Chapter Nine: The Strange Black-Eyed Martial Spirit

“Testing the Martial Soul Star Level!”

Ignoring the murmurs around him, Qin Lang wore an expression as calm as a still lake and spoke to a formally dressed attendant inside the hall.

“Very well, please pay one hundred taels for the soul testing fee first.”

Qin Lang paid the fee, and the attendant handed him a black room card. “Your testing room is on the fifth floor, room C.”

Taking the black card, Qin Lang headed straight to the fifth floor. It didn’t take long to find room C. He swiped the card against a slot beside the door, which immediately unlocked. He stepped inside.

The room was modest, only about twenty to thirty square meters. In the center stood a ten-pointed star array. Ten beams of light shone from different angles onto the array, and in front of it floated ten star-like spheres, each the size of a soccer ball. The number of spheres that lit up during the test indicated the star rating of the martial soul.

One to three-star martial souls were ordinary, awakened by most martial artists.

Four to six-star martial souls were advanced, possessed only by geniuses with limitless potential.

Seven to nine-star martial souls were special ranks, born by unparalleled prodigies destined to dominate their realms if they did not fall.

A ten-star martial soul was the supreme rank, appearing in only one in tens of millions of martial artists, known as the pinnacle of all martial souls. Every bearer of a ten-star soul was a legendary existence throughout history.

Each testing room in the Soul Testing Tower was sealed by a restriction, preventing outsiders from perceiving the testing process within.

Qin Lang strode onto the star array, allowing the ten beams of light to shine upon him. He then directly released his Fire Dragon martial soul.

In an instant, the entire array blazed with dazzling white light. The ten previously dim spheres began to glow one by one!

One, two, three, four, five, six!

The ten spheres gradually illuminated until the sixth shone completely, then the light stopped. The whole room was brilliantly lit by the white light of six stars.

Without a doubt, Qin Lang’s Fire Dragon martial soul was six-star.

Retracting the Fire Dragon soul and with anticipation in his heart, Qin Lang released his Black Eye Wheel martial soul within the star array.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!

Almost at once, all ten spheres lit up, shining with an even more dazzling white light that instantly bathed the entire room in brilliance!

“Ten-star martial soul!”

Eyes wide, staring at the ten shining spheres, Qin Lang, though prepared mentally, could not help but swallow hard.

His black martial soul was a ten-star!

Before he could fully recover from the shock, the situation suddenly mutated!

The light from the ten spheres quickly dimmed and vanished. Then, one sphere slowly lit up, flickering faintly.

“A ten-star turned into a one-star? What’s going on?”

Qin Lang was dumbfounded.

A ten-star martial soul suddenly downgraded to one-star—such a bizarre occurrence was unheard of.

The star array in the Soul Testing Tower was made from the mysterious Earthstone, highly sensitive to martial souls. Over many years, no errors in testing had ever occurred.

“Whether ten-star or one-star, one thing is certain: this Black Eye Wheel martial soul is extraordinary.”

Qin Lang quickly shook off his shock from the test results, clenching his fists tightly. He believed that with effort, he could certainly grow into a powerful warrior.

Exiting room C, Qin Lang was about to remove the room card and leave the tower to purchase pills when a mocking voice rang out.

“Haha, turns out your martial soul is only one-star, how pathetic! The rumor ten years ago about you having a six-star soul was just a lie, no wonder you’re such a waste!”

A sneering voice emerged from a young man in fine clothes striding toward him. Peering through the open door, he had seen Qin Lang’s test results and wore a look of disdain.

Qin Lang frowned slightly as a memory flashed in his mind: this young man was Wang Chuan, son of Wang Shi, the head of the Wang family—one of the four great clans—and a fifth-stage martial artist.

Because the Qin and Wang families' marketplaces neighbored each other, they were often at odds. The younger generations regarded each other as enemies, occasionally clashing.

Today, Wang Chuan had brought some newly awakened juniors from his clan to test their martial soul ranks, unexpectedly running into Qin Lang, who was also testing his soul.

Qin Lang’s martial soul was only one-star, while Wang Chuan’s was four-star. A subtle sense of superiority naturally arose within Wang Chuan.

Qin Lang completely ignored Wang Chuan’s provocation and left the Soul Testing Tower, heading straight to Qingfeng Town’s largest pill pavilion. Only there were first-grade spirit pills called Soul Condensation Pills sold.

Spirit pills, crafted by alchemists, greatly aided martial artists, producing remarkable effects. Naturally, their prices were steep.

Alchemists were the highest earners on the Spirit Martial Continent, but becoming one was extremely difficult. Often only one alchemist appeared among millions. As far as Qin Lang knew, only a handful existed in the vast Qingfeng Town, underscoring their rarity.

Qingfeng Town’s largest pill pavilion was located at the junction of the four great clans’ marketplaces. It belonged to the Empire’s Alchemist Guild, and all pills sold there were transported from the nearest city.

“Welcome to the Pill Pavilion! We have the largest selection of spirit pills in Qingfeng Town. Whatever you need, just ask. Our prices will surely satisfy you!” A glib clerk smiled brightly as Qin Lang entered.

“I want to purchase one hundred and fifty Soul Condensation Pills,” Qin Lang said, pulling out a 150,000-tael silver note. With over four months until the Tianfeng Mountain Youth Trial, this quantity would suffice.

“Wow! Spending 150,000 taels on pills, what a big spender!” The clerk gasped inwardly but beamed outwardly. Selling such a large order at once meant a commission far beyond his usual annual income.

“Please wait a moment. Our first-grade Soul Condensation Pills are on the third floor. I’ll fetch them for you immediately!” Taking the silver note with trembling hands, the clerk hurried off.

While Qin Lang waited—

“Hey, isn’t this Qin Lang, the disgraced young clan leader of the Qin family? What a small world! Even the cheapest first-grade spirit pill here costs a hundred taels. Can you afford it?”

A familiar mocking voice sounded. Without turning, Qin Lang knew it was Wang Chuan from before.

“Poor loser, must be your first time at Qingfeng Town’s Pill Pavilion, huh? Hahaha!”

Wang Chuan knew Qin Lang had been abandoned by the Qin family and had no income. He didn’t know how Qin Lang had scraped together the testing fee. Now, Qin Lang definitely had no money for pills!