Holding Zhu Zhuqing by the Waist, Hu Liena Grew Jealous

Xie Yue's goal now was to catch up with Fang Fan.

Of course, he wanted to surpass him too.

But no matter how hard he trained, it was no use.

He lost every time he sparred with Fang Fan.

And each time, he felt the gap between them growing wider,

until catching up seemed impossible.

He remembered the first time he had met Fang Fan. It was three years ago, when Fang Fan entered the elite class at the advanced Soul Master Academy.

Fang Fan had been only twelve then,

but he was already the brightest talent at the junior Soul Master Academy,

unbeaten by any student at Spirit Hall's junior academy.

After Fang Fan entered the elite class, Xie Yue, Liena, and Yan began watching him.

Fang Fan was His Holiness the Pope's personal disciple and the Saint Son,

which put him above all three of them.

Proud as they were, they refused to accept that,

so each of them challenged Fang Fan,

boasting that they would beat him so badly his own mother wouldn't recognize him.

Yan had been especially scornful of Fang Fan,

convinced his reputation was all talk and eager to grind him into the dirt.

He had been as arrogant as could be.

Even Xie Yue had been stunned.

But that was Yan: competitive and hot-tempered.

Liena, meanwhile, was genuinely confident she could beat Fang Fan despite their level difference.

Xie Yue thought he could beat Fang Fan too.

And so they challenged him, each utterly sure of victory.

The loudest of them, Yan, was completely crushed. Fang Fan beat him so badly he questioned everything he knew.

Fang Fan ground Yan's face beneath his foot.

It could hardly have gone worse.

Yan had lost all face.

From that moment on, Fang Fan's name spread throughout the advanced Soul Master Academy.

Xie Yue stepped up to spar with him next.

He had been brimming with confidence, but Fang Fan crushed him too.

Fang Fan defeated him in just two moves.

Then Liena stepped up,

only to be crushed as well.

The Golden Generation had turned into the Pyrite Generation,

and all three had lost face.

Fang Fan's victory made him the brightest star at the advanced Soul Master Academy.

Stubborn as they were, the three of them kept coming after him.

Whenever they made even a little progress, they sought him out for another match,

and every time, Fang Fan beat them.

They improved quickly, but Fang Fan improved faster.

None of them wanted to accept it.

Yet after three years of sparring, they had little fight left in them.

Gradually,

Fang Fan became the one they looked to.

After all, this was a world that revered strength,

and the strong always drew followers.

Whoosh, whoosh...

They arrived at Holy Son Hall.

A maid was tidying Zhu Zhuqing's room.

"Your Highness, Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan request an audience!"

A maid approached from the side.

"Let them in!"

Fang Fan and Zhu Zhuqing sat in the garden, drinking juice and admiring the flowers.

After quietly taking in the blooms, Zhu Zhuqing lowered her gaze to study her surroundings.

Whoosh, whoosh...

Three figures flashed over from nearby.

"Greetings, Saint Son!"

Hu Liena, Yan, and Xie Yue bowed to Fang Fan,

then all three turned to stare at Zhu Zhuqing.

At the sight of Zhu Zhuqing's face and figure, Yan's eyes widened. She's stunning.

How could a girl this gorgeous exist?

Such a youthful face and such a full bust.

Fair skin,

a black leather skirt,

and a figure like a flower just about to bloom. She's breathtaking!

Yan was dazzled by Zhu Zhuqing's beauty.

No wonder she had caught the Saint Son's eye.

Still, he thought Liena was prettier.

Beauty was in the eye of the beholder, after all.

Hu Liena was struck by the girl's face and figure too.

At a glance, Zhu Zhuqing looked cool and aloof, beautiful in a way all her own.

Even standing still, she drew a second look.

Does Fang Fan like cool, aloof beauties? Hu Liena wondered.

"You can get up. I didn't expect you to come by as soon as we got back.

Let me introduce you to my future wife—

Zhu Zhuqing!

Her Martial Soul is the Hell Spirit Cat, and it has an exceptionally high affinity with mine.

She's beautiful, isn't she?

And what a figure, right?"

Fang Fan introduced her to Hu Liena and the others with obvious pride.

Then he turned to Zhu Zhuqing with a smile.

"Zhuqing, these three are Spirit Hall's Golden Generation—

Hu Liena, eighteen. Her Martial Soul is the Demon Fox. She's a level forty-eight Control System Battle Soul Ancestor and Teacher's student.

Xie Yue, nineteen. His Martial Soul is the Moon Blade, and he's a level forty-nine Battle Soul Ancestor.

Yan, nineteen. His Martial Soul is the Flame Lord, and he's a level forty-nine Battle Soul Ancestor.

Apart from me, they're the three strongest students at Spirit Hall Advanced Elite Soul Master Academy."

"Ah..."

Zhu Zhuqing's lips parted slightly. She seemed stunned.

Are all Spirit Hall's geniuses this extraordinary?

The three were only eighteen or nineteen, yet they were already level forty-eight or forty-nine Battle Soul Ancestors.

It was almost absurd.

Zhu Zhuqing was only level twenty-six, though she was close to level twenty-seven.

They were six or seven years older than her, but their Soul Power was more than twenty levels higher.

Fang Fan was the youngest of the four, yet he had the most Soul Power and was the strongest in a fight.

His talent was beyond belief.

She was numb with shock.

All of them were so gifted.

Compared with them, she felt like a firefly among brilliant moons.

She lowered her eyes, her nails nearly digging into her palms,

feeling that her talent was poor and her strength too weak.

She wondered if she was good enough for Fang Fan.

Fang Fan noticed her insecurity.

He immediately slipped an arm around her slender waist and pulled her close.

Her waist felt wonderful beneath his hand, and her fragrance rose around him. "Zhuqing, you're younger than all of us. You're my future wife, and we're getting married in a few days.

The woman I chose couldn't possibly lack talent. One day, you'll be as strong as anyone here!"

When Zhu Zhuqing felt his hand on her waist, she stiffened. The touch even made her waist tingle.

It was the first time a boy had held her by the waist and drawn her in front of him. Half her back rested against his chest,

and she trembled slightly.

Shy and blushing, she lowered her head, unable to look at the others.

She had never felt anything like it.

"Whoa... Fang Fan, you sly dog!"

Yan had not expected Fang Fan to put his arm around Zhu Zhuqing right in front of them. He could hardly believe his eyes.

Beside him, Hu Liena looked ready to breathe fire. Her chest rose and fell with anger.

Seeing Liena jealous made Yan jealous too. He clenched his teeth.

Xie Yue smiled. "Well, now that we've all been introduced, we'll be going!"

He immediately pulled Hu Liena toward the exit.

He was afraid she would lose her temper on the spot and fight Zhu Zhuqing over Fang Fan.

That would be trouble.

Yan hurried after Xie Yue and helped drag away Hu Liena, who was on the verge of erupting.

Once they were gone, Zhu Zhuqing wriggled free and put a little distance between herself and Fang Fan. As his warmth faded, she realized she had barely been able to breathe.

Fang Fan smiled in satisfaction. He got up and took Zhu Zhuqing to her room.

After showing her around Holy Son Hall, he took out a refined Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber Pill and placed it in her soft, pale hand.

"Wife, I'll be away for three days.

This Gum Pellet will strengthen your body and raise the age limit of the Soul Rings you can absorb.

Take one each day, then meditate."

"What are you going to do?"

Zhu Zhuqing studied the translucent Gum Pellet in her hand. It gave off an unusual aura.

Was this how he'd raised the age limits of his Soul Rings so high?

"Pick up a Spirit Bone. When I get back, I'll take you to bathe in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."

With that, Fang Fan told the maid to take good care of Zhu Zhuqing, then headed out of Holy Son Hall.