Xie Yue and Yan, Elites of the Genius Class

After Xu Mochen and Hu Liena finished registering all their information at the administrative office and received their school uniforms and other supplies, Hu Liena took Xu Mochen on a tour of the Spirit Hall Academy. They visited the cafeteria, simulated cultivation grounds, teaching buildings, the playground, and various other facilities. Although it was just a brief introduction from a distance rather than a detailed inspection of each, it still gave Xu Mochen a general understanding of the academy's teaching model.

According to Hu Liena, the scheduling for the four types of classes at the Spirit Hall Academy was quite fixed. Generally, Monday through Friday mornings were dedicated to physical training, afternoons to theoretical courses or practical combat training, and evenings to self-cultivation. Saturdays and Sundays were for rest, with any additional activities or assessments scheduled separately.

As for the formal class placement, that would have to wait until Xu Mochen completed his temporary assessment tomorrow. Although Hu Liena calculated that with Xu Mochen's level 24 cultivation, he should logically only be eligible for the advanced training class, his formidable strength meant he could easily pass the special assessment for the elite class.

What Hu Liena never expected, however, was that after some deliberation, Xu Mochen resolutely decided to skip two tiers and challenge the elite class directly!

This shocked Hu Liena deeply. Was this little guy crazy? He actually wanted to challenge the Soul Ancestors of the elite class with the cultivation of a level 24 Soul Grand Master? While it was true that he was incredibly strong to have defeated Dai Weisi, a level 39 Soul Elder, and might not necessarily lose to a weaker level 41 or 42 Soul Ancestor, one had to admit that the Soul Ancestors in the elite class of the Spirit Hall Academy were not comparable to those weaker ones.

Although Hu Liena tried to persuade Xu Mochen repeatedly, he remained set in his ways. Hu Liena could only shrug and agree, thinking it was for the best; once he suffered a setback, he would naturally understand that there is always someone better, and that a little failure now and then might not be a bad thing for him.

Along the way, Xu Mochen and Hu Liena naturally encountered many other students from the Spirit Hall Academy. When they saw the two of them walking together looking so "intimate," they were instantly astonished, with some students nearly stumbling in their tracks! One by one, they began to whisper among themselves in secret.

"Who is that student? Why have I never seen him before?"

"I don't know. Looking at him, he must be a new student, right? But judging by his age, he's probably just a student for the advanced training class."

"Holy cow! Are the freshmen in the advanced training class this strong now? He actually managed to chase down one of the three thorny roses of the elite class?"

"Who knows? Maybe this kid is a descendant of one of the elders or patrons of the Martial Soul Hall. But I seem to remember that Yan from the elite class has been pursuing Hu Liena, right?"

"Damn! Is this kid really that bold? Isn't he afraid of Yan coming to cause him trouble? That guy once declared that whoever dared to pursue Hu Liena would be beaten until they couldn't take care of themselves! It looks like this kid is going to have a miserable end."

"Who's to say? Sigh, let's just observe a three-minute silence for him."

However, Xu Mochen and Hu Liena clearly did not care about the whispers of others and continued to tour the campus. It wasn't until the sun was about to set that Hu Liena finally took Xu Mochen to the cafeteria for a meal.

It had to be said that the Spirit Hall Academy's cafeteria was luxurious. Not only were there private rooms and various landscaped gardens, but the dishes were also medicinal meals made from spirit herbs or tonics made from spirit beast meat. Dishes like oil-braised ten-year-old porcupine trotters, roasted ten-year-old fire spirit chicken wings, and spirit jade yam stewed with ten-year-old snow rabbit soup were all a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate!

It was no wonder the Spirit Hall Academy could cultivate so many geniuses! With food like this, it probably left the conditions of most high-level soul master academies in the dust!

Of course, the academies of the Sun Moon Empire were not without such things, but even in the Sun Moon Empire, only the top-tier high-level academies—aside from some aristocratic ones—could afford such dining standards!

Hu Liena and Xu Mochen finished getting their food and sat down opposite each other, ignoring the strange looks from the crowd around them, and began to chat while they ate.

"Little brother Mochen, this is the first time I've heard of the Sun Moon Continent. Could you tell me about your continent and your country?" At this point, Hu Liena officially entered the main topic, preparing to probe for information about the Sun Moon Continent.

Xu Mochen naturally knew Hu Liena's little scheme, but he didn't point it out. Instead, he followed along: "Of course, no problem. But I'm not sure which aspect of our Sun Moon Continent interests you, Sister Nana?"

Hu Liena immediately expressed that she wanted to know about the history of the Sun Moon Empire. Xu Mochen did not refuse, though he omitted the history of the Purple Imperial Chaos Dragon King and started directly from the rise and alliance of the ancestors of the Sun Moon Continent's people: the Yanyang Tribe and the Yinyue Tribe. It had to be said that Xu Mochen had a talent for storytelling; as they talked, Hu Liena listened with great interest and learned quite a bit of relevant history.

The students sitting not far away naturally heard the intimate conversation between the two, but everything they discussed was something they had never heard of—the primitive social transformation of the Sun Moon Continent, the founding emperor of the Sun Moon Empire, the "Dragon Martial Emperor" Xu Longwu, conquering the world. The Dark Era, the Great Liberation of Thought, the God-Emperor War.

Although they were confused, this did not stop them from noticing Hu Liena's focused and delighted expression. They immediately dismissed everything Xu Mochen said as fairy tales! Some clever-seeming people even slapped their foreheads in realization: so the goddess of the elite class, Hu Liena, liked listening to fairy tales about heroic adventures! Understood! Time to go tell Yan!

When the two returned to the dormitory area after dinner, they were surprised to find more than a dozen men and women in Spirit Hall Academy uniforms already standing at the entrance. Most of these students were around twenty years old, and from the black angel badges on their chests, it was clear they were all students from the elite class!

As they looked at the returning Hu Liena and Xu Mochen, their expressions varied. Some eyes were filled with amusement, some with sympathy, some with anger, and others with a strange look. A sturdy boy with short fire-red hair and scarlet eyes was even gritting his teeth at Xu Mochen, as if he could breathe fire!

Hu Liena noticed the strange atmosphere among her classmates at the dormitory entrance and subconsciously scanned them, finally letting her gaze fall on the red-haired boy. Although she had a rough idea of what was happening, she feigned ignorance and asked, "What are you all doing? Why aren't you cultivating? Blocking the entrance like this? Did something happen? And you, Yan, what are you doing? Did you bump your head in class today? Why the constipated expression?"

Hu Liena knew that saying this would provoke Yan, but she understood that with his personality, he would explode regardless of what she said. She had to do her best to attract his attention; otherwise, she didn't know what irrational things this simple-minded, brawny guy might do to Xu Mochen!

"Nana! Who is that person?" The boy named Yan could no longer hold back! He angrily shouted at Hu Liena, demanding an answer, then glared fiercely at Xu Mochen!

He had just heard from other students that his beloved Nana was eating and walking around with a strange boy, laughing and chatting! He had completely lost his mind! He had always viewed Hu Liena as his own possession! In the past, any boy who dared to get close to Nana would be severely taught a lesson by him!

Now, this brat from who knows where dared to compete with him for Nana! If he didn't teach him a lesson, he would change his name to "Fire Fire Fire"!

Hu Liena's expression remained unchanged as she replied coldly, "First, don't call me Nana; we aren't that close. Second, this doesn't seem to be any of your business, does it? This is a newly enrolled student, and I am acting under the orders of the Pope to show him around the campus. If you have any questions, you can go ask the Pope, provided she is willing to answer you."

"Of course, if you're having a bad day and want to find someone to vent your anger on, I can accompany you. But if you don't have the guts, I don't mind you bullying this brother who is a year younger than you, and then telling him: 'Although the Pope arranged for me to receive you, I'm sorry, I'm just too jealous and can't beat them, so I have to bully the weak to vent my anger.' Then we'll see how the Pope deals with you!"

"You, you, you...!" After this outburst, Yan, who had intended to continue picking a fight with Xu Mochen, was stunned. His face turned beet red, and he pointed a trembling finger at Hu Liena and then at Xu Mochen, but he couldn't squeeze out a single word! The surrounding students, seeing this, all wore expressions of wanting to laugh but trying their best to hold it in.

Xu Mochen, though his expression remained calm, was secretly startled: it seemed Hu Liena's intelligence was not low at all; she had directly grasped Yan's lifeline! If you dare to make a move, you are defying the Pope's orders and engaging in school bullying by using your strength to oppress the weak!

To put it bluntly, it was bullying the young and defying authority! If Yan really made a move, he would likely not only face severe punishment but would also be socially dead on campus! Good grief! As expected of my Sister Nana!

"Uh... Nana, we're all classmates after all, why make things so awkward?" At this moment, a black-haired boy with a sharp, chiseled face who looked somewhat like Hu Liena stepped forward to mediate.

When Hu Liena saw this man, her expression softened, but her tone remained sharp: "Brother! You know how annoying this guy Yan is! No matter where I am, he has to keep an eye on me, and he intimidates any student who tries to have a normal conversation with me!"

"Now, whenever I appear, everyone keeps their distance! I can't even manage basic social interactions! This jerk! I'm not even close to him! What right does he have to interfere with my life? Don't you think someone like this deserves a lesson?"

Seeing the boy Hu Liena called "Brother" and noting his appearance, Xu Mochen realized: "It seems this is Hu Liena's biological brother, the leader of the Golden Generation of the Martial Soul Hall from the original story, Xie Yue!"

From his current perception, both Xie Yue and Yan were level 41 Soul Ancestors! However, they hadn't fully grown yet and weren't the "Golden Generation" that would stun the Douluo Continent in seven or eight years! The true powerhouses of the elite class in the Martial Soul Hall were likely even stronger than them! It seemed life was about to get much more interesting!