At Bibi Dong's command—
Boom!
The ground beneath Xuan Hao's feet shattered. He shot toward Hu Liena like a golden cannonball, charging straight ahead with unstoppable force!
He moved so fast that he left an afterimage in the air.
Hu Liena's heart jolted. He was more than twice as fast as he had been when they were running!
But she was a Control System Soul Grandmaster, and her reactions were swift.
"First Soul Skill, Charm!"
"Second Soul Skill, Fox Charm!"
Two yellow Soul Rings flashed in succession.
Pink light swirled in Hu Liena's foxlike eyes, and an invisible wave of spiritual energy swept toward the charging Xuan Hao.
If their eyes met, even for an instant, she was confident she could stop this raging bull in his tracks.
At the same time, her Soul Power spread a cloying, hallucinatory fragrance meant to dull his senses.
But the next moment, Hu Liena stared in disbelief.
Xuan Hao was charging at her with his eyes closed!
He was even holding his breath!
The moment he attacked, Xuan Hao had locked onto Hu Liena with the Golden Dragon Perception granted by his Golden Dragon Martial Soul.
He knew his spiritual power was weaker than Hu Liena's. In a one-on-one fight against a Soul Master who used mental control, getting caught would mean defeat, so he simply cut off his sight and smell!
"Hey! That's cheating—"
Before Hu Liena could finish her panicked cry, the golden figure was right in front of her.
She had no time to dodge and no way to block him.
Bang!
An irresistible force struck Hu Liena, throwing her off balance.
The next instant, Xuan Hao tackled her to the ground.
"Got you."
Xuan Hao sat astride Hu Liena, pinning both her wrists to the ground.
Though nearly ten levels of Soul Power separated them, the terrifying strength of his Golden Dragon Body overwhelmed her. A fragile Control System Soul Master, Hu Liena was like a little white rabbit pinned beneath a tiger. No matter how she struggled, she could not move an inch.
"You cheated!" Hu Liena's face flushed red with embarrassment and anger.
"You told me about your Soul Skills yourself these past few days. I call that knowing your opponent," Xuan Hao said, his eyes still closed.
Watching from the side, Bibi Dong froze for a moment, then gave an amused laugh.
She had not expected Xuan Hao's combat instincts to be so sharp. In his first fight against a Soul Master, he had already thought of a way to evade mental control.
Nor had she expected the spar to end so quickly, or so... bluntly.
Hu Liena looked at Bibi Dong with wounded eyes that brimmed with tears.
She had tried to establish her authority, only to end up pinned beneath her Junior Martial Brother. Her dignity as his Senior Martial Sister was thoroughly in tatters.
"All right. The spar is over."
Bibi Dong smiled and shook her head, then waved a hand to disperse the fluctuations of Soul Power around them.
Hu Liena's defeat had been awkward, but it would teach her a lesson.
Against overwhelming strength and an opponent who refused to play by the rules, she had to use flashy techniques with care.
Soul Masters who used mental control could indeed dominate others at the same level, but that did not make her invincible.
The trip had not only secured an exceptional Soul Ring for Hu Liena; it had also brought Bibi Dong a prodigy with Twin Top-tier Martial Souls. In high spirits, she did not linger in the forest and took the two youngsters home.
Several days later, Spirit City.
This city inhabited entirely by Soul Masters was a sacred place to Soul Masters across the continent. It stood at the border between the two great empires.
Its hexagonal walls towered into the clouds, while the Papal Palace at its center gleamed with gold and inspired awe.
Upon returning to Spirit City, Bibi Dong resumed her lofty bearing as Pope.
Though she had taken Xuan Hao as her disciple, she had no intention of keeping him cooped up in the Papal Palace like a pampered pet. Instead, she handed him straight over to Hu Liena.
"Nana, take him to Spirit Hall Academy and complete his enrollment."
Standing on the steps before the Papal Palace, Bibi Dong looked down at Xuan Hao.
"You may be my disciple, but you still need to learn the basics. Reading, writing, arithmetic, Continental History, and Martial Soul Theory are all required courses."
"Besides, genius stays sharp only through competition. Shut yourself away, and you'll become nothing more than a brute with power."
With that, she turned and entered the imposing hall, surrounded by Hall Guardian Knights.
"Come on, my dear Junior Martial Brother."
Hu Liena raised an eyebrow at Xuan Hao. She still brooded over her earlier "crushing defeat," but she took her responsibilities as his Senior Martial Sister seriously. "I'll show you what the best Soul Master Academy on the continent looks like."
For most of the afternoon, Xuan Hao was dragged around the vast Spirit City by Hu Liena like a puppet on strings.
Spirit Hall Academy lay behind Spirit City, nestled among wooded hills. Its surroundings were tranquil, yet there was a stern edge to the place.
The finest young Soul Masters from across the continent gathered here. Its students were either well-connected heirs or extraordinarily gifted talents.
"Listen. Our teacher sent you here so you could experience the atmosphere."
As they walked along a tree-lined path, Hu Liena nodded to the students who saluted her and spoke quietly to Xuan Hao.
"Everyone here made it through round after round of selection. Their Soul Power might be lower than yours right now, and they might not be as talented, but you won't find this hunger to grow stronger, this fierce competition, anywhere else."
"Birds of a feather flock together. Only by competing for the throne within a pride can a lion become a true king."
Xuan Hao nodded thoughtfully.
Enrollment went smoothly. Hu Liena had brought him in personally, so the staff at the Academic Affairs Office hardly dared delay. They waved him through and assigned him the best single-occupancy dormitory and a place in the Elite Class.
By the time everything was settled, night had fallen.
Hu Liena took Xuan Hao, now dressed in a crisp new school uniform, back up the stone steps leading to the Papal Palace.
The Papal Palace was brightly lit.
Bibi Dong sat behind a broad desk, her brow faintly furrowed. Golden Pen in hand, she rapidly reviewed a mountain of documents.
Hearing footsteps, she did not look up. "You're here?"
"Teacher, the enrollment is done." Hu Liena bowed respectfully, then tugged at Xuan Hao, who was looking around.
"Big sister," Xuan Hao said with ease.
Bibi Dong's pen paused. She looked up and studied the little boy in his neat clothes, finally showing a hint of noble bearing. Approval flashed in her eyes.
"Now you look presentable."
She set down her pen, rubbed her aching brow, and took two things from a desk drawer, placing them on the table.
One was an antique-looking bracelet set with a purple gemstone.
The other was a Handwritten Booklet.
"Since you've agreed to become my disciple, I can't be too stingy."
Bibi Dong gestured to the two items. "Consider these your initiation gifts."
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 holds about fifty cubic meters, enough for a small mountain of belongings. When you travel, you'll need something decent to carry your things."
Xuan Hao was startled. He had read that ordinary Storage Soul Tools held only a few cubic meters. Fifty cubic meters was a rare treasure money could scarcely buy!
"As for the booklet, it contains a Soul Power Meditation Method I developed myself," Bibi Dong said.
"You may have Innate Full Soul Power and an absurdly strong body, but you still use Soul Power on the most primitive, instinctive level. Your meridians are broad, yet they're somewhat disordered because you've never trained systematically."
"I revised this Meditation Method this afternoon to suit you. It will help you refine Soul Power as efficiently as possible, bring order to your meridians, and strengthen your foundation."
"Practice it for a while first. I'll see how it works, and if it doesn't suit you, I'll adjust it again."
Hu Liena gave the dazed Xuan Hao a gentle nudge with her elbow. "This is our teacher's own secret method. Those so-called top-tier Sect Secret Methods out there are garbage compared with her Meditation Method. Practice hard, and don't embarrass her."
"Ah... oh." Xuan Hao blinked, then nodded.
"Got it. Thank you... Teacher."
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