"Can't find anyone who can match you at school, student Nana?" Qian Xunqian asked with a smile.
"Your Holiness the Pope, I was first in this year's freshman tournament!" Hu Liena replied coolly. She was extremely confident, convinced that no one among the younger generation could rival her.
She wanted to focus on offense and knock every opponent flat!
"Wonderful! Xie Yue, Yan, give it everything you've got and fight Nana right here. Don't hold back; you only need to defeat her. Yanyan, pause what you're doing and join in too. The three of you against one! Do you need time to get familiar with each other first?"
Dugu Yan stood and walked over to Xie Yue and Yan. She nodded to Qian Xunqian and said, "All right, teacher. You two, I'll need to learn about your Soul Skills, as well as our opponent's, before I can come up with a suitable strategy."
The three discussed things for five minutes before the fight began. Hu Liena's single-target Charm could only affect one person, leaving the other two free to fight. Her area-of-effect Charm could only slow her opponents down, and Yan, with his thick skin and sturdy build, blocked her Fox Fire completely. Dugu Yan used Martial Soul Possession and released the Jade Phosphor Snake's venom, forcing Hu Liena to devote half her Soul Power to resisting it.
What was more, Xie Yue and Yan protected Dugu Yan, a control-type Soul Master, so well that Hu Liena couldn't get near her. If Xie Yue hadn't been reluctant to hurt his younger sister, he could have already used his Soul Skill to defeat Hu Liena.
"The winner's decided!" Qian Xunqian declared, sweeping her hand through the air. She purified all the snake venom in the hall, then healed all four of them. Before long, Hu Liena was back to full health.
After being "revived," Hu Liena was still unconvinced. She looked at Qian Xunqian with wounded eyes and cried, "Your Holiness, you're bullying me! How can you do that? Three against one—that's not fair!"
"How is it unfair? This wasn't a tournament, with strict rules about one-on-one, three-on-three, or seven-on-seven fights. Do you know how many Titled Douluo the Spirit Hall sent to capture the fugitive Tang Hao?"
Hu Liena shook her head.
"Eight. Do you think Tang Hao complained to me that it was unfair?"
Hu Liena was at a loss for words. Deep down, she felt that fighting this way was a little too underhanded, but if she were in the same position, she would also bring enough people to make sure Tang Hao couldn't escape.
Seeing that the time was right, Qian Xunqian spoke to Hu Liena earnestly. "Nana, I know you're very strong, but a Soul Master's life isn't just about fighting in tournaments. You might face all kinds of danger in the future, and you could end up against several opponents at once, just like today. When that happens, a skill that lets you escape can be invaluable!"
Hu Liena nodded and wiped away her tears. "Thank you for your guidance, Your Holiness."
"Mm, good girl! If you ever have any questions, you can come see me at the Pope's Palace. All right, your turn, Yan."
"Greetings, Your Holiness. My name is Yan. The character for my name is the one with three 'fire' characters stacked together. My Martial Soul is the Flame Lord, and I'm a twenty-sixth-level Power Attack System Soul Master. My first Soul Skill is Flame Eruption. It releases a wide-area blast of fire from my palm, with a burning effect. My second Soul Skill is Magma Barrier. It uses earth-attribute Soul Power to form a molten shield, with a defense comparable to that of a defense-type Soul Master of the same level. It can block both physical and Soul Power attacks. I hope to become a Soul Master who can both attack and defend."
"A Flame Lord Martial Soul with two attributes: fire for offense and earth for defense. It's quite versatile and well suited to drawn-out battles. My suggestion is to make either your third or fourth Soul Ring a healing Soul Skill. Combined with your defense, even if you can't take your opponent down in one blow, you can switch from offense to defense and wear them down with your healing and defensive abilities. You can attack while holding your ground!"
"Thank you, Your Holiness!" Yan said gratefully.
Qian Xunqian looked at Yan with a little extra affection. There was no other reason; the boy was just too adorable.
Finally, it was Xie Yue's turn. His Martial Soul was the Moon Blade, and he was a twenty-eighth-level Power Attack System Battle Soul Master.
His first Soul Skill, Moon Blade Amplification, was a buff that doubled the Moon Blade's weight, sharpness, and base attack power. His second Soul Skill, Twin Blade Slash, sent out a crescent-shaped Soul Power slash by crossing his two Moon Blades. It came with a tearing effect and could pierce Soul Power shields.
His first two Soul Skills brought his attack power to the extreme. Combined with the Moon Blade's naturally high penetration, a top-tier weapon Martial Soul, they could easily kill a defense-type Soul Master of the same level in one strike when used together.
Unlike Hu Liena and Yan, Xie Yue's Martial Soul dictated that all his Soul Skills revolve around offense. He couldn't follow a balanced approach like Yan, whose Flame Lord Martial Soul was tough enough to support both attack and defense.
Against this kind of Martial Soul, a balanced approach wasn't very effective. He would be better off specializing.
Qian Xunqian thought it over carefully, then said,
"I think your third Soul Ring should come from a Soul Beast like the Stealth Spirit Cat. As a feline Soul Beast, it has sharp claws and fangs that could strengthen your Moon Blade's attacks. It also has the Invisibility innate skill. If you can acquire that as your third Soul Skill, it'll be excellent for both offense and survival!"
Invisibility was indeed a powerful ability. It was useful for flanking or ambushing, and even made for a great escape skill. The only problem was that Soul Beasts with Invisibility were rare. As far as anyone knew, there were only three such species in the Star Dou Forest.
What was more, these Soul Beasts were exceptionally alert. At the slightest sign that something was amiss, they immediately turned invisible. Unless you had strong mental strength, they were almost impossible to sense.
Still, finding a thousand-year Stealth Spirit Cat wouldn't be a problem for Qian Xunqian. As the strongest spiritual-type Soul Master on the Douluo Continent, she could break a Soul Beast's Invisibility with a blink.
Xie Yue nodded. He also thought that his third Soul Skill should be something that complemented his attacks, like increased speed or a movement skill. It would be useful in battles between Soul Masters, and could also give him a way to save himself if he ran into danger while out and about.
An Invisibility Soul Skill would be even better. His odds of killing an opponent with a single strike from the shadows would be far higher than if he attacked in full view!
"Whenever you have free time outside of school, come by the Pope's Palace. I can help guide your cultivation. And when the time comes, I'll take you to hunt Soul Beasts for your Soul Rings!"
The three exchanged excited glances. Having Your Holiness the Pope personally help them hunt Soul Rings was an enormous honor!
"Thank you for your guidance, Your Holiness! We'll take our leave!" The three placed their right hands over their chests and bowed at a forty-five-degree angle, showing the utmost respect.
"Hey, wait! What's the rush? I've only given you a little advice about your future paths. I haven't taught you anything about cultivation yet!"
The three had just turned to leave when Qian Xunqian called them back. Their faces lit up with delight.
Qian Xunqian gave a haughty little cough. She didn't seem like a Pope at all, but more like a friendly big sister next door.
"I can see that all three of you have extraordinary bones, exceptional talent, and the diligence to match. So I've decided to give you a chance: train with me for two months, and if you do well, I'll take all three of you as my disciples!"
Hu Liena was the most excited of the three. With her spiritual-type Demon Fox Martial Soul, becoming a disciple of the strongest spiritual-type Soul Master on the Douluo Continent would bring her boundless benefits!