“Naturally, for the whereabouts of this kid’s second spirit ring, I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble the adults at the Spirit Hall to offer a little bit of help.”
“Otherwise, with my current strength, I really wouldn’t know where to get a high-quality spirit ring for the time being.”
Lin Nuo smiled, his tone perfectly measured.
After hearing Lin Nuo’s request, a glimmer of profound calculation and hidden meaning flashed through Ma Xiunuo’s cloudy, old eyes.
“Lin Nuo, it’s not that we at the Spirit Hall can’t help you with these high-level Spirit Beasts and recommendation letters, it’s just…”
The little old man deliberately dragged out his words, stopping at the crucial point.
Having lived two lifetimes, how could Lin Nuo not understand the subtext of this old fox?
Honestly speaking, the Nuoding Branch had been quite decent, helping him conceal intelligence about his talent and providing many conveniences over the past few years.
If he just took the benefits without doing anything in return—essentially “freeloading”—that would truly be seeking his own death, which wouldn’t be good at all.
Moreover, leveraging the influence of the Spirit Hall was the core part of his overall plan.
“Grandpa Ma Xiunuo, look at you saying that; you’re being too distant.”
Lin Nuo picked up the conversation smoothly, his eyes filled with extreme sincerity, “Please report my information to the Platinum Bishop in Heaven Dou City.”
“Once I graduate from the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, I will naturally join the Spirit Hall formally and serve the Pope.”
Seeing this little guy was so sensible, the wrinkles on Ma Xiunuo’s face instantly bloomed like a radiant daisy.
“Oh my!
Good child, what are you saying?
How could Grandpa not trust you?”
Ma Xiunuo’s attitude did a 180-degree turn, his tone so affectionate that it was as if Lin Nuo were his own grandson.
“The Heaven Dou Imperial Academy is indeed the most suitable stepping stone for you.”
“Only a high-level academy fully supported by the Empire is worthy of teaching a top-tier Genius like you!”
“Although the rules there are rigid and they claim to only accept nobles, with a letter of recommendation from our Platinum Bishop, those rules are nothing!”
“You are a treasure discovered by our Spirit Hall; if we don’t protect you, who will we protect?”
The little old man waved his hand, immediately ordering Deacon Su Yuntao, who was still in a state of worldview collapse, to tidy up the most luxurious room in the branch for Lin Nuo to stay in.
They just needed to wait for the instructions from the adults in Heaven Dou City, and then they could set off on the journey to Heaven Dou City.
“By the way, Lin Nuo, do you intend to settle your second spirit ring in our local Soul Hunting Forest, or wait until you get to Heaven Dou City to go to the Sunset Forest or the Star Dou Great Forest?”
Ma Xiunuo suggested enthusiastically, “If you want to become a Spirit Grandmaster as soon as possible, I will gather some men and personally accompany you to the Soul Hunting Forest!”
Lin Nuo’s heart moved, but he politely declined, using the excuse that “the Sunset Forest has a richer variety of Spirit Beasts.”
Are you kidding?
He was aiming for a “cross-rank absorption of a thousand-year spirit ring” for his second spirit ring.
How could the variety of Spirit Beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest possibly satisfy his appetite?
Furthermore, having consumed so much whale glue, his physical strength far exceeded that of his peers.
He needed a high-level Spirit Master from Heaven Dou City to conduct a limit-stress test on him to precisely determine the maximum age of his second spirit ring.
Ma Xiunuo, being only a Spirit Ancestor, couldn’t handle this kind of high-level task.
“By the way, Grandpa Ma Xiunuo, I still have some personal items at the academy; I need to go back to pack them up and will move to the branch later.”
To this, Ma Xiunuo naturally agreed to everything, repeatedly urging him to pay attention to safety on the road.
No sooner had Lin Nuo left than the Spirit Hall’s secret intelligence network began to operate at high speed.
About ten minutes later, an encrypted, top-secret file was sent through a special channel, heading straight for the Platinum Palace in Heaven Dou City at the fastest speed.
The file clearly stated a few lines of large text:
[Name: Lin Nuo]
[Age: Under nine years old]
[spirit power: Level 20 (Quasi-Spirit Grandmaster)]
[Spirit: Death Demon Spider]
And on the very last page of the file, a high-quality portrait of Lin Nuo, carefully copied by an artist, was thoughtfully attached.
“I never expected that just as I was about to retire, I would manage to recruit such a terrifyingly talented Genius for our Spirit Hall.”
“I have not failed the expectations of the Supreme Pontiff.”
Ma Xiunuo thought happily.
…
Until the sun set behind the western mountains, Lin Nuo, having traveled a long and dusty road, finally crept up to the outskirts of a quiet little mountain village.
At the entrance of the village stood a giant rock twice as tall as a person.
Besides that iconic deep handprint, there were three large characters carved crookedly: Saint Spirit Village.
“Finally here…”
Lin Nuo stopped, rubbed his hands, and his eyes suddenly became hot with excitement.
Saint Spirit Village, this was the true source of all evil on the Douluo Continent.
However, excitement was one thing; Lin Nuo wasn’t stupid enough to swagger down the main road into the village.
He skillfully found a blind spot on high ground to crouch in, squinting his eyes to look from afar.
Only after confirming again and again that the dilapidated blacksmith shop in the corner of the village was truly cold and desolate, and hearing no sound of forging, nor seeing any smoke rising, did the last stone in his heart finally settle.
The old rascal is indeed not here!
This time, the advantage is mine!
Confirming it was safe, Lin Nuo decisively bypassed the main village road and plunged into the deep mountain forest on the east side.
The forest was dark and humid, and from time to time, snakes and insects scurried panic-stricken through the bushes.
But this did not affect Lin Nuo’s clear train of thought in the slightest.
‘According to the original plot, Ah Yin’s Seed of Life and that 100,000-year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone were hidden by Tang Big Hammer behind a hidden waterfall in the back mountain.’
Lin Nuo quickened his pace, pushing aside thick vines and slippery moss.
Following the roar of the water, he used his hands and feet to climb up a steep hillside.
After taking a few more steps forward, his vision suddenly opened up!
He saw a silvery-white waterfall on the cliff in front, cascading down from a height of several dozen zhang like a jade dragon.
The sky was filled with water vapor, and when illuminated by the afterglow of the setting sun, it refracted into magnificent, colorful rays of light—the scenery was truly unique.
Lin Nuo stood by the pool in front of the waterfall, breathing slightly, his eyes locked firmly on the center of the rushing water.
“Found it…
the hidden entrance door is behind the waterfall.”
Opportunity must not be missed; delay brings changes.
Lin Nuo did not hesitate in the slightest.
Spirit Possession!
The phantom of the Death Spider Emperor flashed behind him and vanished.
In an instant, Lin Nuo felt the power in his body surging wildly; his strength, defense, speed, and other attributes were instantly boosted in a violent, all-encompassing manner.
He exerted force with both legs and leaped!
Braving the terrifying water flow that poured down like a thousand-catty heavy burden, he went against the current and accurately dived into the rock wall inside the waterfall.
Wiping the water droplets from his face, Lin Nuo quickly found a depression on the smooth rock wall that clearly bore traces of artificial excavation.
He stepped forward and reached out to grope around the surrounding rock wall for a while.
As his fingertips triggered a hidden mechanism, a low, rumbling sound of grinding echoed under the cover of the water flow.
The heavy stone door slowly opened.
Lin Nuo’s figure moved like lightning; he pushed aside the water curtain and, without hesitation, flashed into the dark, deep cave.