Standing beside her brother, Hu Liena looked at Zhang Yang, who barely reached Dewey's chest, and thought to herself, So this is Zhang Yang?
A person's name was like the shadow of a tree.
Known as a "new student with monstrous talent," Zhang Yang's reputation had reached Hu Liena's ears not long after he entered the academy.
Over the past year, the great name of Zhang Yang, the "genius," had even outshone the three of them by quite a bit.
However, since they were in different divisions, Hu Liena had never had the chance to meet him.
Now that she finally had, she couldn't help feeling rather disappointed.
He was so ordinary, like any lower-grade student one might come across. Apart from his rather handsome looks, there was an obvious childishness to his face. He didn't seem at all like a genius, with nothing special about him.
As Hu Liena thought this, Yan beside her spoke up. "I have no advice to offer. I just wondered how the famous cultivation genius of the junior division could look so... ordinary."
Zhang Yang scoffed at that. "What should I look like, then? Should I grow a head of red hair like you, senior, so nobody could mistake me for anything but a Fire-type Martial Soul user?"
"Hey, you..."
Yan's temper flared. He was just about to let loose a string of curses when Xie Yue cut him off. "Yan, be quiet."
"..." Yan's words stuck in his throat. His eyebrows shot up with anger, but he didn't dare defy Xie Yue. He could only snort angrily and plop back down onto the sofa.
Dewey patted Zhang Yang on the shoulder. "This time, the three of them will accompany you to hunt your Third Soul Ring."
"Them?" Zhang Yang glanced at the expressionless Xie Yue and Hu Liena, then at Yan, whose anger was written all over the back of his head.
Dewey nodded. "That's right."
Zhang Yang frowned. "When I hunted my Second Soul Ring last year, the academy sent two Soul Kings and a Soul Emperor. Why is it that now, for my third, I'm getting three Soul Elders?"
As soon as Zhang Yang said this, Yan, who had been trying to ignore him, sprang to his feet. His face was furious, and his eyebrows and hair stood on end.
"Yan!" Xie Yue said in a low voice, stopping him.
Yan had just been about to point at Zhang Yang's nose and curse him out, but he froze as Xie Yue pressed a hand to his shoulder and made him sit back down.
"Hmph!"
"Hey, don't put it that way. Xie Yue, Hu Liena, Yan's quite capable." Dewey patted Zhang Yang on the shoulder. "Sit down first, and we'll talk."
After taking a seat, Zhang Yang lounged back on the sofa. "This isn't about whether the three seniors are capable. I just get the feeling the academy doesn't care much about me."
"Hey, don't get worked up. I haven't finished explaining yet."
Dewey placated him. "During this Soul Hunting Operation, the three of them will clear the surrounding area while you hunt Soul Beasts, keeping unrelated beasts from wandering into the battlefield and interfering with your fight."
"What if we run into a Soul Beast that's ten thousand years old or older? The four of us probably wouldn't even make a mouthful for it," Zhang Yang countered.
"Look at you, getting worked up again." Dewey shook his head. "Don't worry. Someone else will be there to oversee things."
"Who?"
"The education committee didn't say. All we know is that it's a Titled Douluo from the Pope Palace."
"A Titled Douluo from the Pope Palace?"
At that, two figures quickly flashed through Zhang Yang's mind.
Ghost Douluo Gui Mei and Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan.
They were the two Titled Douluo under Pope Bibi Dong who appeared most often, and the two she found easiest to command.
If Zhang Yang's guess was right, then one of the two would be in charge of this Soul Hunting Operation as well.
"Since a Titled Douluo will be there, I'm reassured." Zhang Yang nodded and leaned back comfortably against the sofa.
"Mm." Dewey nodded, then turned to Xie Yue across from him. "Xie Yue."
"Understood, Teacher Dewey." Xie Yue nodded, then looked at Zhang Yang. "Zhang Yang, by order of the education committee, our team will assist you in hunting your Third Soul Ring."
"Star Dou Forest is full of danger. Even with a Titled Douluo overseeing things, no one can save you if you go looking for trouble."
"One more thing: the committee also said that unless your life is in danger, His Holiness won't intervene."
"So once we enter Star Dou Forest, you must follow instructions in everything you do. If you have any questions, discuss them with the other team members. You may only act once everyone agrees. Understood?"
Zhang Yang patted his chest. "Don't worry, I know what matters most. Besides, I'm hunting a Soul Ring for myself. Why would I cause trouble?"
Xie Yue nodded. "Good."
After Xie Yue finished, Hu Liena spoke up. "What kind of ability are you planning to develop with your Third Soul Skill? Which Soul Beasts are you targeting?"
Hu Liena's voice sounded a little hoarse, but paired with the tone, delivery, and rhythm of her speech, that hoarseness gave it a unique charm.
"Area damage," Zhang Yang replied without hesitation. "I don't care about single enemies or those of ordinary size. But right now, I don't have enough ways to deal with larger enemies."
"Area damage?" Hu Liena's gaze drifted as she began to think.
"What attribute?" Xie Yue asked.
Zhang Yang considered it. "Fire, I guess. There should be a wider range of Fire-type Soul Beasts to choose from for an area-damage Soul Skill."
Xie Yue nodded. "True. Fire-type Soul Beast rings are more likely to produce area-attack Soul Skills."
"When we last entered Star Dou Forest, we encountered quite a few thousand-year Fire-type Soul Beasts. We killed one and gave its ring to Yan," Hu Liena said.
Xie Yue nodded. "That's right. We can take the same route this time and see if we come across those Soul Beasts again."
"Do you remember which ones?" Dewey asked.
"Fire Lizard and Scorching Flame Wolf," Xie Yue replied. "As far as I remember, those were the only two within the right age range."
"What about the ones that were too old? There might be some with a suitable age nearby," Teacher Dewey asked.
"I don't remember clearly." Xie Yue shook his head. "It's been a while, and since they were too old, we didn't pay attention to them."
"It doesn't have to be Fire-type. What matters most is finding a Soul Beast with area damage, splash damage, or something similar," Zhang Yang said. "Fixating on Fire-type could limit our thinking."
"Then I remember even less. Since we were hunting a Soul Ring for Yan, we paid closer attention to Fire-type Soul Beasts."
"We only got a glimpse of the other Soul Beasts and avoided them since there was no conflict. We had no way of knowing whether they had area damage or splash damage."
"Anyway, we have a direction now." Teacher Dewey was pleased. "I'll look through the records when I get back and do some research. I'll try to put together some useful information before you leave."
"Sounds good. We'll meet at the academy gates at eight in the morning, three days from now." As he spoke, Xie Yue stood up. Hu Liena rose beside him, while Yan stomped out with his head down, fuming.
Zhang Yang and Dewey stood up and saw them to the door.
After walking a few dozen meters, Yan couldn't hold back any longer. He stopped and turned to Xie Yue. "Captain, that little brat was looking down on us. You heard the way he talked—he might as well have pointed at us and cursed us to our faces."
"How old are you?" Xie Yue also stopped and looked at Yan, who was still fuming. "Why are you getting worked up over an eight-year-old kid?"
"Being eight isn't an excuse to talk like that." Yan retorted, "We're going to all this trouble to take him Soul Beast hunting, and that's how he treats us?"
"Who cares how he treats us? As long as we earn His Holiness the Pope's approval, it's all worth it." Xie Yue shook his head. "This is a task His Holiness the Pope gave us. We have to carry it out flawlessly."
"I..." Yan was at a loss for words.
Xie Yue had even invoked the Pope's name. What more could Yan say?
The three of them went their separate ways at the intersection.
Watching Yan's retreating figure, Xie Yue narrowed his eyes slightly. "Yan's jealous."
Hu Liena remained silent.
"Before you came, you brought up Zhang Yang a little too often." Xie Yue looked at Hu Liena beside him. "What are you thinking?"
"It's just that his reputation as a genius is so loud that I couldn't wait to see him for myself," Hu Liena said.
Xie Yue nodded and didn't dwell on the subject. "Then let's go back and get ready."
Before you continue