Just as Lin Fan was preparing to attack again, Li Xiong's voice rang out. "Stop. You've forced me to use my fourth Soul Skill. I recognize your strength!"
At that, the Lightning Element magic Lin Fan had been about to release vanished in an instant.
Li Xiong laughed heartily. "Brother Lin Fan, I underestimated you. Once your Soul Power rises a few more levels, I definitely won't be a match for you. I look forward to learning from you during our training!"
Lin Fan smiled faintly. "You're strong, too. If my Martial Soul weren't special and my Soul Skills didn't give me such a huge boost, I wouldn't have been able to hold out against you for so long."
After exchanging a few compliments, the two grew closer.
Off to the side, Qin Wei smiled with satisfaction. He didn't want the team members treating each other like sworn enemies during their upcoming training.
Instructor Qin Wei stepped forward and swept his gaze across the crowd. His voice was steady and firm. "The purpose of this spar was to help you understand your own strength and see that levels aren't everything, though you mustn't overlook the gap in cultivation realms, either."
"Li Xiong had the advantage of deep Soul Power reserves and the overwhelming edge of being a Soul Ancestor."
"Lin Fan had the advantage of his heaven-defying combat talent and unique fighting methods. Both of you showed plenty of strengths, each in your own way."
He paused, then looked at Lin Fan with a little more approval in his eyes. "Lin Fan, even though your Soul Power is lower, you still deserve a place on the competition team. During training, you can spar with the others to make up for your weaknesses and improve your Soul Power and combat experience as quickly as possible."
"Thank you, Instructor." Lin Fan bowed. His tone was calm, without a trace of dejection at having lost. Instead, an even fiercer fighting spirit burned in his eyes.
"Introduce yourselves," Qin Wei said to the other students.
"Ye Qing. Martial Soul: Green Edge Sword. Level 45 Power Attack System Battle Soul Ancestor."
A man with sharply arched brows and bright eyes, his figure as straight as a sword, spoke up.
Lin Fan nodded to him with a faint smile.
Next, a broad-shouldered man with bulging muscles spoke in a ringing voice. "Liu Xuan. Martial Soul: Red Flame Tiger. Level 44 Power Attack System Battle Soul Ancestor."
As soon as he finished, a slender figure stepped out beside him. Though lean, the figure had taut, defined lines and radiated a sharp aura. The introduction was brisk.
"Xiao Yuan. Martial Soul: Wind Demon Blade. Level 44 Agility Attack System Battle Soul Ancestor."
Then a gentle female voice rang out. A pair of colorful butterfly wings shimmered behind the girl, slowly beating as flecks of light drifted around her. "Chu Tingting. Martial Soul: Fluorescent Crystal Butterfly. Level 42 Support System Battle Soul Ancestor."
As she spoke, Chu Tingting lifted a hand and swept it lightly through the air. A shower of pale pink fluorescent dust drifted down, landing precisely on Li Xiong, who had just finished fighting and was receiving treatment nearby.
The moment the glow touched his wounds, they began to heal and scab over at a visible speed. The dust stopped the bleeding and eased the pain almost instantly.
With the introductions over, Lin Fan had a good understanding of the contestants from Martial Soul Academy.
There were members of every system: Power Attack, Agility Attack, Control, Defense, Support, and more!
But the team was still missing two people!
A captain and a vice-captain!
They were receiving specialized training. Their Soul Power far surpassed everyone else's, and they had already gone to Star Dou Forest to obtain their fifth Soul Rings!
Martial Soul Academy's foundations were undeniably formidable!
Including Lin Fan, there were eleven or twelve students in all, set to represent Martial Soul Academy at the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament.
Aside from Lin Fan and one student with a Support-type Martial Soul, everyone else had already reached the Soul Ancestor realm!
Under Qin Wei's direction, Li Xiong, Ye Qing, and the others soon began team coordination training.
That left only Lin Fan and Chu Tingting.
Seeing this, Lin Fan turned to Qin Wei. "Instructor Qin Wei, I have something I need to request leave for."
At that, Qin Wei's expression darkened. Lin Fan had only arrived for training that day, and he was already asking for leave?
Did he think this place was somewhere to fool around?
"Go ahead. If it isn't important, I won't approve it," Qin Wei said, his tone edged with anger.
"It's like this, Instructor. My Martial Soul is special. Even without Soul Skills, I can release attacks similar to Soul Skills."
As Lin Fan spoke, Star Seeds appeared in his hand, forty-nine purple-black Star Seeds drifting around his palm.
Seeing this, Qin Wei said, "I noticed those little points of light when you released your attack-type Soul Skill during the fight just now."
"But you only had seven before. Why are there forty-nine now?"
"That's what I wanted to explain." Lin Fan smiled slightly. "When my Martial Soul awakened, I already had these Star Seeds. When I broke through to level twenty, their number increased sevenfold from the original seven. That's why there are forty-nine now."
"Even with only seven Star Seeds, the Soul Skill's power was no weaker than a thousand-year Soul Skill. With the boost from my Soul Ring, it became even stronger."
"If I can fully control all forty-nine Star Seeds and release the Soul Skill, I think its power will be even greater."
"So you want to take leave and finally get those Star Seeds you haven't been able to control all these years under control?" Qin Wei's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected Lin Fan's Martial Soul to be this powerful!
A Soul Skill that came naturally with his Martial Soul! It had some limitations, but they weren't serious. He just needed time to overcome them!
Lin Fan nodded. "Yes. I can only control a dozen or so Star Seeds right now. It'll take me quite a while to fully control them and make them move faster."
Qin Wei nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "How long will you need?"
"About two months," Lin Fan replied, full of confidence.
"Two months..." Qin Wei murmured, then said, "All right. But you can't neglect your training during that time."
"It'd be best if you still came here every morning for intensive training and more combat experience."
"Okay." Lin Fan nodded, agreeing.
Combat experience wasn't something you could gain just by cultivating. Only real fights could make you stronger, until you could hold your own against Soul Masters at the same level even without relying on powerful Soul Power.
Nearby, Chu Tingting watched Lin Fan with a curious expression.
She was full of anticipation. Just how powerful would Lin Fan's Soul Skill, released through forty-nine Star Seeds, be two months from now?
After all, she had watched Lin Fan fight. She hadn't observed as carefully as Qin Wei had, but she could still tell just how powerful the Soul Skill formed by linking those seven Star Seeds was!
Even without the boost from a Soul Ring, she thought, it would probably be as powerful as their second Soul Ring!
Lin Fan noticed Chu Tingting's gaze and turned to smile at her before leaving.
When he returned to the dormitory, he saw a slender figure standing outside his door.
The girl had long, pale pink hair that fell smoothly around her shoulders and fluttered lightly in the breeze. Her skin was fair and delicate, her face full of youthful softness, and her refined features gave her a lively, endearing air.
She wore the uniform of a junior Soul Master at Martial Soul Academy.
Lin Fan's expression softened. He ambled over and called out gently, "Junior Sister."
"Senior Brother!" Bibi Dong exclaimed delightedly, then threw herself toward Lin Fan.
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