Understanding / Genius?

Every kid dreamed of saving the world someday and becoming a champion of justice!

But adults never understood why children believed in such foolish, impossible things.

Dugu Bo watched his granddaughter, who had just been arguing with him, now circling around Qian Xunji. He didn't think she was stupid; he thought Qian Xunji was a cunning schemer who was deceiving an innocent girl.

When Dugu Bo finally dragged her away by force, Dugu Yan still remembered to raise a hand in salute to Qian Xunji. Her voice rang out, full of confidence and spirit. "Good night, Your Holiness!"

The old hall master had also reached an agreement with Elephant Armor Academy. The two team members who would help round out the numbers, Huyan Qian and Huyan Shan, were the grandsons of an elder of the Elephant Armor Sect. Both were forty-first-level Soul Ancestors.

The two were already twenty-three years old. They were exceptionally tall, with muscles covering their bodies and bronze-colored skin. White patterns were painted on their faces, and their clothes left much of their bulging muscles exposed. They looked far too strong to be young men in their early twenties.

And this was only the Huyan clan's ordinary appearance.

The Diamond Mammoth Martial Soul of the Huyan family of the Elephant Armor Sect was known as the "First Defense-Type Martial Soul." When its user entered Martial Soul Possession, their muscles swelled, a dark yellow layer of keratin covered their skin, and their tusks extended.

From a distance, they looked like human-shaped monsters.

They knew what their mission was this time, so they obediently followed behind the old hall master.

Even so, when they saw Qian Renxue and the others, who would be taking part in the exchange tournament with them, they couldn't help being startled.

They wondered if they were seeing things.

After blinking and pinching themselves, Huyan Qian and Huyan Shan finally accepted reality.

Qian Renxue also tilted her head back to size up the three teammates they'd found at the last minute.

Dugu Yan was Poison Douluo's granddaughter. Qian Renxue recognized her at a glance by her equally green hair.

Qian Renxue had done well in her studies and knew about the Elephant Armor Sect's Martial Soul and its effects on the body. Though she'd been prepared, she was still a little shocked.

From where she stood, they looked like a small black mountain.

Eight-year-old Qian Renxue looked like a dwarf beside the two-meter-tall Huyan Brothers.

"Hello, I'm Qian Renxue. My Soul Power Level is thirty-eight, and I'm eight years old."

Chapter 74: Getting Acquainted

"Th-thirty-eight? Eight years old?" Dugu Yan had been looking down at the golden-haired girl, who was a head shorter than her, and had felt a little dismissive.

Dugu Bo hadn't told her Qian Renxue and the others' levels in advance.

When she heard Qian Renxue introduce herself, her expression went blank. She couldn't understand how a thirty-eighth-level Soul Elder could be an eight-year-old girl.

Even if she'd started cultivating from the day she was born, it still shouldn't have been possible to reach the thirty-eighth level at eight, should it?

"That's right!" Qian Renxue nodded. She was already used to people disbelieving her.

Then she introduced the others behind her. "This is my older brother, Xiang Yu. He's the same level as me, thirty-eight, and his Martial Soul is also the Six-Winged Angel."

Among the four children, Xiang Yu was the tallest and most solidly built. Though he was only eight, he'd grown quickly and well, and already looked like a teenager. He took the initiative to explain, "Hello. My name is Xiang Yu. Apart from Xiao Xue, we were all adopted by His Holiness the Pope. We're all eight years old."

"This is my older sister, Dongfang Jing. Her Martial Soul is the Blazing Sun Divine Radiance Sword, and her Soul Power is twenty-nine." Qian Renxue introduced Dongfang Jing.

The girl with short golden hair decorated by a sun-shaped ornament and an especially sharp gaze nodded at them in greeting.

Last was Arthur. His golden hair was smooth and lustrous, with a slight curl to it. He had deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, and striking, well-defined features. His gentle smile made his bright blue eyes even more captivating, though the air of authority around him made people hesitate to cross him.

"My name is Arthur. My Martial Souls are the Holy Shield and the Holy Sword, and my Soul Power is twenty-nine. It's nice to meet you!"

"Are you telling the truth?" Dugu Yan asked in disbelief. "You really are eight years old? And really at thirty-eight and twenty-nine?"

She couldn't accept either the thirty-eighth level or the twenty-ninth.

Had she been at level twelve or thirteen when she was eight?

"..." This time, Qian Renxue didn't answer. She simply released her Soul Rings.

Two yellow rings and one purple ring: the optimal Soul Ring Configuration.

Qian Xunji couldn't be bothered with the whole routine of constantly training their bodies, improving their physiques, and pushing past their limits by risking death to make two little kids absorb thousand-year Soul Beast Soul Rings. The so-called maximum age had been determined by people testing it with their lives. Until you died, you had no way of knowing the maximum Soul Ring age you could withstand.

It wasn't worth it. The time they spent on body training could be put toward cultivation instead, raising their Soul Power by several levels and earning them their next Soul Ring.

Besides, divine-grade Martial Souls naturally enhanced their users' physiques. Their Soul Rings already surpassed those of ordinary people. Qian Renxue's First Soul Ring was 554 years old, and her Second Soul Ring was 901 years old. Both were within the safe range recorded for the Qian Clan's Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.

After eating an Immortal Pill and regularly drinking Health Milk to strengthen her physique, her Third Soul Ring reached 1,850 years—ten years above the safe limit.

Besides, Qian Daoliu would never let Qian Renxue take too great a risk.

Xiang Yu was different. That fellow had been born with divine strength and an unusual physique. He could lift a cauldron, and with the physical enhancement from his divine-grade Martial Soul, he could fight some hundred-year Soul Beasts barehanded. His Soul Ring ages were even higher than Qian Renxue's. He had two yellow rings and one purple, and his Second Soul Ring was already yellow tinged with purple.

Looking at the Soul Rings before her, Dugu Yan finally had no choice but to believe it.

Huyan Qian and Huyan Shan's eyes were shining. Their Elephant Armor Sect had long been secretly affiliated with Spirit Hall, though it had never officially joined.

Their grandfathers had repeatedly warned them to make the most of this chance to get to know Spirit Hall's geniuses, and not to waste the opportunity.

Everything about the four little ones before them—their Martial Souls, ages, and Soul Power Levels—showed that they were super geniuses Spirit Hall had specially cultivated. The little girl named Qian Renxue even had the surname Qian and possessed the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul. She might well become Spirit Hall's future pope.

The seven-person temporary team began introducing their Martial Souls and Soul Skills to one another to prepare for the upcoming exchange tournament.

But when the three kids talked about their "Self-Created Soul Skills," and especially Arthur's Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the other three, apart from Qian Renxue, wondered for a moment if their ears had deceived them.

"Self-Created Soul Skills" weren't anything unusual. Many powerful Soul Master families with long histories had them.

But having one was one thing; being able to learn one was another.

Besides, a Soul Master's time and energy were limited. They had to cultivate and study basic subjects. Noble Soul Masters also had to learn etiquette and socialize. When would they have time to develop Self-Created Soul Skills?

In other words, those geniuses who created their own Soul Skills were sacrificing time they could have spent cultivating.

Whether the skills had been passed down through their families or were truly self-created, the three of them thought it was foolish to spend so much time on them before the age of twenty-five, after awakening their Martial Souls.

The time before twenty-five was the golden period for physical development and Soul Power cultivation. Almost every Soul Master with the means to do so focused on cultivation during this stage.

In theory, Xiang Yu and the others, who spent time cultivating and developing Self-Created Soul Skills, should have ended up with lower Soul Power Levels than their peers.

But reality was precisely the opposite. The three of them hadn't fallen behind at all; their Soul Power Levels had even surpassed those of many older Soul Masters.

Only Qian Renxue knew that her older brothers and sisters really hadn't spent much time developing those "Self-Created Soul Skills."

Dugu Yan was still young, and she asked as soon as the question occurred to her. "If you've been dividing your attention by creating your own Soul Skills, why have your Soul Power Levels still risen so quickly?"

They were at a higher level than she was, even though she was seven years older.

Qian Renxue could only repeat what she'd answered countless times to her classmates. "Xiang Yu and I had Innate Soul Power of twenty. Jing-jie and Arthur-gege both had Innate Full Soul Power. Dad said we wouldn't have any bottlenecks until we became Soul Douluo or even Titled Douluo, and that we'd cultivate quickly. He even gave us Immortal Pills and Health Milk."

"I know about Immortal Pills. Poison Douluo told me they can increase Soul Power and aptitude. What's Health Milk?" Dugu Yan had heard about Immortal Pills from Poison Douluo.

"Health Milk strengthens our bodies and improves our physiques. It's a supplement that helps us absorb older Soul Rings." Seeing how curious her new friends were, Qian Renxue took out a bottle for them to see.

They could look, but that was all. Dad had prepared this specially for Xiao Xue. Only she and her older siblings had it; there was no way she could share it with anyone else.

Though it was called milk, it was amber-colored and semi-solid. It needed to be warmed in hot water before drinking, and gave off a sweet, rich fragrance with a faint bitterness from medicinal herbs.

Dugu Yan had learned quite a bit about medicinal herbs from her grandfather. She couldn't identify all the ingredients, but she recognized a few: Whale Rubber, Purple Ginseng...

All of them were valuable!

And the other side treated them like milk, drinking it every day!

"Your dad treats you so well!"

Qian Renxue was just about to agree proudly when she noticed the envy in the purple-haired girl's eyes and grew wary.

There were quite a few people at Spirit Hall Academy who wanted to become Dad's children and steal him away from her.

She'd beaten them all into submission, but after that, Qian Renxue had stayed on her guard!

Chapter 75: Genius?

After testing her out, Qian Renxue realized Dugu Yan really was just jealous that she had such a good dad. She wasn't trying to steal him from her.

Qian Renxue breathed a sigh of relief.

Dugu Yan was thoroughly impressed by Qian Renxue and the others now. Some had Innate Soul Power of twenty, others had Innate Full Soul Power, and one even had Twin Martial Souls. They were all top-tier geniuses.

Though Immortal Pills and supplements had helped them raise their levels so quickly, their natural talent couldn't be denied.

The other three had "Self-Created Soul Skills," while Qian Renxue had the Angel God's inheritance. They were all cheaters!

By the time Qian Xunji brought the group to Skywater Academy, the seven had already gotten to know each other.

When they got out of the carriage, people from Skywater Academy were already waiting at the gate.

The ornate, carved gates stood open. Young, beautiful female students and teachers lined the road. The students wore fitted blue uniforms, and most of them had water-blue hair and eyes, apparently because of their Martial Souls.

Of the Four Element Academies, Skywater Academy was the only one that accepted commoners. But besides requirements for Martial Soul, attributes, and Soul Power Level, it had one more: all students had to be female.

Every ridiculous school rule had an even more ridiculous incident behind it.

Female Soul Masters already made up the majority of water-attribute Soul Masters. Before the rule was introduced, women accounted for over three quarters of the academy's students.

Male students were already scarce. With so few men and all the women being beauties, the boys had gotten carried away.

They'd caused a scandal. To keep anything similar from happening again, Skywater Academy had simply decided to admit only female students. To make up for the loss of male students, it dropped its requirement that students be nobles and widened its enrollment.

The scandal had been covered up well, but it was no secret to other powers of similar standing.

A handsome male student at Skywater Academy had been dating six girls at once. It ended with the whole team falling apart, leaving them unable to work together. One after another, they lost to the other Element Academies.

Even more alarming, that hadn't been an isolated case. Many of the male students had shockingly complicated love lives. The female students were under strict, closed-off supervision and spent every day with the boys. It was hard for them not to develop feelings.

The whole academy had fallen into chaos. Its dean had finally drawn the line: from then on, they would only admit female students. Even the teachers had to be women.

After the initial confusion and opposition had passed, the arrangement turned out surprisingly well.

The one at the front to welcome Qian Xunji, the pope, was Skywater Academy's current dean, Water Qing'er. She had the academy's highest Soul Power Level: eighty-three, a Soul Douluo.

She came from the same family as Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er. She wasn't the clan leader, but her strength and gender had earned her the position of Skywater Academy's dean.

She wore a luxurious ice-blue gown. Her bearing was cold, and her long blue hair was pinned up. She looked poised and dignified, without losing any of her beauty.