew by, and six days later, the Heaven Dou army finally arrived at its destination—Spirit City—after trekking through deserts, mountains, and rocky terrains.

Rumor had it that Spirit City wasn't very large, roughly a fifth of the size of Heaven Dou City. However, as the Heaven Dou army stood before it, they were awestruck by its imposing aura, evoking the same sense of wonder as Heaven Dou City.

A thousand-strong force stood outside Spirit City, gazing up at its towering granite walls. Rising 120 meters high and 30 meters thick, the walls stood like a grand mountain, creating a breathtaking sight.

There were six massive walls encircling Spirit City, hinting at a much more expansive area than one would imagine. Within those walls, civilians found protection from the city's formidable defenses.

Tang San, fascinated by geography and formations, was captivated by Spirit City's design. The six walls, all crafted from granite, conveyed a sense of grandeur and power.

If the walls alone were this impressive, then the Pope's Palace at the city's peak was even more extraordinary. Situated on the highest point, it seemed to pierce the heavens with its spire, exuding an imposing aura of dominance over all.

Upon entering Spirit City, the different academies were each led by a Spirit Hall bishop to their respective lodgings.

A red-robed bishop guided the Shrek Academy team to a nearby hotel. The Shrek team behaved respectfully, as guests on foreign ground. Even Tang San, who despised Spirit Hall, remained unusually quiet.

"Strange, why are there so few ordinary people here?" Dai Mubai commented in confusion as they walked.

He wasn't alone in his observation; the Shrek team noticed that ordinary civilians were scarce, while spirit masters were common, although most had relatively low spirit power.

Qin Ming was equally surprised. When he spotted a restaurant staffed by spirit masters, including some who had reached the rank of Grandmaster (over level 20), he could hardly believe it.

Flender and Liu Erlong noticed this too and found it puzzling, even regrettable. In Heaven Dou City, a Grandmaster wouldn't just work as a waiter—they would be respected, potentially holding a command position in the military or working at an intermediate academy. It seemed wasteful to have them doing such menial work.

The Shrek members were equally perplexed, instinctively feeling disdain toward Spirit Hall, perceiving them as exploiting their spirit masters without properly valuing them. Only around twenty thousand spirit masters existed on the entire continent, and becoming a Grandmaster was an accomplishment among common people.

"What a waste of talent. These spirit masters should be cultivating, not working in restaurants," Dai Mubai sighed.

Qin Ming nodded in agreement. "They could be making breakthroughs if they invested this time in training."

The restaurant staff's practiced movements suggested they had been working there for a long time.

For Dai Mubai and Qin Ming, it seemed a complete inversion of priorities; had the staff trained instead, their achievements could have been far greater than just Grandmaster.

Chen Xuan disagreed with their perspective. "Yes, spirit resources shouldn't be squandered like this, but this is Spirit City, not Heaven Dou. The system here is different, and spirit masters are more common here."

Dai Mubai frowned, displeased at being contradicted in front of others.

Tang San's eyes grew cold as he glared at Chen Xuan, feeling that his words sounded like an excuse for Spirit Hall, which irritated him deeply.

"Chen, what are you implying?" Flender's voice was calm, yet carried a hint of sternness. He had little fondness for Spirit City after their recent attack by Spirit Hall.

Chen Xuan replied nonchalantly, "Just stating the facts."

Tang San's gaze turned icier. To him, Spirit City was synonymous with Spirit Hall, and Chen Xuan's words sounded like a defense for them. Adding to this, his association with Chrysanthemum Douluo intensified Tang San's suspicion, causing him to despise Chen Xuan further, suspecting him of being a spy for Spirit Hall.

Unbothered, Chen Xuan continued, "Dai Mubai, Qin Ming, you should know that Spirit Hall often awakens spirits for commoners, traveling to remote villages and helping children awaken their spirits for free. They even provide monthly stipends in gold soul coins. Naturally, these people grow up with a positive view of Spirit Hall, and if they join a force, Spirit Hall is their first choice. That's why there's no shortage of spirit masters here."

The Shrek team fell silent, as they couldn't deny the truth in his words. Spirit City was indeed known as a holy land for spirit masters.

Chen Xuan observed the bustling city around him, filled with people whose smiles exuded happiness.

"Spirit City offers everyone the right to awaken their spirit and provides financial support. Ordinary citizens have the chance to become spirit masters."

Without Spirit Hall, many children would never have the opportunity to become spirit masters and would remain in poor villages all their lives.

Chen Xuan turned to Tang San with a faint smile. "Some people have received countless benefits from others, enabling them to grow stronger, yet only think about repaying kindness with hostility. It's hard to understand."

Since tensions were already high, Chen Xuan felt there was no need to hold back.

Ma Hongjun and Oscar exchanged confused glances, scratching their heads in puzzlement, as they didn't catch Chen Xuan's subtle jab at Tang San.

Only Xiao Wu understood the underlying message, feeling that the "jerk" was mocking her third brother.

Tang San's face darkened to an extreme as he stared at Chen Xuan with a murderous gaze.

His eyes were icy, devoid of emotion, and his voice was as cold as a glacier. "What are you implying, Chen Xuan?"

Tang San's expression was exceptionally grim. His teacher's recent death had already left him in a foul mood, and this thinly veiled insult stoked his anger further.

The Shrek members stared at Tang San in surprise; his unusual rage and chilling killing intent were unlike anything they'd seen from him before.

Chen Xuan smirked, completely unafraid. Many might fear Tang San, but he didn't. After all, Tang San wasn't the only one with hidden weapons.

Besides, Chen Xuan's statement was true, and Tang San's reaction only proved it.

Without Spirit Hall's free spirit awakening, Tang Hao wouldn't have allowed his son to become a spirit master, and six-year-old Tang San would have never awakened his spirit. If it weren't for Spirit Hall's monthly gold soul coin stipends, Tang San wouldn't have been able to buy hidden weapon materials.

"It's just the truth," Chen Xuan said calmly.

Without mentioning names, he felt that some people's hypocrisy had been exposed, which was why they were so angry.

"You're asking for death!" Tang San's fury erupted, his killing intent finally unleashed.

To everyone's shock, Tang San lunged, pulling out his Zhuge Crossbow and aiming directly at Chen Xuan's head. His strike was merciless, clearly intending to kill.

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