Ignoring the various petty thoughts of those kids, Su Yuntao left the awakening room and headed toward the main hall. He encountered several Soul Masters along the way, including quite a few friends, but he bypassed them all.
At this moment, his mind was entirely consumed by Ling Xiao's situation.
As the discoverer of a genius with Innate Full Soul Power, Spirit Hall would certainly reward him. This would be beneficial for both his personal cultivation and his promotional prospects within the organization.
The branch he served in was located in the southwest of the Heaven Dou Empire on the Douluo Continent, specifically in Balak City, the capital of the Balak Kingdom.
As one of the major cities on the continent, Spirit Hall naturally placed great importance on it.
The branch here was classified as a Main Hall.
Its person in charge, Ralph, was not only a Cardinal Bishop of Spirit Hall but also a powerful Soul Saint with a cultivation level of Rank 76.
Although Su Yuntao was merely a two-ring Soul Grandmaster and held a relatively low status within this Main Hall—assigned the task of awakening children's Martial Souls—a matter like Innate Full Soul Power was of great significance.
It was not something he could decide on his own; he had to report it to Bishop Ralph.
Su Yuntao arrived at the Main Hall located in the northern part of Balak City. He stopped before a domed building, straightened his attire, and stepped forward. Two guards stood at the entrance, roughly twenty years old.
The Soul Power fluctuations emanating from them weren't particularly strong, being around the same level as his—they were also Soul Grandmasters who had broken through Rank 20.
Su Yuntao did not dare to be arrogant and said politely, "Brothers, sorry to trouble you. Please announce that Spirit Hall Deacon Su Yuntao has urgent matters to report to the Bishop."
The two guards exchanged a glance.
The badge on Su Yuntao's chest was the same as theirs, indicating he was just a Soul Grandmaster. This level of cultivation might be considered decent in some remote, small cities, but here it was far too common.
What could possibly happen that required disturbing the Bishop?
Aware of their disdain and skepticism, Su Yuntao did not get angry. Usually, when awakening the Martial Souls of those orphans, the Innate Soul Power rarely exceeded Rank 5 even if a child was capable of cultivation.
Such children would be sent to the affiliate branches of the Spirit Hall Academy located in Heaven Dou City. Similarly, if they were in a branch within the Star Luo Empire, they would be sent to the Star Luo City branch.
Only when Innate Soul Power reached Rank 5 or higher would a child be sent to the true Spirit Hall Academy. Although all three were affiliate academies of Spirit Hall, their statuses were worlds apart.
The two branch academies were managed by the Spirit Hall of the two great imperial capitals, whereas the Spirit Hall Academy itself was located in Spirit City and was directly subordinate to the Pope's Hall.
Of course, if it were just a standard case, there would be no need to disturb the Bishop. One would simply wait a few days to gather all the children from the surrounding areas who met the requirements and chose to join Spirit Hall.
Then, a higher-ranking Spirit Hall Deacon would lead the group to the imperial capitals or Spirit City. Those with talent significantly higher than their peers might be sent ahead of time.
However, if a true genius appeared with Innate Soul Power as high as Rank 8, Rank 9, or even Innate Full Soul Power, it was mandatory to notify the highest administrator of the branch and dispatch experts to escort them to Spirit City to prevent any accidents.
It was just that such a situation occurred far too rarely; at the very least, this Main Hall in Balak City had never encountered it.
Su Yuntao said solemnly, "Rest assured, I truly have a matter of extreme importance to report. If there is a delay or an accident, let alone us, even the Bishop would not be able to bear the responsibility."
Hearing Su Yuntao speak so gravely, the expressions of the two guards changed.
Though they were only Soul Grandmasters, serving as guards here meant they saw many high-ranking figures daily. They certainly weren't fools; otherwise, they wouldn't even know how they died.
One of them nodded.
"Fine. Wait here, I'll go in to report now."
After saying that, he turned and entered through the main gates.
Before long, the guard returned and nodded to Su Yuntao.
"You may enter. The Bishop is waiting for you on the third floor."
"Thank you," Su Yuntao thanked him and walked inside.
The first floor of the Main Hall was a vast hall, magnificent and luxurious—fitting for a branch of the Main Hall rank. On any other day, Su Yuntao might have paused to admire it, but right now, he had no such inclination.
Following the staircase within the hall, Su Yuntao ascended to the third floor.
The lobby on the third floor was not as expansive as the first or second, as this was the administrative area for the hall's high-ranking officials.
Following the signs on the doors, Su Yuntao arrived at the innermost room. Not daring to push the door open directly, he knocked first. Upon receiving permission, he pushed the door open and entered.
This was the Bishop's study.
The gentle morning sunlight streamed into the room, making the entire space appear exceptionally bright and comfortable.
An old man wearing a long white robe sat in a chair. His hair was meticulously combed, and the wrinkles on his face and his graying beard spoke of the many years he had lived.
This was the Cardinal Bishop of this Spirit Hall branch, Ralph.
"Sit."
A gravelly voice called out.
Ralph looked at Su Yuntao and gestured with his hand, lacking any of the overbearing majesty of a Bishop or a Soul Saint.
He seemed like an ordinary elder.
"Thank you, Bishop."
Although Su Yuntao had heard that this Bishop was quite old and had a very easy-going temperament, he hadn't fully believed it.
Seeing him now, the rumors were clearly true.
After Su Yuntao sat down, he was about to explain the situation when he heard Ralph chuckle.
"Su Yuntao, you've been here for two years and have been responsible for awakening the children's Martial Souls. Why? Have you discovered a good seedling this time?"
Su Yuntao was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected a mighty Soul Saint powerhouse to actually know who he was.
Feeling a bit excited, he didn't waste time on descriptions and said directly, "Bishop, this time, among the orphans who met the criteria, there is a youth who possesses Innate Full Soul Power."
When he mentioned "Innate Full Soul Power," he paused for a beat.
As expected, upon hearing these words, the old man who had been a Bishop for nearly twenty years could no longer maintain his composure. Ralph's eyes lit up, and he said urgently, "Did you say Innate Full Soul Power?"
"Yes."
Receiving Su Yuntao's confirmation, Ralph nodded, making no effort to hide his joy.
"Excellent! I never expected a genius youth with Innate Full Soul Power to appear here. This is truly a blessing for Spirit Hall."
"What is his Martial Soul?" Ralph continued to ask.
"Judging by the shape, it is a Battle Axe. However, it doesn't seem to be a Battle Axe Martial Soul that has previously appeared on the continent. Of course, it is also possible that my knowledge is simply insufficient."
Hearing Su Yuntao's answer, Ralph pondered deeply, his brow furrowing slightly as he murmured, "An axe? As far as I know, there aren't many powerful axe-type Martial Souls on the Douluo Continent. Could it be a newly emerged Martial Soul?"
Setting the thought aside, Ralph said solemnly, "Su Yuntao, have someone clean him up and change his clothes. This afternoon, I will personally escort him to Spirit Hall. As for your contribution, when you need your third and fourth soul rings in the future, I will personally help you hunt for them."
"Yes! Thank you, Bishop!" Su Yuntao was overjoyed.
He hadn't expected such a practical reward.
He came from a commoner background and his family was not well-off; he had only studied at a Junior Soul Master Academy.
Although he had obtained a hundred-year soul ring as his first with the help of his academy teachers, his family's savings were not enough to support him through an Advanced Soul Master Academy.
Acquiring subsequent soul rings would have been up to him, and hunting soul beasts is extremely dangerous. Hiring a team of Soul Masters to help is also incredibly expensive.
This was why he joined Spirit Hall—so he could apply for assistance when his cultivation broke through.
However, even with an application, his current strength and position would only allow him to request help from a Soul Master one major realm higher than himself. To receive a promise from a Soul Saint powerhouse was truly exhilarating.