About half a month later, a massive carriage traveled slowly along the main road not far from Spirit City.
It was Ling Xiao and his party.
After these days of travel, they had finally arrived at Spirit City.
Peering through the carriage curtains at the magnificent city ahead, Ling Xiao felt a surge of genuine excitement. Here, he would join the Spirit Academy and formally receive cultivation from Spirit Hall.
He would strive to learn how to become a powerful Soul Master.
With the support of Spirit Hall, he would gain many conveniences; at the very least, he wouldn't waste his innate talent due to a lack of experts to help him hunt for suitable soul rings.
Spirit City covered a massive area, appearing no less grand than the imperial capitals of the continent's two great empires.
The entire city's construction strictly followed the specifications of an imperial capital. Its city walls, standing dozens of meters high, looked incredibly majestic and reached a thickness of over ten meters.
Most uniquely, Spirit City was not a standard square like ordinary cities, but a hexagon—meaning it possessed six distinct faces of walls. Those patrolling the ramparts were all Soul Masters, dressed in the standardized uniforms of Spirit Hall.
On each of the six walls, there was a massive relief sculpture, identical to the ones Ling Xiao remembered seeing on the Pope Token. They symbolized six types of powerful martial souls.
Soon, the carriage slowly entered Spirit City without encountering any obstacles.
Not only was a Cardinal Bishop of a Lord Spirit Hall sitting inside, but starting ten days ago—as the carriage drew closer to the city—Judgement Squads had been relaying intelligence daily to keep Spirit Hall precisely informed.
Early this morning, the captain of the guards at the city gate had already received orders: should they encounter the carriage of the Bishop from the Balak City Spirit Hall, they were not to obstruct it and were instead to provide any necessary assistance.
Upon entering Spirit City, the conditions inside left Ling Xiao in awe.
The inner streets were exceptionally smooth and wide, yet they never felt empty. People bustled to and fro, and nearly every single one of them was a Soul Master, their bodies radiating varying fluctuations of soul power.
Ordinary people were actually quite rare here.
Along his journey to Spirit City, Ling Xiao had passed through several cities, but even if one included the capital of the Balak Kingdom, the total number of Soul Masters combined wouldn't even amount to twenty percent of those in Spirit City.
It truly deserved its reputation as the greatest gathering place for Soul Masters on the continent. Furthermore, there was no shortage of Soul Master groups.
Some were strong and others weak, but they all carried an aura of having experienced slaughter. Some bore visible scars, and some even carried the carcasses of soul beasts, drawing unavoidable attention.
Seeing Ling Xiao's enthusiastic expression, Ralph couldn't help but smile and said, "This is Spirit City, the holy land for all Soul Masters on the continent and the place with the highest density of them."
"These Soul Master groups you see are not members of Spirit Hall; most are independent Soul Masters. They don't belong to any sect or clan. Most are commoners with varying levels of talent who cultivate through their own individual opportunities."
"Generally, they form teams among themselves. On a typical day, they might accept commissions from minor factions or help weaker Soul Masters hunt soul beasts for a fee. In this way, they can earn money while also honing themselves through combat."
Hearing Ralph's explanation, Ling Xiao thought to himself, Aren't these just mercenaries?
However, recalling Grandmaster's views on these types of teams, he couldn't help but ask, "Grandpa Ralph, by grouping up like this, aren't they prone to becoming a disorganized rabble? After all, it's hard for them to trust one another. If they encounter danger, wouldn't they collapse instantly?"
Ralph was somewhat surprised by Ling Xiao's remark and countered, "Do they look like a disorganized rabble to you?"
"This..." Ling Xiao hesitated.
The independent Soul Masters he saw all looked extremely fierce, and most had bodies marked with scars—proof of the dangerous experiences they had survived.
How could people who survived such perils be considered a mere rabble?
Ralph looked at Ling Xiao and said, "The talent of these independent Soul Masters is generally not considered outstanding."
"They form teams to bolster their own strength, whether it's to obtain soul rings, complete dangerous missions, or travel the continent for experience. It provides them with significant help."
"Furthermore, do you think their teams are just one-off arrangements? If they performed dangerous missions or fought powerful soul beasts with strangers every single time, that would be seeking death."
"For these independent Soul Masters to build a complete team is a long-term process. There are requirements for the members they select, and after joining, they undergo repeated coordination to become familiar with one another."
"Once they reach a certain number of members and have a balanced composition of Soul Master types, the personnel rarely change—unless someone dies and they are forced to absorb fresh blood."
Seeing Ling Xiao listening intently, Ralph continued, "Of course, they didn't start cooperating from childhood. In the early stages when their relationships aren't yet close, they can indeed seem less than united."
"But unless faced with an immense temptation, the team won't just fall apart. As for facing extreme danger? Heh, they know better than anyone that when danger strikes, a fractured team only dies faster."
"Moreover, most of them are commoners. They don't have the support of great powers behind them, nor do they have elders who are powerful Soul Masters. Provided they don't join a major faction."
"Making friends and forming teams to strengthen themselves is the best way for them to walk further on the path of a Soul Master. Among themselves, they are partners who can truly trust one another with their backs."
"Generally speaking, to join a relatively formal independent Soul Master group, the minimum requirement is to be at least Rank 30—a three-ring Soul Elder. Otherwise, in most Soul Hunting Forests, they would only be a burden to the team, to say nothing of those extremely dangerous, large-scale wild soul beast gathering points."
Ralph's words completely won Ling Xiao over.
The theories he previously held—those originating from Grandmaster—were immediately overturned.
Indeed, if things were truly as Grandmaster said in his memory, independent Soul Masters with mediocre talent and no background would have no way to survive at all.
During these days of travel, Ralph—an old veteran who had lived half a lifetime in the world of Soul Masters—had taught him a great deal.
Although Spirit Hall provided subsidies to all low-level Soul Masters on the continent (meaning as long as you registered with Spirit Hall, you could receive at least one Gold Soul Coin per month), survival was no longer a concern.
However, everyone wants to develop further.
Every Soul Master hopes for a higher cultivation level, and things useful for cultivation are not as cheap as ordinary food.
The subsidies from Spirit Hall were far from enough for that. The vast majority of commoner Soul Masters were in a state of being "shorthanded" financially.
On one hand, forming teams ensured their safety during adventures; on the other, it allowed them to use their collective strength to earn the vast wealth needed for their own cultivation.
As for why Grandmaster held those opinions? In Ling Xiao's view, perhaps that was merely his personal prejudice. It was even possible he had never truly joined or understood these independent groups.
After all, the minimum requirement for a formal team was to be a three-ring Soul Elder. Regarding Grandmaster's own cultivation level and combat strength... Ling Xiao could only say "Heh" in his heart.