"Master, please accept this disciple's bow!" Dugu Yan promptly performed the formal bow of a disciple accepting a master. This was the learned and talented Pope herself, personally offering to take her as a disciple! Hesitating for even a second would be disrespectful to the future!
"Any cultivation method requires a solid foundation. This book, Heart Separation Control, was written by your teacher. Unlike the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's secret art, it offers more comprehensive training in mental power. Practice it alongside your Soul Power cultivation every day. Within a month, you must at least reach the stage of splitting your attention in two!"
At last, Qian Xunqian had coaxed Dugu Yan into becoming her disciple. In an instant, she switched into teacher mode, put away her smile, and spoke to Dugu Yan with earnest gravity.
Qian Renxue would have said: Junior sister, this is exactly how your senior sister got here...
"All right, Yan Yan. Find a suitable spot in my Pope's Palace to sit and cultivate. I'll handle official business, and that way I can teach you at the same time. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask me, your teacher..."
"Okay, thank you, Teacher!" After receiving Heart Separation Control, Dugu Yan bounced over to an open space and began meditating. Before long, she had entered a deep state of cultivation.
That left only Dugu Bo, standing there in utter bewilderment. Sigh, he'd thought he'd get to see the wonders of a Separated Spirit! How come the process was so complicated?
If Qian Xunqian had heard what Dugu Bo was thinking, she would surely have laughed aloud. Things always developed from easy to difficult, from simple to complex. Only by laying a solid foundation could one steadily climb higher, step by step.
If someone tried to cultivate an advanced method before reaching the level of strength it required, they would suffer cultivation deviation!
Hadn't she first strengthened Dugu Bo's body, ravaged as it was by poison, before teaching him poison arts?
"I'll leave Yan Yan in Your Holiness's care. I won't disturb the close bond between master and disciple any longer. Farewell!" Dugu Bo tactfully chose to leave.
Qian Xunqian claimed she was handling official business, but in truth, she was slacking off. Dugu Bo's remark about having been a heartthrob in his youth had deeply inspired her, and she was quick to seize an opportunity and think things through. Before long, she had spun it into an intriguing love story.
As she wrote, Qian Xunqian sneaked a glance at Dugu Yan. Seeing that the little one hadn't noticed her slacking, she went right back to writing her novel.
Meanwhile, Dugu Yan was cultivating Heart Separation Control. At that moment, she was trying to use her mental power to communicate with the objects around her. She soon noticed that her teacher kept glancing over at her from time to time.
The innocent Dugu Yan was deeply moved. Her teacher was just too good to her! She kept looking over while Yan Yan cultivated just to check on her progress! She had to work hard and live up to the cultivation method her teacher had taught her!
"Your Holiness, the reward for the top three students in this year's freshman assessment at Spirit Hall Advanced Soul Master Academy includes personal instruction from Your Holiness. I've already brought the three students here."
Hearing someone report from outside the hall, Qian Xunqian hurriedly grabbed a file and covered the half-finished novel. She composed herself and said:
"Thanks for your effort. Let the three of them come straight in!"
The three who approached Qian Xunqian were the future Spirit Hall Golden Generation: Xie Yue, Hu Liena, and Yan.
Of the three, Xie Yue was Qian Xunqian's favorite. He was loyal to his friends, caring toward his younger sister, devoted to Spirit Hall, and from a poor background. He was humble and hardworking. Where could she find a better disciple?
Next, as a devoted romantic herself, she felt deep sympathy for Yan. Sigh, what was wrong with being a lovesick puppy? He'd just fallen for a wonderful little sister who saw him as an older brother!
Feng Xiaotian, the King of Lanling of the Chinese server, had at least won Huo Wu's affection. But Yan, the wonderful big brother, had been kept dangling all this time. Even after Hu Liena fell for Tang San, who was at odds with Spirit Hall, she still didn't spare Yan a glance. There was no word for it but tragic.
Last came Hu Liena. She had a Demon Fox Martial Soul, and had finally met a talented mental-type Soul Master. But given her performance in the original story, she lost a lot of points in Qian Xunqian's eyes.
Still, it wasn't too late to mend the fold after the sheep were lost. Hu Liena's lovesick nature could still be salvaged a little.
As she thought about it, Qian Xunqian couldn't help sighing. She really wanted a disciple who could inherit her research skills, but none of the three before her—not even Dugu Yan, whom she'd just taken in—was quite right for the job...
Facing the three children, Qian Xunqian gave them a warm smile and said gently:
"Come on! Over here beside Sister Pope! Release your Martial Souls, tell me what their characteristics are, and explain what direction you'd like to develop in."
The three looked at one another. Xie Yue courteously said:
"Nana, Yan, you two go first. I can go last."
Yan looked at Hu Liena and said, "Nana, you go first. You're a girl, so ladies first!"
"Your Holiness, my Martial Soul is the Demon Fox. I'm a level twenty-nine Control System Soul Master. My first Soul Skill is Charm. Through eye contact and my voice, I release a mental attack that can forcibly charm and paralyze my target. Soul Masters whose mental power is lower than mine can be controlled outright. My second Soul Skill is Fox Fire. I release eerie foxfire with the dual effects of physical burning and mental tearing. It can cling to a shield and continually erode the target's Soul Power barrier. In the future, I plan to develop as both a Control System and a Power Attack System Soul Master!"
Dugu Yan, cultivating nearby, was startled. Level twenty-nine! Five levels higher than her! They looked about the same age, too! I've embarrassed Teacher. Boo-hoo...
"That's a good idea. Let your big sister take your pulse and see how your constitution is."
Hu Liena obediently held out her hand. Qian Xunqian carefully examined the girl's physique. Her physical condition was indeed quite good. No wonder she wanted to develop both her attack and control abilities.
"Mm, your teacher has raised you well. If I had to offer a bit of guidance, I'd recommend that you choose a speed-type Soul Beast for your third Soul Ring, such as a Lightning Leopard or Ghost Tiger. That way, you can gain a speed-type or displacement-type Soul Skill. In battle, you'll be able to advance and attack, or retreat and protect yourself!"
Hu Liena thought: Wouldn't it be easier to just smash all my opponents to pieces? Why would I need a Soul Skill for self-preservation? So she voiced her doubts. "Your Holiness, I think I should cultivate my offense to the utmost. Displacement- and speed-type Soul Skills won't do much to help my attacks. They'd just take up one of my Soul Ring slots, so..."
"Nana!" Xie Yue tried to stop his sister from going on. Talking back to the Pope to her face was terribly rude!
Qian Xunqian rubbed her forehead, half laughing and half exasperated. This was clearly the same as Tang San: she'd fought too many matches. On a little arena, speed- and displacement-type survival skills really weren't easy to use.
But Soul Masters didn't exist just to fight in competitions. Who knew what dangers they might face in the future? A survival skill could help them avoid a lot of harm—things like displacement, acceleration, Invisibility, flight, or healing.
Besides, survival-type Soul Skills were best taken in the first three Soul Rings. They used little Soul Power and didn't conflict with powerful skills. By the time she became a Titled Douluo, they wouldn't be so useless!
Qian Xunqian glanced at the proud, arrogant Hu Liena and thought: You think I can't handle a little kid like you?