Conspiracy, Martial Soul Forest

Lin Fan read the excitement and reliance in the depths of Bibi Dong's eyes, the smile at the corners of his lips growing even gentler.

He quietly raised his hand and squeezed the back of her hand, offering her encouragement.

Qian Xunji took in their small interaction, not stopping them, but rather, the expectation in his eyes grew even more intense.

Lin Fan was steady in mind and possessed exceptional talent; with him by her side to look after Bibi Dong, these two children would surely complement each other in the future and become the sharpest blades of Martial Soul Hall.

"Since the plan is set, let us settle this matter here."

Qian Xunji said indifferently, "For the next three days, you shall focus on consuming the Whale Rubber, tempering your physical bodies with all your might, and adjusting your physical states to their peak."

"Understood." Lin Fan and Bibi Dong bowed in unison, their tones filled with respect.

Qian Xunji nodded, then said, "Very well, go back to class."

Hearing this, Lin Fan and Bibi Dong nodded and walked toward the training grounds.

Watching their retreating figures, Qian Xunji's heart was filled with gratification.

With two disciples of such monstrous talent as Lin Fan and Bibi Dong, why should he worry about the future prosperity of Martial Soul Hall?

"Father, although my talent is indeed inferior to yours, these two disciples of mine will surely push Martial Soul Hall to an even higher level in the future!"

Qian Xunji laughed heartily, "Just watch, under the leadership of my disciples, Martial Soul Hall will completely change the landscape of the continent!"

Not long after leaving the pavilion, Bibi Dong took Lin Fan's arm, her small face full of excitement.

"Senior Brother, we will soon have our own soul rings! In the future, I will be able to unleash soul skills, and I won't have to be stumped by the soul master theories in class anymore!"

She skipped along happily, shedding her usual reserve, though her eyes dimmed slightly for a moment when she mentioned her Twin Spider Emperor martial soul.

Lin Fan sensed her mood, stopped in his tracks, and looked at her earnestly, "Junior Sister, your martial soul is not ugly at all; on the contrary, it is extremely powerful. In the future, no one in the entire soul master world will be able to compare to you."

"Do not care about the eyes of others. With me here, no one will dare to look down on you."

These straightforward and resolute words instantly struck the softest part of Bibi Dong's heart. Her eyes grew slightly warm, and she nodded vigorously, "Mm! I believe in you, Senior Brother!"

Martial Soul Hall

Council Hall

Pushing the door open, Qian Xunji walked in with a look of joy.

"What is the matter that makes you so happy?" Qian Daoliu asked, looking at his son's expression.

Hearing this, Qian Xunji suppressed the excitement in his heart and spoke, "Father, I just learned of the situation regarding my two disciples."

"Their performance in practical combat class is outstanding, and their speed of progress is incredibly fast."

"Oh?" Qian Daoliu exclaimed in surprise. He naturally knew exactly what the curriculum of the junior soul master academy entailed.

If their physical fitness could improve so rapidly, it certainly wasn't just "fast" in the ordinary sense; after all, if it were, Qian Xunji would have no reason to come to him to discuss it.

Seeing this, Qian Xunji continued, "I tested their physical fitness. Little Fan's physique is already comparable to a Tool Soul Master at the Soul Grand Master level."

"Dong'er's is slightly worse, but not by much."

"Speak, what exactly is going on?" Qian Daoliu wore an interested expression.

For physical fitness to improve so much in such a short time, they must have used some unknown method.

"Father, are you aware of the Whale Rubber produced by soul beasts in the sea?"

Qian Xunji's voice lowered, yet it was filled with excitement, "In the past, everyone on the continent only regarded it as a common nourishing medicinal material, used at most for recreation and recovery."

"But Little Fan unexpectedly discovered the true wonder of Whale Rubber—this substance can directly temper a soul master's body, significantly increasing their physical strength, thereby increasing the age limit of the soul rings they can absorb!"

"Whale Rubber?" Qian Daoliu frowned; he was naturally aware of this item.

"Have you experimented with it?"

Hearing this, Qian Xunji's expression froze, and he shook his head.

"You are still too impatient." Qian Daoliu shook his head calmly, "However, since only the four of us know about this for now, there is no need to be too anxious."

"You go and conduct an experiment first to see if this Whale Rubber is truly as Little Fan described."

"If it is truly effective, it will greatly enhance the strength of our mid-level soul masters in Martial Soul Hall."

"When that time comes, we will mobilize all the power of Martial Soul Hall and sweep up all the Whale Rubber we can before other forces discover it and before we take action."

"Understood!" Qian Xunji said, and he hurried out of the council hall.

Two days later

"I can finally control the fourth star!" Lin Fan looked at the Lightning Element star in his hand and smiled faintly.

He then got up and washed up...

Not long after, Qian Xunji arrived, accompanied by someone.

"Little Fan, Dong'er, are you ready?" Qian Xunji smiled.

"We are ready!" Lin Fan and Bibi Dong replied.

"This is Dean Zhu. He has already made a plan for what kind of soul beasts you need to hunt this time," Qian Xunji said with a smile.

Lin Fan respectfully replied, "Thank you, Dean Zhu!"

Bibi Dong respectfully said, "Thank you, Dean Zhu!"

"It's nothing," Dean Zhu waved his hand casually and continued, "The Saint Son has told me everything. Your plan is excellent."

"Let's talk as we walk. Regarding thunder-attribute spirit beasts, I can recommend over a dozen, such as the Thunder Fang Wolf..."

The Martial Soul Forest, belonging to the Martial Soul Hall, is a spirit beast forest managed by the Hall. The strongest within it are two spirit beasts over eight thousand years old.

"Thank you for your trouble, Dean Zhu. I think the Thunder Pattern Tiger, Thunder Roc, and Golden Thunder Bamboo are quite good," Lin Fan said, admiration showing in his eyes after listening to Dean Zhu's explanation.

Although this dean was only a Spirit King, his understanding of spirit beasts was so profound!

Furthermore, Dean Zhu had even brought up the plant-type Golden Thunder Bamboo among these dozen-plus spirit beasts!

What did this signify?

Yu Xiaogang's theory was plagiarism!

Yu Xiaogang's book, "Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul," contained a chapter stating that beast-type spirit masters could absorb spirit rings from other types of spirit beasts.

For example, beast-type spirit masters could absorb spirit rings dropped by plant-type spirit beasts, and plant-type spirit beasts could absorb spirit rings dropped by spirit beasts.

But before this theory emerged, weapon-type spirit masters could only absorb spirit rings dropped by weapons?

Yet, everyone knew that weapons had no life, so where would spirit rings come from?

Weapons were merely forged by humans, and damaging them would not result in spirit rings.

"These three are indeed more suitable, but they will require more effort to find, as traces of these three spirit beasts are rare in the Martial Soul Forest," Dean Zhu said.

Along the way, Lin Fan sneered inwardly.

Yu Xiaogang's so-called Ten Core Competencies were merely picking up scraps and pretending to be profound.

True powerhouses who understood spirit masters and spirit beasts would never publicize such common knowledge as earth-shattering theories.

If not for Yu Xiaogang's ability to package himself and brag, with his shallow knowledge, he wouldn't even be fit to carry Dean Zhu's shoes.

Bibi Dong walked beside Lin Fan and asked softly, "Senior Brother, are plant-type spirit rings really suitable for you?"

Lin Fan turned his head to look at her and said softly, "There is no absolute conclusion on the path of martial souls. What suits you is the best."

Bibi Dong nodded as if she understood, her gaze towards Lin Fan filled with even greater admiration.