For a small city like Nuoding City, the Spirit Hall's main duties included assisting the local populace with spirit awakening, and collaborating with the patrol teams of the city lord's mansion to prevent soul master conflicts in public areas.
As the sub-hall master, Ma Xiunuo's work was mostly clerical—organizing documents, recording soul master levels, and issuing gold soul coins. It was a relatively relaxed job. Su Yuntao, on the other hand, had a more dynamic schedule: each year, he spent a month helping villages with spirit awakenings and alternated between patrolling and resting every half month.
The Spirit Hall was indeed a desirable employer.
Both had the time to accompany Tang San for soul hunting, planning to use their rest days to help. Si Si joined too—not because she was free, but because she had reached level twenty and needed her second soul ring. She took a leave of absence and decided to accompany Tang San's group.
Ma Xiunuo brought Tang San in the carriage, with Su Yuntao and Si Si taking turns driving. The Nuoding Soul Hunting Forest wasn't far, but still took half a day's journey—requiring them to conserve stamina.
"Little San," Ma Xiunuo began, "in the future, make sure to choose trustworthy soul hunting teams—preferably well-known ones. Avoid small, unreliable groups. Also, each forest differs in environment and beast types. Speak to locals. Some towns near the forests sell specific medicines or tools unique to that area."
Though Tang San already knew this from books, he listened respectfully.
In Douluo, there were many more soul hunting forests than those depicted in the original story. The famous ones were Star Dou Great Forest, Sunset Forest, Stormy Canyon, and Devil's Canyon. Others were either smaller, sparsely populated with beasts, or uncharted.
Take the Extreme North, for example—still largely unexplored.
Like animals, soul beasts adapted to their environment: fire types wouldn't be found in cold regions, nor water types in deserts. Environment and species shaped one another.
Aside from wild forests, some soul hunting forests were controlled jointly by the two empires and Spirit Hall. These forests, once vast like Sunset Forest, had shrunk due to human expansion. High-level beasts relocated to places like Star Dou, while remaining regions were populated with mostly ten- to hundred-year beasts. Thousand-year beasts were rare.
Why? Because Spirit Hall regularly patrolled and captured or killed them to prevent threats to nearby settlements.
They were more lenient with thousand-year plant-type beasts, which rarely moved. Animal types, on the other hand, were actively controlled.
Even so, no viable replacement for soul rings had been discovered. Everyone simply understood that soul beasts were a precious and limited resource.
Half a day later, the group arrived at the Nuoding Forest. The nearby town was bustling—lively as a festival day in Nuoding City.
Its residents were mainly soul masters (up to two-ring level) and sturdy civilians. A few strong civilians working together could rival a soul master in a brawl.
Ma Xiunuo explained that many soul masters died to ordinary people every year—especially those below level thirty. Once a soul master reached Soul Sovereign, deaths dropped sharply—only about three per year over the last decade. Their improved spirit power and physique made them harder to kill.
"Little San, what do you think of this place? A bit overwhelming?" Su Yuntao asked.
"I'm not used to the bustle, but it's prosperous," Tang San said. "Soul beasts are clearly this world's most important resource."
"Exactly," Ma Xiunuo nodded. "Areas without soul beasts are peaceful but underdeveloped—no big cities or soul master academies. Spirit Hall helps with spirit awakenings there, but kids with low innate power who don't join us rarely get the chance to study."
Tang San understood. Even on Earth, some children couldn't leave mountainous villages for school. On Douluo, the poor were even more constrained.
With only one or two levels of innate soul power, they might get a certificate, but few invitations. The Spirit Hall didn't reject any soul master—but they had to actually be one first.
At best, children with level three or higher might be recruited to local halls.
Meanwhile, physically strong civilians without soul power could still be trained into fighters—more obedient, less idealistic than low-talent dreamers.
"In big cities, you'll see more soul masters," Ma Xiunuo added. "Birds of a feather flock together."
Indeed—back in Holy Spirit Village, spirit masters only showed up once a year. But now, Tang San met them daily: Ma Xiunuo, Su Yuntao, Si Si, and the Nuoding Academy faculty (the principal was rare, though).
Soon, the four bought insect repellent and entered the forest. The gatekeeper, a subordinate of Ma Xiunuo, let them through without question.
Privilege, after all, was part of the system.
"Sister Si Si," Tang San asked while hiking through the forest, "what soul beast are you planning to choose for your second soul ring?"
Helping Si Si was also a way to repay Su Yuntao's support and the Spirit Hall's guidance. Cooperation was natural.
"Yes, tell us your idea," Su Yuntao encouraged. "He helped me find a great match for my second ring."
Si Si hesitated, but relented.
"My martial soul is a ribbon. It has no offensive power. My first ring was from a ninety-year-old mandrake snake—it gave me a binding skill and added some paralyzing poison. For my second, I want to expand the binding range. Maybe something to lengthen the ribbon or split it. What do you think?"
Tang San was stunned.
Mandrake snake again?
He thought he'd avoided it by not taking Yu Xiaogang as his teacher—but fate brought it back.
"Sister Si Si," Tang San asked, "did the mandrake snake also enhance your ribbon's toughness?"
"Yes. Before, it would snap if tugged. Now it's more durable."
Tang San nodded, then gently questioned her choice:
"Forgive me for sounding blunt, but wasn't it a bit wasteful to spend a ring just for a binding skill?"
"An ordinary person could learn to bind with a rope after some practice."
He continued, "The ribbon martial soul can naturally entangle. The first soul ring should've enhanced its intrinsic traits. Sister Si Si, what are the defining traits of a ribbon?"
"Light and soft," she said.
"Exactly. Now picture this: a ribbon floating midair. A regular person—not a soul master—slashes it with a basic sword. What happens?"
"It gets cut?" she guessed.
"Correct. That's the inherent weakness—lack of defense."
Tang San's explanation was just beginning...