The Great Stage of Douluo, My Name is Qian Xunji

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He spent the evening cultivating at the branch hall of the Martial Soul Hall.

Although the branch hall master was bewildered by the Pope's arrival, he was also very enthusiastic, welcoming the group inside with great courtesy and providing them with excellent hospitality.

Although Element City was quite prosperous, it was still not as significant as Heaven Dou City.

The branch hall master of the Martial Soul Hall in Element City was a level 78 Soul Saint. He had held the position of bishop for ten consecutive years, managing to hold his ground and secure a foothold in Element City, which was dominated by the Four Element Academies. It was also he who proposed that the Elephant Armor Sect should follow the example of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect by establishing an element academy corresponding to their attribute to settle in Element City.

He had single-handedly transformed the original Four Element Academies into the current Five Element Academies.

The old bishop looked at Qian Xunji solemnly, implicitly asking if the Martial Soul Hall was planning any major moves and if there was anything he needed to do.

Qian Xunji quietly explained his intention to kick... no, to hold an exchange tournament.

"This? I'm afraid that won't work!" The old bishop looked at the children beside him and shook his head.

"Why? Is an eight-year-old Soul Elder not talented enough?" Qian Xunji was unconvinced.

"But in a proper advanced Soul Master Academy exchange tournament, the students are all over twenty years old. They aren't lacking in Soul Elders, and there are even Soul Ancestors. Furthermore, exchange tournaments usually consist of team matches and individual matches, with a standard team size of seven."

"Is that so?" Qian Xunji looked at Dongfang Jing, Xiang Yu, and the others. "Are you still going to fight?"

"Since we're already here, let's fight!" Dongfang Jing was not afraid. She hadn't followed Qian Xunji all this way just to take a vacation in Element City.

Xiang Yu and Arthur also nodded. The fact that they were willing to follow Qian Xunji here meant they already had this in mind.

Seeing them nod, Qian Renxue quickly followed suit.

"Alright then, we'll just scrape some people together to form a temporary team and go compete in the exchange tournament." As he said this, Qian Xunji set his sights on the Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo.

"Why are you looking at this old man?" Dugu Bo had already realized over the past few days that Qian Xunji definitely had no good intentions in seeking him out.

"What level is your granddaughter, Dugu Yan? Can you bring her over to join the team? Heaven Dou City isn't far from here, after all."

Dugu Yan was only fifteen years old now, a level 32 Soul Elder. In terms of talent, she wasn't top-tier, but she could be considered a small prodigy.

Because of the previous friendship between the Poison Douluo and Prince Xue, Dugu Yan had always been studying at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

This time, Dugu Bo did not refuse immediately.

Perhaps this was an opportunity for his granddaughter.

Having joined the Martial Soul Hall, he had learned through Chrysanthemum Douluo about the pills in the Alchemy Hall, especially the Immortal Pill, which could alter a Soul Master's aptitude and increase soul power post-natally—a treasure even more precious than a Soul Bone.

It was said that these were refined from the herbs in his own medicinal garden. Those in the Martial Soul Hall who could consume an Immortal Pill were either geniuses in the academy or elders who had made significant contributions.

As a Title Douluo who had just joined the Martial Soul Hall, he could obtain one through the recommendation of Chrysanthemum Douluo to the Alchemy Hall.

But this was not guaranteed, and he wasn't sure if it could help with his granddaughter's Martial Soul Evolution.

If Yan Yan could team up with these little ones to participate in the exchange tournament and naturally enter the Martial Soul Hall Academy, she might be able to obtain an Immortal Pill.

Two Immortal Pills combined could better improve Yan Yan's aptitude and increase the possibility of her Martial Soul Evolution.

Moreover, the little hall master of the Alchemy Hall had already helped him solve the toxin problem in his body, so he didn't have to worry about Yan Yan being unable to withstand the venom of the Jade Phosphor Snake during her Martial Soul Evolution.

Thinking of this, Dugu Bo nodded. "Yan Yan is already level 32 and can participate in this exchange tournament. This old man will go fetch her now; we can be back by the morning after tomorrow at the latest."

After saying this, without waiting for Qian Xunji's reply, he vanished.

"That leaves two more team members. Does the hall master have any recommendations?" Qian Xunji turned his gaze to the old hall master.

"The outstanding talents of the local element academies have all been absorbed by the Four Element Academies. Occasionally, a few who slip through the cracks go elsewhere to study because their attributes don't match."

"However, the fifth largest element academy that has risen in recent years, the Elephant Armor Academy, has ties with our Martial Soul Hall."

"Since the Pope intends to hold a friendly match with the Four Element Academies, the Elephant Armor Academy, as the fifth element academy, is not within the scope of the challenge. You could look for their outstanding disciples." The old hall master stroked his beard and suggested.

"Of course, if possible, I would prefer for the Pope to find a formal Martial Soul Hall team to participate in the exchange tournament."

Qian Xunji rested his chin on his hand.

"What does that matter? I never cared about these people filling the numbers anyway."

"We are definitely going to win, aren't we?" Qian Xunji took a golden, circular chalice inlaid with a large amethyst from his spatial Soul Tool.

Qian Xunji felt the continuous stream of soul power emanating from the Holy Grail.

"I wanted them to defeat the Four Element Academies with absolute strength from the start. They already represent the Martial Soul Hall; as for the other three members, they are just there to make up the numbers. I don't care about them at all."

But who should he give the Holy Grail to?

Qian Xunji cast his gaze upon the four children in front of him.

Qian Renxue's eyes were clear and innocent; she had no idea what this beautiful golden cup was for.

However, the eyes of the other three began to burn with intensity.

In this world, the Soul Rings they obtained by hunting Soul Beasts did not have a cooldown; as long as their bodies could bear the burden and they had enough soul power, they could be used infinitely.

Among the three heroes, Dongfang Jing was a "mana" hog who treated her skills like basic attacks.

Arthur's normal skills didn't consume much soul power, and he could even engage in prolonged battles, but he possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill—Sword of Contract and Victory. Because both Martial Souls were his own, the soul power was provided entirely by him, and the burden was borne by him alone; he could basically only use it for a few seconds before it would dissipate due to soul power exhaustion.

Ever since he started eating the Immortal Pill and drinking Health Milk regularly, Arthur's physical fitness had improved significantly, allowing him to hold out longer, but his soul power simply wouldn't allow it.

Compared to the two above, the Holy Grail was not quite as necessary for Xiang Yu.

The three of them crowded around, looking at Qian Xunji with expectant eyes, waiting for the summoner to make his choice.

Even Dongfang Jing, who usually carried herself with the cold, decisive air of a mature woman, followed her heart and walked over.

Qian Xunji gave a crooked smile and pulled out another identical Holy Grail.

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Chapter 73: Infinite Soul Power

In a world where everyone has a "mana" bar but lacks any cooldowns, Qian Xunji truly felt that the essential equipment for these heroes should be the Holy Grail.

Once the Holy Grail is out, soul power is infinite!

This was especially true for mana-hungry heroes like Dongfang Jing, Diaochan, and Luna.

Their mechanics were already near-invincible, and their damage output was nothing to scoff at; as long as they added a soul skill to cleanse crowd control and had sufficient soul power, no one could take them down.

Diaochan, in particular, was a specialist in area-of-effect damage. Once her passive was stacked, the more enemies there were and the tighter they stood, the faster they would die.

In these hero duels, the key to victory lay in prediction and details.

Though called equipment, it actually took effect just by being carried on one's person, and keeping it inside a spatial Soul Tool worked just as well.

After distributing the two Holy Grails to Dongfang Jing and Arthur, Xiang Yu, standing to the side, felt a bit like he was being treated differently.

Qian Renxue expressed that although she didn't know what this item did, as long as it was a gift from her father, she wanted one too.

However, Qian Xunji was a bit stingy and only gave Qian Renxue a low-spec version of the "Holy Grail"—an Alchemy Amulet!

The blue, inverted-triangle necklace wasn't particularly beautiful, but the little girl still put it on happily.

Yet, a few seconds later, feeling the faint trickle of soul power coming from the Alchemy Amulet, the little girl froze, unable to process what was happening.

"This is a Soul Tool that can restore soul power! No one else knows about this, so you must keep it a secret, Xiaoxue!" Qian Xunji said, stroking her golden hair.

"Mm-hmm, this is a secret between Xiaoxue and Father, I won't tell anyone else." The girl nodded firmly, carefully tucking the amulet under her clothes with sparkling eyes.

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The next day, the notification for the exchange tournament issued in Martial Soul City finally arrived. The old hall master took the document, stamped with the Pope's seal, and went to discuss the specific details of the tournament with the Four Element Academies.

Qian Xunji intended to take the four children out for a stroll, but he was sternly refused by all of them.

"Father, the competition is in a few days, we need to step up our training. What if we lose?" Even a genius as confident as Qian Renxue felt a bit nervous about competing against people more than a decade older than her.

Dongfang Jing was a cultivation fanatic by nature and had no desire to waste time shopping.

Arthur and Xiang Yu chose to train alongside them.

With nothing to do on his own, Qian Xunji had no choice but to join them in their training.

By the time evening arrived, Dugu Bo had actually returned with Dugu Yan in tow.

Both were covered in the dust of travel, clearly having rushed, but the little girl with short green hair was visibly unhappy. She was sulking with her grandfather and turned her head away whenever Dugu Bo tried to get close.

She didn't want to participate in any exchange tournament.

Dugu Yan had studied at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy since she was a child; all her classmates and friends were there, and she had no desire to leave.

However, she still obediently listened to her grandfather and came along.

Although she was a bit willful, she knew her grandfather only had her best interests at heart.

They arrived at the entrance of the Element City branch of the Martial Soul Hall with Dugu Bo. Since it was night, the Martial Soul Hall was already closed for the day.

At the sound of knocking, a night-duty deacon yawned and opened the gate.

As the two entered, the first thing that caught their eyes was the ritual platform for soul awakening in the center of the hall, though the core of the ritual had been put away, making it impossible to perform an awakening.

Beside it was the crystal ball for testing soul power, and the documents on the table holding the crystal ball were arranged neatly.

The entire hall was extremely empty now, and the sound of their footsteps echoed within.

Upon entering the guest quarters and seeing Qian Xunji, Dugu Yan's eyes turned wary.

This was the guy who had tricked her before and even used her to threaten her grandfather—he was a bad person!

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

"Your Holiness the Pope." She called out begrudgingly, feeling a sense of grievance.

Qian Xunji looked at the little girl with the green bob cut.

Habitually, he started by patting her head, then launched into a speech about the "Will of the Soul" in the Douluo style. He was quite skilled at dealing with children; he had them wrapped around his finger.

Dugu Yan went from her initial grudge and dislike to slowly becoming entranced, and by the end, she was leaning in voluntarily, no longer minding that Qian Xunji was patting her head.

That was exactly how she had been tricked last time...

"So, the existence of the Martial Soul Hall is to maintain justice and light, and to save the world, right?"

"That's amazing, can I do that too?"