Douluo: The Blind Ascendant

After walking a hundred steps, they arrived at a decent-looking inn.

"Are you two staying the night? Would you like a single room or a double room?" the innkeeper asked, glancing at Lin Yongming and Blue Silver Emperor, assuming they were siblings.

"Boss, how much for a single room and a double room?" Lin Yongming, who was handling the money, decided to ask about the prices first.

"Five silver spirit coins for a single room, eight for a double," the innkeeper replied promptly.

"That expensive?" Lin Yongming was taken aback.

In the Douluo Continent's economic system, one gold spirit coin equals ten silver spirit coins, which in turn equals one hundred copper spirit coins.

The village chief had mentioned that inns weren't something villagers could easily afford, but Lin Yongming hadn't expected even a small town's inn to be so costly.

"Boss, does the double room have two separate beds?" Lin Yongming inquired.

"Yes, it does. So, would you like a single or double room?" the innkeeper nodded.

Lin Yongming turned to Blue Silver Emperor and said, "Sister A-Yin, how about we get a double room for the night?"

"I don't mind," Blue Silver Emperor replied, looking at Lin Yongming's still somewhat youthful face. She didn't see any issue with sharing a room—after all, what could a child possibly do?

"Boss, we'll take the double room," Lin Yongming said reluctantly.

Before leaving home, Lin Yongming's parents had given him only four gold spirit coins and a dozen or so copper coins.

Lin Yongming wasn't sure how long this journey would take, and aside from food and lodging, there were other expenses to consider, like hiring a carriage. He needed to save where he could.

And so, the two of them checked into a double room. Upon entering, they found a simple space with a single room and a bathroom. On either side of the room were two beds, each about a meter wide, with clean bedding.

"Finally, some rest. I'll take the bed by the window," Blue Silver Emperor said, plopping down on the bed near the window.

"Suit yourself," Lin Yongming replied, placing his luggage by the pillow.

"By the way, aren't you a Soul Elder? How come you're short on money?" Lin Yongming asked curiously.

"I spent it all, so I'm planning to find my sister," Blue Silver Emperor answered.

"You have a sister?" Lin Yongming's curiosity was piqued. After all, if Blue Silver Emperor had a sister, wouldn't she also be a Blue Silver Emperor?

"What do you mean? Can't I have a sister?" Blue Silver Emperor was momentarily confused.

"Just asking."

"My sister is a very gentle person. Anyway, let's not talk about it. I'm exhausted after today's walk."

"Alright, we'll get up early tomorrow," Lin Yongming said, deciding not to press further.

After tidying up a bit, the two of them went to sleep.

Not long after falling asleep, Blue Silver Emperor had a dream. She found herself in an endless, pitch-black space.

"What is this place? I've never been here before," she thought as she walked. In the distance, she spotted a bright light, standing out starkly in the darkness.

As she approached, she realized it was a door—a door shaped like an eye.

"What a strange door. What's inside?"

After confirming there was nothing else around, Blue Silver Emperor, driven by curiosity, stepped through the door.

Inside, she found nothing—or rather, almost nothing. There were several dark red lines of equal length, scattered haphazardly.

"Just dark red lines? What kind of nonsense is this?" Blue Silver Emperor felt a pang of disappointment after all her anticipation.

Just as she turned to leave, a massive dark red eye stared directly at her—it was the door itself.

Blue Silver Emperor was startled and took a step back.

"What a terrifying eye."

But what frightened her even more was that the dark red lines began to separate, as if they were opening—like eyes.

No, they were eyes. The lines had transformed into countless smaller eyes, each resembling the large dark red eye of the door.

All the eyes were fixed on Blue Silver Emperor, causing her to panic and look around frantically.

"My spirit power, my spirit?" In her panic, Blue Silver Emperor tried to summon her spirit, but found her body completely empty.

Suddenly, one of the eyes burst open, followed by another. Within seconds, all the eyes shattered, tearing the space apart.

Even Blue Silver Emperor herself felt as though she was being torn into countless pieces.

The sound of a rooster crowing outside the window woke her up.

"Ah!" Blue Silver Emperor sat up abruptly in bed.

"It was just a dream. I thought I was really going to die. But why would I have such a terrifying and bizarre dream out of nowhere?" She noticed she was drenched in cold sweat.

The dream left her deeply puzzled and unable to make sense of it.

Taking a deep breath of the cool morning air, Blue Silver Emperor glanced at Lin Yongming, who was still asleep. Her gaze lingered on the black cloth covering his eyes.

She recalled how, the previous afternoon, she had lifted the cloth to look at his eyes.

"Could this dream be related to him?" she wondered. But seeing Lin Yongming sleeping peacefully, she dismissed the idea that he could have caused it.

"Still, it must have something to do with him. But what could such a dream signify?" Unable to figure it out, Blue Silver Emperor got up and went to the bathroom to wash her face. However, her curiosity about Lin Yongming's eyes only grew stronger.

Afterward, she sat back on her bed to meditate, as her spirit power felt somewhat unstable after waking up.

As the sky grew brighter and the sounds of people and vendors filled the streets, Lin Yongming gradually woke up. He noticed Blue Silver Emperor meditating, her spirit power swirling around her, concentrated and steady.

"Up so early and already practicing? No wonder," Lin Yongming thought, considering Blue Silver Emperor's unique nature.

She had to be diligent, as she was still in her early stages and constantly faced danger.

Lin Yongming didn't disturb her and quietly got up to wash his face in the bathroom.

When he came out, Blue Silver Emperor had finished meditating and was looking at him.

"You're awake. We should have breakfast and then get going, right?" she said with a smile.

"Yes, but before we leave, there's one place we need to visit," Lin Yongming nodded.

"Where?" Blue Silver Emperor asked, puzzled.

"The Spirit Hall. To collect money," Lin Yongming explained. He knew that early-stage spirit masters could receive subsidies from the Spirit Hall in various locations.

This subsidy was provided by the Spirit Hall, funded by the empire, to support spirit masters in their early cultivation.

If Lin Yongming remembered correctly, a spirit master could receive one gold spirit coin per month, while a Great Spirit Master could receive ten gold spirit coins monthly.

"Alright, I'm in no rush," Blue Silver Emperor said casually.

The two left the room and had breakfast at a nearby stall.

By around eight o'clock, the doors of the Wurto Town Spirit Hall branch opened.

Despite being just a branch, the Spirit Hall had guards standing solemnly at the entrance.

"Who goes there?" a guard asked, stopping them.

"Sirs, I'm here to register as a spirit master," Lin Yongming said, releasing his spirit and spirit rings to prove his claim.

"Please, come in."

"Blind boy, you go ahead. I'll wait for you outside," Blue Silver Emperor said to Lin Yongming.

"Alright," Lin Yongming replied.