"It's a pretty good number," the Spirit Master said, nodding as he studied Ray with renewed interest. A faint smile appeared on his face. "In fact, it's excellent. Among all the Soul Scholars I've tested in recent years, your spiritual power is the highest. Your value is thirty-eight. Remember this number. I'll have it recorded officially so you can submit it when you enter an intermediate Soul Master academy."
Ray listened attentively, though the meaning behind the number itself was still unclear to him. Seeing the confusion on the boy's face, the Spirit Master patiently elaborated.
"Spiritual power within the Spirit Origin realm ranges from one to fifty. Levels one to fifteen are considered elementary. Fifteen to thirty is intermediate. Thirty to forty-five is advanced, and anything above that is the peak of Spirit Origin. You've already reached the advanced level at your age. That's no small feat."
He paused before adding, "For reference, I'm a twenty-eighth-rank Soul Grandmaster, yet my spiritual power is only at eighty-seven. With your current level, you are fully capable of fusing with a hundred-year-old yellow spirit soul."
That single sentence caused Ray's heart to leap. Even if he didn't fully grasp the system, he could sense the weight of those words. This wasn't just a test result; it was a door opening to a wider world.
"If you're ready," the Spirit Master continued, "then let's see how kind fate decides to be to you today."
He led Ray into an adjacent chamber, far larger than the testing room. At its center stood an enormous machine, towering nearly three meters tall and spanning six meters across.
Within its transparent structure floated countless glowing spheres, each about the size of a child's head.
Every sphere looked identical, shining softly and concealing whatever lay inside.
The Spirit Master gestured toward two buttons on the control panel. "Green starts the selection. Red stops it. When you press stop, the spirit soul at that position will be released. Take your time."
Ray's heartbeat quickened as he stared at the machine. He remembered Teacher Gerrad Frost's words: a Soul Master's future was often shaped by their first spirit soul.
A powerful spirit soul could elevate one's path, while a weak one could limit it from the very beginning. And though there were nine potential spirit rings in theory, reaching that height was rare beyond imagination. That made the first step all the more important.
This was it.
No matter the outcome, he would accept it.
Ray clenched his teeth and pressed the green button.
The machine responded instantly. Light flared to life inside as every sphere illuminated at once.
The spirit soul balls began to move, slowly at first, then faster and faster, until they blurred into streaks of light, spinning with a dizzying speed that made it impossible to track any single one.
Nothing could be seen inside them. At this moment, everything rested on chance.
Ray's hand hovered over the red button. Though he could normally wield forty-kilogram tungsten hammers without a tremor, his fingers shook slightly now. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and pressed down.
A heavy thud echoed through the chamber.
The machine stopped abruptly, and a single sphere dropped from within, rolling gently into the metal receptacle beside him. Its surface glowed with a pure, milky white light.
Ray opened his eyes, his pulse pounding in his ears.
The Spirit Master stepped forward, retrieved the sphere, and placed it carefully into Ray's hands. "Go on. Take a look."
Holding it felt surreal. Warm, faintly vibrating, as though something inside was breathing. Ray cradled it against his chest, his eyes shining.
I finally have it… my first spirit soul.
After returning to his father's side, the Spirit Master handed Wilheim an oval-shaped device. "Press this button and shine it on the spirit soul ball. That will release the spirit soul and bind it to him."
Wilheim's fists clenched unconsciously. He had never felt so tense in his life.
Ray met his father's gaze. Wilheim nodded firmly, his eyes full of encouragement.
Ray pressed the button.
A soft yellow beam poured from the device, bathing the sphere in light. The spirit soul ball responded immediately, its glow intensifying before gradually turning translucent. The outline of something inside became faintly visible, shifting slightly as though waking from a long slumber.
When the light turned completely white, the Spirit Master spoke from the side. "A ten-year spirit soul."
Wilheim's shoulders sank imperceptibly. A hundred-year spirit soul truly hadn't been meant for them.
Yet Ray didn't look away. His eyes were locked onto the sphere as it slowly opened from the center, petals of light peeling back one by one.
The white radiance faded.
What emerged within caused the Spirit Master's brows to lift in surprise.
Wilheim froze.
Ray's breath caught in his throat.
Because the spirit soul inside was actually…
Inside the translucent white spirit soul ball, a tiny creature crawled sluggishly, its movements slow and almost timid. It was pitifully small, no more than ten centimeters long and as thin as a child's finger.
Its body was an earthy yellow, dull and unremarkable, and upon closer inspection, faint rhombus-shaped scales could be seen lining its fragile form.
"This… is a spirit soul?" Wilheim lifted his head and looked at the Spirit Master, disbelief heavy in his voice.
Almost everyone could recognize this creature at a glance. It was a Grass Snake, one of the most common and weakest animals imaginable. Though it was technically a snake, it posed no threat whatsoever. Even among snakes, it sat firmly at the very bottom.
A fully grown Grass Snake would only reach twenty to thirty centimeters in length and would survive by feeding on small insects. It had no venom, no claws, no fangs worth mentioning, and no special abilities of any kind. If it had to be summarized in a few words, then only four were needed: harmless, human-raised livestock.
From the moment his martial soul had awakened and he learned that he possessed soul power, Ray had nurtured countless fantasies about his first spirit soul.
He had imagined that once his martial soul fused with a spirit soul, his Silverfalls Vine would transform, shedding its weakness and evolving into something powerful and extraordinary.
He dreamed of obtaining a dazzling spirit skill, of stepping proudly into the ranks of true Soul Masters, and of finally proving that his efforts had meaning.
Dreams, however, were beautiful only until reality shattered them.
A Grass Snake.
This wasn't even a matter of whether it was strong or weak. The problem was far more fundamental: could this even be considered a proper spirit soul?
The Spirit Master stared at the tiny Grass Snake as well, his expression complicated. After a long pause, he let out a quiet, bitter sigh. "Sometimes… misfortune really does pile upon misfortune. Child, your luck this time is truly…"