Jin Yan's Plans for Status

In the end, Chrysanthemum Douluo still could not let go of the Immortal Herb he had spent his entire life searching for, and agreed to Jin Yan's request.

Watching Chrysanthemum Douluo leave with Xie Yue and the other boy, Jin Yan finally revealed a faint smile.

Chrysanthemum Douluo had guessed correctly. Jin Yan's intentions were indeed as he had imagined, but he had forgotten one thing: Bibi Dong's personality.

Bibi Dong.

She was immensely ambitious, capable, and knew how to endure. Those were certainly her good qualities, but her experiences had also made her naturally suspicious. That was precisely what Jin Yan valued!

Jin Yan's contact with Chrysanthemum Douluo would plant a seed in his heart even if he failed to recruit him. So long as Chrysanthemum Douluo did not know the location of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, he would eventually seek Jin Yan out again, no matter when.

And once news of their contact reached Bibi Dong, with her suspicious nature, even if she said nothing on the surface, she would still develop misgivings toward him. Moreover, Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill and always advanced and retreated together...

Thus, whether or not he succeeded in winning Chrysanthemum Douluo over, Jin Yan stood to gain!

Of course, Jin Yan guessed that Bibi Dong would not abandon Ju and Gui Douluo. Unlike the end of the original story in his previous life, Bibi Dong had completely taken control of Spirit Hall by then, so the usefulness of the two Douluo had naturally declined.

But now, Bibi Dong had only been in charge of Spirit Hall for six or seven years. The Title Douluo of the Elder Hall were all tough bones to chew. They had yet to fully defect to Bibi Dong, and many merely obeyed on the surface while defying her in secret. For that reason alone, she would not abandon such useful pieces as Ju and Gui Douluo.

Of course, that did not mean Bibi Dong had done nothing these past few years. Her methods of winning people over worked quite well on those below her. By now, nearly every branch hall and main hall under Spirit Hall had been replaced by her people. That was the result of her six years of work. Since she could not control the powers above Title Douluo, she replaced all the lower-ranking forces with her own people, turning those Title Douluo into commanders without troops, unable to accomplish anything and forced to report to her!

That was Bibi Dong's method. Having followed Qian Xunji for so many years, what she had learned was the art of employing people. In terms of political maneuvering, those Title Douluo were simply chickens and dogs before her!

Jin Yan's plan was also simple. Since Bibi Dong was attacking from below and working upward, he would do the opposite, compete with her on a different level, and attack from above downward!

This was the result of careful consideration. His advantage in doing so was obvious: he was Golden Crocodile's grandson from the Worship Hall, and he had excellent relationships with several of the other worshippers.

Many of the Title Douluo in the Elder Hall had originally served under those worshippers. Only after breaking through to the Title Douluo rank had they entered the Elder Hall. In other words, the worshippers of the Worship Hall possessed extraordinary prestige within the Elder Hall. On top of that, Jin Yan's talent was plain for all to see.

As a Soul Grandmaster, he had crushed all three geniuses valued by the Pope. Two of them even possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Such an achievement had never been seen before!

Those who could safely grow into Title Douluo were not fools. When the time came, they would know how to choose!

Four days had passed since the graduation assessment. After stripping Hu Liena's group clean, the four of them had accumulated over a hundred tokens. With that score, they were unquestionably first place in this year's class.

For the remaining three days, the four wandered aimlessly through the Soul Beast Forest, constantly seeking out soul beasts to fight.

In truth, the main purpose was to test Li Kai and the other two's strength.

Jin Yan had been very satisfied with Li Kai and the other two's performance that day. They had dared to follow him in turning against the disciples favored by the Pope, proving that he had not misjudged them and that they were indeed worth cultivating!

"Li Kai, help!" Zhang Ping flew through the air at high speed, with a powerful bear-type soul beast nearly four meters long chasing behind her.

This was the last thousand-year soul beast remaining in this Soul Beast Forest: an Earth Explosive Bear, a formidable earth-element soul beast and the final target of Li Kai's group.

"First Soul Skill, Boar Rush!"

"Second Soul Skill, Thorn Armor!"

Without a word, Li Kai's two Soul Rings lit up. After covering himself in a layer of armor bristling with spikes, he charged head-on toward the approaching Earth Explosive Bear.

Golden radiance flickered over his body. Xu Yu had acted, and his first Soul Ring lit up.

"First Soul Skill, Strength Aura!"

With Xu Yu's Soul Skill enhancement, Li Kai became even more fearless, and his charge grew several degrees more ferocious.

At the same time, Zhang Ping, flying in the sky, was not idle either. Her second Soul Ring lit up, and several golden swallow phantoms flew from her body, attacking the Earth Explosive Bear from different directions.

"Second Soul Skill, Golden Light Afterimage."

Zhang Ping was an agility-attack soul master. The speed of her martial soul, the Golden Waist Swallow, was not inferior in the slightest to the Sharp-Tailed Feather Swallow of the Speed Clan, while still retaining a certain degree of offensive power.

Her second Soul Skill could create two afterimages containing seventy percent of her strength. The afterimages could not only disrupt target-locking skills, but also share a small portion of damage. Most importantly, the afterimages created by this Soul Skill grew stronger as her level rose.

It was an exceptionally useful and powerful skill!

Taking advantage of the instant when the Earth Explosive Bear was restrained by Zhang Ping in the sky, Li Kai seized the opportunity. With an angry roar, the enormous horn on his head stabbed straight into the Earth Explosive Bear's softest and least-defended abdomen.

Crimson bear blood ran down the giant horn onto Li Kai's head, dripping along his hair and spreading into a pool of blood on the ground.

The intense pain made the Earth Explosive Bear let out a low roar, and its broad bear paw mercilessly slapped toward Li Kai.

"Second Soul Skill, Tenacious Protection!"

Xu Yu used his Soul Skill again, creating a pale yellow barrier around Li Kai and enveloping him within it.

The Earth Explosive Bear's furious strike first landed on Xu Yu's defensive shield.

Tenacious Protection held for a moment before shattering, and the bear paw then struck Li Kai without obstruction.

A tremendous boom erupted as the powerful force hit Li Kai, sending him flying backward at incredible speed.

Yet he was not seriously hurt. The bear paw's attack had already been weakened somewhat by Tenacious Protection, and Li Kai's own defense was not bad either. After taking the Earth Explosive Bear's furious strike, he was completely fine and even scrambled cheerfully back to his feet.

The Earth Explosive Bear, on the other hand, was having a far worse time. Li Kai's second Soul Skill, Thorn Armor, not only increased his own defense, but also formed a suit of spiked armor around his body.

The greater the force behind the Earth Explosive Bear's strike, the greater the damage the armor's thorns inflicted on it.

Listening to the Earth Explosive Bear's pained cries, Li Kai sprang to his feet and shouted.

"Strike while it's weak, take its life!

Support me!"

With that, he activated his Soul Skills again and charged forward.

The Earth Explosive Bear had fallen into a state of complete rage. Li Kai did not dare confront it head-on, instead continuously working with Zhang Ping to restrain it and drain its strength.

Gradually, the Earth Explosive Bear completely ran out of strength. Bear blood covered the ground. It cast a hateful glance at Li Kai and the others, then collapsed to the ground as a pale purple Soul Ring slowly rose...