Time Flies

A moment later.

The three of them woke up at the same time, joy appearing on their faces.

"Brother Wushuang, my Spirit Power went up by a level!"

"Mine too!"

"This Whale Rubber... it's good stuff! Wushuang, do you have any more? How about a few more pounds?"

Ji Wushuang rolled his eyes at Yan. "A few pounds? Are you planning to eat it as a meal? I had to beg my teacher for just these three pieces!"

Yan scratched his head awkwardly.

Ji Wushuang said, "The reason you were able to raise your Spirit Power by a level was probably because you were already just one step away. The Whale Rubber merely gave you that final push."

Xie Yue said gratefully, "Wushuang, thank you so much!"

Yan laughed. "Wushuang, thanks! I'll treat you to a meal another day!"

"No need to wait for another day. There's no time like the present—you're paying for today's meal." Ji Wushuang pointed at the feast on the table and smiled.

"Easy! Waiter, bring us another identical table of dishes! And a bottle of good wine!" Yan called out loudly.

Hu Liena frowned slightly. "Yan, we're still young. Drinking... isn't that a bad idea?"

Yan laughed. "Nana, you can just drink juice. The three of us boys are already ten, so a little alcohol is fine. Besides, drinking is a symbol of manhood."

Ji Wushuang shook his head. "What nonsense."

Yan rolled his eyes and asked, "So, are you drinking or not?"

With a bright smile, Hu Liena poured Ji Wushuang a cup of fruit juice. "Brother Wushuang, shall we drink juice together? It's sweet and tangy—so good!"

Ji Wushuang considered it, then said, "I'll just have a little."

"That's more like it!" Yan grinned, showing his white teeth, looking rather pleased with himself.

Hu Liena pursed her lips and said nothing more.

Xie Yue took the wine from the waiter and poured a cup each for Ji Wushuang, Yan, and himself.

"Let's raise a toast!"

"Nana, use juice instead!"

Yan said with a smile.

Hu Liena hesitated. "I'll try just a little too..."

Ji Wushuang said, "Girls shouldn't drink alcohol, especially when you're still so young."

Hu Liena's heart sweetened. "Then I won't drink. I'll have juice."

"Cheers!" ×4

"The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament will be held soon. Outstanding Soul Masters from across the continent will all come to Spirit City, and it'll be incredibly lively then. It's a pity we're only Soul Grandmasters, so we can't participate."

"Wushuang, you're already a Soul Elder. Have you ever thought about competing?" Yan asked curiously.

Ji Wushuang shook his head. "I haven't, and I'm not interested. Besides, even if I said I wanted to participate, my teacher wouldn't agree."

"Why not?" Yan asked in confusion.

Xie Yue took over. "Yan, Wushuang is only ten years old and already a Soul Elder. By the time the tournament after next comes around, he'll be twenty. What realm do you think he'll have reached by then?"

Yan replied with complete certainty, "Conservatively speaking, Soul Emperor!"

Xie Yue nodded in agreement. "That's the same as my estimate!"

"I think Brother Wushuang could become a Soul Saint by then!" Hu Liena offered a different opinion.

"A Soul Saint!?"

Xie Yue and Yan were both startled, marveling at Hu Liena's wild imagination.

Yan asked with a laugh, "Wushuang, what realm do you think you can reach in ten years?"

Ji Wushuang looked at Hu Liena and smiled. "I also think I can reach the Soul Saint realm!"

Hu Liena immediately lifted her pretty face proudly.

"You really dare to say it! Still, I'll congratulate you in advance. I hope you really can break through to Soul Saint by then!"

Yan raised his cup and drained it in one gulp.

Then he laughed and said:

"When the tournament after next comes around, we'll compete together and crush the Soul Masters from all the other academies!"

"We'll make those people clearly understand that Martial Soul Hall Academy is the finest Soul Master Academy in the world!"

This tournament was held once every five years.

It was jointly organized by the Two Great Empires and Martial Soul Hall.

By the time the tournament after next arrived, they would already be adults, and their Spirit Power would no longer be as weak as it was now.

"Yan's right!" Xie Yue echoed.

Even though he had only joined Spirit Hall three years ago, he already felt an intense sense of belonging here and was willing to fight for Spirit Hall.

Hu Liena smiled. "Brother Wushuang, when the time comes, don't steal all the spotlight for yourself. Let the three of us show off too."

Ji Wushuang shook his head with a laugh. "When that time comes, I'll let you perform to your hearts' content first. Once you're done, I'll go up and deal with the opponents."

"Then it's settled!" Yan raised his cup again.

Seeing this, the three of them raised their cups and clinked them together.

"Long live Spirit Hall!"

Two years later.

At the entrance of the Nuoding City Primary Soul Master Academy in Fasino Province, Heaven Dou Empire.

Just as the blue-haired Tang San was about to teach the gatekeeper in front of him a lesson for humiliating him and refusing to let him enter, the robed Yu Xiaogang arrived in time.

After first reprimanding the gatekeeper, he took Tang San from Village Chief Jack's side.

On the way.

Yu Xiaogang laid out the speech he had already prepared in his heart.

First, he spoke of how he had researched Blue Silver Grass.

Then, he brought up one of the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul that he had studied: Innate Soul Power was directly proportional to the quality of one's Martial Soul.

After that, he said he had researched countless Twin Martial Souls and Martial Souls with Innate Full Soul Power.

Then came Mutated Martial Souls.

The whole combination struck Tang San until he was dizzy and dazed.

He immediately took a step back, dropped to both knees, and kowtowed three times to Yu Xiaogang, begging him to accept him as a disciple.

It was Yu Xiaogang's first time encountering someone so sincere. Amid his delight, he immediately agreed and said with a smile, "Kneeling is reserved for rulers and parents. When taking a master, a bow is enough."

Tang San paid no attention to that. Following the etiquette of his previous life, he declared righteously, "A master for a day is a father for life! It is only right for this disciple to kneel before you!"

"Good, good, good!" Yu Xiaogang excitedly helped Tang San up, feeling as though the road ahead had begun to shine once more.

Meanwhile.

Within the Star Dou Great Forest, Ji Wushuang, dressed in purple, strolled along leisurely.

Bibi Dong beside him was likewise dressed in purple. Without the majesty of the Pope, she instead resembled a beautiful older sister from next door. A Treasure Sword hung diagonally at her waist, and her valiant, dashing appearance carried a unique allure.

The Hundred Thousand Year Whale Pearl truly was extraordinary.

Even though Ji Wushuang had already reached the realm of a Soul Elder, the Hundred Thousand Year Whale Pearl still brought him astonishingly rapid improvement. In just two years, it had raised his soul power by eight levels, from level thirty-two to the level forty bottleneck. Such Cultivation Speed was simply monstrous.

Moreover, an unknown amount of energy still remained within the Hundred Thousand Year Whale Pearl, continuously strengthening his body in subtle ways.

It could not only strengthen the body, comparable to a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone, but also accelerate Cultivation Speed, comparable to an Immortal Grade Herb.

He had the best of both worlds.

"Teacher, if your disciple wants a soul skill capable of breaking through defenses, what kind of Spirit Beast should I absorb?" Ji Wushuang asked, looking at the breathtaking figure beside him.

Bibi Dong's Sixth Soul Skill of her Second Martial Soul—Eternal Creation—was a single-target soul skill that ignored all physical defenses. It was practically invincible!

He had coveted it for a long time and had always wanted it.

Unfortunately, a soul skill like that could not be gained merely by wishing for it. The Spirit Beast itself needed to possess such an ability.

Hearing this, Bibi Dong said, "Let's not focus on that."

"Wushuang, we cannot discard every other Spirit Beast just because we want a specific soul skill and keep searching endlessly. If we encounter a suitable Spirit Beast, it is best to absorb it immediately. Otherwise, continuing to search will not only mean missing Spirit Beasts that were already suitable, but more importantly, wasting time."

"We can search here for at most one month."

"If we still haven't found a Spirit Beast capable of ignoring defenses after a month, then we can only find any suitable Spirit Beast and hunt it for absorption."