Upon hearing this, Ye Fan summoned Snow Girl again and introduced her to everyone:
"Teacher, Brother Xiao Xiao, Sister Meng Meng."
"This is my Soul Spirit."
"Not only does she provide me with Soul Rings and soul skills, she can also draw upon my Soul Power to unleash soul skills and assist me in battle."
"What?"
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen exchanged glances, their eyes full of disbelief.
Jing Hongchen, on the other hand, had already accepted that Soul Spirits were superior to traditional Soul Rings.
"Xiao Fan, since Soul Spirits are so powerful, when will you arrange some for us too?"
At that moment, Meng Hongchen hurried to Ye Fan's side and shook his arm.
Ye Fan was nearly as tall as Meng Hongchen now. As she swayed his arm, his heart began to stir restlessly.
Ye Fan quickly pulled his arm free from Meng Hongchen's grasp and said to everyone, "Sister Meng Meng, Brother Xiao Xiao, Teacher, don't rush."
"Martial Ancestor is still researching them. Once he announces that the research is complete, he'll notify everyone immediately."
Only then did Meng Hongchen let Ye Fan go. "That's wonderful. I want a Soul Spirit just like Snow Girl's too."
As she spoke, Meng Hongchen reached out, intending to give Snow Girl a pinch.
This gave both Ye Fan and Jing Hongchen a fright. "Meng Meng, don't!"
"Sister Meng Meng, don't!"
Just as the two thought Snow Girl would do something to Meng Hongchen—
Strangely enough, Snow Girl took the initiative to nestle into Meng Hongchen's palm. She even offered up her face and gently rubbed against it.
"This..."
Ye Fan, Xiao Hongchen, Jing Hongchen, and the others exchanged looks, their eyes filled with disbelief.
Afterward, Jing Hongchen chatted casually with everyone for a while.
Then he said, "Xiao Fan, Xiao Xiao, Meng Meng."
"There are roughly three months left until the Continental Soul Master Tournament. During that time, remember to work closely with Ma Rulong and the others."
"Yes!" Ye Fan, Xiao Hongchen, and Meng Hongchen answered in unison.
Over the next three months, Ye Fan cultivated while ultimately raising his cultivation to Rank 49. At the same time, he began sending people to search for news of his sister, Ye Guyi.
But disappointingly, nothing ever came of it.
All Ye Fan could do was think helplessly, Sister, Sister, where exactly are you?
Do I really have to wait until the Continental Soul Master Tournament in Bright City to find you?
Three months passed in the blink of an eye, and the eve of the Continental Soul Master Tournament arrived.
This time, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy had its dean, Jing Hongchen, and Ma Rulong's grandfather, Ma Zhanshan, serve as the accompanying teachers.
The students included Ye Fan, Ma Rulong, Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, Lin Xi, Mijia, Chen Fei, and several reserve members. Among them was Xiao Xiafeng, who had been pushed out by Ma Rulong.
But none of that was important.
One day, with only a few days remaining before the Continental Soul Master Tournament—
Jing Hongchen gathered Ye Fan, Ma Rulong, and the others, preparing to depart for Star Luo City in the Xingluo Empire.
This was the venue for the Continental Soul Master Tournament.
Before their departure, Jing Hongchen equipped everyone with suitable Soul Tools, including three Class 5 Invincible Shields per person. Ma Rulong alone received three Class 6 Invincible Shields.
Ye Fan had these items as well. Although he had not yet reached the level required to use them, Jing Hongchen still assigned them to him. In Jing Hongchen's words, "Xiao Fan, you're already Rank 49. What if you break through in the middle of the tournament?"
The others had no choice but to be convinced.
Afterward, Jing Hongchen equipped everyone with Soul Tools suited to their combat styles.
Ye Fan preferred close combat, so Jing Hongchen bestowed the Class 8 peak Soul Tool, the Judgment Sword, upon him.
Ye Fan could not bear to put it down. In particular, the weapon contained both light and darkness powers, perfectly matching his attributes.
When Ye Fan wielded it, its effect was greater than the sum of its parts.
The others also gained a great deal.
Thus, after all the supplies had been distributed, Jing Hongchen swept his hand toward the crowd. "Set out for Star Luo City in the Xingluo Empire."
"Yes!"
Everyone present, including Ye Fan, piloted flying Soul Tools toward Star Luo City.
Ye Fan and the others first crossed the Ming Dou Mountain Range, where large forces from the Sun Moon Empire and the Xingluo Empire were stationed.
The moment Ye Fan and the others descended, they caught the attention of the Sun Moon Empire's troops.
In the end, Jing Hongchen had to step forward and reveal his identity before the crisis was resolved.
Once they entered Xingluo Empire territory, Jing Hongchen led Ye Fan and the others swiftly over the opposing military camp.
At the same altitude and in the same formation, the Xingluo Empire remained completely unaware.
This showed just how vast the gap was between the two nations' Soul Tool technology.
But these were not matters Ye Fan needed to concern himself with.
For the time that followed, Jing Hongchen and the others did not stop.
Two days later, they arrived safely in Star Luo City.
At that moment, Star Luo City was completely abuzz because of the once-every-five-years Continental Soul Master Tournament. The entire majestic city was packed with voices and surging crowds.
The streets and alleys were hung with colorful banners. Everywhere were competing soul masters and spectators from the four great empires of Heavenly Soul, Dou Ling, Xingluo, and Sun Moon, their academy uniforms forming a patchwork of colors.
The area around the Star Luo Great Soul Arena was even more crowded, filled with vendors and bursts of laughter. The solemn atmosphere of the arena blended with the clamor of the streets, displaying the immense grandeur of the continent's greatest soul master event.
Ye Fan and the others followed Jing Hongchen into Star Luo City. After he exchanged a few words with the guarding soldiers, a leading officer soon came to receive them.
"Your Excellency Toad, and everyone from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, please follow me."
Ye Fan and the others were then led by the man to the Star Emperor Grand Hotel, which the Xingluo Empire had specially reserved for participating academy teams.
Ye Fan and the others were taken to the hotel's top floor.
The top floor was divided into eastern and western sections.
The moment Ye Fan and the others arrived on the top floor—
They encountered a group of familiar figures.
"Huo Yuhao?"
"Benefactor!"
That was right. This was Huo Yuhao, whom Ye Fan was meeting again after a year apart.
Beside Huo Yuhao stood Bei Bei, who had once clashed with Ye Fan, along with several Shrek students Ye Fan had never seen before.
"Benefactor, is it really you?"
Ignoring the strange looks from the Shrek group beside him, Huo Yuhao walked straight over to Ye Fan and warmly asked after him.
At this point, Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, Jing Hongchen, and the others also recognized Huo Yuhao, Bei Bei, and the rest.
"Huo Yuhao, you know students from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy?"
The speaker was a richly dressed young man. Several young men and women with distinct temperaments stood beside him.
One was broad and powerfully built, his physique far exceeding that of his peers. He carried himself with a calm, steady air.
One girl was tall and slender, with golden hair and fair skin. Her graceful features were gentle and refined, giving her an otherworldly air.
There was also a petite girl with twin braids, sweet-looking and lively.
Another was slightly plump, with an honest, simple face that made him seem especially dependable.
The last young man was handsome, fair-skinned, and surrounded by a lively, ethereal aura.
The last young man in particular drew the attention of Ye Fan and the others.
"Wang Dong?" Ye Fan immediately guessed her identity. Blue hair, blue eyes, and a boyish appearance with feminine beauty.
As for the others, Ye Fan had roughly guessed their names as well. "Xu Sanshi."
"Jiang Nannan!"
"Xiao Xiao!"
"He Caitou!"
"Wang Dong!"
While Ye Fan was looking at Wang Dong, Wang Dong was also looking at Ye Fan. In Wang Dong's eyes, Ye Fan presented an entirely different image: golden hair, golden eyes, and though young, an indescribably masculine beauty.
Moreover, Ye Fan naturally radiated a holy aura of light, which naturally drew Wang Dong toward him.
At the same time, Wang Dong actually sensed a familiar aura from Ye Fan.
Although she did not know where that aura came from, it made her feel exceptionally close to him.
"Huo Yuhao, long time no see. I didn't expect you to ultimately become a student of Shrek Academy."
"Congratulations!"
Ye Fan said this aloud, but inwardly he thought, Huo Yuhao, I finally have a chance to take you down.
Before you continue