When she pushed open the glass door, the afternoon sun hit her face, warm and dazzling. She squinted.
Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, so fast it was frightening. Her palms were slick with sweat, and the strap of the cloth bag had grown damp where it pressed against her fingers.
Hu Liena lowered her head and hurried out of the pedestrian street. Her black sandals slapped against the stone pavement in quick succession.
There was only one thing she wanted to do right now.
Find somewhere no one was around and confirm whether she really was Level 81.
Hu Liena hurried along, passed through the academy's main gate, went around the classroom building, and headed straight for the independent cultivation chamber area in the academy's southeast corner.
There were rarely many people in this area. A row of small blue-brick buildings was tucked behind several camphor trees. Each chamber had its own soundproofing barrier and was specially reserved for upperclassmen trying to break through bottlenecks.
Hu Liena chose the innermost chamber, went inside, and bolted the door behind her.
The chamber was small, with stone walls on all four sides, a stone bed, and a meditation cushion. A Soul Power lamp in the corner cast a dim yellow glow.
Hu Liena stood in the middle of the chamber, tossed the cloth bag onto the stone bed, and closed her eyes.
She began circulating her Soul Power. As she turned her awareness inward, the Soul Power pool in her dantian immediately came into view.
Hu Liena's breathing grew ragged.
The Soul Power pool had expanded.
Not just a little—it had grown so much she could clearly sense the difference.
The pool was nearly twice as deep as it had been yesterday, and the Soul Power within it was more concentrated. The liquid, once clear and transparent, now shimmered with a faint golden glow.
This was the qualitative transformation of Soul Power at the Soul Douluo level.
The difference between Level 79 and Level 81 wasn't just a change in numbers.
Below Level 80, one was a Soul Saint. From Level 81 onward, one was a Soul Douluo. The difference of a single word separated heaven and earth.
Crossing this threshold brought about a fundamental transformation in Soul Power's quality. The meridians' capacity doubled, Soul Skills became much more powerful and lasted far longer, and even the body recovered considerably faster.
Across the entire Douluo Continent, Level 79 Soul Saints were as plentiful as oxen's hairs. Every great sect and every imperial elite force could produce a whole handful.
But Level 80 was a threshold. Once they reached it, they could absorb a Soul Ring and become a Soul Douluo.
How many geniuses had been stuck at Level 79 for three, five, or even ten years? Some never crossed that threshold in their entire lives, dying at Level 79.
Hu Liena had thought she would be stuck there for a long time, too.
Her mentor, Bo Saixi, had told her that, given her current cultivation speed and talent, an optimistic estimate put her breakthrough two to three years away. A more pessimistic estimate was five years.
Three years. When Bo Saixi had said that, Hu Liena hadn't responded, but she'd felt stifled inside.
By then, who knew where Qian Renxue would have gone? And she could forget about becoming Student Council president.
But now, Hu Liena opened her eyes.
She slowly raised her right hand and gathered Soul Power in her palm. A golden light appeared there, warm energy spilling out and illuminating the entire chamber.
Golden!
At Level 79, her Soul Power had been silver-white.
Now it was golden.
This was Soul Power at the Soul Douluo level.
Hu Liena withdrew her Soul Power, and the golden light faded, leaving the chamber dim again.
She sat down on the meditation cushion, crossed her legs, and let her pale-purple skirt spread over her knees.
Her thoughts were in a jumble, crowding over one another.
First, the academy's leadership had rejected Vice Dean Bo Saixi's proposal.
Bo Saixi had wanted Hu Liena to take over as Student Council president directly, arguing that Qian Renxue had served three consecutive terms and it was time for a change. But Bibi Dong's side had disagreed, insisting that the proper procedures be followed and the leadership decide by vote.
Fine. They could follow the proper procedures. Hu Liena wasn't afraid of a vote.
But Bibi Dong had added another condition: if the vote ended in a tie, the two candidates would have a public match, and the winner would take the position.
That had left Hu Liena completely stuck.
Qian Renxue was a Level 79 Soul Saint and Bibi Dong's personal disciple.
Hu Liena was also a Level 79 Soul Saint and Bo Saixi's personal disciple.
They were at the same level and within the same major realm, but Qian Renxue had more combat experience. On top of that, her Martial Soul was an angel, equally capable of offense and defense, with an extremely wide range of advantages over her opponents.
Hu Liena wasn't confident she could win in a head-on fight.
She had privately analyzed the situation with Bo Saixi several times. Each time, they'd concluded her odds were forty percent at best.
But things were different now. Level 81!
Although she was only two levels ahead, that gap crossed an entire major realm. The quality of her Soul Power, the might of her Soul Skills, and every aspect of her physical abilities—all overwhelmingly superior.
Against Qian Renxue, she had at least a seventy percent chance of winning, maybe even eighty!
Hu Liena couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from lifting at the thought.
Second.
Becoming a Soul Douluo could bring her mentor, Bo Saixi, a huge windfall.
Soul Bones, Soul Rings, medicinal herbs, and so on. It could even count in Bo Saixi's favor in the next dean election.
Bo Saixi would be thrilled when she heard the news.
Third.
The academy had a high-level secret realm that remained sealed all year round. It was open only to teachers and students at Soul Douluo level or above. Supposedly, it contained all kinds of rare cultivation resources: ten-thousand-year-old spirit herbs, natural Soul Power springs, and even several fossilized Soul Bones of unknown age.
Hu Liena had coveted that secret realm for a long time. Whenever she passed its entrance and saw the words "Only those at Level 80 or above may enter" carved into the closed stone gate, she'd been itching to go inside.
Now she was qualified.
Hu Liena stood up from the meditation cushion, went over to the stone bed, and took the little fox plushie out of her cloth bag.
The orange-red fabric looked a little duller in the dim light, but it still felt soft and warm.
She held the little fox up and stared into its two black bead-like eyes for several seconds.
"Where did you come from, anyway..."
Of course, the little fox didn't answer. Hu Liena remembered the words transmitted through the Crystal Ball.
Bonus reward: Soul Power Level +3. Due to the Ordinary Member restriction, the gifted level cannot exceed Level 81.
If she hadn't been restricted to Ordinary Member status, she would have reached Level 82.
She'd wasted a level.
How could she raise her membership level?
Hu Liena closed her eyes and recalled the information in her mind.
Helping the Shopkeeper with housework and winning the Shopkeeper's favor could both earn experience points. The highest rank she could attain was Supreme Member.
Helping the Shopkeeper with housework was easy enough to understand. She just had to go to that little shop and wipe the tables and sweep the floor.
[Winning the Shopkeeper's favor.] Hu Liena spent quite a while puzzling over those words.
The Shopkeeper was the man called Qin Chuan. He looked thoroughly ordinary, and he spoke in an equally ordinary way.
Winning his favor probably meant making him like her, right?
Hu Liena stuffed the little fox back into the cloth bag and paced around the chamber twice, her sandals echoing off the stone walls.
She made up her mind: that evening, she'd invite Qin Chuan to dinner.
First, she'd make his acquaintance and get to know him.
Then she'd take her time figuring out how to raise her membership level.
Hu Liena unbolted the door and pushed it open. Sunlight flooded in from outside.
She walked out of the chamber, squinting, with the faintest curve to her lips.
Her steps were considerably lighter than when she'd arrived.