Lin Fan understood the delight and dependence in Bibi Dong's eyes, and the smile at the corner of his lips grew gentler.
He quietly raised a hand and squeezed the back of hers, offering her encouragement.
Qian Xunji saw their little gesture but said nothing to stop them. Instead, his eyes filled with even greater hope.
Lin Fan was levelheaded and exceptionally talented. With him by Bibi Dong's side to look after her, the two children would surely complement each other in the future and become the sharpest blades in the Spirit Hall's arsenal.
"Since the plan is settled, then that's that."
Qian Xunji said calmly, "For the next three days, take the Whale Rubber without worry and do your best to temper your bodies. Get yourselves into the best possible shape."
"Yes." Lin Fan and Bibi Dong bowed together, their voices full of respect.
Qian Xunji nodded, then said, "All right, go back to class."
Lin Fan and Bibi Dong nodded and headed toward the training field.
Watching them go, Qian Xunji felt deeply gratified.
With two exceptionally gifted disciples like Lin Fan and Bibi Dong, how could the Spirit Hall's future fail to flourish?
"Father, my talent may indeed be inferior to yours, but these two disciples of mine will surely take the Spirit Hall to even greater heights!"
Qian Xunji burst into laughter. "Just watch. Under my disciples' leadership, the Spirit Hall will completely reshape the balance of power on the continent!"
They had barely left the pavilion when Bibi Dong linked her arm through Lin Fan's, her little face alight with excitement.
"Senior Brother, we'll have Soul Rings soon! Then I'll be able to use Soul Skills too, and I won't get stuck on Soul Master knowledge in theory class anymore!"
She bounced along cheerfully, no longer the least bit reserved. But when she spoke of her Twin Spider Emperor Martial Soul, her eyes still dimmed for a moment.
Lin Fan noticed her mood and stopped, looking at her earnestly. "Junior Sister, your Martial Soul isn't ugly at all. It's incredibly powerful. In the future, no one in the entire Soul Master World will be able to match you."
"Don't worry about what other people think. With me here, no one will dare look down on you."
His blunt, certain words struck the softest place in Bibi Dong's heart. Her eyes grew warm, and she nodded firmly. "Mm! I believe you, Senior Brother!"
Spirit Hall
Council Chamber
Qian Xunji pushed open the door and walked in, unable to hide his delight.
"What's got you so happy?" Qian Daoliu asked, looking at his son.
Qian Xunji held back his excitement and said, "Father, I just found out how my two disciples have been doing."
"They've performed exceptionally well in practical classes, and they're improving at an astonishing rate."
"Oh?" Qian Daoliu exclaimed in surprise. He knew exactly what the curriculum at a Primary Soul Master Academy was like.
Their physical abilities must have improved at an extraordinary pace—not just an ordinary one. Otherwise, Qian Xunji wouldn't have come to tell him about it.
Seeing his reaction, Qian Xunji continued, "I tested their physical abilities. Xiaofan's body is already comparable to that of a Soul Grandmaster-level weapon Soul Master."
Dong'er's results were a little lower, but not by much."
"Tell me, what's really going on?" Qian Daoliu asked, looking intrigued.
Their physical abilities couldn't have improved so much in such a short time without some little-known method.
"Father, have you heard of Whale Rubber, produced by sea-dwelling Soul Beasts?"
Qian Xunji lowered his voice further, excitement clear in his tone. "People on the continent have always treated it as an ordinary tonic, useful at most for boosting pleasure and recovery."
"But Xiaofan accidentally discovered its true use—it can directly temper a Soul Master's body, greatly strengthening it and raising the age limit of the Soul Rings they can absorb!"
"Whale Rubber?" Qian Daoliu furrowed his brow. He knew of the stuff, of course.
"Have you tested it?"
Qian Xunji froze, then shook his head.
"You're still too impatient." Qian Daoliu shook his head calmly. "But for now, only the four of us know about this, so there's no need to rush."
"Test it first and see if the Whale Rubber really works as Xiaofan says."
"If it does, it could greatly improve the strength of our mid-ranking Soul Masters."
"Then we'll mobilize the full strength of the Spirit Hall and gather all the Whale Rubber we can before the other factions discover it and make a move."
"Yes!" Qian Xunji replied, then hurried out of the council chamber.
Two days later
"I can control a fourth Star Seed now!" Lin Fan looked at the Lightning Element Star Seed in his hand and smiled faintly.
Then he got up and washed...
Before long, Qian Xunji arrived with someone.
"Xiaofan, Dong'er, are you ready?" Qian Xunji asked with a smile.
"We're ready!" Lin Fan and Bibi Dong replied.
"This is Dean Zhu. He's already made a plan for what kind of Soul Beasts you need to hunt this time," Qian Xunji said with a smile.
"Thank you for your help, Dean Zhu," Lin Fan said respectfully.
"Thank you for your help, Dean Zhu," Bibi Dong said respectfully.
"Think nothing of it." Dean Zhu waved a hand casually, then said, "The Saint Child has told me all about it. Your plan is quite good."
"Let's talk as we go. I recommend more than a dozen Lightning Element Soul Beasts, including the Thunder Fang Wolf..."
The Martial Soul Forest belonged to the Spirit Hall. It was a forest where the Spirit Hall kept Soul Beasts in captivity, and its strongest inhabitants were two Soul Beasts that were over eight thousand years old.
"Thank you for taking the trouble, Dean Zhu. I think the Thunder Pattern Tiger, Thunder Roc, and Golden Thunder Bamboo are all excellent choices." After hearing Dean Zhu's explanation, Lin Fan couldn't help but feel impressed.
Although the dean was only a Soul King, his knowledge of Soul Beasts was astonishingly profound!
What's more, among the dozen or so Soul Beasts Dean Zhu had recommended was a Plant-type one: Golden Thunder Bamboo!
What did that prove?
Yu Xiaogang's theories were plagiarized!
One chapter in Yu Xiaogang's Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul stated that Beast Martial Soul users could absorb Soul Rings from different types of Soul Beasts.
For example, Beast Martial Soul users could absorb Soul Rings dropped by Plant-type Soul Beasts, and Plant-type Soul Beasts could absorb Soul Rings dropped by Soul Beasts.
Before this theory came along, were weapon Martial Soul users only able to absorb Soul Rings dropped by weapons?
But who didn't know that weapons had no life? Where would their Soul Rings come from?
Weapons were made by humans, after all, and destroying them wouldn't make a Soul Ring appear.
"These three really are the best fit, but finding them will take some effort. They're all quite rare in the Martial Soul Forest," Dean Zhu said.
As they walked, Lin Fan sneered inwardly.
Yu Xiaogang's so-called Ten Core Competencies were nothing more than secondhand ideas dressed up to sound profound.
True experts who understood Soul Masters and Soul Beasts would never pass off common knowledge as some earth-shattering theory.
If Yu Xiaogang weren't so good at packaging his ideas and boasting, his shallow knowledge wouldn't even qualify him to carry Dean Zhu's shoes.
Walking beside Lin Fan, Bibi Dong asked quietly, "Senior Brother, is a Plant Element Soul Ring really right for you?"
Lin Fan turned to her and replied softly, "There are no absolute rules on the path of Martial Souls. What suits you best is what matters most."
Bibi Dong nodded, only half understanding, and looked at Lin Fan with even greater admiration.
Before you continue