"Xiao San, how's that so-called master doing?"
Having distanced himself from Yu Xiaogang, Xiao Lin felt completely at ease and even joked with Tang San.
Xiao Lin didn't know what Yu Xiaogang had said to Tang San, so he was quite curious.
"He's just a piece of trash. He even tried to trick me by claiming that it's impossible for Blue Silver Grass to have innate full spirit power. But when I told him that mine is actually Blue Silver King, he was completely dumbfounded."
Tang San had no good feelings toward Yu Xiaogang.
Although Yu Xiaogang didn't correctly deduce that his Blue Silver Grass was different from the usual one and was actually the Blue Silver King, he did accidentally guess that Tang San possessed twin martial souls. This made Tang San feel quite uneasy.
If Yu Xiaogang hadn't started doubting himself afterward, believing that Tang San's spirit power was due to the Blue Silver King rather than twin martial souls, Tang San might have actually considered saying, "You are courting death," and then…
"It doesn't really matter. As long as your Blue Silver Grass continues to absorb spirit rings with strong vitality, it will eventually evolve."
Xiao Lin waved his hand dismissively.
Just like in the original timeline, didn't Tang San's Blue Silver Grass change to a purplish-black color after absorbing the Mandala Snake's spirit ring?
Probably. Xiao Lin didn't remember all the details.
But if Tang San kept absorbing spirit rings with strong vitality, he would gradually approach the Blue Silver Emperor.
Eventually, whenever he summoned Blue Silver Grass, any expert would be able to sense its immense life force.
By then, who would dare claim that Tang San's Blue Silver Grass wasn't the Blue Silver King or even the Blue Silver Emperor?
The two of them arrived at the store to buy blankets. Tang San casually picked the cheapest one, and after leaving for a more secluded place, he stored it in his spatial soul tool.
"Let's go collect our manuscript fees."
Making sure that no one was paying attention, Xiao Lin and Tang San made their way to the Spirit Hall.
However, this time, what they saw left Xiao Lin stunned.
"Damn, Xiao San, the Spirit Hall looks different!"
Staring at the newly renovated entrance and plaque of the Spirit Hall, Xiao Lin furrowed his brows.
Grandpa Matthew Nuo wasn't the type to do this, was he?
If he had extra funds, wouldn't he have spent it on buying more books instead?
Thinking of this, Xiao Lin momentarily forgot about collecting his manuscript fees and led Tang San inside to investigate.
"Well, if it isn't our little genius, Xiao Lin?"
As they entered the Spirit Hall, they were greeted by Su Yuntao, who teased Xiao Lin with a grin.
"Oh, come on, Brother Tao, don't be so loud about it."
Xiao Lin didn't like being praised like a little kid—it made him uncomfortable.
"Alright, alright. So, what brings you two here today?"
Su Yuntao casually asked.
As a deacon of the Spirit Hall in Notting City, his job was relatively easy, so he was always friendly to others.
He only had to travel to distant villages once a year to awaken martial souls for the children.
Other than that, there wasn't much work to do in the Spirit Hall, so life was quite relaxed.
"Brother Tao, why did the Spirit Hall get renovated? Did you guys get new books?"
Xiao Lin asked curiously. If there were new books, he wouldn't be bored for a while.
"There were some funds allocated from above, but Lord Matthew Nuo doesn't like wasting money on flashy renovations, so most of it was spent on buying books."
Su Yuntao chuckled, clearly pleased to have such a practical and wise leader. Then, shifting the topic, he invited them inside.
"By the way, you two haven't collected your monthly subsidies for the past two months. Come with me, I've been keeping them for you."
Xiao Lin's eyes lit up at the reminder—he had almost forgotten about this. It was all because Tang Hao had given him too much money last time.
Tang San, on the other hand, was visibly excited. He even bowed to Su Yuntao in gratitude.
Receiving the two gold spirit coins that Su Yuntao handed over, Xiao Lin felt once again touched by the kindness of Matthew Nuo and the other grassroots members of the Spirit Hall.
Perhaps only people like them truly served the common folk.
After bidding farewell to Su Yuntao, Xiao Lin quickly made his way to a familiar study.
As he approached, he saw that Matthew Nuo was still sorting books.
"Grandpa Matthew Nuo, I heard you got new books!"
Xiao Lin suddenly called out, his tone filled with eagerness and excitement.
"Ah, Xiao Lin, are you here to borrow books again?"
Matthew Nuo turned around and saw Xiao Lin and Tang San.
Once again, Tang San bowed to express his gratitude for the gold spirit coins.
This made Xiao Lin feel awkward—wasn't Tang San making him seem impolite in comparison?
Fortunately, he had a good relationship with Matthew Nuo. Otherwise, having a "model child" like Tang San around would be quite frustrating.
"Grandpa Matthew Nuo, let us help you!"
Xiao Lin called out, then pulled Tang San along to assist in organizing the books.
"Good, good. Thank you, both of you. We recently received many books from Spirit City, so feel free to take a look."
"Thank you, Grandpa Matthew Nuo!"
Xiao Lin responded enthusiastically, speeding up his work with excitement.
He even activated his Vajra Indestructible Technique, using his soul power to work faster.
…
After half a day, Xiao Lin and Tang San successfully helped Matthew Nuo organize the books.
During this time, Xiao Lin also learned about the recent changes in the Spirit Hall.
The Source of the Funds
Apparently, a spirit researcher had published a paper that attracted attention, and as a result, the Spirit Hall allocated some funds to support further research.
The Spirit Hall encouraged other researchers to continue their studies and contribute to both the Hall and the continent.
Initially, Matthew Nuo thought that this was because of Yu Xiaogang.
But later, he found out that it was actually because a researcher named Xiao Yan had published a paper that could potentially change the world of soul masters.
Not knowing who Xiao Yan was, Matthew Nuo decided to invest in more books, hoping for the emergence of more great researchers.
However, upon hearing this, Xiao Lin immediately felt something was off.
Was the Spirit Hall trying to find him?
He had merely written a casual article, and it was nothing more than common sense for high-level soul masters!
Sure, it could benefit lower-level soul masters, but did the Spirit Hall really need to make such a big deal out of it?
What Xiao Lin didn't know was that the last person to make a name for themselves by publishing "common sense" research was Yu Xiaogang, who had spent over a decade calling himself a "Grandmaster."
Even Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Ning Fengzhi acknowledged his theories to some extent.
Moreover, Xiao Lin's paper had cited biographies and analyzed weak spirits like Blue Silver Grass and Wolf Spirits.
Finding patterns in the insignificant required keen observation and intelligence.
So, the high-ranking members of the Spirit Hall firmly believed that someone capable of such insights wouldn't stop at just one discovery.
And to top it off, the name Xiao Yan was accompanied by Lin Dong in his writings.
The Spirit Hall assumed there were two such researchers.
This only made them more determined to find him.
Because of this, Xiao Lin instantly lost any interest in collecting his manuscript fees.
Unless he became truly powerful in the future, he wouldn't dare step forward to claim it.
(End of Chapter)