Su Ming looked at Hu Liena before him and had to admit that, after evolving into the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, the allure she radiated had indeed grown more and more terrifying.
Even though she was only joking, that effortless, innate charm was enough to make any young Soul Master's blood surge and leave him utterly spellbound.
However, Su Ming's mind was far beyond that of an ordinary child.
"If there's nothing else, you can leave."
Su Ming pointed toward the door. "I have to report to Spirit Intermediate Academy first thing tomorrow morning."
Seeing that he wouldn't be swayed, Hu Liena persisted with a teasing smile. "So eager to send me away? Su Ming, be honest. Are you afraid you'll lose control of yourself if you keep facing me?"
Faced with Hu Liena's teasing and probing, Su Ming didn't bother to argue.
His dark eyes narrowed abruptly.
The next instant, a wisp of icy, sinister energy suddenly radiated from him.
In a flash, the alluring aura Hu Liena had built up was forcibly shattered.
The sudden, chilling stillness made Hu Liena's body stiffen slightly.
Looking at Su Ming's cold gaze, Hu Liena pursed her lips in annoyance, a deep sense of defeat rising in her heart once more.
No matter how much her Martial Soul evolved or how much her bewitching abilities improved, they seemed to have no real effect whatsoever on this guy.
"You really are no fun."
Hu Liena turned around in a huff and strode away.
Early the next morning.
After breakfast and washing up, Su Ming set out to report to Spirit Intermediate Academy.
As soon as he stepped outside, he found Hu Liena waiting for him in a short skirt.
When she saw Su Ming emerge, Hu Liena's beautiful eyes lit up, and she immediately smiled and went over to greet him.
"You're finally out. I've been waiting so long, the flowers are about to wilt."
Su Ming looked at her and asked flatly, "What are you doing here?"
"Of course I'm here to show you the way," Hu Liena said cheerfully.
"No need."
"Oh, I don't mind. Today's your first day reporting to the academy, so it's only natural for me to show you the way. Besides, you're already Teacher's nominal disciple, which makes you my junior brother in the same line of disciples. As your senior sister, it's only right for me to guide you. No need to thank me."
Hu Liena went ahead and led the way.
Seeing this, Su Ming didn't refuse again.
Because of her evolved Martial Soul, every movement Hu Liena made now exuded a startling, effortless allure.
The young Soul Masters from Spirit Hall they passed kept turning to look at her, their eyes filled with admiration and infatuation.
Hu Liena, however, didn't care at all about the attention. Instead, she stayed close to Su Ming the entire way, constantly finding things to talk about, acting quite familiar with him.
Su Ming, on the other hand, remained calm from beginning to end.
This somewhat peculiar pair became the focus of countless envious and resentful gazes before they even realized it.
The two arrived at the academy's administration building.
In the administration office, the teacher responsible for registering new students was a senior instructor in his fifties.
When he took the specially approved documents from Pope Palace that Su Ming handed over, he habitually pushed up his glasses.
But when his gaze fell on the information listed in the documents, he froze in his chair.
[Name: Su Ming. Age: Twelve. Soul Power Level: Thirty-Nine.]
"Twelve years old... and a thirty-ninth-rank Soul Elder?!"
The teacher's hand trembled, and the documents nearly fell to the floor.
He abruptly raised his head and stared at Su Ming as though he were some kind of monster. It took him quite a while to calm the shock in his heart.
He took a deep breath. "Reaching rank thirty-nine at twelve years old is truly a rare gift. According to the academy's rules, you'll be assigned to Elite Class Two for training..."
Before he could finish, Hu Liena interrupted him. "Teacher, there's no need to assign Su Ming to Class Two. Just register him in our Elite Class One."
The teacher blinked, then shook his head awkwardly. "Well... Student Hu Liena, you should know the academy's rules."
"Only those who've reached Soul Ancestor rank can enter Elite Class One. Although Student Su Ming is just one step away from rank forty, he's still only a rank-thirty-nine Soul Elder. That doesn't meet the requirements."
Hu Liena's expression remained calm. "This is His Holiness the Pope's decision."
At the words "His Holiness the Pope," the registration teacher's body trembled slightly.
Within Spirit Hall, the Pope's orders were supreme, like divine edicts. The rules meant nothing in the face of the Pope's will.
"If it's specially approved by His Holiness the Pope, then there's naturally no problem."
The teacher didn't dare say another word. He immediately picked up his pen and quickly wrote Su Ming's name into the Elite Class One register.
They walked out of the administration building.
Su Ming looked at Hu Liena in confusion. "What's the difference between Class One and Class Two?"
Hu Liena explained, "There isn't a huge difference. The elite classes are the academy's core, and they're divided into Class One and Class Two."
"Elite Class One admits top geniuses under the age of twenty-five whose Soul Power Level is at least rank forty."
"Elite Class Two, on the other hand, admits Soul Masters below rank forty."
As she spoke, Hu Liena rubbed her temples in frustration and looked at Su Ming. "Honestly, I never expected that you'd be six years younger than me, yet still end up in the same class."
"Your cultivation speed is truly despair-inducing."
Su Ming didn't take the bait.
The two walked along a tree-lined path and soon arrived at the entrance to the Elite Class One classroom.
They pushed open the classroom door and went inside.
More than twenty students were already seated in the classroom. Every one of them was a leading talent among Spirit Hall's younger generation.
When the door opened, everyone instinctively turned to look.
When they saw Hu Liena, each of them immediately grew solemn. A person who combined beauty, strength, and status commanded respect wherever she went.
But when they noticed the unfamiliar Su Ming beside her, they couldn't help frowning, curiosity and scrutiny in their eyes.
A girl with neat, short hair stood up from the front row.
"Nana, who's this handsome guy? How come I've never seen him in Spirit City before? Is he your younger brother? He's so handsome!"
She was Zhang Ping, who got along well with Hu Liena.
She had a weakness for handsome men.
As she spoke, her eyes kept roaming over Su Ming's face.
Hu Liena smiled faintly and announced to the class, "Let me introduce him. This is Su Ming. Starting today, he's the newest student in Elite Class One."
The moment she said this, the entire classroom fell into deathly silence.
Then a series of hushed, doubtful whispers broke out.
"A new student? You've got to be kidding! How old does he look? Twelve or thirteen at most!"
"How could a kid of twelve or thirteen possibly get into Elite Class One? Isn't the hard requirement for joining Class One reaching at least rank forty?"