Unlimited Soul Power

That evening, they trained at the Spirit Hall Branch.

The branch master was bewildered by the Pope's arrival, but he was also very welcoming. He courteously ushered them inside and made sure they were well taken care of.

Element City was prosperous, but it still wasn't as important as Heaven Dou City.

The master of the Spirit Hall Branch in Element City was a seventy-eight-level Soul Saint. He had served as bishop for ten years, holding his ground and securing a place for Spirit Hall in Element City, where the Four Elements Academies held sway. He had also proposed that the Elephant Armor Sect follow the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's example and establish an academy specializing in its element in Element City.

That had turned the original Four Elements Academies into the Five Elements Academies.

The old bishop looked at Qian Xunji with a solemn expression and discreetly asked whether Spirit Hall was planning to make a major move, and if there was anything he needed to do.

Qian Xunji quietly told him about his plan to kick—no, to hold an exchange tournament.

"Is that so? I'm afraid that won't work!" The old bishop shook his head as he looked at the children nearby.

"Why not? An eight-year-old Soul Elder—isn't that talented enough?" Qian Xunji protested.

"But the students in formal advanced Soul Master Academy tournaments are all over twenty. Soul Elders are nothing unusual among them, and they even have Soul Ancestors. Besides, exchange tournaments usually include both team and individual matches, with seven members per team."

"Is that so?" Qian Xunji looked at Dongfang Jing and the others. "Do you still want to compete?"

"We're already here, so let's do it!" Dongfang Jing wasn't afraid. She hadn't followed Qian Xunji all this way just to go sightseeing in Element City.

Xiang Yu and Arthur nodded too. They had been willing to come with Qian Xunji because they wanted to compete.

Seeing them nod, Qian Renxue hurriedly nodded along as well.

"Fine, then. We'll gather a few people and make a temporary team to compete." As he spoke, Qian Xunji looked at Poison Douluo Dugu Bo.

"Why are you looking at me?" Dugu Bo had already learned that whenever Qian Xunji sought him out, it was bound to be trouble.

"What level is your granddaughter, Dugu Yan? Can we bring her in to make a team? Heaven Dou City isn't far from here."

Dugu Yan was only fifteen. She was a level-thirty-two Soul Elder. Her talent wasn't top-tier, but she was still a promising young genius.

Because Poison Douluo had been on good terms with Prince Xue, Dugu Yan had always studied at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

This time, Dugu Bo didn't refuse straight away.

Perhaps this was an opportunity for his granddaughter.

After joining Spirit Hall, he had learned about the pills in Alchemy Hall through Chrysanthemum Douluo. The Immortal Pills in particular could change a Soul Master's innate talent after birth and raise their Soul Power. They were treasures even more precious than Soul Bones.

Apparently, they were refined from the herbs in his Herb Garden. Those in Spirit Hall who were allowed to take an Immortal Pill were either academy geniuses or elders who had made major contributions.

As a newly joined Titled Douluo, he could get one by joining Alchemy Hall with Chrysanthemum Douluo's recommendation.

But that wasn't a sure thing, and he didn't know whether it would help Yan Yan's Martial Soul evolve.

If Yan Yan could team up with these young people in the exchange tournament and then enter Spirit Hall Academy, she might be able to obtain an Immortal Pill.

With two Immortal Pills, her potential could be improved even further, increasing the chance of her Martial Soul evolving.

Besides, the young master of Alchemy Hall had already helped resolve the poison in his body. He no longer needed to worry that Yan Yan wouldn't be able to withstand the snake venom of the Jade Phosphor Snake if her Martial Soul evolved.

Thinking this over, Dugu Bo nodded. "Yan Yan is already level thirty-two. She can compete in the exchange tournament. I'll go get her now and bring her back by the morning after tomorrow at the latest."

Without waiting for Qian Xunji to reply, he vanished.

"That leaves two spots. Master, do you have anyone in mind?" Qian Xunji looked at the old branch master.

"The local talents in Element City have all been recruited by the Four Elements Academies. The few who slip through the cracks usually have the wrong elemental affinities and go elsewhere to study."

"But the recently established fifth academy, Elephant Armor Academy, has ties to our Spirit Hall."

"His Holiness wants to hold a friendly tournament with the Four Elements Academies. Elephant Armor Academy, as the fifth academy, isn't part of the challenge, so we could look for promising students there," the old branch master suggested, stroking his beard.

"Of course, if possible, I'd rather you bring in an official Martial Soul Hall Team to compete, Your Holiness."

Qian Xunji rested his chin on his hand.

"What does it matter? I never cared about those fillers anyway."

"We're going to win no matter what, aren't we?" Qian Xunji took a round golden cup with two golden rings and a large purple crystal set into it from his Space Soul Tool.

Qian Xunji felt the steady stream of Soul Power flowing from the Holy Grail.

"What I want is for them to defeat the Four Elements Academies with overwhelming strength. They already represent Spirit Hall. The other three team members are just there to fill the roster. I don't care about them at all."

But who should he give the Holy Grail to?

Qian Xunji looked at the four children in front of him.

Qian Renxue's eyes were clear and innocent. She had no idea what the pretty golden cup was for.

The other three, however, had burning eyes.

In this world, Soul Rings obtained by hunting Soul Beasts didn't expire. As long as their bodies could bear the strain and they had enough Soul Power, they could use their skills endlessly.

Among the three heroes, Dongfang Jing was a huge "mana" consumer, using her skills as if they were basic attacks.

Arthur's normal skills didn't use much Soul Power, so he could even fight for a long time. But he had a Martial Soul Fusion Skill—Sword of Contract and Victory. Since both Martial Souls belonged to him, he had to supply all the Soul Power himself and bear the full burden. He could only sustain it for a few seconds before his Soul Power ran out and the fusion broke apart.

Since taking the Immortal Pill and drinking health milk regularly, Arthur's physical condition had improved tremendously, allowing him to hold out longer. His Soul Power was still the limiting factor.

Compared with the other two, the Holy Grail wasn't as necessary for Xiang Yu.

The three of them gathered around Qian Xunji, looking at him expectantly and waiting for the Summoner to choose.

Even Dongfang Jing, who usually acted like a cool, decisive older sister, followed her heart and came over.

Qian Xunji grinned and took out another identical Holy Grail.

### Infinite Soul Power

In this world, everyone had a "mana" bar, but there were no cooldowns to speak of.

Qian Xunji sincerely felt that the Holy Grail should be an essential item for these heroes.

With the Holy Grail, Soul Power was infinite!

Especially for mana-hungry heroes like Dongfang Jing, Diaochan, and Luna.

Their abilities were already close to invincible, and their damage was no joke. As long as they added a Soul Skill that could remove crowd control and had enough Soul Power, no one could beat them.

Diaochan was particularly skilled at attacking groups. Once she built up her passive, the more enemies there were and the closer together they stood, the faster they died.

In a battle between heroes like these, the key to victory was anticipation and attention to detail.

They called it equipment, but it worked just by carrying it on your person. It even worked when kept inside a Space Soul Tool.

Qian Xunji gave the two Holy Grails to Dongfang Jing and Arthur, leaving Xiang Yu feeling a little left out.

Qian Renxue said that she didn't know what the thing was for, but since Daddy had given it to them, she wanted one too.

Qian Xunji, however, was a bit stingy. He gave Qian Renxue only a low-end version of the "Holy Grail"—an Alchemy Amulet!

It was a blue, inverted triangular amulet in the shape of a necklace. It wasn't especially pretty, but the little girl happily put it on anyway.

A few seconds later, she felt the faint Soul Power coming from the Alchemy Amulet and stared at it, confused.

"This is a Soul Tool that restores Soul Power! Nobody else knows, so Xiao Xue has to keep it a secret, okay?" Qian Xunji said, patting her golden hair.

"Mhm! It's a secret between Daddy and Xiao Xue. I won't tell anyone." The girl nodded firmly, carefully tucked the amulet beneath her clothes, and looked at it with shining eyes.

The next day, the notice about the exchange tournament sent from Spirit City finally arrived. The old branch master took the document bearing the Pope's seal to discuss the tournament arrangements with the Four Elements Academies.

Qian Xunji wanted to take the four children shopping again, but all four firmly refused.

"Daddy, the competition is only a few days away. We need to train harder. What if we lose?" Even a genius as confident as Qian Renxue felt a little nervous about competing against people more than ten years older than her.

Dongfang Jing was already a training fanatic, so she had no interest in wasting time shopping.

Arthur and Xiang Yu chose to train with them.

Qian Xunji had nothing else to do by himself, so he trained with them too.

By evening, Poison Douluo had returned with Dugu Yan.

The two were dusty from the road. They had clearly hurried, but the green-haired girl looked unhappy. She was sulking at her grandfather and turned her head away whenever Dugu Bo came close.

She didn't want to compete in some exchange tournament.

Dugu Yan had studied at Heaven Dou Royal Academy all her life. Her classmates and friends were there, and she didn't want to leave.

Still, she had obediently come with her grandfather.

She could be a little willful, but she knew her grandfather had her best interests at heart.

Dugu Bo brought her to the entrance of the Spirit Hall Branch in Element City. Since it was nighttime, Spirit Hall was closed for the day, and the doors were shut.

They knocked, and a night-duty deacon opened the door with a yawn.

As they entered, the first thing they saw was the Martial Soul Awakening ritual platform in the middle of the hall. The ritual's core had been put away, however, so it couldn't be used to awaken Martial Souls.

A Soul Power testing crystal ball sat nearby, and the documents on the table beside it were neatly arranged.

The hall was completely empty, and their footsteps echoed through it.

They went into the guest rooms and saw Qian Xunji. Dugu Yan regarded him warily.

This was the guy who had tricked her last time and even used her to threaten her grandfather. He was a bad person!

"Yan Yan, this is His Holiness the Pope," Dugu Bo reminded her from behind.

"Your Holiness." She called out reluctantly, feeling aggrieved.

Qian Xunji looked at the little girl with short green hair.

As usual, he started by patting her head, then launched into a version of the "Spirit of the Soul" speech. He had a way with children and knew exactly how to handle them.

Dugu Yan went from resentment and dislike to listening intently, then finally moved closer on her own, no longer minding that Qian Xunji was patting her head.

She'd been tricked like this last time...

"So Spirit Hall exists to uphold justice and light and save the world, right?"

"That's amazing! Can I do that too?"