Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Shadow Monarch

After leaving Grandmaster's room, Tang San was about to head to the Spirit Hall of Nuoding City to receive his Spirit Master allowance when he ran into Cheng Xiao and Xiao Wu, who were coming down from the back mountain of Nuoding Academy.

"Cheng Xiao, Xiao Wu, where are you headed?" Tang San couldn't help but ask as he saw Xiao Wu following behind Cheng Xiao.

"I'm going to the Spirit Hall to collect my Spirit Master allowance," Cheng Xiao glanced at Tang San and replied indifferently.

"Tang San, are you going to get your Spirit Master allowance too?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.

Tang San nodded and said, "Yes, Teacher asked me to go for a Spirit Master evaluation, both to test my current spirit power level and to collect the Spirit Master allowance from the Spirit Hall. That way, I won't have to work as a working student anymore. After all, it's one gold coin."

"The Spirit Hall is pretty nice, huh," Xiao Wu's eyes brightened. "A gold coin can buy lots of tasty food!"

Seeing Xiao Wu's excited expression, Tang San sighed inwardly. "Teacher said that the so-called Spirit Master allowance is just the Spirit Hall's way of winning people over. Xiao Wu seems so naive. I'd better remind her."

"Xiao Wu, you shouldn't think that the Spirit Hall is a good organization," Tang San frowned and reminded her, "Teacher said the money for the Spirit Master allowance comes from the two great empires. The Spirit Hall is merely distributing it."

"If we're to be grateful, it should be to the two empires. After all, the allowance is funded by the empire's treasury."

Hearing Tang San's words, Cheng Xiao couldn't help but say, "Tang San, if you think we should be grateful to the empires, then go get your allowance from them. I'll just collect mine from the Spirit Hall. You and Xiao Wu can chat, I'll be off. See you."

With that, Cheng Xiao turned and walked out of Nuoding Academy without looking back.

"..." Tang San's face darkened. He had meant to warn Xiao Wu about the Spirit Hall's potential rebellious intentions to keep her from being deceived by them, but he hadn't expected Cheng Xiao to respond in such a manner. It left him feeling embarrassed.

Yet, he still had to go to the Spirit Hall for his evaluation and to collect his allowance.

"Hey, Cheng Xiao!" Xiao Wu stomped her foot angrily as Cheng Xiao left without a second thought. She glared at Tang San, then quickly ran after Cheng Xiao.

"Xiao Wu, I…" Tang San was about to explain himself, but seeing how Xiao Wu left without hesitation, he chose to remain silent.

---

The Spirit Hall of Nuoding City was a massive domed structure. Its front alone was over a hundred meters wide, and it stood twenty meters tall. From a distance, it resembled a grand cathedral.

The building was brown in color, with a large door adorned by a winged longsword. The design of the sword was modeled after the Angelic Sacred Sword of the Qian family.

"Cheng Xiao, wait for me!" Xiao Wu panted heavily at the entrance of the Spirit Hall, annoyed at Cheng Xiao who had stopped ahead. "You walk so fast! If it weren't for my stamina, I wouldn't have been able to catch up to you."

Cheng Xiao replied, "You were just too slow. Can't blame me for that."

"You…" Xiao Wu puffed up her cheeks in frustration.

At that moment, a guard from the Spirit Hall approached them with a gentle smile. "Kids, this is the Spirit Hall. If you're here to play, please go somewhere else."

"Hello, sir. I'm here to have my spirit power tested," Cheng Xiao took out his Spirit Master certificate and handed it to the guard.

Receiving the certificate, the guard inspected it carefully. His eyes filled with admiration as he realized Cheng Xiao's status. "Oh, a Spirit Master! Please go right in. Master Nuo is in today."

"Thanks for the trouble," Cheng Xiao responded, glancing at the wide-eyed Xiao Wu before calmly stepping into the Spirit Hall.

"Sir, mine too!" Seeing Cheng Xiao walk into the hall, Xiao Wu panicked and quickly presented her own Spirit Master certificate.

"My goodness!" The guard exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Xiao Wu's certificate. "Spirit Master, please enter."

"Thank you!" Xiao Wu thanked the guard politely and hurried after Cheng Xiao.

As the two entered the Spirit Hall, one of the guards couldn't help but express his envy. "I'm so jealous of kids these days. Becoming a Spirit Master at such a young age. If only I had awakened spirit power back then, I could've been a Spirit Master by now."

"Haha, well, it's not so bad. We're guards of the Spirit Hall, and we make a good amount every month. Life isn't bad," the other guard laughed.

When Cheng Xiao stepped into the main hall of the Spirit Hall, his eyes were immediately drawn to the various murals adorning the walls. Even the dome above was covered in paintings. Inside, there weren't many people, just a few maids cleaning the hall.

Noticing the new arrivals, one of the maids approached to inquire about their needs. After learning that they were there for a Spirit Master evaluation, she led them to an office and knocked on the door.

"Master Nuo, there are two children here for a Spirit Master evaluation."

"Come in, the door's unlocked," came an elderly voice from inside the office.

The maid gently pushed open the door and went back to her duties.

After entering the office, Cheng Xiao gave a small bow and explained his purpose. "Sir, we're here for a Spirit Master evaluation."

"Spirit Master evaluation?" The old man looked them over and asked in surprise, "Kids, are you sure you're not here to awaken your spirits, but for an evaluation?"

"Yes," Cheng Xiao calmly replied.

Typically, a child of Cheng Xiao's age would have a spirit power level of just a few ranks. Aside from those with innate full spirit power or exceptional talent from major clans, it was rare for a child to reach level ten and obtain a spirit ring by this age. Without a spirit ring, how could they undergo an evaluation?

"Sir, I'm indeed here for a Spirit Master evaluation. I have innate full spirit power." Noticing the old man's skepticism, Cheng Xiao clarified.

"Innate full spirit power?" The old man was startled. He looked at Cheng Xiao's calm demeanor and seemed to recall something. "Child, was your spirit awakened by Master Su Yuntao?"

"Yes, Master Su Yuntao awakened my spirit," Cheng Xiao smiled. "I've met you before, Master Nuo. During my spirit awakening, it was you who had Master Su Yuntao record my spirit in the archives."

"Oh, it's you, that little guy," Master Nuo chuckled. Recognizing Cheng Xiao as the innate full spirit power genius from that day, he smiled kindly and said, "If it's you, then I'm not surprised. Come, I'll take you both to undergo your Spirit Master evaluations."

With that, Matthew Nuo warmly took Cheng Xiao and Xiao Wu by the hands and led them to the Spirit Master evaluation room.

In the room, Matthew Nuo took out a yellow crystal ball and instructed, "Children, place your hands on this crystal ball and release your spirits."

"Thank you, Grandpa Nuo," Cheng Xiao and Xiao Wu said in unison.

Cheng Xiao then placed his hand on the yellow crystal ball, following Matthew Nuo's instructions and channeling his spirit power into his palm.

In the next moment, Cheng Xiao's eyes turned dark purple, and a dark purple spirit ring appeared beneath him, moving rhythmically with his body. At the same time, the Shadow Monarch manifested behind him, enveloping the entire room in a dark mist.

"So, this is the top-tier beast spirit Su Yuntao mentioned?" Master Nuo was momentarily stunned by Cheng Xiao's display.

"A true genius," Master Nuo muttered, suppressing his excitement as he focused on the spirit ring. "A century-old spirit ring!"

But the surprises weren't over yet.

As Cheng Xiao continued to pour his spirit power into the crystal ball, it lit up with a radiant yellow glow—clear and bright.

"Thir... Thirteenth level spirit power?!"

"Oh my, what kind of spirit beast did you hunt to jump three levels?" Matthew Nuo looked at Cheng Xiao in disbelief, his mouth agape.

"A four-hundred-year-old wolf-type spirit beast," Cheng Xiao nonchalantly made up an answer.

"Haha, no wonder Su Yuntao said you had great ambition. It seems he wasn't wrong," Master Nuo shook his head with a smile. "I won't pressure you to join the Spirit Hall. Even we don't force people to join. However, after you graduate, if you ever want to join, you can come here to find me, or Su Yuntao."

"Thank you, Grandpa Nuo," Cheng Xiao replied with a slight smile.