"When it came to the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, your age this year would put you at the level of a reserve team member. But based on my experience competing in the past, even on a team that made it to the semifinals, you wouldn't hold them back."
"If we counted the summons created by your Soul Skills, you'd even be a main force in the finals."
"Unless something unexpected happens, you're sure to get the rewards for both advanced tournaments."
Zhang Lexuan said to Lin Yun.
Lin Yun replied meaningfully,
"If things really go that way, I'll burn incense in thanks. It's just that, looking at the current state of the continent, I don't think it'll give me that much time to grow."
At the mention of the continent's situation, Zhang Lexuan couldn't help sighing. She said with evident concern,
"That's true. You really were born in the worst of times."
Lin Yun took a sip of tea, then smoothly delivered a flirtatious line.
"Not necessarily. If I hadn't been born in this era, how could I have met a beauty like you?"
Zhang Lexuan's face quickly flushed red. She lightly kicked Lin Yun, then chided him,
"Stop fooling around. We're talking about serious matters, and you've gone off track again."
Lin Yun smiled, then said to Zhang Lexuan,
"How is that off track? That's the honest truth. There's a ninety-nine percent chance I meant every word."
Zhang Lexuan couldn't help laughing.
"Ninety-nine percent of that was the honest truth? How much?"
Lin Yun rolled his eyes and pretended to feel guilty as he said,
"Then don't ask. Either way, I meant it."
Zhang Lexuan gave Lin Yun a gentle shove, then said,
"All right, back to business. I'm definitely too old to participate in the next Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."
"And to be honest, I don't want to join the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy. I plan to use this time to try to break through to the Titled Douluo realm."
"So unless it's necessary, don't get yourself into too much trouble while I'm away."
Concern colored Zhang Lexuan's voice. Lin Yun smiled and said,
"Don't worry, senior. As for my safety, I think I have other protection, so I won't need your help much. But breaking through to the Titled Douluo realm is important, so do your best!"
After returning to the Sun Moon Empire, Zhang Lexuan didn't go back to Ming Capital. Instead, she found a small town near the capital and bought herself a quiet room, saying she planned to go into seclusion and break through.
Lin Yun didn't intend to keep disturbing her. With the Holy Spirit Cult's help, he quickly enrolled in the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy.
Although Lin Yun had lost some time at Shrek Academy, once he started taking Soul Tool classes in earnest, he found they weren't actually that difficult.
The hardest part was engraving the arrays. That really was tedious.
Through the Holy Spirit Cult's arrangements, Snow Empress was placed in the same class as him. Lin Yun couldn't help marveling at just how deeply the Holy Spirit Cult had infiltrated the Sun Moon Empire.
All he could say was that Xu Tianran's later plan to turn the tables on the Holy Spirit Cult depended on the other side practically handing him the opportunity.
If Long Xiaoyao hadn't made a muddle of things, Xu Tianran's incredible plan to kill the donkey once it had ground the mill would have doomed half the Sun Moon Empire.
But now that Lin Yun had become the Holy Spirit Cult's Holy Son, whether Xu Tianran's plan could still succeed was anyone's guess.
A little over a month later, as the dismissal bell rang, the homeroom teacher of Lin Yun's class pinned a notice to the blackboard.
<Notice on Recruiting Reserve Team Members for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament>
The requirements for applicants were listed below. Both Lin Yun and Snow Empress met them.
The reserve team's selection requirements were fairly high. Applicants needed to be at least Level 3 Soul Engineers. It was hard to say whether the academy had deliberately set the bar there because Lin Yun and Snow Empress had just earned that qualification.
In any case, it was enough for now.
In truth, Lin Yun still didn't entirely trust the Sun Moon Empire. He was afraid they might take him away and cut him open. In reality, he was already capable of successfully crafting the Core Arrays for Level 4 Soul Tools.
He could even craft two at once. By the Sun Moon Empire's standards, that meant Lin Yun was at the peak of Level 4 and ready to make a push for Level 5.
But he had only just arrived a little over a month ago. Jumping straight to Level 4 would be a bit too hard to explain. Besides, the qualification didn't affect his combat strength; it was just a title. Lin Yun had no intention of drawing that much attention.
Ultimately, it had been a coincidence. In Lin Yun's view, as long as he memorized the diagrams showing how to engrave the Soul Guidance Arrays, putting them together felt a bit like building with LEGO in his previous life.
After failing once or twice at the start, he got smoother and smoother.
Snow Empress, meanwhile, was a born snow spirit, a being nurtured by heaven and earth. Her mind was exceptionally clear, and she had the cultivation of a Soul Beast who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years.
After a little adjustment, she quickly mastered the rhythm of engraving Soul Guidance Arrays. In that particular field, she was even steadier and more practiced than Lin Yun.
"Are you planning to take part in this selection?"
Snow Empress watched Lin Yun study the notice with great seriousness and asked in puzzlement.
Lin Yun nodded and said,
"I do want to go. It's a chance to see several generations of top experts."
"Besides, aren't you close to the Five-Ring Soul King level? The Star Dou Forest is close to the Star Luo Empire, too. Once the competition ends, we can go there and resolve your problem."
Snow Empress was silent for a while, then said,
"Aren't you afraid you'll draw Di Tian here?"
Lin Yun smiled and said,
"If Di Tian comes, then we'll just die. If you insist on drawing Di Tian here, who could stop you?"
Snow Empress rolled her eyes at Lin Yun and said,
"If you were really going to die, you wouldn't be so willing. But you have a point. The Star Luo Great Forest does have more Soul Beasts than the Extreme North, so there may be a few suitable ones for me. And if I want to advance further, I really would do better with more elemental attributes close to ice."
Lin Yun nodded, then said,
"Then let's both go. Shall I get the forms?"
Snow Empress nodded in agreement, and Lin Yun went to the teacher's desk and took two forms.
While the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy was recruiting its reserve team, Shrek Academy was doing something similar.
Of course, everyone knew what Shrek Academy's examinations were like. They were barely any different from drawing lots at random.
A whole group of people would be thrown together without knowing they were about to fight in a melee. A Soul Master who fought at range might end up standing right beside a super-close-combat Soul Master with a White Tiger Martial Soul, and get knocked out before they could even use a Soul Skill.
Take the unlucky Ning Tian, for example. She came up with her team, and Bei Bei happened to be right beside her.
The moment they heard the command to begin the melee, before she could even react, the Thunder Dragon Head knocked her off the stage.
This had almost nothing to do with strength. It all came down to where you chose to stand at the start. Of course, you could also get caught by an information gap...
Before you continue