Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Shadow Monarch

After Xiao Wu completed her Spirit Master evaluation, Cheng Xiao and Xiao Wu left the Spirit Hall.

During the assessment, upon learning that Xiao Wu also had innate full soul power, Master Nuo immediately extended her an invitation to join.

Of course, in order to avoid revealing her true identity, Xiao Wu politely declined Master Nuo's offer and said that if she ever considered joining the Spirit Hall, it would only be after graduation.

Master Nuo understood and, as the two left, he handed each of them two gold soul coins and a Spirit Master badge, which served as proof of their status as Spirit Masters.

From that moment on, the two no longer had to work as labor students. They could now dedicate more time to their cultivation.

On their way back, Xiao Wu joyfully looked at the gold soul coins in her hand, smiling happily at Cheng Xiao as she said, "This is great! From now on, I can buy my own food, just like you!"

"Well, congratulations," Cheng Xiao smiled.

"Tch... You don't sound sincere at all," Xiao Wu snorted, then generously said, "To celebrate us becoming Spirit Masters, today Sister Xiao Wu will treat you to something delicious. How about that?"

"You're treating me?" Cheng Xiao was slightly taken aback, a bit skeptical. "Are you sure?"

"What? You think Sister Xiao Wu can't afford to treat you?" Xiao Wu pretended to be upset.

"Of course not." Cheng Xiao shook his head, chuckling. "I was just thinking, if you spend all your money recklessly, when it's all gone, you'll have nothing left and will end up starving."

Hearing this, Xiao Wu's expression changed slightly, as she hadn't considered the possibility of running out of money. Quickly, she handed the gold soul coins to Cheng Xiao and whispered, "Then you help me keep it safe, okay? I'm afraid I won't be able to resist spending it all. If I have no money left, I won't be able to buy food."

Cheng Xiao was stunned by her actions, staring at the coins in his hand. He couldn't help but feel something strange.

This little rabbit... does she really trust me that much?

"Sister Xiao Wu is just temporarily storing the money with you. When I need it, you'll still have to give it back to me," Xiao Wu quickly explained upon seeing Cheng Xiao's dazed expression.

Hearing Xiao Wu's words, Cheng Xiao raised his head and looked at her pure yet mischievous expression. He couldn't help but laugh. "What if I spend it? After all, your money is in my hands now."

"You wouldn't dare!" Xiao Wu pouted angrily. "If you dare spend my money, I'll... I'll make you treat me."

"And what if I refuse to treat you?" Cheng Xiao teased.

"Ah! Cheng Xiao, you're so bad!" Xiao Wu puffed out her cheeks in frustration. "If you don't treat me and I can't eat, I'll make sure you can't sleep at night!"

Hearing this, Cheng Xiao laughed and weighed the gold soul coins in his hand. He then stored Xiao Wu's coin and smiled, "Don't worry, I won't spend your money. I'm heading to the blacksmith's shop now. Do you want to come?"

"The blacksmith's shop?" Xiao Wu's eyes lit up. "Let's go! I've never been to a blacksmith's shop before!"

...

Not long after Cheng Xiao and Xiao Wu left, Tang San arrived at the Spirit Hall.

Although the Grandmaster had warned him that the Spirit Hall used such allowances to win over people, Tang San was practical. Without this Spirit Master stipend, he wouldn't even be able to afford food.

Now that he could collect the stipend, his life would improve considerably, so he came here not only to collect his own stipend but also to pick up the Grandmaster's.

"My goodness, why are there so many innate full soul power individuals today? Am I dreaming?" Master Nuo exclaimed in the Spirit Master evaluation room, rubbing his eyes as he looked at the Blue Silver Grass in Tang San's hand. "Can even a trash Spirit like Blue Silver Grass be cultivated to this level?"

Seeing Tang San's calm expression, Master Nuo coughed and extended an invitation for Tang San to join the Spirit Hall. As expected, he was refused again, with Tang San giving the same reason as the previous two.

"Alright, child. Since you don't want to join, I won't force you," Master Nuo sighed in regret and handed Tang San the badge symbolizing his Spirit Master status.

"Congratulations on becoming a Spirit Master. You can use this badge to collect this month's stipend. At your level, you're entitled to one gold coin per month," Master Nuo reminded him.

"Thank you, Grandpa Nuo," Tang San nodded.

"By the way, Grandpa Nuo, there's something else I need to trouble you with." After receiving the Spirit Master badge, Tang San took out another badge and said, "My teacher is injured, and he told me I could collect his stipend on his behalf. Please check it."

"Hmm? Your teacher, such a genius, still needs the Spirit Master stipend?" Master Nuo, puzzled, took the badge and curiously said, "Let's see whose name is engraved on this badge, the person lucky enough to have a disciple like you."

When he turned the badge over, Master Nuo's face froze, as he saw three characters engraved on the back: Yu Xiaogang.

"Child, were you deceived?" Master Nuo couldn't help but ask. "How could you apprentice under the Grandmaster?"

"Grandpa Nuo, what's wrong with me apprenticing under the Grandmaster?" Tang San frowned. "I think my teacher is amazing, especially his Spirit theory, which is very important to me. I don't see any problem with apprenticing under him."

"Well, it seems the Grandmaster has some good luck," Master Nuo smiled, explaining, "In the Spirit Master world, your teacher's name is quite infamous. But whether his so-called theories can help him break through level 30 is another story."

"For years now, he's been collecting the Spirit Master stipend from us. At his age, shouldn't he have realized the truth by now? If his Spirit theories were really useful, he wouldn't still need to rely on the stipend."

Master Nuo spoke bluntly. He held no respect for someone like the Grandmaster. At his age, knowing the flaws in his own Spirit, he should have focused on fixing them rather than constantly preaching about Spirit theories to prove his worth.

On the continent of Douluo, the most direct way to prove oneself was through one's soul power level, in other words, strength.

Whoever had the biggest, hardest fist held the power. Even if Yu Xiaogang had broken through the bottleneck of level 30 with his Spirit theory, he wouldn't have been mocked so much. But a Spirit Grandmaster who couldn't break through level 30, constantly boasting about his Spirit theory, was laughable.

Tang San's smile stiffened upon hearing this, unsure of how to respond to Master Nuo. He could only hide his embarrassment as the Grandmaster's disciple with a forced smile.

A moment later, Tang San walked out of the Spirit Hall, his expression dark, clutching his Spirit Master badge tightly. He placed the gold coin in his Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges.

"Teacher, I, Tang San, swear that I will prove your lifetime of Spirit theory. I will make these Spirit Masters who look down on you realize how right it was for me to become your disciple!"

Tang San made a firm resolution in his heart to one day spread the Grandmaster's Spirit theory far and wide. But for now, he planned to return to the academy for a good meal.

He hadn't eaten all day, and now that he had money, he could finally treat himself to a decent meal.