Chapter 376: Want to compete?
As the Ghost Official's voice faded, a row of information appeared above the heads of all one hundred Ghost Officials on the high platform, including his own. As he had stated, it contained the names of the Underworld Officials, as well as the names of the cities under their jurisdiction.
The reason for this was to prevent any errors in the information. After all, it wasn't uncommon for names to be identical, and adding the city managed by the Underworld Official made it easier to differentiate between them.
Once the information appeared above the Ghost Officials' heads, a hundred Underworld Officials immediately flew towards the high platform. Although their speeds were all swift, there were still noticeable differences between them, as these hundred individuals possessed varying strengths and methods, naturally arriving at the platform in a certain order.
However, due to the short distance, the arrival times of these hundred individuals on the high platform didn't vary greatly. From the first to the last to ascend, the interval was less than two breaths.
In the current setting, some Underworld Officials viewed this as an opportunity to showcase themselves. Even if it was merely a competition of speed, it could be used to prove their strength. If they could attract the attention of Guardian Luo Yao and gain his approval, it might bring them unexpected benefits in the future.
Therefore, these individuals utilized their fastest speeds, holding nothing back.
Of course, not every Underworld Official thought this way. Among the hundred who ascended the platform, there were also those who were low-key and did not exert their full strength.
From the moment the Underworld Officials began submitting souls, Yang Haoran watched with extreme care. This was his first time coming to the Underworld to submit souls, and he didn't want to make a fool of himself. With someone demonstrating, he naturally had to observe closely.
Under his observation, the hundred Underworld Officials on the high platform took out their respective Soul-Gathering Beads. The corresponding Ghost Officials were responsible for counting them and registering the numbers in the Iron Books.
The Soul-Gathering Beads vanished instantly upon entering the black hole. Although their destination remained unknown, the process of Underworld Officials submitting souls was entirely concluded at this point.
Yang Haoran knew what was inside the boxes the Ghost Officials retrieved from their independent spatial pouches—they were Soul Pills, as he was quite familiar with the boxes used to contain them.
The reason the hundred Underworld Officials received varying amounts of Soul Pills was, of course, due to the different numbers of souls they had submitted.
The process of submitting souls was simple and straightforward, far less complex than Yang Haoran had anticipated. He calculated the time: from the moment the hundred Underworld Officials ascended the platform to their departure, it was only about a minute. The efficiency was frighteningly fast.
As for how these Ghost Officials managed to count the souls within the Soul-Gathering Beads in such a short time, Yang Haoran didn't know, but he surmised that they must possess corresponding methods.
After the hundred Underworld Officials left the high platform, they all returned to their original positions; not a single one chose to depart early.
Luo Yao hadn't explicitly stated anything about this beforehand, so Yang Haoran didn't know if these Underworld Officials were unwilling to leave or if there was a rule preventing them from doing so.
After the first batch of Underworld Officials left the high platform, information for a second batch of Underworld Officials immediately appeared above the heads of the hundred Ghost Officials. In this second batch, neither Yang Haoran nor Xu Meijing were present.
Time passed bit by bit like this. Underworld Officials on the high platform were replaced batch after batch. Yang Haoran had lost count of how many batches had changed when he finally saw his own name, and Xu Meijing's name.
Neither of them hesitated, each displaying their fastest speed as they flew towards the high platform.
It wasn't that they wanted to show off or prove anything; rather, among all the Underworld Officials, they were practically at the bottom in terms of power. If they didn't use their fastest speed, they would undoubtedly fall too far behind the other Underworld Officials.
They didn't want to draw attention to themselves, but they also didn't want to lose face. After all, Luo Yao, the Guardian, was still sitting above. If the two of them really made a blunder, Guardian Luo Yao would be embarrassed along with them.
Anyone could tell that Luo Yao was in a bad mood today. If the two of them were to cause him further embarrassment, Heaven only knew if Luo Yao would explode in anger.
Upon reaching the high platform, Yang Haoran appeared before the desk of the corresponding Ghost Official. This Ghost Official was a male, appearing to be just over twenty years old. However, Yang Haoran would certainly not be naive enough to believe that was his true age; he couldn't even be certain if the appearance the other party was using was his original one.
His feet had barely touched the ground, and Yang Haoran hadn't even had time to politely greet the man before him, when the man spoke indifferently, "Please take out your Soul-Gathering Beads."
Yang Haoran smiled and wasted no words, retrieving two Soul-Gathering Beads from his independent spatial pouch.
Of the two Soul-Gathering Beads, one appeared inky black, a sight that only occurred when a Soul-Gathering Bead was completely filled with souls. The other Soul-Gathering Bead wasn't full; a very small portion of space remained, so it wasn't entirely inky black, and one could clearly see threads of soul energy swimming within it.
The man placed his hand on the two Soul-Gathering Beads, sensed them briefly, and then stated, "Wangling, eighteen thousand six hundred thirty-five."
Yang Haoran felt a slight surprise. The man had merely sensed them quickly and simply—though "sensed" was perhaps misleading, as he had only touched the two Soul-Gathering Beads. Yet, with that light touch, the number he announced was perfectly accurate, not off by a single one.
After accurately stating the number, the man showed no intention of waiting for Yang Haoran's reply, and instead added another remark.
"Your Lecheng truly is peaceful."
Yang Haoran, of course, understood the meaning behind the man's words. To put it nicely, it meant their Lecheng was peaceful enough; to put it bluntly, it meant the number of souls he had submitted was too few. It was one thing to have no Evil Spirits or Evil Spirits, but even the Wangling were less than twenty thousand.
Truth be told, while the number of souls submitted this time was indeed low, it was also entirely within reason.
Although Lecheng boasts a large population, it is, after all, merely a small city. In many respects, it's hard to compare it with larger cities, and the number of natural and accidental deaths each year is quite limited. If not for his two dedicated Night Watchers tirelessly searching for and guiding Wangling day and night, the number of souls submitted this time would have been even lower.
After all, it was a peaceful era now, devoid of wars or conflicts, so the number of souls requiring guidance was naturally not high.
Yang Haoran's smile remained unchanged. He pretended not to understand the man's implication and responded, "Lecheng is indeed quite peaceful, but aren't other places just as peaceful?"
"Can you see the entire New Beginning Realm from Lecheng? The New Beginning Realm is vast; the chaos in some cities is beyond your imagination, it's just that many reports are suppressed."
The man recorded as he responded to Yang Haoran. A projection emanated from the Iron Book before him, and his hands rapidly danced across the projection, logging the number of souls Yang Haoran had submitted. As his words faded, his recording was also complete.
"For every ten thousand souls, you receive one Soul Pill. If the souls are less than ten thousand, they will accumulate until next year. Last year, Lecheng accumulated three thousand two hundred forty-two Wangling, so this year you can receive two Soul Pills."
As he spoke, the man retrieved boxes containing Soul Pills from his independent spatial pouch. However, there weren't just two boxes, but five.
"Since you are a newly appointed Emissary of Death this year, the fixed number of Soul Pills you can receive has been doubled. You were given three when you took office, and now here are three more. This perk for newly appointed Emissaries of Death will not be available next year."
The man's explanation deepened the smile on Yang Haoran's face. He thanked him with a laugh, stored the five boxes in his independent spatial pouch, and immediately left the high platform. The Ghost Official, in turn, sent Yang Haoran's two Soul-Gathering Beads into the black hole above.
Returning to his original position, Xu Meijing also returned to his side. Yang Haoran looked at Xu Meijing, and saw that the arrogant woman was also looking at him with a smile.
"How many Soul Pills? " Xu Meijing asked first.
"Five," Yang Haoran said with a smile, "a bonus."
"Heh heh, I have seven. " Xu Meijing smiled, a hint of smugness in her expression.
Yang Haoran showed no surprise, as this was within his expectations. After all, Ancheng's population was more than double that of Lecheng.
"That's two more Soul Pills than you! Once I've completely refined all these Soul Pills, my strength will definitely surpass yours! " Xu Meijing said with a smile, her tone brimming with certainty.
"Heh heh, I naturally believe you," Yang Haoran responded with a laugh.
"No, your smile tells me that you don't believe what I've just said," Xu Meijing said, glancing at Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran's expression held a hint of helplessness. He said, "You've misunderstood. I truly believe you can do it."
"Is that so? Well, whether you believe it or not, you'll find out when the time comes," Xu Meijing said, full of confidence.
Just at that moment, an Underworld Official not far away cast his gaze upon Xu Meijing and Yang Haoran, then began treading on air, walking towards the two of them.
Sensing someone approaching, neither of them spoke further, instead turning their gaze towards the newcomer.
The newcomer was a male, appearing quite young, at most twenty-five or twenty-six years old. The distance between them wasn't great, and the man reached them in a few steps.
Xu Meijing frowned, her gaze fixed on the newcomer, but she remained silent.
Yang Haoran's face held a smile, and his gaze also rested on the newcomer. He then asked with a laugh, "Is there something you need from us, brother?"
The man nodded, a smile appearing on his face, though it contained a hint of provocation.
"Care for a competition? How about four Soul Pills?"
The man's words startled both Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing. Neither of them understood what he truly meant.
Seeing the confused expressions on their faces, the man's brow furrowed slightly. Then, as if something occurred to him, he asked, "Are you two new here?"
Xu Meijing ignored the man, while Yang Haoran nodded, showing no intention of hiding the fact.
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