After some discussion, Flowing Feather Douluo Lin Guanmeng took Peter and Lumia with him and flew back to Spirit Hall City, leaving Max with his three lovers and Arlecchino.
"So, what will we do now?" Gwen asked, then added, "I'm planning to join the Soul Master Academy competition."
Max nodded. "Do as you want," he said casually, making her smile in response.
"Still, a full team of seven is required to particpate in," Gwen said.
"As for how we'll do it, let's just ask Lin Guanmeng for help when the time comes," Max replied. "We can either join with a ready-made team from the Spirit Hall side, or we can set up our own team independently."
"So… we need four more people, huh," Gwen muttered, exchanging glances with the others.
They all turned toward Max.
"Will you choose the rest of the team?" Rize asked, her eyes glinting with anticipation. Fighting was her second favorite joy in life—right after draining Max's blood, as a proud member of the vampire race.
Max thought for a moment and then nodded. "Okay, I'll arrange it. For now, Arlecchino, take the three of them to absorb their spirit rings," he said.
She lifted her head from the sofa and nodded without complaint.
"As for your spirit rings — as long as you absorb any spirit beasts with matching elements, it'll be fine, since all of you already possess Ultimate-level martial spirits," Max added.
Rize's Blood Moon Empress Spirit had both Ultimate Blood and Ultimate Ice attributes.
Malaika's Black Moon Empress had Ultimate Ice and Ultimate Darkness.
And Gwen's martial spirit was based on Ultimate Fire and Ultimate Light.
"Alright, you three go now. I'll go and find some new teammates for us," Max said as they nodded in unison.
The next moment, Arlecchino took the three girls with her.
"Now, where should I find some good teammates for them…" Max muttered as he stepped out of the house and headed toward the Spirit Hall's branch office.
Inside, the old man who managed the desk stood up the moment he sensed Max's presence. Even Lin Guanmeng Douluo had told him to treat Max with respect before leaving.
"Haha, Young Master, do you need help?" the old man asked with a smile.
Max nodded slightly, ignoring the flattery, and asked, "Can you show me the list of children who have awakened their Martial Spirits — especially those with unusaul spirits?"
The old man blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected Max to personally ask, but considering Max was clearly favored by Spirit Hall, he didn't hesitate. "Of course," the man replied respectfully.
A few minutes later, Max received the data and location of potential candidates. He scanned the list and stopped in front of a small bakery.
"Hm… So this is the girl who awakened a Bun Martial Spirit with innate level 9," Max muttered and stepped inside.
The bakery owner looked up and smiled warmly. "Hello, young man. What can I get you?"
"I'm here to meet your daughter," Max said bluntly.
The man blinked in surprise. "Oh? Are you a friend of Lulu's?"
He called toward the back, "Lulu, someone's here to see you!"
Max waited and soon a young girl around six years old came out. She had a bubbly smile but also an mischivous grin of an little witch.
"Who are you?" she asked confidently, sizing up Max with a spark of curiosity in her eyes.
The baker raised an eyebrow. "You don't know him?" he asked his daughter. Lulu shook her head.
"I'm Max. I'm here to recruit Miss Lulu to join my team." he explained calmly.
The father blinked again. "Kid, what kind of team are you even talking about? You're not even from the academy…"
Max smiled faintly. "No — I'm from Spirit Hall," he said, revealing his token.
The old man froze, clearly surprised. He hadn't expected such an important person to personally visit his humble shop. Although the Spirit Hall token was originally given to Arlecchino by Lin Guanmeng, Max had taken it for himself — knowing it would be much easier to recruit strong teammates with its authority.
"So, do you agree?" Max asked.
Before Lulu could say anything, her father quickly nodded. "Of course," he replied with a smile.
Max nodded back. "Good. I'll come to pick you up tomorrow." With that, he turned and left.
Lulu looked up at her father. "Dad… is Spirit Hall really that good?"
"Good? They're the best, Lulu," her father said, his eyes gleaming with admiration. "It's because of them that civilians like us even get the chance to awaken our Martial Spirits. Without them, only nobles and sect members would have access to cultivation."
He then began telling her stories of the good deeds Spirit Hall had done for common folk like them.
Meanwhile, Max moved on to his next target — another child with what was considered a 'useless' Martial Spirit: a handkerchief.
His next stop was a tailor's house. The head of the house was an elderly man, and the target this time was his grandson — a boy with a kind heart, but a Martial Spirit that was easily dismissed by others.
Max arrived and quickly confirmed what he had seen on the list. The boy's Martial Spirit was indeed a handkerchief, and his innate spirit power was only level 5. Still, Max didn't hesitate.
Soon, he recruited the boy as well.
His name was Yang Ming.
Max moved swiftly through the city, his mind focused. The Spirit Hall token in his possession was opening doors faster than expected — and now, it was time to seek out the truly rare talents that others overlooked.
His next stop was a quiet part of the town — near the old chapel, where orphans raised by priests and spirit scholars often lived. Max walked toward a small courtyard where children were playing. His eyes settled on one boy who stood apart from the others, sitting quietly on the steps.
The boy looked no older than six, and on his back were angelic wings — soft, luminous, and faintly glowing. His Martial Spirit was a Body Spirit: Angel Wings, something considered divine, yet ironically... his innate spirit power was only level 1.
***
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