The Great Stage of Douluo, My Name is Qian Xunji

The resources and treatment were naturally far superior to those of a low-level Soul Master Academy in a remote town.

To say nothing of the rest, at least this Dean would no longer have to worry about his next Soul Ring; hunting for Soul Beasts under the protection of a Soul King was infinitely safer than relying on those mercenary squads in the wild.

"Kai, teacher is leaving now. If you have any problems in the future, you can come to me for help." At the tall iron gates of Fasino Academy, the silver-haired boy saw off the mentor who had helped him so much.

The Dean had originally wanted to approach Xiao Wu as well, hoping to bring two geniuses over at once, but Xiao Wu had refused.

As a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form, she was most afraid of encountering a Title Douluo who might see through her true identity.

She avoided places like provincial capitals as much as possible; there was no way she would actively throw herself into one.

If she were truly looking only at the benefits without considering the danger, she would have gone straight to the Martial Soul City academy.

Xiao Wu was simply curious about the human world and intended to play outside for a while before heading home.

Chapter 47: What Kind of Monster Is This

Fasino Intermediate Soul Master Academy.

Having been specially admitted at the age of only six, Kai naturally received a great deal of attention.

Many beautiful senior students received missions from their families to approach this little genius; if they could recruit him into their family, that would be best, but even if they failed, they could at least build a favorable connection.

Of course, there were also some factions that wanted to forcibly recruit Kai, an orphan genius with no background, but they all ended in failure.

This genius, Kai, spent his days at school in secluded cultivation, and when he did come out, it was only to attend classes or seek advice from his teachers.

Those who wanted to suppress this genius to make him submit never found an opportunity.

It wasn't until eight months later that Kai finally emerged, but to everyone's disappointment, the Dean of Fasino Intermediate Soul Master Academy was by his side, and no one dared to make a move.

The reason this Dean was willing to help was ostensibly to build a good relationship with Kai and assist a young genius, but in reality, he was one of the spies planted by Martial Soul Hall within the Heaven Dou Empire.

Originally, he had wanted to recruit this genius into Martial Soul Hall, and if that failed, he intended to nip the threat in the bud—he hadn't expected this little genius to be one of his own.

Upon receiving the message from Martial Soul Hall, this Soul King Dean immediately met with Kai, and the two talked for a long time.

From then on, Kai was under the protection of this Soul King Dean within the academy, who even granted Kai an extra bonus, claiming it was a reward for his genius, showing his favoritism without any attempt to hide it.

This time, he even personally stepped in to help hunt for the second Soul Ring to show how much he valued him.

Soul Beast Forest.

The Dean and Kai walked one after the other.

"According to the arrangements made by the superiors, once you advance to a Soul Grand Master, I will use my connections to recommend you for admission to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy."

"With your talent, even if you aren't a noble, you will be admitted as an exception. The only thing you need to worry about is the infighting between the various factions."

The Soul King Dean looked at this genius who, like himself, was working hard for the development of Martial Soul Hall. He spoke from the heart, as this was all for the future of Martial Soul Hall.

"Based on my understanding, Emperor Xue Ye is now elderly. He has four princes under his name. The eldest prince is the most legitimate, but his intelligence and cultivation talent are both very average; he has taken the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi, as his master."

"The second prince is highly intelligent, but his cultivation talent and family background are average. He has been busy courting various nobles and young talents. If you go to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, you will inevitably catch his eye."

"The third prince has excellent martial soul talent, and his mother's family is also a great noble house. He is protected by experts at all times and is currently attending the Heaven Dou Royal Academy; you should see him."

"The fourth prince, Xue Beng, is the youngest at only eight years old. He does not participate in the struggle and spends his days eating, drinking, and having fun, showing no interest in cultivation. However, he is very close to Prince Xue Xing."

The Soul King Dean was also of commoner origin and knew how sinister things could be. Worried that this little genius of Martial Soul Hall might suffer, he carefully instructed and taught him.

"Once you go there, do not easily pledge loyalty to any prince. Once you are dragged into it, you might become an eyesore to certain people and be secretly assassinated. Back then, I was careless and offended a noble, and I almost died." As he spoke, the Soul King Dean sighed with emotion.

"Fortunately, a deacon patrolling the Soul Beast Forest saved me. After that, I swore to serve Martial Soul Hall."

"Of course, if you never make a decision, you might offend those big shots as well. These nobles are the most unreasonable people. You need to observe for a while and see which one has the ability and willingness to protect you."

"As the highest academy in the imperial capital, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy is filled with students from various major powers and great families. You must remember your mission and not waste the painstaking efforts of His Holiness the Pope. Do you understand?"

Kai listened to these noble secrets without much feeling. To put it bluntly, it was a case of a weak father and strong sons. Emperor Xue Ye was afraid and had never dared to confirm an heir, giving every prince hope.

Yet, these fiercely competitive princes were all very mediocre, and no winner had emerged. Compared to the survival-of-the-fittest, fratricidal succession laws of the Star Luo Empire, this could be considered "easy mode."

The Heaven Dou Empire's royal inheritance martial soul was very average in terms of potential and combat power. The throne was already unstable, and it relied entirely on the balance between various nobles, kingdoms, and sects to keep things from falling into chaos.

Emperor Xue Ye was only in his forties now, which shouldn't be considered old, but in his youth, he had indulged in the arrogance, luxury, and debauchery typical of nobles, ruining his body. His Soul Power Level was not high, which led to these signs of premature aging, causing these young princes to harbor ambitions.

The two continued to move forward.

They found Kai's target: a Dark Night Vajra Tiger with dark attributes. Its body was nearly four meters long, its entire frame shimmering with a iridescent black, and its thick tiger tail could easily shatter nearby rocks with a single swing. Its claws were even sharper, flashing with a metallic, icy glint.

With a "hum," the sound of a blade rang out. This demonic blade, which had not tasted blood in a long time, let out a series of cries, as if it were craving something.

Seeing this scene, the Soul King Dean couldn't help but take a step back under the pressure of the demonic blade's aura.

What kind of monster is this?

He saw that, following the blade's hum, a set of black armor exuding a bizarre aura completely enveloped Kai, and the blade, which was already exceptionally dangerous, underwent a terrifying transformation...

Chapter 48: Kai's Battle

Armor covered Kai, colored in a dark cyan-black. The chest, shoulders, arms, and elbows were reinforced with a colder, golden metal. Pale cyan dragon-shaped flames burned along his arms, resembling dragon claws, and faint dragon scale patterns were etched into the armor.

That already terrifying blade had now undergone a transformation. Cyan-blue dragon patterns flickered at the hilt, and a shape resembling a dragon claw extended from the junction of the hilt and the blade. The length of the blade had nearly doubled, dragging along the ground, its edge glowing with an eerie blue light.

A faint blue radiance emanated from this sinister great blade.

This was considered the mild state of the Demonic Blade. The skin of Qinglong Zhi acted to ward off evil and balance yin and yang, suppressing the malevolent nature of the Demonic Blade.

Under normal circumstances, the Demonic Blade would backfire on its master, seizing their soul, turning them into a blade slave, and controlling their body—but once the slaughter began!

Even the Dean, a Soul King, felt a sense of dread just by sensing the eeriness of this demonic blade.

Not far away, the Dark Night Vajra Tiger stared at the small figure before it, its tiger eyes wide, its massive body instinctively retreating against its will.

Soul Beasts also possessed instinct and intelligence; sensing danger, it naturally wanted to flee.

Man and tiger stood in a standoff, yet the seemingly more powerful tiger was clearly at a disadvantage, its hind legs stepping back, its tail no longer swaying.

"Third Soul Skill: Spider Web."

The Soul King made his move, and a massive white spider web blocked the retreat of the Dark Night Vajra Tiger.

"Little Kai, if you can't handle it, just forget it. I'll beat the Dark Night Vajra Tiger half to death, and then you can deliver the final blow."

Looking at the silver-haired boy, whose appearance had changed drastically and who was now shrouded in sinister demonic energy suppressed by a faint aura of auspiciousness, the Soul King Dean swallowed hard and added.

Kai did not reply. In his Demonic Armor state, not only did the Demonic Blade invade his mind, but the consumption of soul power was also terrifying; he needed to end the battle quickly.

Gripping the hilt tightly and dragging the ferocious, evil blade, Kai pushed off with his legs and charged forward.

The Dark Night Vajra Tiger let out a roar, the sound waves causing nearby leaves to fall in droves, and nearby birds and beasts fled in fright.

After its roar, the Dark Night Vajra Tiger lunged forward from its low crouch, a pair of massive tiger claws swiping toward Kai.

Kai did not dodge or evade. He raised his left hand—the one not holding the blade—to block. The armor on his left hand was coated in cyan dragon flames, the left claw resembling that of a dragon.

When it made contact with the tiger claws, a fierce collision sparked bright yellow flames, yet the armor remained as smooth as new, without a single scratch.

Ignoring the immense force transmitted to his left hand, Kai channeled his soul power into his right hand and swung the demonic blade...

There was no sound, no wail!

As if cutting through tofu, the right claw the Dark Night Vajra Tiger used to defend itself, along with the tough tiger hide, flesh, and bone behind it, were all sliced through!

The Dark Night Vajra Tiger tried to retreat and flee the moment it was struck, but Kai's left arm gripped it tightly, his dragon-shaped left claw digging into its fur, making it impossible to break free.

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Chapter 49: Alchemy Hall

The Demonic Blade itself was a peerless divine weapon, and Kai's first soul skill also enhanced his strength attribute and sharpness.

As long as the gap between the enemy and himself wasn't absurdly large, he could easily crush them.

This Dark Night Vajra Tiger possessed a metal attribute, but it was primarily focused on its claws. While its defense was decent, it was far inferior to Soul Beasts that specialized in defensive scales.

As the Soul Beast died, a Soul Ring emerged from its corpse and drifted toward Kai.

The Soul King Dean observed the surroundings for movement while processing the beast's carcass. "I'll stand guard for you. Absorb the Soul Ring as quickly as you can; we need to leave the Soul Beast Forest before nightfall."

With that, he tossed the corpse of the Dark Night Vajra Tiger into a distant ravine.

The scent of blood in the air could potentially attract other Soul Beasts, but because a Soul Ring had to be absorbed in a timely manner, they had no choice but to stay in place despite the danger.

Before Kai came to hunt the Soul Beast to obtain this Soul Ring, the two of them had already discussed what his second Soul Ring should be.

As a spy for Martial Soul Hall and a noble of the Heaven Dou Empire, the Dean possessed intelligence on the rare and exotic Soul Beasts within the Soul Beast Forest.

This was the standard treatment for geniuses of major factions; before they even reached the point of needing a Soul Ring, the target Soul Beast had already been selected.

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On the other side, Sunset Forest

After days and nights of tireless research, Bian Que successfully refined a bottle of medicinal pills using immortal herbs.

Because it was a practice run, Bian Que had selected only low-grade immortal herbs.

Qian Xunji took them to find test subjects, selecting them according to Bian Que's requirements.

Different immortal herbs had different medicinal effects; if they conflicted with the attributes of a martial soul, the results would be counterproductive.

Hu Liena consumed a pill that enhanced her mental attributes and raised her mental capacity, increasing her soul power by two levels.

Yan consumed a pill refined from a fire-attribute immortal herb, which improved the strength of his martial soul and increased his soul power by three levels.

Xie Yue consumed a pill that expanded his meridians and strengthened his physique, increasing his soul power by four levels.

Other genius students of the Martial Soul Academy also received at least one immortal pill, provided their martial soul and physique were compatible.

When it came to those high-grade immortal herbs, Bian Que became much more cautious.

However, a small accident occurred midway: Chrysanthemum Douluo came to request the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.