Chapter 21: The Ten‑Thousand‑Spirit Wizard

Lei En sat up from the lounge chair, looked up at the hanging clock, and was stunned himself.

This soul test lasted a full twenty‑five minutes; subtracting five minutes each of basic pain and intermediate pain, that means he endured the advanced‑pain state for fifteen minutes!

"Damn, I accidentally listened to two extra songs; my performance got a bit exaggerated."

Lei En silently blamed himself.

If one can endure five minutes of advanced pain in the soul test, the Soul Transformation ceremony can be held.

The longer the endurance, the higher the success rate of Soul Transformation.

Those who can tolerate advanced pain for more than five minutes are either exceptionally gifted or possess strong Willpower.

Lei En belongs to that group; even without music to ease the pain, he is already very outstanding.

Those who reach ten minutes are truly prodigies; among a hundred participants in the soul test, none achieve it, and they are almost impossible to fail the soul ceremony, inevitably becoming Transcendents.

As for lasting fifteen minutes, that is unquestionably a rare talent.

People of this caliber will gain the greatest benefit in the Soul Transformation ceremony, being able to fuse all kinds of magic souls and freely choose any Transcendent profession they desire.

The middle‑aged female Pastoralist in charge of the test examined Lei En closely, then reached out and said softly, "My name is Ta Lini, a second‑rank Pastoralist; congratulations, Mr. Lei En, on completing the test."

She had just heard the maid address Lei En, hadn't paid much attention, but now she remembered it.

"Ms. Ta Lini, just call me Lei En."

Lei En politely gave her a brief handshake and then let go.

"Very well." Ta Lini's gaze swept over the onlookers outside the glass window, and she smiled, "Lei En, I haven't seen such an outstanding young man in a long time; with your talent, passing the Soul Transformation ceremony is only a matter of time, so I congratulate you in advance on becoming a Transcendent."

"Thank you, madam." Lei En smiled; his mood was also pleasant.

Ta Lini nodded, intending to use a healing spell to alleviate the lingering pain from the test, but found Lei En in fine condition, his emotions steady, no fatigue on his body, only a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead, as if he had merely gone for a few laps.

"His physical quality is so excellent, perhaps not even inferior to mine; truly rare!"

Ta Lini let out a slightly envious sigh of admiration, then, not forgetting her duty, asked softly, "Mr. Lei En, have you prepared to undergo the Soul Transformation ceremony?"

Many alchemy shops are willing to offer soul tests free of charge, not out of charity but to market their own soul‑devouring elixirs and the subsequent suite of services related to the Soul Transformation ceremony.

The cost of a soul test is low, yet it builds good relations with potential Transcendents, cultivating key clients; the future earnings will be hundreds or thousands of times the cost of a few tests.

Violet House is no different.

Lei En naturally understood these tactics, but he didn't mind; after all, he came here for the Soul Transformation ceremony.

"Yes, I hope to proceed with the ceremony as soon as possible."

Ta Lini's mouth curved upward, realizing she had attracted a hugely promising client for the shop; if Lei En grows later, she will also reap benefits.

She stood and said, "Let's discuss in another place in detail."

Stepping outside the partition, Ta Lini instructed the maid to summon another Transcendent to continue conducting soul tests for the customers behind, and she led Lei En away amid admiring gazes.

As they walked and talked, Ta Lini made a few probing remarks, trying to uncover Lei En's background.

Lei En was alert and disclosed no useful information.

Ta Lini led Lei En into a steam‑powered lift, rose to the fifth floor—the top level of Violet House—passed through an elegantly decorated, gallery‑like corridor, and finally arrived at a door, knocking.

"Store manager, this is Ta Lini."

"Please come in."

A light, airy voice came from behind the door, lazy in tone, highly distinctive, revealing a wealth of indescribable emotions.

"With just that voice, you could definitely become a hit voice actor; if you also had singing skill, that would be even more impressive," Lei En, though not seeing anyone, pictured a beautiful woman in his mind, feeling an inexplicable anticipation.

Ta Lini pushed the door open and entered, with Lei En following behind.

Upon entering, he found a spacious office offering a lofty view of the entire Brent Street; not far away stood the Wizard Tower, yet the room felt far from the sternness of an office, arranged very comfortably—with sofa, desk, fireplace, carpet, crystal lamp, flower pots, all placed artfully, like one's own living room.

Even with Lei En's limited perspective, he could see that every piece of furniture and decoration in the room was top‑tier and expensive, exuding the aura of Gold Shield everywhere.

For example, the large chandelier on the ceiling is a crystal lamp powered by magic, rare and precious.

A single crystal lamp costs two or three Gold Shields and is only fist‑sized, yet this chandelier exceeds a meter in diameter, composed of a dozen‑plus crystal lamps into a splendid fixture. Ignoring its price, the magic consumed to keep it lit each day would frighten a common household half to death.

"What a big rich guy!"

Lei En suddenly felt the dozens of Gold Shields in his pocket were too shabby to show.

But what surprised him even more was the owner of the room.

In a corner of the room stood a large instrument resembling a piano, its body jet‑black with a row of black and white keys. A woman sat before it, wearing a simple long robe, relaxed in posture, cradling a music score and watching intently.

At first glance, Lei En saw her radiant golden hair, dazzling like gold.

Then a pair of lake‑blue eyes, their gaze fluid as if they could speak.

Her face was perfectly sculpted yet natural, snow‑white skin smooth and delicate, paired with flowing golden hair, as if she herself emitted a faint glow; a closer look revealed it was merely an illusion.

Someone with weaker mental fortitude or limited experience might feel self‑conscious upon witnessing such a beautiful scene.

"WTF, WTF!"

"Sure enough, a beauty, and an absolutely stunning one..."

Lei En was amazed, suddenly realizing his lack of culture left him unable to describe the gorgeous lady before him, only able to shout "WTF".

He also noticed the beauty's ears were slightly unusual; the upper part of the auricle had a faint point, the curve not as sharp, unlike an elf's long, pointed ears—if hidden by hair, they would be hard to spot, appearing normal.

"Is she a Half-elf?"

Lei En instantly understood; no wonder they said Violet House was managed by an elf—it was actually a Half-elf.

Half-elves are hybrids of humans and elves, perhaps one of the rarest races in the world.

Since elves rarely appear in human realms, forming partnerships with humans is even rarer; even when married, the chance of bearing offspring is low.

A hundred human‑elf couples may toil day and night for years without necessarily conceiving.

Across the Ai Lun E Si world there are billions of humans, yet perhaps not even fifty Half-elves can be found, rarer than the legendary dragons.

Each Half-elf's birth is a blessing from the goddess of luck.

Although Half-elves combine the bloodlines of two races, due to the Blood Soul Curse they do not inherit elf talents; aside from a longer lifespan, they differ little from ordinary people.

Moreover, because the relationship between elves and humans is not harmonious, Half-elves are unwelcome among the elves, being called "half‑human", so Half‑elves all live in human realms.

Lei En had seen elves a few times before in the Silver Star District, and they were pure‑blood elves, indeed as beautiful as the books described, but none as beautiful as she is!

By contrast, the beauty before me looks even more like a true elf.

Judging from the skin and hair color, one of this Half‑elf's parents is likely not an ordinary elf, but possibly a higher‑order elf.

Lei En quietly used the Soul Eye to take a look, and the other's soul form was hardly different from a human's.

But he was still quite surprised, because this beauty is also a Transcendent and a level‑6 Wizard!

Within her soul core lies an illusory structure like a towering spire, its summit ablaze with a ball of silver flame; through the tower's body one can see the interior divided into six levels, each containing a varying number of demon souls.

These demon souls are all whole, as if they possess their own life, ready to be summoned from the tower at any moment.

"Ten Thousand Spirits Wizard!"

As a student of the Transcendent Academy and having watched countless games of Ten Thousand Spirits cards at the Basil Inn, Lei En was already well aware of this renowned Transcendent profession.

Today he finally encountered a legitimate Ten Thousand Spirits Wizard.

At that moment, the powerful Ten Thousand Spirits Wizard rose from behind the piano.

She was very tall, almost as tall as Lei En—roughly over 1.75 m—her slender figure was curvaceous, and as she moved, her robe outlined an alluring silhouette; a faint smile graced her face, a fragrant breeze brushed the air, as if she had stepped out of a painting.

Even though Lei En had lived in an information‑overload era, having seen countless meticulously polished photos and videos of top‑tier female celebrities and thus possessing some immunity, he still momentarily lost his focus.

Fortunately it lasted only a heartbeat; he recovered quickly and did not slip up.

She walked to the sofa and sat down, pointing to the opposite seat and saying, "Please, both of you, have a seat."

"Ta Li Ni, won't you introduce this gentleman?"

Lei En calmly sat down, and beside him Ta Li Ni respectfully said, "Manager, this is Mr. Lei En; he just underwent a soul test in our shop, lasting twenty‑five minutes, and is preparing for a Soul Transformation ceremony."

"Twenty‑five minutes?"

The Half‑elf's face showed surprise, instantly grasping Ta Li Ni's meaning—it was a client of great potential.

Her gaze fell on Lei En, and after a careful look at his face, a hint of admiration flashed in her eyes as she smiled, "Mr. Lei En, I am Viola, owner of the Violet House; which service tier of Soul Transformation ceremony would you like?"