After introducing the three, Bibi Dong was about to introduce Gu Qingshan when he stepped forward first.
He moved half a step ahead, his voice clear and bright. He showed none of the nervousness a six-year-old might feel around strangers.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Gu Qingshan. I'm six years old, my Martial Soul is Thorn Shield, and I'm a Level 15 Soul Master specializing in defense and counterattacks."
Hu Liena's pupils contracted slightly. What did it mean for a six-year-old to be a Level 15 Soul Master?
Even if he had Innate Full Soul Power, how long ago had he awakened?
A month?
He'd gained five levels in a month? What kind of speed was that?
Yan raised an eyebrow, then quickly lowered it again.
Level 15? So what? He was Level 37, two major ranks higher.
A one-ring Soul Grandmaster was no different from a paper doll in front of him, a three-ring Soul Elder.
He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Gu Qingshan added, "I'm still young and don't know my way around a lot of things, so I hope the three of you will look out for me."
The words were polite, but paired with his utterly unruffled expression, they somehow sounded a little off.
Yan couldn't hold back.
He rose from his seat, folded his arms across his chest, and looked down at Gu Qingshan. His tone carried a hint of provocation. "I hear your defense is pretty strong?"
Gu Qingshan looked up at him and blinked. "It's all right."
"How about I put it to the test?" Yan grinned, baring two rows of white teeth.
He wasn't deliberately trying to bully a child, but he did want to see just how capable this "genius" the Pope had personally taken as a disciple really was.
A Level 15 Soul Master at six years old sounded impressive, but actual combat was another matter.
Gu Qingshan fell silent for a moment, then smiled.
"Why don't all three of you come at me together? It'll save time."
Silence.
A deathly silence.
Hu Liena's expression froze, disbelief flashing through her foxlike eyes.
Yan's grin stiffened. First he looked stunned, then his expression turned into one of offended irritation.
Bibi Dong's hand paused slightly as she held her teacup. Her lowered eyelids hid the amusement that flickered through her eyes.
Yan was the first to blow up.
"What did you say?" His voice rose an octave. The pressure of his Flame Lord Martial Soul escaped him, and the main hall's temperature abruptly climbed several degrees. "You're a six-year-old brat, and you want all three of us to come at you together?"
Xie Yue said nothing, but stood up.
Hu Liena stood as well. She was one of the outstanding members of the Martial Soul Hall Golden Generation, a once-in-a-century genius.
Now a six-year-old child was telling her to "come at him together." No matter how she heard it, it sounded like an insult.
"Little brother, are you sure you're not joking?" Hu Liena's voice was a few degrees lower than usual, the bewitching quality of her Heavenly Fox Martial Soul seeping into it without her realizing.
Gu Qingshan's expression didn't change.
Her charm had no effect on him. It wasn't because he had some exceptionally strong willpower. A six-year-old might easily be charmed, but Thorn Shield wouldn't be.
"I'm sure. Teacher, what do you think?"
Gu Qingshan spoke as his gaze swept over the three of them, finally settling on Bibi Dong.
Bibi Dong set down her teacup and finally lifted her eyes.
She looked at the three eager young people, then at the little disciple before her, who was clearly only six but seemed far too composed for his age. She pondered for a moment.
"This... how about we call it off?"
For once, Bibi Dong's tone held a trace of hesitation. She wasn't worried that Gu Qingshan would be hurt; she knew better than anyone how terrifying his counterattacks were.
"Qingshan's counterattacks deal true damage. They can't be defended against."
There was one more thing Bibi Dong didn't say.
When she had tested Gu Qingshan's counterattacks, she had personally attacked Thorn Shield. Once the counterattack triggered, that true damage had pierced through every defense she had, leaving her with a minor injury.
She was a Level 98 Peak Douluo.
And yet a six-year-old child had managed to hurt her.
"Your Holiness the Pope, let us give it a try." Yan stepped forward, his fighting spirit blazing. "We won't hurt him. We'll just use our first Soul Skills and stop as soon as we land a hit."
Xie Yue nodded. "I'd also like to see just how strong the defense of a Level 15 Soul Master can be."
Bibi Dong sighed.
Gu Qingshan spoke at just the right moment, his tone so sincere it was almost unbelievable. "Teacher, please call a high-ranking healing Soul Master over, just in case."
Just in case.
Bibi Dong gave him a long, deep look. From those clear eyes, she read a message: Teacher, don't worry. I won't kill them.
"...All right."
Bibi Dong raised a hand and gestured for the guard at the door to fetch someone.
Before the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed, a middle-aged woman in white hurried in. She was a Soul Saint-level healer.
"Your Holiness the Pope." She bowed respectfully.
Bibi Dong nodded, her gaze sweeping over everyone present. "The main hall is too small. Let's go to the training grounds."
The training grounds lay west of the villa. They were a circular arena covering roughly three hundred square meters, with special Black Vein Stone paving the floor, strong enough to withstand Soul Emperor-level attacks without damage.
In the center of the training grounds.
Gu Qingshan stood facing Hu Liena and the other two, about twenty paces away.
"Both sides may release their Martial Souls and use Soul Skills, but lethal attacks are forbidden. If one side admits defeat or loses the ability to fight, the other side will be declared the winner." Bibi Dong's voice came from the stands.
She paused, her gaze settling on Gu Qingshan. "Qingshan, are you sure you'll be all right?"
"No problem." As he spoke, he adjusted the ratio of his counterattack.
Thirty percent.
That should be enough.
At sixty percent, given the health of these three Soul Elders, one hit would send them straight to the afterlife—beyond even the point where they could be saved.
Gu Qingshan was sure he'd thought everything through very carefully.
But the three across from him clearly didn't see it that way.
"Are you ready yet?" Yan was already getting impatient.
He saw Gu Qingshan standing completely still and thought the child was nervous.
"You can still admit defeat. We won't laugh at you."
Gu Qingshan came back to himself and glanced at him. "Let's go."
"Then begin," Bibi Dong said.
"Release your Martial Souls!"
Almost at the same moment, all four released their Martial Souls.
Crimson flames surged up around Yan as his Flame Lord Martial Soul fully manifested. Three Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet, two yellow and one purple—the optimal Soul Ring configuration.
His body grew taller, and dark red patterns appeared on his skin, like molten rock flowing beneath the surface. The air around him rippled from the heat.
A Curved Blade appeared in each of Xie Yue's hands. Their slender blades gleamed with a cold light, and his Soul Rings were also two yellow and one purple.
Hu Liena released her Martial Soul last, but it made the greatest commotion.
A huge Heavenly Fox apparition appeared behind her. Her hair turned fiery red, and between the strands, a pair of fluffy fox ears sprang up.
Three Soul Rings revolved around her. The instant her Martial Soul manifested, an invisible force of charm spread in every direction.
Bibi Dong nodded slightly. The three children had released their Martial Souls flawlessly, and their Soul Ring configurations were top-tier as well. They truly deserved to be called the Golden Generation.
Yet the next moment, her gaze froze.
Gu Qingshan had released his Martial Soul, too.
A shield.
A massive, dark golden shield appeared in front of Gu Qingshan's left arm.
The shield was about one and a half meters tall and half a meter wide. Its edges were uneven, as if it were made from countless intertwined thorns.
The shield's surface was covered in fine barbs, each one gleaming with a dark red light.
A Soul Ring rose from beneath Gu Qingshan's feet.
Purple.
A Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
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