Douluo Continent: God Descends

Chapter 19 Choosing a Soul

"Hello, sister, I'm here to buy a spirit."

Lu Xingchen raised her small face, her voice soft yet clear, and then took out a brand new certificate from her bosom and handed it over, "This is my Soul Master certificate."

Purchasing a Soul Spirit at the Spirit Pagoda involves a strict process, the primary condition of which is proving one's identity as a Soul Master.

The certificate in his hand was specially applied for by Dean Cocolia after she discovered that he possessed innate soul power. It clearly recorded Lu Xingchen's name, age, and innate soul power level, and served as his "pass" to enter the Spirit Pagoda.

"Five years old?"

When the female staff member took the Soul Master certificate from Lu Xingchen, her pupils contracted slightly and her eyes flashed with undisguised shock when her gaze fell on the "Age" column.

While children who awaken their martial souls early are not common on the continent, they are not entirely unique. However, this child has reached level ten soul power at the age of five and become a quasi-soul master, which is truly rare.

It should be noted that the speed at which a Soul Master breaks through to level ten is directly linked to their innate Soul Power. To reach this level at such a young age, their innate Soul Power must far surpass that of ordinary people.

She ran her fingertips along the edge of the document, her mind already made up: such a gifted child might be worth reporting to her superiors, and perhaps she could recruit a future talent for the Spirit Pagoda.

Suppressing her thoughts, she placed her documents into the verification device beside her. With a soft "beep," the device's screen lit up with a green confirmation icon.

The staff member's smile grew even warmer, and his tone held a genuine admiration: "So you're a young Soul Master, truly promising for your age. What level of Soul Spirit are you planning to purchase?"

Lu Xingchen was prepared and asked casually, "Sister, I don't know much about the selection process for soul spirits. Could you explain it to me in detail?"

"sure."

The staff member nodded patiently and then explained clearly, "Our Tianhai City Spirit Pagoda branch offers four ways to select spirits for novice spirit masters. You can choose according to your own situation."

"The first method is to randomly select a soul. The age of the soul drawn is between ten and one hundred years, and the type and ability are all random. There is even a certain probability of drawing a defective soul. The advantage is that it is cheap, costing only 30,000 Federal Credits."

"The second type is the white ten-year soul spirit. There are currently 2,372 types available in the tower, and the attributes and abilities of each soul spirit are clearly marked. The price is 70,000 Federal Credits."

"The third type is the yellow hundred-year soul spirit. There are 680 types to choose from. Compared with the ten-year soul spirit, it has a greater advantage in soul power amplification and ability strength, and the price fluctuates around one million federal coins."

"The fourth type is custom-made spirits. Through the internal channels of the Spirit Transfer Tower, one can specify the attributes, bloodline, and even special abilities of a spirit. However, the price is extremely high, usually above three million Federal Credits, and advance reservations are required."

As for thousand-year-old or ten-thousand-year-old soul spirits, the staff did not mention them—the body and soul power of a level ten soul master are simply unable to withstand the energy impact of a thousand-year-old soul spirit; forcibly absorbing it will only result in the body exploding and death.

Of these four selection methods, the first one is purely based on gambler's mentality.

The souls obtained through the second and third methods are mostly low-level souls, which is why their prices are fixed.

The fourth option is specifically for wealthy individuals and large families. The soul beasts available for selection here mostly have extraordinary bloodlines, but they are also more expensive.

Hearing the prices that were often tens of thousands or even millions, Lu Xingchen secretly clicked his tongue in amazement.

Thirty thousand Federal Dollars may seem like the cheapest option, but in a first-tier city like Tianhai City, the average wage earner is only seven to ten thousand Federal Dollars per month. To save up thirty thousand, one would need to live frugally for more than three months.

In remote small towns, the average person's monthly salary is only three to five thousand yuan, and it would take half a year to save up that amount of money.

And this is only enough to buy a random soul spirit. If you want a ten-year soul spirit, you need to accumulate for even longer. Don't even think about a hundred-year soul spirit. Ordinary people would have to sell everything they own to buy one.

Apart from wealthy families of Soul Masters, most commoner Soul Masters have a first Soul Spirit that takes ten years to form.

"No wonder the Spirit Pagoda is one of the wealthiest organizations on the continent; its ability to amass wealth is truly terrifying." He thought to himself, but remained outwardly calm, and looked up at the staff member, saying, "Sister, I choose the first option."

This decision was exactly what he had expected. It suited his financial situation and allowed the power of "0-01" to come into play. He wanted to see what kind of "reasonable" opportunities this calligraphy brush, which could "make words come true," would bring him.

Upon hearing this, the staff member was taken aback for a moment, then advised, "Young man, won't you reconsider? Or go back and discuss it with your family? Choosing a soul spirit is the foundation of your path to becoming a Soul Master, a major event in your life. Randomly selecting one is too risky."

Perhaps it was Lu Xingchen's exquisitely beautiful appearance that made her so endearing, or perhaps it was her heart that cherished his talent, but she couldn't help but give him an extra word of advice.

Lu Xingchen gently shook her head, her tone calm yet carrying a barely perceptible firmness: "No need, thank you for your kindness, sister. I am an orphan from Tianhai Orphanage, and this is the only path I can choose right now."

A flicker of pity crossed the staff member's eyes, but she said nothing more—she understood that some choices were beyond the control of others. She took the bank card, completed the deduction, and added:

"Next, you will need to pay a mental test fee of one thousand federal dollars. This is a necessary procedure. We will use instruments to test your mental strength to determine whether you can safely accommodate the soul and avoid the risk of mental collapse during absorption."

"Okay." Lu Xingchen didn't hesitate and took out 1,000 federal dollars from his pocket and handed it over.

After completing all the payment procedures, the staff returned the Soul Master certificate to Lu Xingchen and handed him a small silver token. The token was engraved with the emblem of the Spirit Pagoda and also had a unique serial number printed on it.

"This is your draw ticket. Take it to the random draw area on the third floor, where a guide will assist you."

"Thank you, sister." Lu Xingchen took the token, feeling the cool metallic touch on his fingertips. He thanked her politely and then turned to walk towards the elevator on one side of the hall.

The palm of his hand holding the token felt slightly warm, and the soul power within his body seemed to sense the impending change and began to tremble slightly.

Lu Xingchen took a deep breath, feeling both anticipation for the unknown soul spirit and a touch of unavoidable tension—even with the "0-01" power as a safety net, this was still the first step on his path to becoming a Soul Master, and he couldn't afford to be careless.