Chapter 49: Return to Notting, Reuniting with Su Yuntao

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After Lin Ye used his Nine-Spirit Sacred Begonia martial spirit and activated his first spirit ability, Purifying Light, to cleanse the Grandmaster of the poison, the morning sun quietly crept into the sky.

Seeing that it was already getting late, and with everything they came to do in the Soul Hunting Forest completed, the trio began their journey back to Notting City.

Upon leaving the Soul Hunting Forest, the Grandmaster arranged for a carriage in the nearby town. The three of them climbed aboard and set off.

The journey back to Notting City would take roughly a day and a night by carriage. By departing now, they should be able to reach Notting City by early the next morning.

...

After a full day and night of travel, the carriage finally pulled into Notting City the following morning, following a bumpy ride through mountains and rivers.

However, instead of returning directly to Notting Academy, Lin Ye and Tang San, at the Grandmaster's suggestion, decided to visit the local branch of the Spirit Hall in Notting City first.

According to the Grandmaster, it was best for a Soul Scholar to register at the nearest Spirit Hall branch as soon as they advanced to Soul Master level. Once registered, they would receive a badge representing their current cultivation level. Additionally, they could also collect a gold soul coin each month.

A gold soul coin wasn't a small amount!

Both Lin Ye and Tang San hailed from the countryside. In the small villages, most farmers couldn't earn a single gold soul coin from an entire year's labor.

On the Douluo Continent, a gold soul coin had significant purchasing power. If spent wisely, it could easily cover one's expenses for an entire year.

Even though Lin Ye had some money saved up, not to mention the valuable materials from the soul beasts he had acquired in the forest, he wasn't one to refuse free money. Tang San, who was even more financially constrained than Lin Ye, certainly wouldn't turn it down either.

With the Grandmaster's advice fresh in their minds, the two of them made their way to the Spirit Hall branch.

...

Arriving at the Spirit Hall branch in Notting City, Lin Ye and Tang San found themselves standing before one of the most luxurious buildings in the city. The sprawling structure covered over ten thousand square meters, standing three stories tall and reaching more than forty meters in height.

The cylindrical building was crowned with a dome that resembled an upside-down bowl, made entirely of crystal-clear glass. Under the sunlight, the glass glimmered in a rainbow of colors, creating an awe-inspiring sight that left anyone gazing upon it in stunned admiration.

"So this is the Spirit Hall in Notting City... it's so much grander than the one in our village," Lin Ye murmured to himself, comparing this opulent structure with the humble wooden building back in Holy Spirit Village.

"Heh, well, Holy Spirit Village is just a small, ordinary village. There's no way its Spirit Hall could compare to Notting City's," Tang San chuckled in response.

Lin Ye smiled faintly, though his thoughts ran deeper than he let on.

The two of them were no ordinary village kids. They were both born with innate full soul power—one with twin martial spirits, and the other with triple martial spirits.

One day, when they became powerful Soul Masters, wouldn't they be able to rebuild their village's Spirit Hall into something even grander?

Lin Ye silently vowed to one day rebuild Holy Spirit Village's Spirit Hall, making it more magnificent than this one in Notting City. He wanted to give Old Jack something to be proud of.

"Hold it. Who are you two?"

As Lin Ye and Tang San approached the entrance, two armored guards with swords blocked their path, their voices stern.

"We're students from Notting Academy. We've come to the Spirit Hall to have our soul power tested. May we enter?"

Lin Ye stepped forward, bowing slightly as he spoke politely.

"You're from Notting Academy?"

The two guards exchanged glances before stepping aside to clear the way.

"Go ahead, then. It's the season for your academy's soul power tests," one of the guards said.

"Thank you, big brothers."

Lin Ye bowed again, leading Tang San into the Spirit Hall.

Inside, the grand hall was just as lavish as the building's exterior. The few people present were all dressed in elegant clothing, engaged in low-voiced conversations.

In their simple linen outfits, Lin Ye and Tang San stood out sharply among the finely dressed crowd, though no one paid them much attention due to their young age.

But then, amidst the crowd, Lin Ye spotted a familiar figure.

"It's Master Su Yuntao!"

Lin Ye immediately recognized the dashing young man in the gray and white uniform, who was chatting with a richly dressed youth in the center of the hall.

It was Su Yuntao, the Spirit Hall officer who had initially helped them awaken their martial spirits. Lin Ye didn't know where to go to register and test their soul power, so running into a familiar face was a stroke of luck.

"Tang San, look. It's Master Su Yuntao!"

Tang San also noticed Su Yuntao and nodded.

"Let's go say hello," Lin Ye said as he began walking towards Su Yuntao.

On the other side of the hall, Su Yuntao was engaged in banter with the noble youth beside him, both of them wearing smiles that didn't reach their eyes.

"Su Yuntao, you're in your twenties now and still haven't broken through to rank thirty. At this rate, Miss Sisi won't even look at you," the noble youth teased, though his words carried a sharp edge.

"And you think you're any better, Mark? You're older than me, and you're not even a Grandmaster yet. Maybe you should take a good look at yourself before you criticize me."

Su Yuntao shot back, not one to back down.

"Ha, Su Yuntao, we're not the same. I'm a noble, and I'll inherit a title one day. What about you? Got any titles coming your way?"

Mark laughed smugly.

"You've got quite a few brothers, Mark. I doubt that title will go to you. But if I break through to Soul Elder, I have a good chance of becoming the head of the Notting City Spirit Hall. That's far better than being some lowly baron!"

Su Yuntao sneered.

"Soul Elder? Please. You're in your twenties, and you still haven't reached rank thirty. If you don't hit that milestone by then, you'll be stuck at Grandmaster for life. You really think you'll become a Soul Elder?"

Mark scoffed, ridiculing Su Yuntao.

Though both men kept up their smiles, the words exchanged between them were barbed, aiming to humiliate the other.

As they stared each other down, tension filled the air, but a voice suddenly interrupted.

"Master Su Yuntao!"

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