Sun-Moon federation
Eastsea City. Spirit Pagoda
This building is huge, was my first impression. It was also grand. Second impression.
I went to the reception and asked where I can get my Spirit Soul. After getting my answer, I went to the Spirit Soul acquisition floor. It was also huge and grand and a little crowded. Little bit.
Soon my turn came and I went to get my spiritual power tested to know the suitable age limit for my spirit ring.
Spiritual power is used to fuse with Spirit Rings or Spirit Souls and was also the prerequisite for stronger spirit rings. In simpler words, the higher the Spiritual power, the higher the chances of fusing with higher age soul beasts resulting stronger skill acquisition.
"From low to high, spiritual power is divided into: Spirit Origin, Spirit Connection, Spirit Sea, Spirit Abyss, Spirit Domain, and the fabled Divine Origin. These six realms were quite simple. Everyone is in the Spirit Origin realm when they are born. As for the meaning behind Spirit Origin, it means that it's the single origin everyone starts from."
"Afterwards, nature takes on a new look. This is the most basic of soul levels. You should be at this level. As for the rest, you'll learn it in school so I won't speak of it. Alright then. I'll start testing what degree of Spirit Origin you've reached."
The staff told me about the basic spiritual power to take attention as a metal helmet fell onto my head. Then, metal arms linked together and strapped my head in.
I looked at him. He looked at me. Someone started the machine. Soon the results showed.
26.
It was my spiritual power. Not high nor low, just in the average line. Yup. I am suppressed to my child self.
"To fuse with an hundred year old beast Spirit Soul, a person need an advanced stage Spirit Origin realm."
"Spirit Origin realm can be ranged between 1 to 100 spiritual power. 60 to 90 are advanced rank. Would you like to wait?"
"No. Can I get a Spirit Soul now?"
I asked.
"Yes."
She answered.
"Can you recommend me which 10 year old Spirit Soul should I choose for my first Spirit ring. I am confused about my Martial Soul," I asked the attendant again.
She smiled and replied," Sir , which path would you like to take for you Blue Silver Grass: toxicity or toughness or something else."
'There was no need for the forced smile but okay.'
"Can I have toxicity and elasticity with good maneuverability."
I said, not asked.
"Then you should choose the metal or snake type spirit souls, Sir."
"Can you show me the list of ten year spirit souls and add the defective ones also."
"All of them?"
"Yes. Or you can compile it into those that increases meditation speed or are related to cultivation actually."
"I will do that Sir. Please wait a bit."
I am not stupid. There was a reason why I asked for it. She professionally went to bring the list and I was unstrapped from the chair.
"Thank you."
I thanked the man and he nodded.
After a few seconds she came back and showed me the list. It had more than twenty different types of Spirit souls.
"The Spirit Soul will not actually die or get harmed when I "kill" them for absorption, right? I know, it's just, I have some problem..." I asked with uncertainty. A totally country bumpkin level question but as someone who doesn't even like to think of hurting them in my dreams, despite knowing the fact that I actually won't hurt them, my heart still can't accept it. I don't know if this act could affect my current state.
Even when she clearly didn't understand the particularity of the subject, she replied professionally, "No Sir, the Spirit Soul will not be harmed in any way but you should fuse with it before 24 hours or they will dissipate."
Her answer slightly put me to ease, although she could be lying and all but I also don't see any reason for her to lie, I am getting self doubts now. Let's focus on something else.
I turned my gaze at the list. Which one should I even choose? All of them are good for my first ring but I wasn't going to use them as other Soul Masters. To be fair, I wasn't actually was planning my skills as a Soul Master until I was truly strong enough in this world. At least when I am Soul King and only then it would be useful. Before that though, I am going to lay low and plot and that's why, I want spirit souls that aides me to reach the Soul King level fast and smooth.
I thought a lot while boring through the list with my gaze.
"Can I choose this defective energy ore shard Spirit Soul?"
"Are you sure Sir?"
"It says it provides skills that raises cultivation."
"It does. Around 70% of the skills that it had provided are auxiliary relating to cultivation, 20% are support skills and the rest are defensive skills."
"Then bring me this. I am sure."
"It will be 65000 federal coins, but would you like a suggestion?"
"Where do I pay? I would like a suggestion,"
"You want a skill that helps you in meditation, I presume."
"I do."
"Then choose the starfall bun stick. This spirit soul has a passive effect of raising meditation speed by 9% at night and it also provides a skill."
"But it says that the energy ore shard provides skills that generally range between 30%-45% in meditation speed in specific conditions***. Why are there three stars on the condition?"
"That's the actual one. This is the defective one and you may not gain the skill related to meditation since 'related to cultivation' is a broad category."
"And the Starfall bun stick provides what we call the Starwheel staff effect where the effects of the skills change at night. Whatever skill you gain from this will change at night and according to the statistics of this certain spirit soul, around a third of the skills were control type, another third were attack and the remaining was related to meditation, not cultivation but specifically meditation related."
She professionally put statistics into the conversation.
"And the demerits that are mentioned here?"
Fan Lin asked while looking at the information provided.
"It does have a demerit that halves your meditation speed in the day but that can be easily salvage by not using it while meditation during daytime and as for the second demerit, it is much, it just requires more spirit energy to advance its age but you clearly are thinking of upgrading this now, and–"
"There's more."
Fan Lin interjected her. Just two demerits were enough to change his mind but there was third one, maybe even a fourth one. The lady was clearly scamming him.
"Yes, it has another problem. The skills that it provides becomes ineffective in cloudy days/nights, inside rooms, snowy days and monsoons."
"Please suggest me something else or proceed with my defective energy ore shard."
"I see. Then what about this Bluedale Jade Pin. It only provides meditation related skills but they are extremely weak in the beginning."
"You are scamming me?"
"No. I would never. Although this only provides a low level meditation speed improvement, like every other skill, this also benefits from skill enhancement that cultivation breakthrough provides."
"Every single major breakthrough makes the previous skills 1.5 times stronger. If this is your current skill, by the time you become a Soul King, it will be 5 times stronger and by the time you become a Soul Saint, it will be more than 11 times better. It's an extremely potent skill that pays later on."
"And this is just a ten year old spirit soul but it's at 76 years of age. A single visit would to the spirit Ascension Plane would be enough. If you can advance it to hundred years, you will quadruple the effects."
"Would you like to buy it?"
"I trust you then. It better be worth it. Where do I pay?"
"At the counter and you can ask the reception to find you a room for you to absorb your Spirit Soul at peace. It is of no cost for Spirit Masters before rank 30."
"Ok. Thanks for your help."
Fan Lin took a deep look at her face and went to the counter. If this turned out to be a scam, someone was going to die and it won't be peaceful.
After getting my free room number and paying for my purchase. I went to my room and calmed my mind down to as null as I can approach. This I won't explain.
'It's ok. I am not actually killing it. I am just absorbing it and it will be alive. Although in me. That's all. There is no need to panic. I need to calm down.'
I can't calm down!
*Breathe in*
*Breathe out*
*Breathe in*
*Breathe out*
Now, I am still not calm. Should be... let's absorb it.
I am not calm. I need to calm down. I bit my tongue to get some sense into me. The pain awoke me but that didn't help. I am not a masochist. I just have high pain tolerance. Let's erase my emotions. I tried. All those distracting thoughts went out of my mind. Except some. I opened the spirit soul ball and a Jade Pin floated in front of me.
"Wait, what do I do with this?''
I looked at the manual by the side and after going through a few pages, found the information that I need.
For artificial tool spirit souls, you absorb it as it is.
"Oh."
"I forgot I am an idiot now."
*Three hours later*
I completely absorbed the Spirit Soul and a white coloured hairpin was floating around me along with the spirit ring that was also white. A sing of a ten year old Spirit Soul Ring or spirit ring. Whatever.
The ring was like a light projection along with smoke projection added to it. It was like a smoke, my hands can go through it but unlike light where I can't feel it I can feel my Spirit Ring with my fingertips. It's like a really fluffy non sticky cotton candy. The texture is ethereal like it exists and doesn't exist at the same time. It was like wind. Soft warm wind.
Is it something that only I can touch and feel? Can others touch my spirit rings as well, I will ask someone later.
Was this like the same as the Spirit Pagoda's Spirit Ascension platform or the concept is different from it.
Oh, on that, I remember that God has given me a gift. Petroleum something. I can't remember.
[It's Petrosapien. And I told you your gift has been delivered to you a long time ago. The cultivation is just a medium to pass the abilities of Petrosapiens to you. This is the last message. This is a pre-recorded message so don't bawl your lungs out like the other times.
From God.]
...
"Huh, calm down. You can't kill him now. You can't."
So what was a Petrosapien. A Soul beast species or something. Glorybound City has no records of it.
So I had the gift all along. My intelligence hasn't increased a single point, I have devolved actually. My speed is also barely able to contend against Soul Masters of the same group. My little bro is also the same as my old self. Maybe a lot smaller. What the heck is wrong with me? Why am I joking at a time like this?
So where is my gift?
Well forget it, you can't trust Gods. He may just be messing with me.
Whatever. I should quickly check the spirit skill that I have now, maybe it could help me.
I should already have the Soul skills information when I gained the skill. I should. I didn't so I manually inspected it.
A dialogue box appeared in front of me and something changed.
[Due to Petrosapien gift, your Soul skill has changed from "empathetic jade crown" to Enhanced Digestion.
Enhanced Digestion: Increases the user's digestion by 40%. Active skill.]
Hmmm? I... I think I know. What was it? With that thought, I remembered a bit of my past.
Altruist's Energoid avatar.
This was a prerequisite for it. Most of the Gods possessed some form of this although none could reach complete 100%
A new way then.
This is a surprise. I giggled unknowingly.
I can use this. I should not. To suddenly remember this specific portion when given this specific skill. I don't think it's going where I would desire.
I wonder how much have I forgotten by now...
There's still a lot more to forget but...
Whatever. Let me forget it. There should be a reason why... I took my memories.