Seven Luminaries Assemble

Inside a training room at Spirit Pagoda headquarters.

Seven figures stood apart, yet the prestigious name "Seven Luminaries Team" had done nothing to create a harmonious atmosphere. On the contrary, a subtle sense of distance hung in the air, as though invisible lines had divided the seven of them into several distinct little circles.

Xiao Cheng stood on the left, with Leng Yaozhu and Leng Yulai beside him. Though the three said nothing, anyone could see the natural closeness between them—this was one little circle.

Across from them stood Qiangu Qingfeng and Qiangu Dongfeng. Though they were brothers, a faintly tense atmosphere lingered between them.

Qiangu Dongfeng wore a smile, appearing calm and unhurried. Qiangu Qingfeng, meanwhile, remained expressionless, his gaze cold, as if the younger brother standing three years beneath him was not family but a rival who demanded vigilance.

At the center stood two relatively unfamiliar faces.

Zhang Geyang possessed the Nether Flame Beast martial soul and had Soul Power at rank 23. Tall and handsome, he wore a confident smile as his gaze swept across the others with a scrutinizing air. His eyes paused on Xia Zhengleng for a moment before casually moving away.

Xia Zhengleng possessed the Cold Rhyme Zither martial soul and had Soul Power at rank 22. She was also Qiangu Qingfeng's wife in the original story and the future Cold Rhyme Douluo, though she clearly had not yet become acquainted with Qiangu Qingfeng.

She wore a pale blue gown. Her features were delicate, and her temperament gentle. Standing quietly there, she resembled an orchid blooming in silence. Yet a trace of barely perceptible wariness and distance lingered in her eyes, especially whenever she looked at Zhang Geyang.

It was worth noting that Zhang Geyang was clearly close to Qiangu Dongfeng, while Xia Zhengleng seemed somewhat inclined toward Qiangu Qingfeng.

Seven people, three little circles.

The atmosphere became awkward for a moment.

No one spoke first.

Qiangu Dongfeng put on airs, waiting for others to greet him as the "Pagoda Master's son." Qiangu Qingfeng wore an icy expression that seemed to say, "Don't talk to me." Zhang Geyang was observing the situation, while Xia Zhengleng silently tried to make herself less noticeable. Leng Yaozhu waited for Xiao Cheng to speak, and Leng Yulai copied her sister.

As for Xiao Cheng...

Xiao Cheng sighed inwardly.

Why does this feel like one of those awkward classroom scenes where everyone has split into little cliques and nobody wants to speak first? he grumbled to himself. Forget it. We can't stay deadlocked forever. Since nobody wants to break the ice, I'll do it.

He stepped forward with a friendly smile and broke the silence first. "Hello, everyone. I'm Xiao Cheng. My martial soul is the Azure Sky Snake, and I'm a rank 22 agility-attack Soul Grandmaster. I'm glad to become teammates with all of you." After absorbing the External Soul Bone, the Dark Demon Scorpion Tail, his cultivation had risen by another rank.

His voice was not loud, but it rang especially clearly within the quiet training room.

Leng Yaozhu followed immediately, speaking openly. "Leng Yaozhu. My martial soul is the Heavenly Phoenix, and I'm a rank 24 assault-type Soul Grandmaster. This is my younger sister, Leng Yulai. Her martial soul is the Dark Phoenix, and she's a rank 21 assault-type Soul Grandmaster."

Leng Yulai also softly added, "Hello, everyone..."

With Xiao Cheng and the Leng sisters taking the lead, the others could no longer keep putting on airs.

Qiangu Dongfeng smiled faintly, stepped forward, and cupped his hands. "I am Qiangu Dongfeng. My martial soul is the Coiling Dragon Staff, and I'm a rank 28 assault-type Soul Grandmaster. It is an honor to work with such talented people. I hope that in the days ahead, we can advance hand in hand and create greatness together."

His words were polished, and he carried himself modestly, giving others a feeling as refreshing as a spring breeze. Yet Xiao Cheng noticed that when he mentioned "rank 28," Qiangu Qingfeng's expression beside him darkened noticeably.

"Rank 28?" Leng Yaozhu raised her brows in surprise. "I remember you were only rank 25 before. How did you suddenly jump to rank 28?"

Qiangu Dongfeng smiled and answered casually, "My father bestowed upon me a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone passed down through our family. After absorbing it, my cultivation improved somewhat, and I was fortunate enough to break through three ranks."

A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone!

The moment those words were spoken, everyone present sucked in a breath of cold air.

A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone! That was a legendary existence! Across the entire Douluo Continent, there were only a handful of forces capable of possessing one! Yet the Qiangu Family was willing to give a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone to a child under nine years old for absorption. Such extravagance was simply terrifying!

Leng Yaozhu and Leng Yulai exchanged glances, each seeing the shock in the other's eyes.

A trace of envy appeared on Zhang Geyang's face, but it quickly returned to normal.

Xia Zhengleng lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought.

As for Qiangu Qingfeng...

His expression had already darkened to the point where it seemed water might drip from it.

A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone. His father had actually given a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone to Qiangu Dongfeng! Yet he, the eldest son, had not received even a single Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone, much less a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone! Was it because his martial soul was not the Coiling Dragon Staff? Was it because his martial soul was the Purgatory Halberd? To Qiangu Qingfeng, this was undoubtedly a crushing blow.

An unnamed fury burned fiercely within Qiangu Qingfeng's heart.

In truth, this Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone could only be considered a fuse.

Because he had failed to awaken the Qiangu Family's inherited martial soul, the Coiling Dragon Staff, he had never stood out much within the family. It was not as if he had been heavily ostracized, and no one dared withhold the resources he needed for ordinary cultivation. After all, his martial soul simply was not the Coiling Dragon Staff; he was not truly useless. But the genuinely core resources were never his to use. Thus, he had always harbored a burning desire to prove that he was no worse than anyone else.

But Qiangu Dongfeng's existence seemed to deny all his efforts.

Originally, Qiangu Dongfeng's talent truly was somewhat greater than Qiangu Qingfeng's, and Qiangu Qingfeng had nothing to say about that. But now, on the eve of the Seven Luminaries Team's formation, Qiangu Dieting had handed a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone to Qiangu Dongfeng. His intentions were obvious—to establish Qiangu Dongfeng as the team's leader.

How could Qiangu Qingfeng possibly accept that?

He knew that Qiangu Dieting had given Qiangu Dongfeng the Soul Bone at this time to establish his leadership within the Seven Luminaries Team. He had even arranged for Qiangu Dongfeng to make contact with Zhang Geyang in advance. Thus, Qiangu Qingfeng developed the desire to compete with Qiangu Dongfeng. He wanted to prove that he was absolutely no worse than Qiangu Dongfeng!

By chance, he had stumbled across Zhang Geyang seemingly pestering Xia Zhengleng.

Since Xia Zhengleng had personally been selected for the Seven Luminaries Team by Qiangu Dieting, Zhang Geyang did not dare force himself on her. However, her family's influence was far inferior to the Zhang Family's, so she did not dare reject him too harshly and could only decline tactfully.

Though Qiangu Qingfeng was somewhat solitary, he knew that competing with Qiangu Dongfeng for the leadership position would be impossible without support. Among the seven-member team, Xiao Cheng was clearly close to the Leng sisters, and Qiangu Qingfeng could not simply win them over whenever he pleased. Zhang Geyang belonged to Qiangu Dongfeng's side. The only person he could draw in was Xia Zhengleng.

So, he had directly stepped forward and gotten Xia Zhengleng out of the situation. Seeing that it was Qiangu Qingfeng, Zhang Geyang did not dare say anything and simply left.

Then Qiangu Qingfeng bluntly told her that he hoped Xia Zhengleng could support him. In exchange, he could help her deal with Zhang Geyang's harassment. Xia Zhengleng remained silent for a while before finally nodding in agreement.

Though Qiangu Qingfeng was in a foul mood, he did not lash out. He merely said coldly, "Qiangu Qingfeng. Martial soul: Purgatory Halberd. Rank 28 assault-type Soul Grandmaster."

His voice was cold and brief, as if saying even one extra word would be a waste of effort.

Seeing this, Zhang Geyang introduced himself as well. "Zhang Geyang. Martial soul: Nether Flame Beast. Rank 23 assault-type Soul Grandmaster. I hope everyone will look after me in the future."

Xia Zhengleng frowned faintly, but quickly relaxed her expression and said softly, "Xia Zhengleng. Martial soul: Cold Rhyme Zither. Rank 22 control-type Soul Grandmaster. Please offer me your guidance."

Once the seven had finished their introductions, the atmosphere once again fell into a brief silence.

Xiao Cheng looked around and decided to give things another push. "Now that we know each other, why don't we discuss our respective roles and strengths? Since we'll be fighting together in the future, it's important to understand each other's abilities."

"Xiao Cheng is right," Leng Yaozhu agreed. "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

Qiangu Dongfeng nodded in agreement. "Brother Xiao Cheng speaks reasonably. Then I'll start. My Coiling Dragon Staff specializes in frontal assault. My first soul skill, Coiling Dragon Strike, can unleash rapid consecutive attacks, while my second soul skill, Dragon Staff Barrier, can defend and protect teammates. As for the ability granted by my Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone..."

He paused and smiled faintly. "Allow me to keep that a secret for now. During the practical drills, I'll let everyone see it for themselves."

"Tch, acting mysterious," Leng Yaozhu muttered quietly, though she did not say it aloud.

Next, the others introduced their abilities and roles one after another.

Qiangu Qingfeng was an assault-type Soul Master who excelled at explosive damage. Zhang Geyang was also assault-type, and his Nether Flame Beast possessed powerful fire-based attacks. Leng Yaozhu and Leng Yulai were both assault-type as well, but they possessed the ability to fly and could seize aerial superiority. Xia Zhengleng was control-type and could use zither music to disrupt and restrain enemies. As for Xiao Cheng...

"I can be considered both an assault-type and agility-attack fighter, specializing in speed and surprise attacks," Xiao Cheng said. "My Azure Sky Snake martial soul possesses wind and spatial attributes, allowing me to use short-range Teleportation and move at high speed. The physical strength granted by my Body Martial Soul is also not weak. In addition, I have an External Soul Bone that can serve as a trump card."

"An External Soul Bone?" A trace of surprise flashed through Qiangu Dongfeng's eyes. "Brother Xiao Cheng truly is blessed by fortune."

"Just good luck," Xiao Cheng replied humbly with a smile, saying nothing more.

Just then, the training room door was pushed open.

A tall, imposing middle-aged man walked in. He wore a magnificent golden robe. It was none other than the Spirit Pagoda's master—Qiangu Dieting!

Three others followed behind him: Spirit Pagoda Vice Pagoda Master Leng Zhaoran, Vice Pagoda Master Zhang Hongwen, and Xiao Cheng's father, Xiao Ran.

With the arrival of these four important figures, the training room's atmosphere immediately became solemn.

"Greetings, Pagoda Master. Greetings, Vice Pagoda Masters. Greetings, Xiao Spirit Envoy." The seven bowed together.

Qiangu Dieting waved a hand. His gaze swept over the seven of them, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. "Good, very good. The seven of you are the future hope of our Spirit Pagoda."

He walked to the center of the training room and declared, "Starting today, you are members of the Spirit Pagoda Seven Luminaries Team. Your mission is to defeat the representative teams of Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect in the All-Federation Youth Soul Master Competition seven years from now, bringing glory to our Spirit Pagoda!"

"To that end, I have prepared a specialized training plan for you. Over the next seven years, you will undergo the strictest training, learn the most advanced tactics, and be equipped with the finest gear. You have only one goal—championship!"

Qiangu Dieting's voice was sonorous and powerful, carrying an unquestionable authority.

The seven answered in unison, "Yes, Pagoda Master!"

Qiangu Dieting nodded in satisfaction, then shifted the subject. "However, before that, I need to settle one matter."

His gaze swept over the seven as he slowly said, "The Seven Luminaries Team needs a captain. This person must not only possess formidable strength, but also outstanding leadership ability and tactical intelligence. Who do you think would be most suitable for this position?"

The atmosphere in the training room became subtle once more.

Qiangu Dongfeng slightly straightened his chest, a confident smile appearing on his face.

Qiangu Qingfeng remained expressionless, but his fists tightened.

Leng Yaozhu instinctively glanced at Xiao Cheng.

Zhang Geyang's gaze moved back and forth between Qiangu Dongfeng and Qiangu Qingfeng.

Xia Zhengleng kept her head lowered, as though none of this concerned her.

As for Xiao Cheng...

Xiao Cheng sighed quietly to himself.

Here it comes, the classic "who should be captain" part. I know this plot. Next, are they going to fight to decide it? he mocked inwardly, while maintaining an indifferent expression. Still, I don't want any part of this. Whoever wants the position can have it. I have no interest in being the one who sticks his neck out.

Sure enough, Qiangu Dieting's next words confirmed Xiao Cheng's guess. "How about this? First, you will conduct a practical combat drill and let me see your strength and coordination. Whoever performs the best will become the captain."

"Yes, Pagoda Master!" the seven answered together.

A captaincy struggle full of hidden currents was about to begin.