The Golden Generation

All three wore the uniforms of Spirit Hall Academy.

The young man standing on the left was slender, about 1.75 meters tall, with pale skin, handsome features, and short silver hair.

The young man on the right stood over 1.8 meters tall. He was broad and muscular, with regular features, short fiery-red hair, and a pair of dark red eyes.

The girl standing between them had long black hair and looked somewhat like the young man on the left. Her figure was nearly perfect.

Li Ruolan smiled. "Why don't you introduce yourselves?"

The girl spoke first. Her voice was a little husky, with a special charm to it. "Hello, juniors. My name is Hu Liena, and I'm from Advanced Class Three. My martial soul is the Demon Fox, and my Soul Power Level is thirty-five. I'm delighted to be here and share our battle experience with you!"

Next, the silver-haired young man spoke. "My name is Xie Yue. I'm also from Advanced Class Three. My martial soul is the Moon Blade, and my Soul Power Level is thirty-six."

Finally, the red-haired young man spoke. "Yan. My martial soul is the Flame Lord, and my Soul Power Level is thirty-six."

After the three finished introducing themselves, all the students of Junior Class Ten applauded to welcome them, led by Li Ruolan.

Duan Fan clapped along, but he was a little astonished inside. Holy crap, the Golden Generation?

I can't believe Teacher Li managed to bring all three members of the Golden Generation here as sparring partners. She's got some pull.

The moment he saw Hu Liena and the others, Duan Fan had already guessed who they were.

It was just that, given their ages, he could hardly believe it.

Were the three members of the Golden Generation really only five or six years older than him?

Duan Fan vaguely remembered that the book had mentioned Hu Liena and the others' ages, more than once.

The trouble was, the ages never matched from one mention to the next.

So he couldn't pin down their exact ages. He'd only guessed they were quite a bit older than him.

I was already looking forward to sparring with students from the Advanced Class. But now that Hu Liena and the others are here, I'm even more excited, Duan Fan thought.

The introductions ended, and Li Ruolan quickly arranged the practical training.

Just like yesterday, Duan Fan was first up.

Of the three members of the Golden Generation, Hu Liena stepped forward to fight. She had volunteered.

Duan Fan would have liked to fight Xie Yue, or Yan, for that matter. But Hu Liena had stepped up, so she would do.

"Duan Fan. My martial soul is a Writing Brush, and my Soul Power Level is seventeen. Please teach me, senior!"

"Hu Liena. My martial soul is the Demon Fox, and my Soul Power Level is thirty-five."

Hu Liena smiled sweetly. "You may have only met me today, but I've known about you for quite a while."

"Every time I go to the Mimicry Cultivation Area, I see you hurrying along. You're the most diligent junior I've ever seen!"

Duan Fan froze for a moment. He'd never really paid attention to anyone watching him on his way to the Mimicry Cultivation Area.

"Thank you for your concern, senior. Let's begin!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Duan Fan activated his martial soul and gripped the Fantasy Pen. He immediately used his Soul Skill, Life from the Brush.

Seeing that Duan Fan had eyes only for the battle, Hu Liena's smile deepened.

She activated her martial soul, too.

Once the Demon Fox possessed her, Hu Liena's hair gradually turned fiery red, and a fluffy tail sprouted behind her. She looked like a flowing flame, radiating a special charm.

Three Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, and purple—rose from beneath Hu Liena's feet, releasing the pressure of a Soul Elder.

Hu Liena didn't rush to use a Soul Skill after activating her martial soul. Instead, she charged straight at Duan Fan.

When they were close enough, the Second Soul Ring on Hu Liena's body suddenly lit up. Her eyes glowed with an intensely bewitching purple light as she looked at Duan Fan.

It's over, Hu Liena thought to herself.

But in the next instant, a giant spider appeared in front of Duan Fan, blocking Hu Liena's gaze.

Behind the spider, Duan Fan's lips curled slightly.

Trying to charm me? Not so fast!

I saw through your plan ages ago.

The Dream-Weaving Spider was something Duan Fan had drawn, so it was completely immune to mental control. Under his command, it charged straight at Hu Liena.

At the same time, Duan Fan's hands didn't stop moving. As soon as he finished drawing the first Dream-Weaving Spider, he immediately began drawing a second.

Hu Liena's expression shifted as the Dream-Weaving Spider attacked fiercely.

The First Soul Ring on her body lit up at once. She spread her hands, and two clumps of dark red flame flared to life. A much stronger bewitching force radiated from her.

Hu Liena controlled the dark red flames and soon clashed with the Dream-Weaving Spider.

The Dream-Weaving Spider's Spider Spears came crashing down again and again, but Hu Liena dodged them nimbly and even seized an opening to counterattack.

When the flames in Hu Liena's hands landed on the Dream-Weaving Spider, they hissed, like red-hot branding irons pressed against cold, damp leather.

The dark red flames seemed alive. The moment they touched the Dream-Weaving Spider's hard carapace, they clung to it and spread wildly in every direction.

Wherever the flames passed, they left behind a patch of scorched brown.

But that was all.

The Dream-Weaving Spider had suffered no serious physical damage.

That was because Hu Liena's flames were mainly meant to corrode the mind. As something Duan Fan had drawn, the Dream-Weaving Spider was immune not only to mental control but to this kind of mental attack as well.

And mere heat could hardly do much damage to the body of a Soul Beast with over six hundred years of cultivation.

Hu Liena soon realized this, withdrew her flames, and stopped wasting her Soul Power.

Her expression was calm. She didn't lose her composure just because the Dream-Weaving Spider countered her. Instead, her gaze grew even sharper.

Then she showed off her formidable close-combat skills.

Hu Liena pushed off the ground and turned into a red blur, darting straight at the Dream-Weaving Spider.

The Dream-Weaving Spider raised its Spider Spears to attack, but Hu Liena nimbly dodged them. At the same time, she clenched her right hand into a fist and slammed it into the joint of the spider's second leg on the left.

"Crack—!"

The leg snapped cleanly at the joint. The Dream-Weaving Spider's massive body lurched to the right, and its remaining seven legs immediately shifted to regain balance.

Hu Liena gave it no chance to steady itself.

She sprang forward, flipped into the air, and whipped her right leg like a lash, striking the side of the Dream-Weaving Spider's abdomen with a blast of Soul Power.

With a muffled thud, the heavy body of the six-hundred-year Soul Beast skidded several feet sideways. A deep dent appeared in its abdominal carapace, with cracks spreading out from its center.

Although Hu Liena's Demon Fox martial soul focused on mental control, it was still a genuine Beast Martial Soul. With the Soul Power of a Soul Elder behind it, she could unleash tremendous strength.

That strength couldn't compare to a Beast Martial Soul Soul Master who specialized entirely in power, but it was more than enough to deal with Soul Beasts under a thousand years old. This was the overwhelming advantage of absolute strength.

After knocking the Dream-Weaving Spider back, Hu Liena immediately turned and charged at Duan Fan.

Duan Fan's expression didn't change at all. He calmly swung the Fantasy Pen, continuously drawing silver lines.

The distance between them quickly narrowed.

Just as Hu Liena was less than ten meters from Duan Fan—

"Bang—!"

A huge figure crashed heavily onto the ground. It was the second Dream-Weaving Spider Duan Fan had drawn.

Hu Liena's brows furrowed slightly. "Are you going to keep this up forever?"