The resources and treatment were naturally far better than those at a low-level Soul Master Academy in a remote town.
At the very least, Dean wouldn't have to worry about obtaining his next Soul Ring. Hunting Soul Beasts under a Soul King's protection was countless times safer than relying on a mercenary squad in the wilderness.
"Little Kai, your teacher will be leaving now. If you run into 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. Two geniuses in one go would have been a great opportunity, but Xiao Wu refused.
As a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who had taken human form, she feared nothing more than encountering a Titled Douluo who could see through her true identity.
In a provincial capital like this, she was already doing her best to keep out of sight. How could she possibly go out of her way to approach one?
If she truly cared only about the benefits and not the dangers, she should have gone straight to an academy in Spirit City.
Xiao Wu was simply curious about the human world. She planned to spend some time outside before going home.
What the Hell Was That Thing?
Fasinuo Intermediate Soul Master Academy
Kai had been specially admitted at the age of just six, so it was only natural that he attracted a lot of attention.
Many pretty upperclasswomen were given tasks by their families to get close to the little genius. It would be best if they could bring him into the family, but even if they failed, they could still build a good relationship with him.
Of course, some factions wanted to forcibly recruit Kai, a genius orphan with no backing, but every attempt ended in failure.
This genius spent all day at the academy, cultivating in seclusion. When he occasionally came out, it was either to attend class or ask a teacher for guidance.
They had no opportunity to put pressure on him and bring him to heel.
Eight months passed before Kai finally emerged. Unfortunately for those watching, the genius was accompanied by the Dean of Fasinuo Intermediate Soul Master Academy. No one dared make a move.
On the surface, the Dean was helping Kai to build a good relationship with him. In truth, he was one of Spirit Hall's spies planted in the Heaven Dou Empire.
At first, he had planned to recruit the genius into Spirit Hall. If that failed, he would eliminate him before he could become a threat. He had never expected the boy to be a fellow spy.
When he received word from Spirit Hall, the Soul King Dean immediately met with Kai. The two talked for a long time.
After that, the Soul King Dean protected Kai at the academy. He even approved an extra bonus for him, calling it a reward for a genius. His favoritism was utterly undisguised.
He had personally helped Kai hunt for his Second Soul Ring, too, to show how much he valued him.
Soul Beast Forest
The Dean and Kai walked one behind the other.
"According to the arrangements made by our superiors, once you advance to Soul Grandmaster, I'll use my connections to recommend you for admission to Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
"With your talent, you'll be admitted even if you're not a noble. The only thing you need to worry about is the infighting between the various factions."
The Soul King Dean looked at the genius, who, like him, was working hard for Spirit Hall's advancement. He spoke candidly, since this was all for Spirit Hall's future.
"From what I understand, Emperor Xue Ye is growing old. He has four sons. The eldest is the rightful heir, but his intelligence and cultivation talent are both rather ordinary. He's apprenticed to Ning Fengzhi, the leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
"The second prince is very clever, but his cultivation talent and family background are unremarkable. He's been trying to win over nobles and young talents. If you go to Heaven Dou Royal Academy, you'll inevitably catch his eye."
"The third prince has excellent Martial Soul talent, and his maternal family is also a powerful noble house. He has experts protecting him at all times, and he's studying at Heaven Dou Royal Academy right now. You'll probably meet him."
"The fourth prince, Xue Beng, is the youngest, at only eight years old. He hasn't gotten involved in the struggle. He spends his days eating, drinking, and having fun, and he doesn't like cultivating. But he's very close to Prince Xue Xing."
The Soul King Dean had also come from a commoner's background, so he understood how dangerous the world could be. Worried that the young genius from Spirit Hall might suffer, he carefully warned and advised him.
"When you get there, don't pledge yourself to any prince too quickly. Once you get caught up in the struggle, you might offend someone and be killed in secret. I once carelessly offended a noble and nearly died," the Soul King Dean said with a sigh.
"Luckily, a Spirit Hall deacon patrolling the Soul Beast Forest saved me. After that, I swore to serve Spirit Hall."
"Of course, if you never make a decision, you could offend those powerful people too. These nobles are the most unreasonable of all. You'll have to watch and see which one has the power—and the willingness—to protect you."
"Heaven Dou Royal Academy is the highest-ranking academy in the capital. Its students come from all the major factions and powerful families. Remember your mission. Don't waste His Holiness the Pope's painstaking efforts. Understand?"
Kai listened to the noble families' secrets without feeling much of anything. In short, the father was weak and the sons were strong. Emperor Xue Ye was afraid, and he never dared to name an heir, giving each prince hope.
Yet the princes fighting fiercely for the throne were all mediocre. No clear victor had ever emerged. Compared with the Star Luo Empire's inheritance system, where the weak were devoured and brothers killed one another, this was practically the easy setting.
The Heaven Dou Empire's imperial Martial Soul was mediocre in both potential and combat strength. The throne had never been very secure; it had stayed that way only because of the balance between the nobles, kingdoms, and sects.
Emperor Xue Ye was only in his forties, which shouldn't have made him old. But in his youth, he had indulged in the extravagance and debauchery common among nobles, ruining his health. His Soul Power Level was low, too, so he had begun to show signs of premature aging. That was what had given the young princes ideas.
The two continued onward.
They found the target Kai had chosen: a Dark Night Vajra Tiger with a Dark Attribute. It was nearly four meters long, its body gleaming with a riotous, multicolored black. Its thick tail could easily smash the rocks nearby as it swung, and its claws were sharp, gleaming with a metallic chill.
Clang! The long-sheathed Demon Blade rang out, its repeated cries seeming to express its hunger.
At the sight of it, the Soul King Dean couldn't help taking a step back under the pressure of the blade.
What the hell is that thing?
As the blade rang, a black suit of armor radiating a sinister aura completely covered Kai. The already dangerous blade underwent a terrifying transformation...
Kai's Battle
The armor covered Kai's body in dark teal. The metal at his chest, shoulders, arms, and elbows was an even colder gold. Pale teal flames shaped like a dragon burned along his arms, resembling dragon claws, while faint dragon-scale patterns appeared across the armor.
The already frightening greatsword changed even more. Blue-green dragon patterns shimmered on its hilt, and a dragon-claw-like shape extended from where the hilt met the blade. The sword grew almost twice as long, dragging along the ground, and its edge turned a strange blue.
An eerie blue light emanated from the strange greatsword.
This was already the gentler state of the Demonic Blade. Qinglong Zhi's skin could ward off evil and balance yin and yang, suppressing the blade's sinister nature.
Normally, the Demonic Blade would turn on its wielder, invade their mind, enslave their spirit, and control their body—then the slaughter would begin!
Even the Soul King Dean felt a little afraid of the Demonic Blade's strangeness just from sensing it.
Nearby, the Dark Night Vajra Tiger stared at the little human before it, its eyes wide. Instinct made its massive body retreat uncontrollably.
Soul Beasts had instincts and intelligence, too. When they sensed danger, they naturally wanted to flee.
A human and a tiger faced off, but the tiger, though it looked far more powerful, was at a disadvantage. Its hind legs were retreating, and its tail had stopped swaying.
"Third Soul Skill: Spiderweb."
The Soul King intervened, casting a huge white spiderweb that blocked the Dark Night Vajra Tiger's escape route.
"Little Kai, if you can't handle it, forget it. I'll beat the Dark Night Vajra Tiger half to death, and then you can land the final blow."
Seeing the silver-haired boy's drastic transformation, with sinister energy rising around him and faint auspicious energy holding it back, the Soul King Dean swallowed and added those words.
Kai didn't answer. In his Demon Armor state, the Demonic Blade was invading his mind, and his Soul Power was draining at an alarming rate. He needed to finish the fight quickly.
Gripping the hilt, Kai dragged the savage, sinister greatsword forward and surged toward the tiger with a sudden burst of strength.
The Dark Night Vajra Tiger roared, its shockwave shaking leaves from the trees as the nearby birds and beasts fled in alarm.
After roaring, the Dark Night Vajra Tiger launched itself forward from its crouch, swinging its massive claws at Kai.
Kai neither dodged nor retreated. He raised his empty left hand to block, its armor wrapped in teal dragon flames, the hand resembling a dragon's claw.
When the tiger's claw met his, a fierce collision sent bright yellow sparks flying. Yet the armor remained as smooth as new, without a single mark.
Ignoring the tremendous force against his left hand, Kai infused his right with Soul Power and swung the Demonic Blade...
There was no sound. No cry of pain.
Like a knife through tofu, the tiger's right claw, which it had raised to defend itself, was sliced through—along with the tough hide, flesh, and bones behind it!
The instant it was struck, the Dark Night Vajra Tiger tried to retreat and flee. But Kai's left arm held it fast. His dragon-shaped claw had dug into its fur, leaving it unable to break free.
Alchemy Hall
The Demonic Blade itself was a peerless divine weapon, and Kai's First Soul Skill increased his strength and the sharpness of his blade.
As long as the gap between him and his opponent wasn't absurdly large, he could easily crush them.
The Dark Night Vajra Tiger had a Metal Attribute, but it was mainly concentrated in its claws. Its defense was decent, but nowhere near that of a Soul Beast specialized in defense, such as one with scales or armor.
As the Soul Beast died, a Soul Ring appeared above its corpse and drifted toward Kai.
The Soul King Dean kept watch for movement nearby while dealing with the Soul Beast's body. "I'll stand guard. Absorb the Soul Ring as quickly as you can so we can leave the Soul Beast Forest before nightfall."
With that, he tossed the Dark Night Vajra Tiger's corpse into a distant gorge.
The smell of blood in the air might still attract other Soul Beasts. But Soul Rings had to be absorbed immediately, so they had no choice but to stay where they were, even with the danger.
Before coming to hunt Soul Beasts and obtain his Soul Ring, Kai and the Dean had already discussed what he wanted for his Second Soul Ring.
As a Spirit Hall spy who was also a noble in the Heaven Dou Empire, the Dean had information about the Soul Beast Forest's rare and unusual Soul Beasts.
This was standard treatment for geniuses from the major factions. Their Soul Beasts were prepared well before it was time to obtain their Soul Rings.
Elsewhere, in Sunset Forest
After Bian Que's tireless research, day and night, he had successfully refined a pill from Immortal Herbs.
Since it was a practice run, Bian Que had chosen only low-grade Immortal Herbs.
Qian Xunji took the pill to be tested, selecting the test subjects according to Bian Que's instructions.
Different Immortal Herbs had different effects. If one conflicted with a Martial Soul's attributes, it could instead do more harm than good.
Hu Liena ate a pill that enhanced the Mental Attribute and raised her mental limits. Her Soul Power rose by two levels.
Yan ate a pill refined from a fire-attribute Immortal Herb. His Martial Soul grew stronger, and his Soul Power rose by three levels.
Xie Yue ate a pill that expanded his meridians and strengthened his constitution. His Soul Power rose by four levels.
Other talented students at Martial Soul Academy received Immortal Pills, too, as long as their Martial Souls and constitutions were compatible with them.
When it came to those few high-grade Immortal Herbs, Bian Que became much more cautious.
But a minor mishap occurred along the way: Chrysanthemum Douluo asked for the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.
Before you continue