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Even the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall—Xie Yue, Yan, and Hu Liena—were all at least five years older than Tang San.
The same went for Blazing Fire Academy's Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang, as well as Heaven Dou's Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan. In fact, any talented genius who came to mind from the Soul Master Tournament was at least five years older than Tang San.
Only Shui Bing'er was just one year older than Tang San. At the time of the Soul Master Tournament, she was fifteen years old with 43 levels of Soul Power!
With the top-tier Ice Phoenix Martial Soul, Shui Bing'er's potential was immense.
"So, you won't be able to join Skywater Academy!" Shui Xiuzhen said lightly, mainly to avoid discouraging Ye Wen and the others.
After all, nobody would believe that some children they'd happened to meet in the Star Dou Great Forest could be as talented as Shui Bing'er.
That was simply impossible!
A talent like Shui Bing'er appeared at Skywater Academy only once in a century.
But Ye Wen's next words left Shui Xiuzhen and the other two Shui girls astonished.
"If reaching Shui Bing'er's level is enough to join Skywater Academy, then we think we should be fine." Ye Wen spoke with a calm expression, saying something that left them utterly shocked.
Fine?
Did he even know what he was saying?
Among the younger generation, Shui Bing'er was so rare that across the entire continent, you couldn't find enough geniuses with an Ice or Water attribute to count on one hand.
And this boy in front of them was saying they'd be fine?
"Heh." Shui Xiuzhen took it as a joke and was about to speak when Ye Wen beat her to it. "Xiao Bai, Evil Tiger, show Sister Xiuzhen what you can do, one at a time."
"Okay."
What happened next would shock Shui Xiuzhen and the other two to their core. They would never forget what they saw that day.
A gigantic Demon Soul Great White Shark appeared behind Xiao Bai.
Its aura completely suppressed Shui Xiuzhen's Ice Scorpion Martial Soul. That meant Xiao Bai's Martial Soul was of a higher quality than the high-quality Ice Scorpion!
Its aura was on par with Shui Bing'er's top-tier Ice Phoenix!
"Oh... my god!!"
"That girl's Martial Soul... i-is a top-tier Sea Soul Beast Martial Soul, the Demon Soul Great White Shark!!"
Shui Xiuzhen and the other two stared with their mouths agape, frozen in place with shock.
Since Skywater Academy only accepted students with Water or Ice attributes, it usually set up recruitment stations in coastal areas or near the Extreme North.
The closer they were to the sea, the more Water-attribute Soul Masters there were. And near the Extreme North, where temperatures dropped below zero, they could find more Ice-attribute Soul Masters.
So Skywater Academy was probably the academy on the continent most familiar with the coastal regions and the Sea Soul Beasts that lived in the ocean.
Naturally, they'd heard the legends of the Demon Soul Great White Shark, as well as the Evil Spirit Orca and the Deep Sea Demonic Whale.
"My Innate Soul Power is level 10. My Soul Power is currently level 11," Xiao Bai said.
"A genius! This girl is a genius among geniuses. She has to join Skywater Academy!! She has to!" Shui Xiuzhen was already beside herself with excitement and delight.
But the best was yet to come.
It was Evil Tiger's turn to release his Martial Soul. He had a top-tier Sea Soul Beast Martial Soul too—the Evil Spirit Orca. Its aura even surpassed Xiao Bai's and Shui Bing'er's by a fraction, which meant his Martial Soul was even stronger than theirs!
"Another top-tier Sea Soul Beast Martial Soul!! The Evil Spirit Orca!!!"
"Oh my god! Oh my god!!!"
"I can't take it~! I can't take any more~!!"
"Mm-hng~!"
Shui Xiuzhen felt like she was about to faint from excitement. Her face was flushed, and her rapid breathing made her chest rise and fall.
"I have Innate Full Soul Power too. My Soul Power is currently level 11."
"Sister Xiuzhen, can you still hold on?" Ye Wen asked with concern.
Shui Xiuzhen covered her chest and pressed her legs together slightly, panting softly. "I can still take it! I can still take it!"
"Good. Then it's my turn."
Ye Wen smiled faintly and released his Deep Sea Demonic Whale King Martial Soul. A Martial Soul far, far more terrifying than Evil Tiger's orca, the Demon Soul Great White Shark, and the Ice Phoenix appeared.
"My Innate Soul Power is level 10 too. My Soul Power is currently level 14."
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King completely suppressed every Martial Soul there. The moment it appeared, it was as if all the other Martial Souls had lowered their heads!
There was no denying it: the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King was at the very top of the top.
"How is this possible? It's... it's the Deep... Deep Sea Demonic Whale King!!!!"
"Am I dreaming?"
"How... how did three Martial Souls known as oceanic overlords appear all at once?"
"What kind of crazy luck do I have!!"
"Wait! This child's First Soul Ring is incredible! It's a Thousand Year level! It's actually a Thousand-Year Soul Ring!!"
"I can't take it~! I really can't take it anymore!!"
"I can't take it~!"
"Mm-hng ahh~~~"
Shui Xiuzhen was so overwhelmed with excitement that she fainted.
"S-so amazing..."
Shui Bing'er and Xue Yan were both completely dumbfounded. They stared in disbelief, too shocked to say a word.
"Teacher Xiuzhen!!"
"Sister Xiuzhen!!"
They hurriedly helped Shui Xiuzhen, who had fainted from excitement, up off the floor and laid her on the sofa.
Ye Wen felt a little speechless. "Uh, does Sister Xiuzhen have such a low tolerance for surprises?"
The way Shui Bing'er looked at the three of them had changed completely. She was excited too, but managed to calmly explain, "It's mainly because your talent and Martial Souls are so astonishing."
Xue Yan said, "That's right! I was almost scared to tears!"
Shui Bing'er continued, "Besides, your arrival means a lot to Teacher Xiuzhen."
"What do you mean?" Ye Wen asked, puzzled.
"Teacher Xiuzhen joined Skywater Academy when she was six. She stayed there her whole life, eventually graduating and becoming a teacher. She's deeply attached to the academy. To her, Skywater is like home."
"Her dream is to make Skywater Academy even better, to surpass the other four elemental academies, and to lead Skywater Academy into the top four of the Soul Master Tournament at least once!"
"But Skywater Academy has spent decades getting knocked out in the quarterfinals every time. We're always just one step short. If talented geniuses like you join Skywater Academy, reaching the top four shouldn't be a problem. That would make one of her dreams come true."
"That's why Teacher Xiuzhen got so excited," Shui Bing'er finished.
"I see." Ye Wen nodded, understanding.
Skywater Academy was already very strong. Unfortunately, there were always stronger academies, like Spirit Hall, which had won several tournaments in a row.
Then there were the two powerhouse teams, Star Luo Imperial Academy and Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Those three teams basically occupied the top three spots every time.
That left just one spot in the top four, with dozens or even hundreds of academies competing for it.
Before you continue