"What kind of spirit is this? I've never seen anything like it. It's definitely not the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda—wrong color, for one."
"Could it be a mutated spirit?"
The crowd formed a circle around Ning Bei, eyes full of curiosity as they stared at the small, mysterious yellow-brown tower in his hand. Everyone chimed in with their own questions.
Ning Bei looked thoughtfully at the strange little tower. As its owner, he could already sense its power and purpose.
"Wait a second… isn't this the Douluo Continent? Why does this feel like it belongs to the Battle Qi Continent next door? System? Are you there? Hello? Did I get assigned to the wrong universe?"
He silently screamed for a system that never replied.
Meanwhile, his mother grew increasingly anxious. Ning Bei was standing motionless with his eyes shut tight and cheeks puffed red.
She rushed over and shook his shoulders. "Bei'er! Are you alright? Don't scare your mother like that!"
Snapped out of his thoughts by the shaking, Ning Bei opened his eyes. He glanced around at the worried faces and gave an embarrassed smile.
"Sorry, everyone. I'm fine, really."
Seeing he was okay, the group quickly turned their attention back to the real mystery: his spirit.
"Bei'er, what exactly is your spirit? Why have none of us ever seen anything like it before?" asked Dustheart (Chen Xin), voicing what everyone was thinking.
Ning Bei paused, carefully choosing his words. He couldn't just say it was from another world.
"It's called the Pill Tower. It's a powerful support-type martial spirit that can produce various medicinal pills."
Everyone stared in surprise. Ning Fengzhi leaned forward, his voice tinged with urgency.
"Medicinal pills? What kind? Are they useful for soul masters?"
Ning Bei scratched his head. "I'm not sure yet. I don't have a spirit ring."
"Ah, good point. Bei'er, let your brother help you test your innate soul power first."
"Alright. Sorry for the trouble, big brother."
Ning Fan waved his hand. "No trouble at all." He took a crystal ball out of his storage ring. "Here, place your hand on the ball and inject your soul power."
Ning Bei did as instructed, closing his eyes and channeling his soul power into the crystal. The energy inside quickly rose, and within moments the orb was glowing brightly—completely full.
"Innate full soul power?! Times five?!"
Gasps filled the room.
"Incredible! He actually has full innate soul power. Uncle Gu, Uncle Chen—we must keep this a secret. No one outside the sect can know about this genius," Ning Fengzhi said, turning to Dustheart and Bone Douluo with a serious expression.
Both men nodded solemnly. They understood the implications.
"Don't worry, Fengzhi. We'll keep this quiet," Dustheart replied. "And if anyone dares to harm Bei'er, I'll make sure they regret being born."
"Agreed," said Bone Douluo firmly.
Satisfied, Ning Fengzhi smiled. "There's no need to be so tense. Everyone here is trustworthy. The news won't leak."
Having earned the loyalty of everyone present, Ning Fengzhi then turned to Ning Bei.
"Bei'er, tomorrow, your Uncle Sword will take you to the Star Dou Forest to find a suitable spirit ring. Tonight, study the sect's bestiaries and pick the soul beast that suits your spirit."
"Your martial spirit is unique, so we can't offer much advice. But one thing's for sure—it's not limited like the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda."
"Got it, Dad. I'll go check the beast encyclopedia now."
With that, Ning Bei dashed out of the hall.
Watching his son's retreating figure, Ning Fengzhi shook his head and sighed. "That little monkey. Always rushing off—no patience at all."
The others looked at him with amused expressions.
"What are you looking at? He's nothing like me! I'm calm and refined," he added quickly.
"Oh… sure," came the sarcastic chorus.
Ning Bei ran straight to the sect's grand library, a multi-story building in lavish classical style.
"So rich…" he muttered as he stepped inside.
"Bei'er? What brings you here? Your spirit awakened?" a middle-aged man asked.
Ning Bei nodded respectfully. "Uncle Yuan, yes. I came to look up what kind of soul beast would suit my first ring."
This man was Ning Fengyuan, Ning Fengzhi's cousin and the guardian of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's library.
Ning Bei made his way directly to the second floor, guided by memories from when he first learned to read. At age four, he'd stumbled across the soul beast encyclopedia by accident—and now that knowledge was paying off.
Flipping through the records, Ning Bei pondered:
What kind of soul ring suits a Pill Tower spirit? Should I just choose a beast with supportive abilities?
He theorized that the tower's nine levels likely corresponded to first- through ninth-grade medicinal pills. Ascending to godhood might unlock the ability to produce legendary imperial-grade pills.
In Battle Through the Heavens, first-grade pills like the Rejuvenation Pill, Healing Pill, and Power Accumulation Pill had various effects.
In Douluo terms, that's probably restoring soul power, healing injuries, and boosting strength.
Could I use a single ring to produce multiple pill types? Or should I look for a soul beast with multiple attributes?
After searching the entire encyclopedia, he found no such soul beast. But one entry caught his eye: the Spirit-Eating Rhino.
This beast could absorb spiritual energy from its environment and store it, using that energy to increase its strength in battle.
It was recorded that disciples with the Seven Treasures Pagoda spirit who used the Spirit-Eating Rhino as their first ring would gain the soul skill "Strength of the Seven Treasures", which boosted strength by 20%.
If I choose this beast, even if I can't make Rejuvenation or Healing Pills, I'll at least be able to produce Power Accumulation Pills. That's pretty useful.
And if I can produce other pills with just one ring… then the Pill Tower might allow multi-functionality per ring! That would make future choices way easier.
By the time Ning Bei left the library, the sun was already setting. His stomach growled loudly—he hadn't eaten lunch.
He rushed back home, where his parents had already prepared a meal. Knowing he'd been studying all day, they had even made extra.
"How'd it go, Bei'er? Did you find a suitable soul beast?" asked Ning Fengzhi.
Gnawing on a large chicken drumstick, Ning Bei nodded. "Yep! I think the Spirit-Eating Rhino's perfect. At the very least, I'll get a strength-type pill out of it."
"Great choice. Then tomorrow, your Uncle Sword will take you to the Star Dou Forest."
"Got it! Oh—where's my brother?"
"He's returned to Heaven Dou Royal Academy. He only took leave today to be here for your spirit awakening."
Hearing that, a warm feeling rose in Ning Bei's chest.
As someone who had grown up as an orphan in his past life, this kind of familial care meant more than words could express.
P.S: Read advanced chapters in my collection at patreon.com/Zarctus