Phainon

After settling Bai Chenxiang and the others, Tribios arrived at Ye Qiong's office.

"Principal, everything has been arranged."

Ye Qiong nodded. "Tonight, I'm taking the students to the Soto Soul Arena to broaden their horizons and, incidentally, have them participate in some soul duels."

Tribios was silent for a moment before shaking her head. "Principal, now is not the time."

Ye Qiong raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Tribios looked at Ye Qiong earnestly. "Their talent and strength are not yet sufficient to handle the Soul Arena. The opponents there are all experienced soul masters who won't show mercy. Entering the arena rashly is dangerous."

Ye Qiong did not answer immediately, instead looking into Tribios's eyes.

He could see from her gaze that she truly cared for the students.

The patch the system applied to the Golden Descendants was very natural.

In this life, their memories automatically aligned with this world, their identities, and their ages, leaving no sense of incongruity whatsoever.

Looking at Tribios, Ye Qiong suddenly recalled her past life.

In that life, she was just as gentle and attentive toward every Golden Descendant.

Moreover, whenever they faced moments of despair, she would always encourage everyone to keep moving forward.

However, for Ye Qiong, gentleness and encouragement were far from enough for Wang Sheng and the other four.

Thinking of this, Ye Qiong stood up and walked to the window. "I know what you're saying."

"Then why insist on doing this? We could let them build a solid foundation first, and once their strength is sufficient, then..."

"By the time their strength is sufficient, it will be too late."

Ye Qiong interrupted her directly.

"They are not geniuses. Wang Sheng is only level twenty-one at fourteen years old, and the talents of Jiang Zhu, Jing Ling, and Huang Yuan can only be considered upper-middle."

"If they cultivate step-by-step, by the time they grow up, the opportunity will have long since passed."

"How can they become talented without being tempered? I want them to see with their own eyes the gap between themselves and true geniuses."

"Only then will they realize how weak they are and strive to catch up."

Tribios hurriedly spoke up. "But I'm afraid that if they experience failure, they will lose their confidence. After all, they are just a group of twelve-year-old children."

Ye Qiong gently patted her shoulder.

"Tribios, I understand; you are also thinking of their best interests. But you have only been in contact with them for a day. Perhaps they aren't as fragile as you think?"

"Another new student is coming to report shortly. His talent is extremely high, and he can fully serve as the core of the academy's team."

Tribios's eyes widened instantly. "Another new student?"

Ye Qiong nodded with a smile. "Yes, he arrived just a moment ago and is currently on his way to the dormitory."

Hearing this, Tribios said no more and nodded. "Alright, but I hope you promise me, Principal, that if they encounter danger, you will let me intervene."

Ye Qiong shook his head. "No need. If there is real danger, I will certainly step in to protect them. After all, I am a Soul Emperor, am I not?"

Besides, he had already used that Martial Soul Evolution Card in his office earlier; his strength had now reached an astonishing level seventy.

And his martial soul, after evolving, was no longer a common baseball bat.

"Very well, then I will listen to the Principal."

After Tribios left, Ye Qiong looked at the system interface and saw that a new task had appeared.

[New Task: Lead the new student to participate in a soul duel for the first time. Completion reward: 1000 Star Essence.]

At noon, the plaza of Amphoreus Academy.

Five students gathered, standing in a row.

Wang Sheng looked left and right, scratching his cheek. "Why hasn't the teacher come yet?"

Jiang Zhu rolled her eyes at him. "What are you in such a rush for?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than the door to the teaching building suddenly opened.

Ye Qiong walked out from inside, followed by a white-haired youth.

The youth's facial features were sharp and well-defined. He wore a white robe, his steps were light, and his face carried a gentle and enthusiastic smile.

Ye Qiong brought him before the group and began the introduction.

"This is Phainon. From today on, he will be your classmate."

Phainon hurriedly waved his hand. "Hello everyone, my name is Phainon. You can call me Xiao Bai. I come from a small village called Ailimixie."

Upon hearing that the other party was also from the countryside, Wang Sheng quickly leaned in. "Brother, how old are you?"

"Twelve."

Jiang Zhu asked with some curiosity:

"What is your level?"

Phainon answered truthfully, "Level thirty."

The air suddenly went quiet.

The next second, Wang Sheng widened his eyes, looking at him in disbelief: "Holy crap, level thirty!"

The others couldn't help but take a few extra looks at Phainon.

Level thirty at twelve years old—this was simply a monster!

Seeing everyone's reaction, Phainon scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.

Ye Qiong watched the sunny, cheerful boy who was quickly getting familiar with everyone, his thoughts surging.

Phainon was the second Golden Descendant he had obtained through card draws.

With Phainon around, the strength of the Amphoreus Academy team would be more than sufficient.

After all, this was the Savior himself.

In his past life, he had fought the Lord Ravager Phantylia with a mortal body and even left a wound on the face of the Aeon of Destruction Nanook.

Although in this life, Phainon had been reborn as a twelve-year-old boy, his Martial Soul was Chaoslana, his strongest form from his past life, and this Martial Soul, placed on the Douluo Continent, was definitely an existence that transcended god-level Martial Souls; his future was absolutely limitless.

Thinking of this, Ye Qiong clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention back:

"Stop being surprised. Tonight, I'm taking you all to the Soto Soul Arena. Go back and rest for now."

The group dispersed.

Ye Qiong also turned and left.

Phainon stood where he was, watching Ye Qiong's back, his eyes flickering.

Did I know the principal before? Why does he give me such a special, familiar feeling?

Night fell.

At the Soto Soul Arena, Ye Qiong and Tribios led the group up to the spectator stands.

Just as they sat down, two Spirit Masters walked out onto the soul fighting stage below.

The host waved a hand and loudly announced:

"For the next match, it will be Xiao Wu versus Qing Bao!"

Hearing that name, Ye Qiong immediately looked toward the contestant tunnel.

Sure enough, a girl with a scorpion braid walked onto the soul fighting stage, while opposite her stood a burly, muscular man.

Seeing this scene, Ye Qiong couldn't help but smile:

"It seems I've arrived just in time."

The ensuing battle went as expected, with Xiao Wu winning easily.

On the spectator stands, Jiang Zhu watched Xiao Wu below, exclaiming repeatedly:

"So amazing... that girl isn't very old either."

Jing Ling also nodded:

"Yeah, I really don't know how she won."

Wang Sheng hurriedly explained:

"I know her. When I was studying at Nuoding Academy, Xiao Wu and I were both work-study students in Dorm Seven. She is indeed very strong; her combat style focuses on soft techniques."

Hearing this, Ye Qiong also spoke up:

"Combat isn't about who is stronger based on brute force or size; softness can also overcome hardness."

"Watch closely, all of you, and see the gap between yourselves and them."

The students nodded earnestly.

In the following soul fights, Ye Qiong continued to explain things to the group, but soon, something that surprised him happened.

After one soul fight ended, the host loudly announced:

"For the next match, it will be Tang San from Shrek Academy, versus..."