Teaching the Golden Generation

"Are you unable to find an opponent at school, student Hu Liena?" Qian Xunqian asked with a smile.

"Your Majesty, I am the first-place winner of this year's freshman tournament!" Hu Liena replied indifferently. She was extremely conceited, believing that no one in the younger generation was her match.

She wanted to focus on offense and knock all her opponents down!

"Very well! Xie Yue, Yan, use your full strength. Spar with Liena right here. No holding back—just defeat her. Dugu Yan, hold on a moment, join them as well. The three of you against one! Do you need time to coordinate?"

Dugu Yan stood up, walked over to Xie Yue and Yan, and nodded to Qian Xunqian. "Understood, Teacher. You two, I need to understand your spirit skills, as well as our opponent's, so I can formulate a strategy."

The three deliberated for five minutes before the fight officially began. Hu Liena's single-target Charm could only affect one person, leaving the other two free to fight, and her group Charm only slowed the opponents down. As for her Fox Fire, it was completely blocked by the thick-skinned Yan. Dugu Yan activated her spirit avatar and released Jade Phosphor Snake venom, forcing Hu Liena to divert half of her spirit power just to resist the toxin.

Furthermore, Dugu Yan, as a control-type spirit master, was protected perfectly by Xie Yue and Yan; Hu Liena couldn't get to her at all. If Xie Yue hadn't been reluctant to hurt his sister, he could have already used his spirit skills to defeat her.

"The outcome is decided!" Qian Xunqian declared. With a wave of her hand, she purified all the snake venom in the hall and healed the four of them. Soon, Hu Liena was back to full strength.

"Resurrected," Hu Liena felt very unconvinced. She looked at Qian Xunqian with a grievance and cried:

"Your Majesty is bullying me! How could you do this! Three against one, that's not fair!"

"How is it unfair? This isn't a tournament with strict rules for one-on-one, three-on-three, or seven-on-seven matches. Do you know how many Titled Douluo our Spirit Hall dispatched to capture the fugitive Tang Hao?"

Hu Liena shook her head.

"Eight in total. Do you think Tang Hao would complain to me about it being unfair?"

Hu Liena was rendered speechless. Although she felt deep down that such a move was a bit despicable, if it were her, she would also bring enough people to ensure Tang Hao couldn't escape.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Qian Xunqian educated Hu Liena earnestly: "Liena, I know your strength is formidable, but a spirit master's life is not just about tournaments. In the future, you may encounter all kinds of dangers, and just like today, you might face multiple opponents at once. At such times, having a skill that allows you to escape is incredibly useful!"

Hu Liena nodded, wiped away her tears, and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty."

"Mm, good child! If you have any questions in the future, you can come to the Pope's Palace to find me. Alright, it's your turn, Yan."

"Greetings, Your Majesty. My name is Yan, written with the three fire characters. My spirit is the Flame Lord, and I am a level 26 assault-type spirit master. My first spirit skill is Flame Eruption, which releases a large-area flame shock from my palms with a burning effect. My second spirit skill is Magma Barrier; I condense a magma shield using earth-attribute spirit power. Its defensive power is comparable to a defense-type spirit master of the same level, capable of blocking both physical and spirit power attacks simultaneously. My goal for the future is to become a spirit master who excels in both offense and defense."

"A dual-attribute Flame Lord spirit—fire for offense, earth for defense. It's quite comprehensive and suitable for a war of attrition. My suggestion is that one of your third or fourth spirit rings should be a healing skill. Paired with your defense, if you can't kill an opponent instantly, you can switch from offense to defense, using your healing and defense to wear them down! Offense within defense!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Yan bowed in gratitude.

Qian Xunqian looked at Yan with an extra touch of doting affection; there was no other reason, the child was simply too cute.

Finally, it was Xie Yue's turn. His spirit was the Moon Blade, and he was a level 28 assault-type battle spirit master.

His first spirit skill, Moon Blade Amplification, was a buffing skill that doubled the weight, sharpness, and base attack power of his Moon Blades. His second spirit skill, Twin Blade Slash, involved crossing his dual blades to release a crescent-shaped spirit power slash with a tearing effect that could penetrate spirit power shields.

His first two skills pushed his offense to the limit. Combined with the high-attribute penetration effect inherent to the top-tier tool spirit Moon Blade, facing a defense-type spirit master of the same level, he could easily achieve a one-hit kill once both skills were activated.

Unlike Hu Liena and Yan, Xie Yue's spirit dictated that his skills were all centered around offense. He couldn't follow the balanced offense-defense path like Yan, whose Flame Lord spirit was thick-skinned and sturdy.

For this type of spirit, a balanced approach wouldn't be very effective; he had to stick to the extreme.

Qian Xunqian thought carefully and said:

"My thought is that for your third spirit ring, it would be best to hunt a spirit beast like the Stealth Spirit Cat. As a feline spirit beast, the Stealth Spirit Cat has sharp claws and teeth, which can enhance your Moon Blade's attack power. At the same time, the Stealth Spirit Cat has an innate skill: invisibility. If your third spirit skill can acquire this ability, it would be top-tier for both offense and self-preservation!"

Invisibility was indeed a powerful mechanism. Whether for flanking or sneak attacks, even for escaping, the invisibility skill was extremely formidable. However, invisibility-type spirit beasts were indeed rare; there were only three known types in the Star Dou Forest.

Moreover, these spirit beasts were extremely agile and would immediately enter an invisible state at the slightest sign of trouble. Unless one's mental power was strong, it was very difficult to perceive them.

However, for Qian Xunqian, finding a thousand-year-old Stealth Spirit Cat was not a problem at all. As the current number one mental-type spirit master on the Douluo Continent, she could break a spirit beast's invisibility skill with a blink of an eye.

Xie Yue nodded. He also felt that a mechanism to assist his offense for his third spirit skill—such as acceleration or displacement—would be better. It would not only be useful in spirit master duels but also provide a safety net if he encountered danger while out and about.

As for the invisibility skill, that would be even better. The chance of a one-hit kill from the shadows was far greater than attacking while standing in front of someone!

"Aside from your school hours, come to my Pope's Palace whenever you have free time. I can guide your cultivation. As for hunting spirit beasts, I will take you when the time comes!"

The three looked at each other with joy. Having the Pope personally help them hunt spirit rings was a tremendous honor!

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty! We take our leave!" The three placed their right hands over their chests, bowed at forty-five degrees, and were incredibly respectful.

"Hey! Wait! Why the rush! I only gave you a little guidance on your development direction; I haven't taught you about your cultivation yet!"

The three were just about to turn around when they were called back, their faces filled with joy.

Qian Xunqian coughed twice with a haughty air, not at all like a Pope, but rather like an older sister from next door.

"I see that you three have remarkable bone structures, extraordinary talent, and are diligent and hardworking. I have decided to give you three a chance: train with me for two months. If you perform well, I will take you three as my disciples!"

Hu Liena was the most excited of the three. With her mental-type Demon Fox spirit, being able to take the most powerful mental-type spirit master on the Douluo Continent as her teacher would be infinitely beneficial!