When he heard the Pope's arrangements, Education Committee member Sheldon's heart gave a lurch. He asked cautiously, "You want the three of them to accompany him? Your Holiness the Pope, they're only level 33 or 34 right now. Is that really..."
Before Zhang Yang enrolled, Xie Yue, Hu Liena, and Yan had been the three brightest prodigies at Spirit Hall Academy. They had all broken through and become Soul Elders by the age of thirteen.
Hu Liena, in particular, had been taken as Bibi Dong's personal disciple.
But after Zhang Yang had been at the academy for a while, the three of them had lost some of their luster as geniuses.
It wasn't that they weren't talented. It was just that when compared to Zhang Yang, they didn't seem quite so extraordinary.
Since Zhang Yang had stolen their reputation as prodigies, Sheldon didn't dare claim that none of the three held any resentment toward him.
After all, even an enormous organization like Spirit Hall had money to spend everywhere, and the resources set aside for its geniuses were limited.
Every extra bite Zhang Yang got meant one less bite for the three of them.
Every extra serving Zhang Yang got meant one of the three would have to go hungry.
So, on the surface, Sheldon's words were about worrying that the three of them weren't strong enough to take on the task of protecting him.
In truth, he feared that jealousy might get the better of them, and that they might use the chance to tamper with things while hunting for Soul Rings.
They wouldn't go so far as to kill him outright and be done with it, but it would be easy enough to do something that hurt him without benefiting them.
For example, they could arrange for Zhang Yang to absorb a Soul Ring with a lower age limit.
A thousand-year Soul Ring and a Soul Ring at the limit of 1,760 years were both purple, but the gap between them was enormous.
They could also help Zhang Yang hunt a Soul Beast ill-suited to him, ruining his third Soul Skill.
Without even racking his brains, Sheldon had come up with several plans that could hurt Zhang Yang.
Bibi Dong hadn't caught Sheldon's unspoken meaning. She assumed he was simply worried about their strength and added, "It's fine. Pope Palace will send a Titled Douluo to accompany them."
Hearing this, Sheldon finally felt reassured.
With a Titled Douluo accompanying Zhang Yang, there was no need to worry that Xie Yue, Hu Liena, and Yan would try anything.
Of course, if Zhang Yang still got into trouble with a Titled Douluo there, then it could only mean the one plotting against him wasn't the three of them, but the Pope herself.
Whatever the case, the Education Committee wouldn't have to bear the Pope's wrath.
With that settled, Sheldon took his leave. Bibi Dong was left alone in the reception hall.
"Zhang Yang..." Bibi Dong murmured.
Zhang Yang had become a real dilemma for Bibi Dong.
As Pope, she had long since decided to groom Hu Liena as the next Pope.
There was no helping it. Hu Liena was so much like Bibi Dong.
She was an orphan, had an animal-type Martial Soul, and was exceptionally gifted.
But Zhang Yang's sudden rise had thrown Bibi Dong's plans into turmoil.
If Zhang Yang's light shone too brightly, and Hu Liena couldn't keep him in check despite being his contemporary, then it would be far too difficult for her to succeed Bibi Dong as Pope.
I absolutely can't let him threaten Hu Liena's position, Bibi Dong thought.
She couldn't suppress or scheme against Zhang Yang. His strength was an asset to Spirit Hall.
What Bibi Dong intended to do was make Zhang Yang give up the struggle for the position of Pope of his own accord.
She could groom him to become an Adjudicator Elder, or something else.
That way, after Hu Liena succeeded her as Pope, Zhang Yang's formidable strength would become a brand-new trump card for Spirit Hall.
But making someone an Adjudicator Elder wasn't something Bibi Dong could decide on her own.
She needed the support of the Consecrated Elders.
And the head of the Consecrated Elders was Qian Daoliu, Qian Xunji's father.
To make someone from the Pope's faction an Adjudicator Elder, she would have to offer the Consecrated Elders a position of equal standing in return.
But what position could Bibi Dong offer Qian Daoliu in exchange?
"This matter needs careful consideration." Bibi Dong lightly tapped the ground with her scepter, then rose and left the reception hall.
In his dorm room, Zhang Yang was sorting through the haul from his last run.
In yesterday's final run, Zhang Yang had brought out 8.7 million, one red card, one "Bust of Claudius," and one "Reis's Gramophone."
"Red, Bust of Claudius"
"Value: 1,392,878"
"Art Collectible"
"1.09 kg, 2×3 slots"
"A bust made by Asara's famous artist, based on the Roman Emperor Claudius."
"Special effect of red collectible: Unlocks squad matchmaking and allows you to set teammate types before entering the map."
"Note: Works even better when paired with the red collectible [Reis's Gramophone]."
"Red, Reis's Gramophone"
"Value: 1,282,036"
"Art Collectible"
"2.5 kg, 2×3 slots"
"This melody never fades, remaining forever in people's hearts."
"Special effect of red collectible: Unlocks the friends list, allowing you to record Soul Master profiles, create lifelike digital models of Soul Masters, and add their data to your teammate settings."
Zhang Yang had already seen the special effects of these two classic red collectibles last night.
They were clearly meant to work together.
It had been too late yesterday, so Zhang Yang had only put them in the Collection Room and activated their effects. He hadn't studied them closely. Now he could finally give them a try.
First, he checked the effect of the [Bust of Claudius].
"[Bust of Claudius], display level 1. Attribute: Basic customization of teammate types."
On the standby screen, Zhang Yang noticed that six "+" signs had appeared beside his character model.
He tapped one of them, and a new screen popped up.
"Please set your teammate type."
"Gender: Male/Female"
"Age: [Enter]"
"Soul Power: [Enter] (25–35)"
"Martial Soul Type: Tool Martial Soul/Beast Martial Soul"
"Soul Master Type: Power Attack System/Agility Attack System/Control System/Defense System/Support System/Food System"
"[Generate Randomly] [Save Teammate] [Import Data]"
"Saved teammate types: None"
Zhang Yang tried generating a few teammates with basic settings and found that their profiles had nothing to recommend them.
Their Martial Souls were average, their Soul Skills were average, and their attack power was average too.
They were the very picture of a roadside stray.
They were good enough as followers to draw enemy aggro, but nowhere near good enough to become teammates who could work well with him.
"The level-one [Bust of Claudius] is downright useless."
Zhang Yang turned his attention to [Reis's Gramophone].
"[Reis's Gramophone], display level 1. Attribute: Allows you to add existing Soul Masters as friends and record basic profile information."
A "Friends List" option had also appeared in the lower-right corner of the standby screen. He tapped it, but it was completely empty.
"Tsk. I can't do anything with it yet." Zhang Yang shook his head and closed the system screen.
Afternoon.
"Knock, knock-knock."
Zhang Yang opened his eyes at the sound of someone knocking on the dormitory door. "Who is it?"
"Zhang Yang, it's me." It was Teacher Dewey's voice.
Hearing him, Zhang Yang reluctantly got up, came out of his bedroom, and opened the door. "Sorry, Teacher Dewey. I was cultivating in my room."
Dewey didn't come inside. With a warm smile, he said, "No wonder you're making such quick progress. Your diligence alone puts you beyond your classmates."
Zhang Yang chuckled but didn't respond. "Please come in, Teacher. I'll get you some water."
"No need, Zhang Yang. Come with me to the first floor. There are a few people I'd like you to meet."
"Hm? Who?" Zhang Yang asked, puzzled.
"You'll find out when I introduce you," Dewey said.
Following Dewey downstairs, Zhang Yang stepped into the living room. The first thing he saw was a head of striking, fiery red hair.
At the sound of their arrival, the three people sitting upright on the sofa rose one after another and looked toward the stairs.
Then Zhang Yang's gaze was drawn to a lovely face.
She was the only girl among them. She had beautiful, shoulder-length golden-pink hair, and her features bore some resemblance to the man beside her.
At first glance, she didn't seem particularly beautiful. But on closer inspection, there was a peculiar charm about her.
"Zhang Yang, let me introduce you: Xie Yue, Hu Liena, and Yan."
Zhang Yang understood at once.
He naturally knew who the three of them were. He had already been studying at Spirit Hall Academy for two years. How could he not have heard of them?
They were Spirit Hall Academy's genius team, famed for overwhelming all the geniuses across eighteen classes before and after theirs.
Hu Liena, in particular, stood out among the three as His Holiness the Pope's personal disciple, eclipsing the others in fame.
As Zhang Yang sized them up, Yan, the one with short red hair, suddenly spoke. "You're Zhang Yang?"
His tone was aggressive, his hostility plain for all to see.
Zhang Yang raised an eyebrow. "What can I do for you, Senior?"
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