Apprenticeship Gift

At Bibi Dong's command.

"Boom!"

The ground beneath Xuan Hao's feet instantly cracked apart. Like a golden cannonball, he shot straight at Hu Liena with unstoppable momentum!

He moved so quickly that he even left an afterimage in the air.

Hu Liena was startled. This was more than twice as fast as he had been when running earlier!

But she was, after all, a Control System Soul Grandmaster, and her reaction was extremely fast.

"First Soul Skill, Charm!"

"Second Soul Skill, Fox Charm!"

Two yellow Soul Rings flashed in succession.

Pink light swirled in Hu Liena's fox-like eyes, and an invisible wave of Spiritual Power instantly enveloped the charging Xuan Hao.

As long as their gazes met, even for an instant, she was confident she could stop this brute.

At the same time, a sickly sweet, hallucinogenic fragrance spread with her Soul Power, attempting to dull Xuan Hao's senses.

However, Hu Liena froze in disbelief the very next second.

Because she discovered that Xuan Hao had closed his eyes as he charged toward her!

Not only that, he had even held his breath!

The instant he attacked, Xuan Hao had already locked onto Hu Liena through the Golden Dragon Perception granted by his Golden Dragon Martial Soul.

He knew his Spiritual Power was inferior to Hu Liena's. In a one-on-one fight against a spiritual-control Soul Master, getting hit meant he was finished, so he simply cut off both his sight and sense of smell!

"Hey! That's cheating—"

Before Hu Liena could finish her panicked cry, that golden figure had already reached her.

There was no time to dodge, nor any way to resist.

"Bang!"

Hu Liena only felt an irresistible force slam into her, and she instantly lost her balance.

The next moment, Xuan Hao pounced on her and knocked her to the ground.

"Got you."

Xuan Hao straddled Hu Liena, pinned down her wrists, and firmly pressed her against the ground.

Although there was nearly a ten-level gap in their Soul Power, under the terrifying strength of the Golden Dragon Body, Hu Liena, a fragile Control System Soul Master, was like a Little White Rabbit pinned beneath a tiger. No matter how she struggled, she could not move at all.

"You played dirty!" Hu Liena's face flushed red with embarrassment and anger.

"You were the one who told me about your Soul Skills these past few days. This is called knowing yourself and knowing your enemy," Xuan Hao said with his eyes still closed.

Bibi Dong, who was watching from the side, was also stunned for a moment before breaking into a helpless smile.

She had not expected Xuan Hao's combat instincts to be so sharp. In his very first battle against a Soul Master, he had already thought of using such a method to avoid spiritual control.

What she had not expected even more was for this spar to end so quickly, so... simply and brutally.

Hu Liena looked at Bibi Dong pitifully, mist gathering in her eyes.

Not only had she failed to establish her authority, but she had been pinned down and humiliated by her Junior Martial Brother. Her dignity as the Senior Martial Sister had been completely ruined.

"Alright, the spar ends here."

Bibi Dong smiled and shook her head, waving a hand to disperse the Soul Power fluctuations around them.

Although Hu Liena had lost rather miserably, it was a good lesson for her.

Before absolute strength and opponents who refused to follow convention, any flashy technique had to be used with caution.

Spiritual-control Soul Masters indeed possessed terrifying dominance among those of the same rank, but that did not mean she was invincible.

This trip had not only helped Hu Liena obtain an exceptional Soul Ring, but had also brought her a prodigy with Twin Top-tier Martial Souls. Bibi Dong was in an excellent mood.

She did not linger in the forest any longer and led the two children onto the journey home.

Several days later, Spirit City.

This city, composed entirely of Soul Masters, was also the sacred land in the hearts of Soul Masters across the continent. It stood majestically at the border between the two great empires.

Its hexagonal walls towered into the clouds, while the Papal Palace at the city's center was even more magnificent and resplendent, inspiring awe in all who saw it.

The moment she returned to Spirit City, Bibi Dong resumed the lofty bearing of the Pope.

Although she had accepted Xuan Hao as her disciple, she had no intention of keeping him in the Papal Palace as a "caged canary." Instead, she directly handed him over to Hu Liena.

"Nana, take him to Spirit Hall Academy and handle his enrollment."

Bibi Dong stood on the Steps before the Papal Palace, looking down at Xuan Hao.

"Though you are my disciple, you cannot neglect the basic knowledge you should learn. Reading and writing, arithmetic, Continental History, Martial Soul Theory—these are all compulsory courses."

"Furthermore, only in an environment full of competition can a genius remain sharp. Shutting yourself away will only turn you into a brute with nothing but strength."

After saying that, she turned and entered the solemn hall amid the escort of Hall Guardian Knights.

"Come on, my dear Junior Martial Brother."

Hu Liena raised an eyebrow at Xuan Hao. Though she was still bitter over her earlier "crushing defeat," she still possessed the sense of responsibility expected of a Senior Martial Sister. "Your Senior Martial Sister will show you what the best Soul Master Academy on the continent looks like."

For most of the next half day, Xuan Hao was like a puppet on strings as Hu Liena dragged him all over the enormous Spirit City.

Spirit Hall Academy was located behind Spirit City, nestled amid a mountainous forest. The environment was tranquil, yet it carried an air of stern severity.

The finest young Soul Masters from across the continent gathered here. Those able to study within were either second-generation heirs with powerful backgrounds or extraordinarily gifted geniuses.

"Listen carefully. Teacher sent you here so you could experience the atmosphere."

As they walked along the academy's Tree-lined Path, Hu Liena nodded in acknowledgment to the Students who saluted her while speaking quietly to Xuan Hao.

"Everyone here passed through layer after layer of selection. Their Soul Power may be lower than yours now, and their talent may not match yours, but the atmosphere of desperately craving strength and fiercely competing against one another is something you cannot experience anywhere else."

"People flock together by kind. A lion can only become a true lion king by fighting for supremacy within a pride."

Xuan Hao nodded thoughtfully.

The enrollment procedures went smoothly. Since Hu Liena had personally brought him, how could the teachers at the Academic Affairs Office dare neglect him? Everything was approved without delay, and he was directly assigned the best single room and a place in the Elite Class.

By the time everything had been settled, night had fully fallen.

Hu Liena led Xuan Hao, now dressed in a neat new academy uniform, up the stone Steps leading to the Papal Palace once more.

The Papal Palace was brightly lit.

Bibi Dong sat behind a large desk, her brows slightly furrowed as she held a Golden Pen and rapidly reviewed the mountain of documents piled before her.

Hearing footsteps, she did not even raise her head, merely saying indifferently, "You're here?"

"Teacher, the procedures are all finished." Hu Liena respectfully bowed, then tugged at Xuan Hao beside her, who was looking around curiously.

"Elder Sister." Xuan Hao said it quite naturally.

The pen in Bibi Dong's hand paused. She raised her head and swept her gaze over the little boy, now properly dressed and finally possessing some of the bearing of a noble. A trace of satisfaction flashed through her eyes.

"You look somewhat presentable now."

She set down her pen, rubbed her slightly aching brow, then casually took out two items from a desk drawer and placed them on the table.

One was an ancient-looking bracelet inlaid with a purple gemstone.

The other was a Handwritten Booklet.

"Since you have agreed to become my disciple, I cannot be too stingy."

Bibi Dong pointed at the two items. "These are your Apprenticeship Gift."

Xuan Hao's eyes lit up. Without standing on ceremony, he stepped forward and picked them up.

"This ring is a Storage Soul Tool. It has roughly fifty cubic meters of space inside, enough to hold the contents of a small mountain. When you travel in the future, you should at least have something decent to carry your luggage."

Xuan Hao was shocked. He had read in books that ordinary Storage Soul Tools only held a few cubic meters. A capacity of fifty cubic meters was definitely an invaluable treasure that could not be bought even with money!

"As for that booklet, it contains a Soul Power Meditation Method that I developed myself," Bibi Dong said.

"Although you possess Innate Full Soul Power and an absurdly powerful physique, your use of Soul Power is still at the most primitive instinctive stage. Your meridians are broad, but because you have never cultivated systematically, they are somewhat disordered."

"I revised this Meditation Method this afternoon according to your condition. It can help you refine Soul Power with the greatest efficiency, organize your meridians, and strengthen your foundation."

"Cultivate with it for a while first. I will observe the results, and if it does not suit you, I will modify it again."

Hu Liena lightly nudged the absentminded Xuan Hao. "This is Teacher's personal secret technique. Compared to Teacher's Meditation Method, those so-called top-tier Sect Secret Methods outside are garbage. You had better train properly and not disgrace Teacher."

"Ah... okay." Xuan Hao paused, then nodded.

"I understand. Thank you... Teacher."