Chapter 28: Refusing the Recruitment
It was no wonder Ma Xiunuo was confused.
For almost all Spirit Masters on the Douluo Continent, it was common knowledge that a Martial Soul's form was fixed from the moment of Awakening.
How could an egg Martial Soul turn into a living, dragon shaped creature? It was completely beyond what Ma Xiunuo could understand.
Lin Mo was not surprised by the question at all. He had anticipated it long before coming here.
He explained slowly, "Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo, you're not mistaken. The certificate really does register my Martial Soul as an egg."
"But my Martial Soul is a bit special. It can… hatch."
"Hatch… hatch?" Ma Xiunuo's mouth fell open. Decades of understanding felt like they had been overturned in a single day.
"Yes. Hatch." Lin Mo nodded.
To make it more convincing, he raised his right hand and snapped his fingers crisply.
A small flame, originating from the same source as the fire on Charmander's tail, jumped up from his fingertip out of thin air.
"You see? This Spirit Power attribute can't be faked. This Charmander really did hatch from my previous egg Martial Soul. It is my Martial Soul."
Ma Xiunuo stared at the flame on Lin Mo's fingertip, then at the flame burning on Charmander's tail, sensing the almost identical aura.
The doubt in his eyes finally faded, replaced by astonishment, as if he had just witnessed a miracle.
He let out a long breath and sank back into his chair, murmuring weakly, "Hatching… to think such a thing exists… I really am getting old."
He shook his head, his gaze toward Lin Mo turning complicated.
"Sigh. Nuoding Academy has really recruited quite a few geniuses this year…"
As if remembering something, he added, "Counting you, among the new students this year, 3 have already obtained their first Spirit Ring and officially become Spirit Masters."
Lin Mo understood that the other 2 were Tang San and Xiao Wu, but he did not interrupt. He simply listened.
Ma Xiunuo continued, "The 2 before you, one is Blue Silver Grass with Innate Full Spirit Power, and the other is a Rabbit Spirit, also Innate Full Spirit Power. Both are already Spirit Masters."
"And now there's you. Your Martial Soul is strange, but Innate Level 6 Spirit Power, reaching Spirit Master after 9 months of cultivation, and your first Spirit Ring is even 100 year level…"
"Sigh. It really leaves one speechless."
Perhaps because he had already been shocked by Tang San and Xiao Wu earlier, Ma Xiunuo now felt oddly numb toward Lin Mo's unusual Martial Soul. It was as if it was no longer that unbelievable.
In fact, the impact of Lin Mo's Charmander on him was not even as strong as Tang San's Blue Silver Grass with Innate Full Spirit Power, which had absorbed a 400 year Datura Snake Spirit Ring.
That had been a direct slap to his understanding.
Ma Xiunuo rubbed the bridge of his nose, organized his thoughts, then looked at Lin Mo again. His expression finally returned to proper seriousness.
He coughed lightly and asked, "Lin Mo, according to custom, I have to ask you once."
"Are you willing to join our Spirit Hall?"
"If you are willing, I can directly recommend you to enter a Spirit Master academy under Spirit Hall's jurisdiction. They can provide better resources and a better cultivation environment than Nuoding Academy."
Hearing that, Lin Mo shook his head without hesitation.
He pointed to the yellow Spirit Ring rotating around Charmander and said clearly, "Thank you for your kindness, Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo, but I still want to stay at Nuoding Academy."
"I believe you can see the dean values me greatly. My first Spirit Ring was personally hunted for me by Dean Wang Zongchang of Nuoding Academy."
Lin Mo directly used Wang Zongchang's name as a shield, cutting off any possibility of Ma Xiunuo pushing further like a recruiter.
Sure enough, after hearing this, Ma Xiunuo showed a look of "just as I thought." He shook his head helplessly.
Dean Wang Zongchang, the dean of Nuoding Junior Spirit Master Academy, was a 4 ring Spirit Ancestor.
That level might not be much elsewhere, but in a small place like Nuoding City, it was absolutely top tier.
If Wang Zongchang did not value Lin Mo highly, how could a Spirit Ancestor personally bring a child who had just reached Rank 10 into the Soul Hunting Forest to obtain a Spirit Ring?
Even as a Spirit Hall member, Ma Xiunuo did not want to provoke Wang Zongchang in Nuoding City.
And since Lin Mo had already refused so clearly, insisting further would only make him seem tactless.
Besides, even before asking, Ma Xiunuo already had a rough guess of the answer.
After all, the 2 Innate Full Spirit Power students earlier, Tang San and Xiao Wu, had also refused Spirit Hall's invitation without hesitation.
It seemed that this year's work study students from Nuoding Academy had no interest in Spirit Hall recruitment.
His question was more of a formality to follow procedure. He had not held much hope.
Ma Xiunuo sighed, then said no more.
He pulled a crystal ball used to test Spirit Power rank from a drawer under the desk, one Lin Mo had seen before.
"Well, everyone has their own ambitions. Since you've already decided, I won't persuade you further."
As he spoke, he spread out the registration form.
"Now, let's complete your Spirit Master appraisal and registration. First, place your hand on this crystal ball so I can record your current Spirit Power rank."
"Okay." Lin Mo placed his hand on the blue crystal ball.
The crystal ball immediately produced a strong suction. Soon, a bright blue light bloomed across its surface.
"Rank 12 Spirit Power." Ma Xiunuo nodded while looking at the light, then recorded the number on the form.
"I assume the age of the 100 year Spirit Ring you absorbed isn't low. Otherwise, it wouldn't be possible to raise you directly to Rank 12."
Next, he asked for the name of Lin Mo's Martial Soul and recorded several other details.
After finishing, Ma Xiunuo looked at the form and said, "Your situation is special. Your Martial Soul underwent a… change, like hatching."
"According to the rules, I need to report this change in your Martial Soul's form to the higher ups for record."
"Don't worry, this won't disadvantage you. It's just routine procedure. When Tang San's Blue Silver Grass absorbed an animal type Spirit Ring, that was also reported."
"I understand. Thank you for the trouble, Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo." Lin Mo nodded.
Ma Xiunuo took out a small coin pouch from another drawer and handed it to Lin Mo.
"Keep this safe. This is your subsidy for your first month after becoming a Spirit Master."
"One gold coin. From now on, you can come to Spirit Hall every month with your Spirit Master identification to collect your subsidy."
Lin Mo took the heavy pouch and felt the clear outline of the gold coin inside. Joy rose immediately in his chest.
One gold coin was a huge sum for a work study student like him, enough that he would not need to worry about food for a long time.
"Thank you, Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo." Lin Mo thanked him sincerely.
"You're welcome. This is what you deserve." Ma Xiunuo waved his hand. "Alright, everything is complete. You may go back now."
"Alright. Then I'll take my leave." Lin Mo bowed once more, recalled Charmander, and turned to leave the reception hall.
Everything had gone smoothly.
He tucked the coin pouch away carefully and headed toward Nuoding Academy.
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