Siblings

"Boss, I've already looked into it."

In the cramped, oppressive alleyway, Tuo Ba Hong scratched his head as he glanced around, but still replied to Yan, "The parents of these siblings were fairly renowned powerhouses of our Spirit Hall. They were killed in the chaos last year, leaving only the two of them behind. These siblings are quite well known at the academy. They each took one of their parents' surnames and inherited their respective Martial Souls. After their Martial Souls awakened, they came to Spirit City and used the compensation from their parents' deaths to buy this house..."

Yan nodded slightly after listening to Tuo Ba Hong's introduction. He had long known about Hu Liena and Xie Yue's Martial Souls and surnames, but their parents' deaths came as something of a surprise to him.

The turmoil Tuo Ba Hong mentioned referred to the unrest that had plagued the soul master world since last year, sparked by the death of Pope Qian Xunji.

The previous Pope of Spirit Hall, Qian Xunji, had died far too suddenly. No one had anticipated it beforehand. The Pope's heir at the time, Holy Daughter Bibi Dong, had delayed announcing the news because of her own considerations, concealing it until it could no longer be avoided.

The succession dispute following the Pope's death directly led to chaos within Spirit Hall. Since Qian Xunji's death involved the Clear Sky Sect, one of the Upper Three Sects, friction between Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect had continued without end over the past year.

At this time, although Spirit Hall stood alone as the dominant force in the soul master world, the Seven Great Sects combined with the imperial families of the two great empires still held a certain advantage. Thus, the soul master world was effectively governed jointly by these top factions.

Now that conflict and disorder had erupted between the two giants at the top, problems had also arisen in their management of the lower levels of the soul master world. This gave rise to a series of disturbances, and many bold criminals took the opportunity to cause trouble.

The Immovable Bright King Zhao Wuji, who would live in seclusion at Shrek more than a decade later, was already quite famous at this time. However, it was not for a good reputation, but for his notorious recklessness and lawlessness.

Still, people like Zhao Wuji, who merely opposed Spirit Hall, were considered relatively harmless. Many others were far more violent. Blood Bat Rassoul, a bloodthirsty maniac, was the very picture of an Evil Soul Master and needed to be exterminated no matter the era.

Xie Yue and Hu Liena's parents had died during a campaign against Evil Soul Masters. Because upper-level administration had been thrown into disarray at the time, reinforcements had failed to arrive in time, and an entire squad of demon hunters had been wiped out.

It was said that this incident had shocked the higher-ups. Xie Yue and Hu Liena's parents had been proficient in a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, and together their strength had even rivaled that of a Soul Sage. The annihilation of such an elite squad had been a considerable loss for Spirit Hall.

"There doesn't seem to be anyone in this house. It's so late—why aren't they back yet?"

Yan circulated his Soul Power slightly and sensed the house ahead. Though he was not a perception-type soul master, his spiritual power was strong enough, and Feng Lin had specially trained his observational skills. The siblings were merely one-ring soul masters; they should have been easy to detect.

"Boss, I'll go ask around."

After hearing him, Tuo Ba Hong went over and knocked on the door. Sure enough, there was no response from inside. However, someone from another house at the corner of the alley poked their head out upon hearing the noise. After speaking with the fat boy for a few moments, he hurried back.

Tuo Ba Hong said, "Boss, their neighbor said that the siblings usually cultivate at the park plaza over there and don't return to rest until very late."

"Is that so? That's normal enough. This place is indeed far too noisy."

Yan nodded, then headed in the direction they had been given with Tuo Ba Hong. This was another entrance to Central Ring Park within Spirit City, positioned opposite and apart from the entrance near the academy.

The park was quiet and secluded. Quite a few people strolled through it, while scattered figures could vaguely be seen sitting in meditation and cultivating among the woods and grassy clearings.

All residents of Spirit City were soul masters who had awakened Innate Soul Power and could cultivate. This was likely the city with the highest concentration of soul masters on the entire Douluo Continent, and it would later become the holy land of soul masters on the Douluo Continent.

Yan and Tuo Ba Hong asked around as they went and finally discovered two figures in an open patch of sparse forest. With winter approaching, most plants had already withered and yellowed. Aside from evergreen species, only certain plant-type soul beasts capable of storing Soul Power remained lush and green.

A gentle breeze swept past, stirring the vast stretch of Blue Silver Grass like a sea of emerald blue. As Yan and Tuo Ba Hong appeared, the two figures meditating within the grass abruptly opened their eyes.

The two people cultivating amid the Blue Silver Grass rose to their feet. The first to draw Yan's attention was the boy. His neat black hair stood upright like steel needles, his expression calm. His slender yet powerful hands hung at his sides as his indifferent gaze fixed upon Yan.

Beside the boy stood a girl who somewhat resembled him. Their expressions seemed to have come from the same mold. At first glance, the girl did not seem particularly beautiful. But upon closer inspection, one could sense an unusual charm about her.

"You're Yan from Class Three."

After staring at Yan for a while, the boy appeared to recognize him. His expression remained calm, and his voice was equally flat.

"You know me? I don't remember meeting you."

Yan regarded the boy with interest. Xie Yue, the elder brother among the siblings, would later become the captain of Spirit Hall's Golden Generation. His innate talent was not the strongest within the Golden Generation, but before Hu Liena completed her trial in Slaughter City, he had been the strongest among them.

In the original story's Golden Generation, Yan undoubtedly possessed the strongest innate talent, with his top-tier Beast Soul. During the finals of the soul master tournament, he had faced Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing's Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the Hell White Tiger, alone without falling behind.

Hu Liena's transformation, meanwhile, came after her journey to Slaughter City. Having gained Divine Slaughter's Domain, she became the undisputed strongest member of Spirit Hall's Golden Generation. Bibi Dong then named her Spirit Hall's Holy Daughter, making her the Pope's heir.

As Hu Liena's older brother, Xie Yue was also exceptionally outstanding in the early days. Wielding a pair of Moon Blades, he created a blade-technique soul skill and even defeated his Soul Emperor teacher. He had enjoyed boundless prestige at the time and thus became the leader of the Golden Generation.

Xie Yue met Yan's gaze calmly and replied, "Although we've never met, you're easy enough to recognize. Besides, I've seen the fat guy beside you before. He was asking around about my sister and me two days ago."

Yan nodded at those words. Xie Yue was not wrong; in this life, Yan was indeed easy to recognize. As a top-tier Beast Soul, the Flame Lord Martial Soul had begun causing a series of obvious changes in him after awakening, especially in his appearance.

He had initially possessed black hair and black eyes, but now his hair was red, fiery red, and even his pupils had turned dark crimson. This was precisely an obvious sign of his powerful Martial Soul. One only needed to look at Tang San's changes after awakening the Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul for comparison.

Yan continued, "I have something to discuss with you. Are you interested in having a chat? It's about the academy's year-end assessment. I think we can work together."

Xie Yue and Hu Liena's expressions shifted slightly when Yan mentioned the year-end assessment. The latter then stepped forward with Tuo Ba Hong, and the four began to talk. A storm that would affect the academy was brewing.

Here is the second chapter. I hope everyone will vote and leave comments. Also, thank you all for your recommendation votes, monthly votes, and rewards.