Bibi Dong did not raise his head.
Time passed by minute by minute, and every second was like crushing on the heart of the branch master. Cold sweat soaked the clothes on his back. Ling Ye could clearly feel that an invisible spiritual force as vast as the abyss, like the most precise probe, swept over him silently, focusing on the wooden box suspended in his palm. That mental power was cold, powerful, and carried a penetrating scrutiny, as if it wanted to completely analyze him from body to soul.
After a long silence, Bibi Dong finally slowly raised her head.
What kind of eyes are those? It is as deep as the violet that contains the entire starry sky, so beautiful that it is suffocating, but also as cold as ice that has lasted for thousands of years, without any warmth that belongs to humans. Her eyes passed over the head of the branch who was shaking like chaff, and finally fell on Ling Ye, resting on the ordinary wooden box in his palm.
There was no surprise or doubt in her eyes, only a bottomless calm, and a scrutiny hidden under the calm that could freeze the soul.
"Ling Ye?" Her voice sounded, not high, but extremely clear, with a strange magnetism, every syllable seemed to hit the listener's soul, "Ling Mo Sang's son?"
"Yes, Your Majesty the Pope." Ling Ye suppressed the surging emotions in her heart and tried to keep her voice steady. He bowed slightly and performed a standard Wuhun Palace etiquette. His posture was neither humble nor arrogant, and showed just the right amount of respect a six-year-old child should have, with a hint of fear. On his open palm, the rough wooden box was still floating quietly.
Bibi Dong's gaze lingered on the wooden box for a few breaths, and an extremely tiny ripple seemed to pass through the depths of her purple eyes, too fast for anyone to catch. She didn't ask about Wuhun anymore, as if it didn't matter. His long white fingers tapped lightly on the desk.
"Bishop Mo Sang, died loyally to the Wuhun Palace. He has made outstanding achievements." Her voice was flat and there was no emotion. "Since you are his orphan, and you have innate soul power, the Wuhun Palace will not treat the loyal queen badly."
She turned her eyes to the branch master who was almost collapsed next to him: "According to the rules, he will be sent to Wuhundian Academy and treated as a core disciple."
"Yes! I will obey your majesty's order!" As if he had received an amnesty, the branch master's voice rose a little higher and his waist became lower.
"Go down." Bibi Dong's voice regained the indifference of overlooking all living beings, as if the decision just now was just a trivial matter. She lowered her head again, looked back at the file in her hand, and stopped looking at them.
The heavy study door closed silently behind him, cutting off the suffocating pressure.
The head of the branch hall took a long, almost greedy breath of the slightly freer air outside, and then realized that the clothes on his back were completely soaked and clung to his skin. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and looked at Ling Ye with complicated eyes.
…
Wuhundian College is located in the west area of Wuhun City, next to the larger senior college. The towering walls are made of huge granite and covered with dark green vines. The internal buildings of the academy are magnificent, and the roads are wide and clean. Everything reflects the heritage and style of the number one soul master academy in the mainland.
Ling Ye was arranged into a separate dormitory. The room is not big, but clean and tidy, with all daily necessities available. The head of the branch hall personally explained the rules of the academy and the welfare of the core disciples, and gave him a small crystal card, which contained the first allowance for being a "loyal empress" and a "core disciple", which was several hundred gold soul coins. After doing all this, the host hurriedly left with a heavy load of relief.
The room became quiet.
Ling Ye walked to the window and opened it. The evening wind blew in with a hint of coolness and ruffled his forehead. He spread out his right hand and thought slightly.
Buzz!
The soul power is like a trickle, rising from the Dantian and flowing to the palm along specific veins. A faint light lit up, and a rough wooden square box that was exactly the same as when he awakened appeared out of thin air, floating quietly an inch away from his palm. The surface of the box is still that featureless wood color without any decoration.
This is his martial spirit - the Blind Box of the Heavens.
According to the information in his mind, he tried to mobilize his soul power and inject it into the blind box in his palm. A clear feeling of weakness immediately came, as if a small amount of the strength in the body was instantly taken away. At the same time, the surface of the suspended wooden box lit up extremely weakly with an almost invisible layer of light that flickered like a breath. It lasted for about three or four breaths, and then became completely silent.
【Soul power consumption: about 1/3. 】
【The blind box was successfully condensed. 】
【The current number of remaining condenses per day: 2. 】
A blind box consumed one-third of his current total level 10 soul power! Ling Ye frowned slightly. This cost more than he expected. However, looking at the blind box of success in the palm of my hand, a trace of uncontrollable excitement still surged up. This is what he relies on for the future!
In the next few days, Ling Ye started his life at Wuhundian Junior College like a real six-year-old child. Take classes, perform basic physical exercises, and listen to instructors explain the common sense and martial soul theories in the soul master world. He was quiet, disciplined, even taciturn.
No one took the initiative to trouble him, but no one was willing to approach him. His reputation as "Destroyed Martial Soul" has already spread throughout the grade along with the shocking news of "Innate Soul Power". The students looked at him with eyes full of complex curiosity and inquiry, and occasionally they could hear hushed comments passing by.
"Is it him? That weirdo who has lost his martial soul and is full of soul power?"
"I heard that he is the son of Bishop Mosang..."
"Bishop Mosang is a hero, but it's a pity..."
"So what if His Majesty the Pope personally intervenes? Once the martial soul is useless, it is useless. No matter how high the innate soul power is, what kind of soul rings can be attached to it in the future? What's the use?"
These discussions were like background noise, and Ling Ye turned a deaf ear. His thoughts were all on how to make good use of his unique martial spirit.
In his spare time, while other students were sweating in the training ground, talking in the dormitory, or playing in the bustling streets of Wuhun City, Ling Ye would go alone, taking a small horse with him, to the edge of a relatively open square at the junction of the Junior College and the Senior College.
There are people coming and going here, including college tutors and staff who are in a hurry, as well as many intermediate and advanced students who have finished their studies and come out to relax.
He chose an inconspicuous corner, put down the pony and sat down. Then, he carefully took out a prepared, polished small white wooden board from the cloth bag he carried with him, and then took out a charcoal pencil.
The wooden board was placed squarely on the ground in front of his feet.
The charcoal pen scratched on the wooden board, making a soft rustling sound. A line of clear and straight handwriting emerged:
【Mysterious blind box, endless surprises. ]
【Open once: one gold soul coin. 】
【Children and old men are not deceived, and no credit is owed. 】
After writing, Ling Ye took out two more things from the cloth bag. One is the two new blind boxes he made this morning using the remaining two soul power condensation opportunities - two rough wooden boxes that were exactly the same as when he awakened, and he placed them side by side next to the wooden board. The other is a small, open clay jar used to collect money.
After doing all this, he sat quietly on the small mat like a real vendor, calmly watching the flow of people in the square, waiting for the first person to eat crabs.
The golden glow of the setting sun gives the square a layer of warm tones. Young soul masters wearing various college costumes were in groups, chatting and laughing, and walking in a hurry. Ling Ye's stall is as inconspicuous as a pebble thrown into the sea.
Time passes little by little.
There were quite a few curious looks. The students and instructors passing by saw this little guy sitting in the corner, wearing a junior college uniform, and the simple signboard in front of his feet that read "One gold soul coin opens a blind box", most of them looked dumbfounded, shook their heads and walked away.
"One gold soul coin? Is this kid crazy about money?"
"Blind box? What the heck? A wooden box?"
"Tsk, isn't this the 'celebrity'? Wasted Martial Spirit Ling Ye? What kind of tricks are you doing..."
"It's just sensationalism."
The sound of comments, high or low, kind or mocking, accompanied by explicit or covert pointing, kept drifting into Ling Ye's ears. He looked normal, as if those words were not his.
A gold soul coin has considerable purchasing power in this world, enough to cover an ordinary family's living expenses for several months. For these well-born soul master students, although it is not a huge sum of money, it is definitely not a small amount of money that can be thrown away casually.
The setting sun gradually sank into the distant buildings, and the light on the square became soft and dim. The flow of people has also become much thinner. The two blind boxes that Ling Ye brought were still lying quietly on the ground, unnoticed. The clay jar was empty.
It seems that the hope of opening on the first day will be disappointed. Ling Ye was not discouraged, as he expected. He was going to put away his things and come back tomorrow.
At this moment, there was a burst of hasty and impatient footsteps approaching from far away. A figure dragged out a long shadow in the afterglow of the setting sun and stopped in front of Ling Ye's "stall".
Ling Ye raised his head.
The person who came here is not very old, about twelve or thirteen years old, and his figure is already showing his slim figure. She was wearing the exquisite school uniform of Wuhundian Senior Academy, and her long, smooth pale blond hair was tied into a neat ponytail behind her head, revealing a smooth and full forehead and an extremely delicate face. The most eye-catching thing is her eyes. The ends of the eyes are slightly raised, with an innate charm. However, at this moment, they look a little impatient and scrutinized due to the owner's mood. It was Hu Liena, Pope Bibi Dong's personal disciple and the core of Wuhun Palace's golden generation.
Hu Liena's eyes swept across the white wooden boards on the ground, then landed on the two inconspicuous wooden boxes next to them, and finally settled on Ling Ye's overly calm, even a little indifferent little face. One gold soul coin to open a broken wooden box? This is simply ridiculous!
“Hey, kid.” Hu Liena spoke, her voice was clear and clear, with a hint of arrogance and undisguised questioning that belonged to a proud woman. “What are you selling? A blind box? Just this broken wooden box? You also want a gold soul coin? Do you know one? How many things can I buy with gold soul coins? ”
Her tone had an obvious meaning of "Are you crazy about money?", her beautiful eyebrows were slightly raised, and her charming fox eyes were staring at Ling Ye, as if she wanted to see through him.
Ling Ye raised his head and met her gaze. His eyes were very clean and calm. He did not have any fluctuations due to the other party's identity or questioning. He just answered with a childish but extremely clear voice: "It's a blind box. I don't know what's inside. There may be surprises after opening it."