Before long, Qian Xunji brought the two of them to two luxurious palaces.
"This is where you'll be living from now on."
Li Yan, who had been outside earlier, was now standing beside the building, waiting for them.
"Your Holiness."
Li Yan bowed to Qian Xunji first.
"Mm."
Qian Xunji nodded. "Old Li, you're one of my most trusted men. From now on, I'm ordering you to protect Xiao Ban well. There must be no mistakes."
"Understood!"
Li Yan agreed without hesitation.
After arranging things for the two of them, Qian Xunji prepared to return to reviewing official business. "Xiao Ban, Dong'er, you two can settle in for now."
"In three days, I'll hunt Soul Beasts for you and obtain your Soul Rings."
"All right, Teacher."
Ban Shu nodded, feeling a little excited. He was about to obtain his First Soul Ring. He really couldn't wait.
What would his first Soul Skill be?
Watching Qian Xunji's retreating figure, Ban Shu seemed to think of something and suddenly smiled.
"Hmm~"
Seeing the intriguing smile on Ban Shu's face, Bibi Dong shivered. "Xiao Ban, what are you thinking about? Why are you smiling so strangely?"
"Nothing."
Ban Shu reined in his smile and clasped his hands behind his back, putting on the air of a little adult. "I just remembered something."
"Dong'er-jie, Teacher seems to have taken me on as his disciple first, and you afterward, right?"
"Is there a problem?"
Bibi Dong looked puzzled, unable to figure out what Ban Shu was getting at.
Seeing that Bibi Dong still hadn't caught on, Ban Shu pointed at himself, then at her.
"In other words, I came first and you came later. So, by seniority, shouldn't you call me... Senior Brother?"
"Huh??!!!"
Only then did Bibi Dong realize that it seemed to be true. She had joined later, which meant she was a generation junior to Ban Shu!
"Dong'er-jie, come on, call me Senior Brother."
Ban Shu folded his arms, sounding rather smug.
"Sure, Senior Brother~"
Bibi Dong slowly clenched her fists and ground the words out through her teeth.
"Mm."
Ban Shu nodded contentedly with his eyes closed. "Your Senior Brother heard you."
Thwack!
"Gah!"
Ban Shu lay face-down on the ground, stars in his eyes. The huge lump Bibi Dong had knocked onto his head was impossible to miss.
"Phew~"
Bibi Dong blew on her fist. "You've gotten pretty bold after just one day, huh? It's time to remind you that your big sister is still your big sister!"
"Uh..."
Ban Shu climbed to his feet and shook his head, muttering under his breath, "That really hurt. You're so rough—no boy will ever like you."
"What did you say?"
Bibi Dong glared at Ban Shu.
"Nothing. I didn't say anything."
Ban Shu quickly whistled and turned to enter his room.
Once Ban Shu had gone inside, Bibi Dong finally couldn't hold back her laughter. "That brat. He thinks he can be my Senior Brother just like that?"
She'd hit him, and she'd vented her anger. Bibi Dong turned and went back to her room to rest.
Li Yan had witnessed the entire scuffle. He couldn't help sighing. "It's good to be young."
So this was youth!
Early the next morning.
Ban Shu opened the door and stretched toward the rising sun, then let out a huge yawn.
"Ah~"
He rubbed the tears from the corners of his eyes and took a deep breath. "The air really is different at Spirit Hall. It's so fresh."
Creak~
Just then, the door next to his opened. Bibi Dong had also woken up.
"Morning, Dong'er-jie."
Ban Shu smiled and waved, as if nothing had happened the day before.
Bibi Dong rolled her eyes at him. That guy really had a heart of stone. "Morning."
Today, Bibi Dong wasn't wearing her usual purple clothes. Instead, she had changed into a fitted, light-green qipao.
The outfit made Bibi Dong look poised and elegant, like a noble young lady. It was completely different from her usual lively and spirited style.
Ban Shu didn't mind her tone. He turned his head, about to say something, then noticed what Bibi Dong was wearing.
His eyes lit up at once, and he took three quick strides toward her, looking her over carefully.
"What? Want another punch?"
Thinking Ban Shu was about to say something rude again, Bibi Dong immediately raised a hand as if to knock him on the head.
Ban Shu wasn't the least bit afraid. Instead, he gave her a thumbs-up. "Dong'er-jie, you look really beautiful today. That qipao suits you."
Hearing that, Bibi Dong folded her arms and lifted her chin with a soft snort. "You don't have to tell me that. I look good in anything."
That was what she said, but the slight upward curl of her lips showed how much she enjoyed Ban Shu's praise.
After breakfast, the two of them wandered around Spirit Hall together, getting familiar with the place where they would be living.
"Xiao Ban, look over there. It's so beautiful."
Bibi Dong pointed at a flower garden, her eyes sparkling.
"It really is beautiful."
Ban Shu nodded somewhat absentmindedly. There could only be one person who planted flowers here, as far as he could tell.
He still needed that person's help to obtain the Immortal Herbs, after all. He had no idea what effects the various Immortal Herbs had.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Seeing that Ban Shu was distracted, Bibi Dong gave a soft snort, folded her arms, and quickly strode past him.
"What's wrong now?"
Ban Shu felt a little helpless. Hadn't everything been fine just a moment ago?
Watching her walk farther and farther away, Ban Shu had no choice but to hurry after her.
"Dong'er-jie, wait for me!"
After they had wandered around for a while, they were called to a palace used for lessons. Qian Xunji had already been waiting there for quite some time.
"Xiao Ban, Dong'er."
"Teacher." ×2
Ban Shu and Bibi Dong greeted him respectfully. Both of them had changed into fitted training clothes.
"Mm."
Qian Xunji nodded, then gestured for them to sit on the meditation cushions. "Although you'll be obtaining your Soul Rings the day after tomorrow, that doesn't mean you have nothing to learn in the meantime."
"Today, I'll teach you a meditation method, along with some basic lessons."
Qian Xunji looked serious, his tone solemn. "A meditation method is one of the most important things a Soul Master can have. The higher the level, the rarer it is."
"Obtaining a high-level or even top-tier meditation method is no less valuable than obtaining a high-level Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring."
"I'm not joking. A good meditation method can greatly accelerate the accumulation of Soul Power and make cultivation twice as effective with half the effort."
"Besides that, you must also learn how to identify Soul Beasts and gain combat experience..."
Seated on the meditation cushion, Ban Shu listened attentively to Qian Xunji's explanation.
In this era, having a good Martial Soul alone wasn't enough. Inborn talent determined your ceiling, but what you learned afterward could raise it even higher.
Think about it. If you had to choose a teacher, would you pick an experienced Titled Douluo who had already traveled most of the road a Soul Master could take,
or a self-proclaimed scholar who spouted nonsense and didn't even know the basic fact that Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts could unleash spiritual shocks?
The answer was obvious, wasn't it?
Before you continue