Douluo Continent III Haotian Wulin

The door at the back of the testing room slowly opened.

A scent completely different from the outside gently wafted out from within. It was like a mixture of grass, soil, metal, wind, and the breath of some living creature.

The grey-robed spirit medium led the father and son through a quieter passage, finally stopping before a heavy silver door.

"arrive."

Behind the door was an extremely spacious circular hall.

The center of the hall was sparsely decorated; the most striking feature was a series of white spirit orbs suspended in mid-air. They varied in size but were all enveloped in soft white light, hovering quietly above circular tracks at different heights, like seeds sealed within light.

There are a lot of them.

From a distance, there were at least dozens of them.

"This is the selection area for white ten-year soul spirits opened by the Aolai City branch tower," the gray-robed spirit master said slowly from the side. "You have the qualification for targeted selection, so you will not enter the random selection process. In other words, what you see today are all ordinary ten-year soul spirits suitable for the first soul ring fusion of a level ten soul master."

At this point, his gaze fell on Tang Wulin.

"However, targeted selection isn't something you can just point to randomly. The truly suitable spirit will often respond to your martial spirit, aura, and spiritual power. What you need to do is not choose with your eyes, but with your senses."

Tang Wulin nodded seriously.

"Release your Martial Soul first," the Spirit Master said.

A flash of dark light.

The Sinking Star Hammer appeared silently in Tang Wulin's palm.

It remained as unremarkable as ever—short, blunt, and dark, lacking any of the sharpness or exaggeration of other weapon spirits. But the moment it truly appeared, several of the soul spirit orbs that had been quietly floating in the hall trembled slightly.

The gray-robed spirit medium's brows twitched immediately.

He could see it clearly; it wasn't a simple resonance driven by soul power fluctuations, but rather something deeper—a kind of "sensation."

"Continue," he said in a low voice. "Don't rush to look with your eyes. Calm your mind. Like you usually meditate, first feel your own martial spirit, and then feel the aura emanating from these spirit orbs."

Tang Wulin closed his eyes as instructed.

This might not be easy for others. But for him, calming down and feeling is the most familiar thing.

For the past three years, whether he was meditating in the academy or striking the forge with his hammer, he was doing the same thing—sinking his mind and gradually getting himself, the hammer in his hand, the metal in front of him, and the soul power in his body into the same rhythm.

And now, all he's doing is expanding that feeling outwards.

Soon, he "saw" those soul orbs.

It's not seeing in the true sense.

Rather, it is a vague perception.

Some spirit orbs have a light and agile aura, like shadows in the wind; others are sharper, like a flash of cold light; and a few have a strong sense of power, like heavy stones, thick horns, or the muffled breathing of some reptile when it lowers its body.

Tang Wulin slowly passed by those auras.

He didn't rush to get closer.

Because he knew very well that he wasn't looking for someone who "looked powerful," but rather someone who was truly suitable for the Sinking Star Hammer and for him.

A white soul orb glowed faintly, exuding a heavy, beetle-like aura.

The other one exudes a slightly sharp, slightly hard wildness, like some kind of unicorn larva.

There's another one, with the coolness and resilience unique to reptilian spirits, which doesn't seem too bad either.

The gray-robed spirit medium stood aside, observing quietly.

He originally thought that this child would be flustered by all sorts of sensations when choosing a soul spirit for the first time, but the opposite was true; Tang Wulin was unusually calm.

He didn't choose randomly, nor was he obviously attracted to a particular soul with a stronger outward aura. Instead, he seemed to be carefully distinguishing them one by one.

His composure is completely out of character for his age.

And just then...

Tang Wulin's heart suddenly trembled slightly.

It wasn't that he touched anything on his own initiative, but rather it was as if something gently touched him in return.

It's very light.

Yet it was exceptionally clear.

He subconsciously followed that feeling and "looked" over there, then froze slightly.

At the very bottom, near the corner, among a ring of white spirit orbs, there was a small, unremarkable orb that was trembling very, very slightly.

The ball was quite ordinary, even dimmer than the other spirit orbs beside it. But the instant Tang Wulin projected his consciousness into it, a very thin, dark golden light seemed to flash across its interior.

Immediately afterwards, that familiar feeling became even clearer.

Shen.

stable.

Bearing a load.

Quiet, yet terrifyingly tenacious.

Tang Wulin's heart skipped a beat.

It's it!

He almost immediately recalled the line of ants that had been moving along the cracks in the rocks in the small garden under the moonlight last night.

Just then, the soul orb seemed unable to hold back any longer and gently detached itself from its original floating position, slowly drifting towards Tang Wulin.

This time, not only Tang Wulin, but also the gray-robed spirit master and Tang Ziran were stunned at the same time.

"Active resonance?" the gray-robed spirit master murmured, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

There are indeed souls that actively approach Soul Masters.

However, in a place like Aolai City, the White Ten-Year Soul Zone is definitely not common.

Moreover, it wasn't just getting close; it was clearly aimed at Tang Wulin.

The white soul sphere slowly came to a stop in front of Tang Wulin, hovering about a foot above his chest. The white light inside the sphere flowed slightly, and within that white light, the shadow of an extremely small, dark gold ant with a heavy sheen was quietly attached to the inner wall, as if it were "watching" him.

Tang Wulin opened his eyes.

His breathing visibly became erratic.

"Spirit Master, what kind of spirit is this?"

The gray-robed spirit medium did not answer immediately, but took two steps closer and carefully examined the soul orb. The surprise in his eyes quickly turned into a deeper sense of astonishment.

"It was actually it..."

"What's wrong with it?" Tang Ziran couldn't help but ask.

The spirit medium raised his head and slowly said:

"This is a very rare type of spirit in the White Decade Spirit Zone. Strictly speaking, it belongs to the power branch of ant-type spirits. Because of its low age, it is generally not very popular. Many children choosing spirits for the first time prefer those that look more imposing and have a more eye-catching appearance."

As he spoke, his gaze fell once more on the dark golden ant shadow, and his tone unconsciously became more serious.

"But its advantages are clear—strength, load-bearing capacity, stability, and resilience, making it especially suitable for Soul Masters who follow a pure strength or heavy strike route."

"More importantly, it faintly carries a trace of the bloodline of the Thousand-Pound Ants."

"Thousand-Pound Ant?" Tang Wulin subconsciously repeated the name.

For some reason, the moment he heard those three words, his heart felt as if it had been gently bumped by something.

Not familiar.

Rather, it's a profound sense of weight that's hard to define.

The gray-robed spirit medium nodded.

"It's just a very faint trace of bloodline, far from being a true high-level Thousand-Pound Ant Soul Spirit. But even this trace is enough to make it stand out among soul spirits of the same level. However... it's usually very quiet. I've been here for so long, and this is the first time I've seen it actively deviate from its course and approach a child."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but glance again at the Sinking Star Hammer in Tang Wulin's hand.

At this point, even if he didn't want to think about it anymore, he had to admit that this child's martial spirit was probably far more extraordinary than it appeared.

Tang Ziran stood to the side, her heart also clearly stirred.

Ant.

If one only heard it from an outsider, their first reaction would probably be that it was ordinary, or even a bit shabby. But when the Spirit Master said "Power Branch, Weight, Stability, Heavy Strike Route" later, he immediately realized that this was surprisingly in line with Wu Lin's current path.

Tang Wulin himself didn't even think about those complicated judgments.

He simply stared at the Soul Orb in front of him, and the strange sense of resonance in his heart grew stronger and stronger.

The Sinking Star Hammer hung quietly in his hand.

The little ant inside the spirit orb was also quietly "watching" him.

One is heavy, the other is steady.

One is like a star being pressed down, the other is like a mountain being carried.

For some reason, Tang Wulin suddenly felt that it was very similar to himself.

They were all unremarkable.

They are not noticed at first glance.

Yet they all possess a hidden strength that refuses to bend.

"Spirit Master," he took a soft breath, his gaze never leaving the soul orb, "would it be appropriate for me to choose it?"

The gray-robed spirit medium remained silent for a moment before finally nodding.

"It suits you very well."

"Compared to those white spirits that look better, it may not be as eye-catching. But if we only consider its compatibility with your hammer-type weapon spirit, it is definitely the best choice."

He paused, then added:

"Besides, it wasn't you who picked it."

"It approached you on its own initiative."

As soon as he said that, Tang Wulin felt a sudden warmth in his chest.

Yes.

It wasn't by chance that I took a liking to it.

Instead, it came first on its own.

He lowered his head, looked at the Starfall Hammer in his hand, and then at the Soul Orb that was quietly floating in front of him. A sense of certainty suddenly arose in his heart.

It is it.

Then, he raised his head, and for the first time, his gaze truly settled.

"Dad," he whispered.

Tang Ziran looked at her son and nodded.

"It's your decision."

Tang Wulin hummed in agreement.

Then, he turned to the gray-robed spirit medium and said earnestly:

"I choose it."

The white soul sphere hovering in front of him seemed to understand his words and trembled slightly.

Inside the sphere, the tiny dark golden ant slowly raised its forelegs and pressed them against the light barrier.

It was as if it were responding to him.