Chapter 5 Struck by Lightning
Should I go straight to Dugu Bo, or should I first hook up with Dugu Yan to enter the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well...
Jiang Bai calculated silently.
Using the Immortal Plants inside, I can not only solve the Spirit defect of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and evolve it into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, but also greatly enhance my own strength...
Just as he was immersed in the reverie of sketching his future blueprint, a sudden change occurred in the sky!
The originally clear and bright night sky gathered a mass of thick dark clouds without warning, pitch black as ink, like a giant palm, instantly obscuring the moonlight and starlight.
"???"
Jiang Bai was stunned, and an ominous premonition rose in his heart.
These clouds appeared too strangely.
Before he could react—
"Crack—!!!"
A blinding silver-white bolt of lightning, with the speed of a thunderbolt, struck down from the center of the dark clouds with incomparable precision!
Unerringly, it hit Jiang Bai, who was lying on the roof!
"Boom!"
An indescribable violent force instantly surged through his entire body. Jiang Bai only felt his vision go white, his ears buzzed incessantly, and his whole body was paralyzed with intense pain.
His small body twitched violently a few times; his originally healthy wheat-colored skin instantly turned charred black, his hair stood on end, and wisps of green smoke rose from him.
The intense impact left his brain blank, and it took a long while before he regained a trace of consciousness.
A weak but exceptionally pure energy emerged from nowhere, like a trickling stream, slowly nourishing his body.
Stiffly and in disbelief, he lowered his head to look at his black-smoked, charcoal-like hands, making meaningless guttural sounds in his throat.
He subconsciously opened his mouth to say something, but only exhaled a wisp of black smoke with a burnt smell.
"..."
...
Spirit City.
This Holy Land for the continent’s Spirit Masters exuded a majestic and mysterious aura even in the dead of night.
Deep within the Supreme Pontiff Palace, in an office that was luxuriously yet solemnly decorated, Qian Xunji was reviewing the last document of the day.
He was dressed in the Supreme Pontiff’s robes, his face appearing profound and majestic under the candlelight.
As the current Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall, he bore heavy responsibilities, and his daily administrative affairs were burdensome.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
A soft knocking sound rang out.
Qian Xunji didn’t even lift her head: "Enter."
The door was pushed open, and a man dressed in a magnificent chrysanthemum-patterned robe walked in slowly.
His appearance was feminine and handsome, yet his temperament carried a bit of eeriness; he was one of the Spirit Hall Elders, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan.
Yue Guan walked to a few steps before the desk and bowed slightly: "Your Holiness the Supreme Pontiff."
"It’s so late, what is the matter?"
Qian Xunji put down the pen in her hand and looked up at Yue Guan.
"Reporting to Your Holiness,"
Yue Guan’s voice was soft yet clear.
"A secret report came from the Branch Hall in the Balak Kingdom, saying that in a small village, an extraordinarily gifted child was discovered."
"Oh?"
Qian Xunji raised an eyebrow.
"For the Branch Hall to send a secret report directly, he must not be an ordinary Genius."
"Indeed extraordinary."
Yue Guan nodded, "That child has Innate Soul Power of rank nine!"
A flash of interest crossed Qian Xunji’s eyes.
Innate Soul Power of rank nine was considered top-tier talent across the entire continent, and even in the Spirit Hall’s younger generation, it would rank among the best.
But Yue Guan’s next words made Qian Xunji truly pay attention.
"Moreover,"
Yue Guan paused, his tone carrying a hint of significance, "his Spirit is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda."
"Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?"
Qian Xunji frowned slightly, her body unconsciously leaning forward a bit.
"A wild Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?"
This news was indeed unexpected.
As the world’s number one support system Tool Spirit, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had always only been passed down through the direct Bloodline of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect; it was extremely rare for it to be found elsewhere.
"Are you sure it was discovered within the borders of the Balak Kingdom? It’s not a smoke screen intentionally released by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"
Qian Xunji asked cautiously.
"The Branch Hall deacon has confirmed it repeatedly,"
Yue Guan answered affirmatively.
"The child’s name is Jiang Bai, living in a small place called Niuma Village. His mother also passed away from illness a year ago. His mother’s surname was Jiang, an ordinary Spirit Master, and his father..."
Yue Guan said this, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes: "It is said that his father’s surname was Ning, called Ning Fengping."
"Ning Fengping?"
Qian Xunji had no impression of this name.
"Just an insignificant person who didn’t know the heights of the heavens."
Yue Guan’s tone was contemptuous.
"It is said that this person’s talent was mediocre and he was originally not valued within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Several years ago, for the sake of an ordinary woman, he actually chose to take the initiative to leave the Sect and eloped with her..."
"Leaving the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for a woman?"
Qian Xunji murmured the repetition. For some reason, he felt a strange sense of familiarity with this plot.
But soon, he suppressed this strange feeling and began to think about the meaning behind it.
An external Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit Master, and also a Genius with Innate Soul Power of rank nine...
"Where is that child now?" Qian Xunji asked.
"Still in Niuma Village. He has been registered by the local deacon and has officially joined Spirit Hall."
Yue Guan replied, then added.
"However, given his talent and the uniqueness of his Spirit, I believe it might be more appropriate to bring him directly to Spirit City for cultivation."
Qian Xunji tapped her finger lightly on the table, falling into deep thought.
The value of a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit Master went without saying.
If they could cultivate a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit Master loyal to Spirit Hall, it would be of great benefit to Spirit Hall’s future strategic layout.
Especially since this child’s background was clean, it would be easier to foster a sense of belonging.
"Arrange for someone to pick him up."
Qian Xunji made a decision.
"Send a team of Temple Knights directly from Spirit Hall. Be sure to ensure the child’s safety. Once he arrives, arrange for him to be in Spirit Academy and observe him for a while."
"Yes, Your Holiness." Yue Guan bowed in response.
"By the way," Qian Xunji remembered something, "credit the deacon who reported this matter and reward him. In addition, keep this matter secret for now; do not let the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect side notice."
"I understand."
"One more thing!" Qian Xunji recalled.
"Has the information regarding Tang Hao’s side been clearly investigated?"
"It has been clearly investigated! It is indeed a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast!"
"Hmm... prepare for this as well."
"Yes!"
Yue Guan exited the room after bowing, gently closing the door.
...
Two and a half months later, Niuma Village.
Jiang Bai stood in front of his small wooden house where he had lived for six years, taking a deep breath of the air scented with the fragrance of soil.
Two and a half months had passed since his Spirit Awakening, and the marks left by that strange lightning strike had long since disappeared.
Surprisingly, although that lightning strike caused him a lot of suffering, after recovering, he felt that his body seemed more resilient than before, and the circulation of his Soul Power was also much smoother.
Of course, he didn’t tell anyone about these subtle changes.
During this period, he continued to help the villagers with grazing as usual, only less frequently.
On one hand, Village Head Grandma Liu and several villagers knew he was about to leave and no longer let him work; on the other hand, Jiang Bai himself needed to prepare for the upcoming long journey.
The most important preparation was today.
Jiang Bai returned to the house and dragged out a dusty wooden box from under the bed.
This was given to him by his mother Jiang Ning before she passed away, with the instruction to "open it after becoming a Spirit Master."
The wooden box was very ordinary, just a common item made by the village carpenter, without any decoration.
Jiang Bai brushed away the dust and gently opened the lid.
Inside lay a bracelet quietly.
The bracelet was dark silver, the material neither gold nor iron, cool to the touch, and the surface was carved with extremely fine, hard-to-identify patterns.
A storage spirit tool?