The Team

"Brother Lin Yu, are you there?" Lin Yu sat cross-legged on his bed, quietly sensing the changes in his body. Just then, Dugu Yan's voice reached his ears, rousing him.

"Huh... What's going on?" Lin Yu looked puzzled, but Dugu Yan was waiting outside, so he stopped thinking about it and opened the door.

"What is it?" Lin Yu looked at Dugu Yan standing outside, unsure why she had come to see him.

"Brother Lin Yu, Elder Yue asked me to come get you." The moment Dugu Yan saw Lin Yu, her big eyes curved into cheerful crescents. She was clearly delighted to see him.

"Uncle Yue?" Lin Yu was a little puzzled. Why hadn't Yue Guan come to see him himself? Why had he sent Dugu Yan instead?

"All right, let's go." Though confused, Lin Yu followed Dugu Yan out of his room.

"Uncle Yue, what did you need me for?" Besides Yue Guan, several other Soul Masters were standing there when Lin Yu arrived. Hu Liena was among them.

"Xiao Yu, you're here." Yue Guan saw Lin Yu and waved him over.

"Uncle Yue, what's going on?" Lin Yu still had no idea what was happening.

"Xiao Yu, let me introduce everyone first." Yue Guan led Lin Yu over to the group.

"You already know Hu Liena, so there's no need for me to introduce her." Yue Guan pointed to Hu Liena as he spoke to Lin Yu.

"Junior brother." After Yue Guan finished speaking, Hu Liena waved at Lin Yu, a smile appearing at the corners of her lips.

Lin Yu merely nodded at Hu Liena's greeting, showing no other reaction, then turned his attention to the others.

Hu Liena looked a little hurt by his reaction. She couldn't understand why Lin Yu was so distant toward her.

Yue Guan had naturally noticed their expressions, so he continued with the introductions.

"This handsome young man is Xie Yue, Nana's older brother. He's a Level 35 Power Attack System Battle Soul Elder. His Martial Soul is the Moon Blade, and he's a tool-type Soul Master.

"This red-haired young man is Yan. He's also Level 35, a fire-attribute Power Attack System Battle Soul Elder. His Martial Soul is the Flame Lord.

"This is Zhang Ping. Her Martial Soul is the Golden Bird, and she's a Level 31 Agility Attack System Battle Soul Master.

"Li Kai. His Martial Soul is the Black Horn Mountain Boar, and he's a Level 31 Power Attack System Battle Soul Master.

"Sun Chuantao. His Martial Soul is the Ring Giant Blade, and he's a Level 32 Power Attack System Battle Soul Master.

"Xu Yu. His Martial Soul is the Golden Scepter, and he's a Level 30 support-type tool Soul Master." Yue Guan introduced each of them to Lin Yu.

Lin Yu nodded along. They were all only around fourteen years old, and having this much Soul Power at their age was already impressive. Not everyone was born with Innate Full Soul Power.

"Uncle Yue, may I ask why you called me here?" Lin Yu was still unsure what this was about.

"Xiao Yu, the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament is six years away. You're only eight, but you've already reached Level 30.

"That means you're eligible to compete. These are the people who'll be entering the tournament six years from now. I brought you here so you could all get to know one another." Yue Guan didn't hide the reason he had called Lin Yu over.

"What? He's eight?"

"He's Level 30?"

The moment Xie Yue and the others heard Lin Yu's age and Soul Power Level, they gaped in shock.

They hadn't expected Lin Yu to have reached Level 30 already. He was about six years younger than them, yet, apart from Hu Liena and the other two, the other four had Soul Power levels close to his.

They didn't know what to say. One by one, they began to feel inferior.

Dugu Yan, however, wasn't as shocked as they were. She had known Lin Yu's Soul Power Level for a long time.

"That's right. Lin Yu only awakened his Martial Soul two years ago." Yue Guan watched them with a delighted grin. He didn't tell them that Lin Yu had reached Level 30 after taking an Immortal Herb.

"So don't think you're all that impressive. There's always someone better, and there's always a higher mountain." Yue Guan lectured them earnestly.

"Yes." The members of the Martial Soul Hall Team drooped like wilted eggplants, their spirits completely deflated.

"Doesn't the team already have seven people? Why do you want me to join?" Lin Yu had no interest in competing in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament.

The tournament was still six years away, and Lin Yu had no idea what might happen in the meantime. He wasn't particularly enthusiastic.

"A team doesn't consist of just seven people. You need substitutes, too.

"The Martial Soul Hall Team used to be strong enough to beat every other team without substitutes. But now that you and Dugu Yan have come along, His Majesty has decided to make you substitutes for the Martial Soul Hall Team." Yue Guan explained it to Lin Yu.

Lin Yu and Dugu Yan hadn't even responded, but the other members of the Martial Soul Hall Team were already looking displeased.

They had no complaints about Lin Yu reaching Level 30 at only eight years old, but what right did Dugu Yan have?

"Elder Ju, we have no objections to His Highness the Holy Son being a substitute. He's already Level 30, and by the time six years have passed, he'll probably have surpassed us all.

"But this young lady..." Yan stepped forward. He didn't finish speaking, but his expression said everything.

Dugu Yan wasn't some timid girl. While Lin Yu had been recovering, she had absorbed not only the Soul Bone Dugu Bo had prepared for her, but also the Immortal Herb Yue Guan had prepared for her.

Her Soul Power was now no lower than Lin Yu's. What was more, her Martial Soul had evolved into the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, just like Dugu Bo's, giving her powerful poison abilities.

So Dugu Yan had no reason to fear Yan—not in terms of either strength or backing.

"Me?" Hearing Yan's doubts, Dugu Yan smiled. Then she stepped forward and released her Soul Power, displaying her Level 30 strength without holding anything back in front of everyone on the Martial Soul Hall Team.

"H-How is that possible?" Yan stared at Dugu Yan, dumbstruck. In such a short time, he had seen two children under ten with Level 30 Soul Power.

"Do you have any objections now?" Yue Guan asked the members of the Martial Soul Hall Team with a faintly amused smile.

"All right, it's settled. From now on, Xiao Yu and Dugu Yan will be substitutes for the Martial Soul Hall Team. If you ever face someone you can't handle, they'll step in." Yue Guan glanced at the team members and announced the decision.

Lin Yu and Dugu Yan had been ordered to join the Martial Soul Hall Team by Pope Bibi Dong. No one could change that.