Golden Generation

"Go ahead. The specific regulations for the Permission Token and Core Disciple status will be delivered to your residence later," Bibi Dong said, waving her hand to signal the end of the meeting. "Yue Guan, you will handle the follow-up matters."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Yue Guan bowed and accepted the order.

Chen Li bowed again and then followed Yue Guan out of the grand yet oppressive Palace of the Pope. Sunlight fell on him once more. He touched the Heart of Illusory Thunder at his neck, feeling the hidden Purple Soul Ring within his body, his gaze sharp and determined.

Six months later, Martial Soul City, Core Disciple exclusive residential area.

In a quiet room, simply furnished yet exuding an extraordinary aura, the air was filled with a faint scent of ozone.

Chen Li sat cross-legged on a specially made insulated cushion, crackling sounds emanating from his body. Countless fine, active blue-white electric arcs, like living spirit snakes, coiled and leaped around every inch of his skin, even between his hair strands.

The electric light flowed, not in a violent outward burst, but in a highly restrained, cyclical rhythm, as if undergoing some deep-level tempering and resonance.

Inside him, Soul Power surged like a raging thunder river, circulating at high speed along the repeatedly widened and strengthened meridians, finally crashing through an invisible barrier.

Chen Li's tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open. Deep within them, a flash of pure purple lightning flickered and vanished, returning to stillness.

"Level twenty..."

He slowly exhaled a long breath, which faintly carried a trace of electric sparks.

After three months of high-intensity cultivation and resource accumulation, he had finally steadily advanced from level eighteen to level twenty, reaching the threshold for obtaining his second Soul Ring.

During these three months, he had not slacked off in the slightest. During the day, he utilized his Core Disciple Permission Token to spend almost all his time in Martial Soul Hall's various simulated training grounds and Soul Beast training fields. Ostensibly, it was to hone combat skills, verify Martial Soul characteristics, and stabilize his first Soul Ring. In reality, through repeated practice and research, he had silently hunted and collected a large number of Soul Rings.

At night, he returned to the quiet room to temper his Soul Power through meditation, and repeatedly cleansed and strengthened his muscles and bones with his own lightning power, thoroughly digesting and absorbing the immense energy brought by the first Thousand-year Soul Ring, building an incredibly solid foundation.

Of course, all of this was inseparable from Martial Soul Hall's full support.

As the creator of the miracle of the first Thousand-year Soul Ring, who had garnered the attention of both the Pope and Chrysanthemum Douluo, the resources he received far exceeded those of ordinary Core Disciples.

Various medicinal herbs to aid cultivation, high-energy food, and permission to consult some non-core ancient texts all played a crucial role in his rapid advancement over these three months.

He stood up and stretched his limbs, his joints emitting a series of crisp popping sounds like popping beans. This was a sign of abundant Blood Essence and strong muscles and bones. With a thought, he brought up the system panel visible only to him:

[Host: Chen Li]
[Martial Soul 1: Logia Type · Rumble-Rumble Fruit]
[Soul Ring 1: [Thousand-year Soul Ring (Quality: Excellent)](Upgradeable)]
[Soul Skill 1: Thunder Strike · Law Breaker]
[Effect: Releases an extremely condensed purple lightning with the characteristic of "Law Breaking". This lightning possesses extremely strong penetration and destructive power against energy shields, Soul Skill defenses, and barrier effects, capable of greatly weakening or even directly piercing such defenses at the same level. It also has an additional disruptive effect on elemental and mental Soul Skills.]
[Martial Soul 2: Paramecia · Gulp Gulp Fruit]
[Soul Power: Level 20]
[System Status: Standby (Please explore the world and find the next sign-in point)]

His gaze swept over the word "Upgradeable," and Chen Li's heart stirred.

Over these three months, the number of raw Soul Rings stored in his system space had increased significantly, but he hadn't rushed to upgrade his first Soul Ring. He planned to wait until he obtained his second Soul Ring and understood the upgrade rules for higher-year Soul Rings as the main material before making a comprehensive plan.

Closing the panel, Chen Li pushed open the door of the quiet room.

The area where he now resided was located in the core of Martial Soul Hall's inner city, adjacent to the top-tier comprehensive training ground. The morning sun shone on the smooth stone paths, and the air already carried the sounds of Soul Power clashes and shouts.

At the edge of the training ground, several figures were particularly striking.

A young girl was the first to notice Chen Li. She had soft, long black hair, and although her figure hadn't fully developed, her proportions were already extremely well-balanced, with a natural charm and agility in her features.

She waved at Chen Li, her voice clear, "You're a bit late today, Chen Li!" It was Hu Liena, a direct disciple of Bibi Dong, the Pope of Martial Soul Hall.

"Hu Liena, you're a little too enthusiastic about this kid," a young man with an extremely sturdy build and short, fiery red hair like burning flames said from the side, arms crossed. He glanced at Chen Li with some displeasure and mumbled.

Faint flame patterns could be seen on his exposed skin, and even his pupils were dark red. A scorching aura emanated from him. This was Yan, whose Martial Soul was the Flame Lord, the most dominant in attack and defense among the Golden Generation.

On the other side stood a tall, slender, silver-haired young man, over 1.9 meters tall. His skin was slightly pale, and his appearance was exceptionally handsome, bearing some resemblance to Hu Liena. Strange red butterfly patterns adorned his eye corners, and his crimson pupils were as calm as water.

He looked at Chen Li, his tone plain but carrying an invisible pressure, "Hurry up, Chen Li. You're five minutes late." This was Xie Yue, Hu Liena's elder brother, whose Martial Soul was Moon Blade. He was the leader of the Golden Generation and currently the one with the highest Soul Power among the three.

Hu Liena, twelve years old, level twenty-nine Soul Grand Master, Martial Soul: Demon Fox.

Xie Yue, twelve years old, level thirty-one Soul Elder, Martial Soul: Moon Blade.

Yan, eleven years old, level twenty-six Soul Grand Master, Martial Soul: Flame Lord.

These three were the undisputed prodigies among Martial Soul Hall's younger generation, hailed as the Golden Generation, and the absolute pillars and trump cards of Martial Soul Hall's future.

They also resided in this core area and often trained together.

Over the past three months, Chen Li had gradually come into contact with them due to his unique performance, occasionally engaging in basic physical or combat training together.

"Sorry, I was in the process of breaking through, which delayed me a bit," Chen Li said as he approached, nodding to Xie Yue, his tone neither servile nor overbearing. He knew Xie Yue's personality was rigorous and that he had high demands for training discipline.

Hu Liena observed Chen Li curiously. She could feel that Chen Li's aura was more condensed and restrained than three months ago. "It seems you've made quite a bit of progress. Reached level 20... Not bad."

She had heard about Chen Li's strange condition of being unable to absorb normal Soul Rings and knew that the Pope and Elder Ju attached great importance to it.

Yan snorted, looking at Chen Li with a hint of provocation. "Hey, kid, lucky you. But don't get stuck again now that you're level twenty. Want me, Flame Lord, to help you roast a few suitable Soul Beasts to try?"