After two days, the carriage returned to the outskirts of Spirit City.
Taking Lin Fan with him, Qian Xunji went straight to the Martial Soul Advanced Academy.
Along the way, the academy's students and teachers respectfully greeted Qian Xunji when they saw him bringing Lin Fan.
They arrived at the administration building and went straight to the dean's office.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in." A deep, powerful voice came from inside the office.
Qian Xunji pushed open the door and led Lin Fan inside.
"Saint Child, may I ask what brings you here?" An elderly, white-haired man rose and asked.
"Dean Wu Xuan, this is my disciple." Qian Xunji paused, then continued, "I want him to compete in this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament."
At this, Dean Wu Xuan furrowed his brow. "Twenty-seven levels of Soul Power? That's too low!"
"Wait!"
Dean Wu Xuan came to his senses, his eyes widening in astonishment. "He—he only went to obtain his Second Soul Ring a few days ago. How did he reach level twenty-seven so quickly?"
The corners of Qian Xunji's mouth lifted slightly. He said calmly, "Is level twenty-seven that impressive?"
"Hmph!" Dean Wu Xuan snorted, looking like he simply couldn't be bothered to explain.
Seeing this, Lin Fan stepped forward, and two purple Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet.
The first purple Soul Ring was very pale, but the second one that appeared was already a deep shade. Compared with the First Soul Ring, its color was incomparably richer!
Frowning, Wu Xuan asked in surprise, "Your Second Soul Ring is five thousand years old?"
Lin Fan nodded.
Seeing this, Qian Xunji casually took a seat beside them.
"My disciple obtained his Second Soul Ring from a Mystic Thunder Dragon that was over five thousand three hundred years old."
"Mystic Thunder Dragon?!" Wu Xuan raised an eyebrow. The Mystic Thunder Dragon had dragon blood in its veins and could be considered a lesser dragon.
"Can my disciple compete in this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament?" Qian Xunji asked with absolute confidence.
Wu Xuan looked at Lin Fan and fell into thought. At last, he said, "He can. But if Lin Fan's strength is too low, there's no way he'll be allowed on the field."
"Thank you, Dean Wu!" Lin Fan said respectfully.
With the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament coming up, his strength would improve rapidly.
And with his current strength, getting onto the field wouldn't be difficult.
As long as he mastered casting Intermediate Magic of the Lightning Element, even an ordinary Soul Ancestor wouldn't be his match.
That was thanks to his physical strength, the power of his magic, and the boosts from his Soul Skills!
"Good. Then it's settled."
Dean Wu Xuan made the final decision, then reached across the desk and picked up a silver token engraved with the Martial Soul Hall emblem. He handed it to Lin Fan. "This is your identity token as a reserve member of the academy's competition team. With it, you can freely enter the academy's training grounds and Soul Skill rooms. You must also attend the team's upcoming training sessions on time."
Lin Fan reached out and took the token. His fingertips brushed its cool metal surface, and a faint ripple of Soul Power surrounded it. It had clearly been made from special materials. He bowed again. "Thank you, Dean."
Leaning back in his chair, Qian Xunji tapped his fingers lightly on the desk and said, "Wu Xuan, give my disciple the same cultivation resources as the academy's top talents. If anything's missing, report it directly to Spirit Hall."
Dean Wu Xuan's mouth twitched. Inwardly, he couldn't help marveling: the Saint Child was spoiling Lin Fan rotten. Only a handful of students in the entire Martial Soul Advanced Academy received resources reserved for its top talents.
Still, given Lin Fan's heaven-defying talent, he didn't say much. He simply nodded. "Rest assured, Saint Child. I understand."
After discussing the tournament arrangements, Qian Xunji didn't linger. He rose and patted Lin Fan on the shoulder, his tone carrying a note of admonition. "Train hard at the academy and prepare for the tournament. Don't let me down. If anyone gives you trouble, don't hold back. Here, you can show your talent to your heart's content."
"Understood, Master." Lin Fan nodded firmly.
After watching Qian Xunji leave the office, Dean Wu Xuan looked at Lin Fan more warmly and pointed toward the door. "Go to the student dormitory and get settled in first. A mentor will take you around the academy later and explain the competition team's training schedule."
"Remember, the tournament is fast approaching, and the academy's training is extremely intense. If you can't handle it, withdraw as soon as possible. Don't bring shame on Spirit Hall."
"Don't worry, Dean. I won't withdraw." Lin Fan spoke with certainty, confidence shining in his eyes.
Leaving the dean's office, Lin Fan walked across the academy grounds with his identity token in hand.
Along the way, quite a few students noticed him. Seeing his unfamiliar face, they looked at him curiously.
In particular, when some of them sensed the faint aura of Soul Rings around him, they were so startled that they began whispering among themselves.
"Who's that? He looks unfamiliar. Is he a new student?"
"I don't know. I think he came in with the Saint Child just now. He must have quite the background!"
"Look at the aura of his Soul Rings! It seems like he only has two. How's that possible? The minimum requirement for the Advanced Soul Master Academy is level thirty!"
"He looks like he's only eight or nine years old. Who exactly is he?"
The whispers reached his ears, but Lin Fan paid them no mind. He headed straight for the student dormitory.
After completing the check-in procedures, he settled into a private elite dormitory. The room was simply furnished.
Once he was settled, Lin Fan didn't slack off for a moment. He immediately sat cross-legged on the bed and began familiarizing himself with his newfound strength.
Before long, someone knocked on his dormitory door. A middle-aged man in a mentor's uniform stood outside and spoke respectfully. "Student Lin Fan, I'm Qin Wei, the mentor in charge of the competition team. On the dean's orders, I'm here to take you to the training grounds for the team's training and introduce you to the other competitors."
"Sorry for the trouble, Mentor Qin Wei." Lin Fan rose and followed his mentor to the training grounds.
More than a dozen students had already gathered at the Martial Soul Advanced Academy's competition training ground. They were all carefully selected talents, mostly eighteen or nineteen years old. Even the weakest among them had over thirty levels of Soul Power and were close to reaching Soul Ancestor.
When they saw Lin Fan arrive with the mentor, everyone's eyes turned to him. Once they realized he had only twenty-seven levels of Soul Power and was a new member, quite a few looked at him with disdain and doubt.
"What's the dean thinking? Why bring in a newcomer with only level twenty-seven? We're going to compete in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament. With strength like that, he'll only hold us back!"
"Exactly. He looks young. He must've gotten in through the back door. Did connections get him onto the competition team?"
"A level-twenty-seven Soul Grandmaster won't even take a single move in the tournament. What a joke!"
The harsh doubts rose one after another. Several of the stronger students frowned, clearly displeased by Lin Fan's inclusion.
A Soul Master with level twenty-seven was the kind of talent only some weaker Advanced Soul Master Academies could produce.
But at the Martial Soul Academy, someone like that wouldn't even qualify to enter the Advanced Soul Master Academy.
Lin Fan's expression remained calm as he joined the group, turning a deaf ear to their doubts.
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