Shui Bing'er stood behind Shui Xinrou.
She had heard every word of the conversation between Gu Ping'an and her mother.
What was a divine position?
Still young, she did not really understand. Perhaps it had something to do with gods.
But she had understood the first part.
He could ensure she became a Titled Douluo, and an exceptionally powerful one at that.
Her father had left when she was little, leaving her mother to shoulder everything alone.
There had always been people in the Shui Family who disapproved of her mother. Had she and Shui Yue'er not shown decent talent, they would have moved against the mother and daughters long ago.
She had silently etched all of this into her heart, which was why she had trained diligently and tirelessly ever since awakening her Martial Soul.
But the power of her Ice Phoenix Martial Soul was too overbearing. The slightest lapse during cultivation could push it beyond what she could control, forcing her to stop and rest from time to time and seriously delaying her training.
Now that an opportunity to grow stronger lay before her, she naturally could not let it slip away.
"Aunt Xinrou, your daughter has already agreed. Do you have any other objections?"
Gu Ping'an drew his gaze away from Shui Bing'er and looked at Shui Xinrou before him.
Shui Xinrou looked at Gu Ping'an, then at Shui Bing'er behind her, and slowly stepped aside.
"Whatever she chooses, I'll support her."
Seeing this, Gu Ping'an took two steps forward and extended his right hand to Shui Bing'er.
"We're teammates from now on. I look forward to working with you."
"I'm happy to be your teammate."
Shui Bing'er held out her small hand and gently shook Gu Ping'an's.
"All right! Since she's decided to join, there's no problem with Shui Bing'er staying with us for now, is there?"
After the brief handshake, Gu Ping'an looked at Shui Xinrou again.
Whether Shui Bing'er could stay still depended on her.
Shui Xinrou turned to look back at Shui Bing'er.
"Yes. I'll stay with you from now on." Shui Bing'er nodded firmly.
With Shui Bing'er's agreement, Gu Ping'an nodded slightly and looked toward the few simple wooden cabins inside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"Xiao Wu, Yanyan, She Long, come out for a moment."
Once the three approached, Gu Ping'an began introducing everyone.
"This is Shui Bing'er. She'll be joining us as our companion."
"Shui Bing'er, why don't you tell us a little about yourself first?"
Gu Ping'an did not know Shui Bing'er's current Soul Power level, so he could only let her explain it herself.
"Hello! My name is Shui Bing'er. My Martial Soul is the Ice Phoenix. I'm eight years old, and I'm a rank nineteen Control-Type Battle Spirit Master."
"I'm Xiao Wu, a little over seven. My Martial Soul is the Soft Bone Rabbit, and I'm a rank seventeen Battle Soul Master."
Xiao Wu squeezed forward and spoke first.
She loved fun and excitement to begin with, so she was delighted to have another friend.
"Dugu Yan, fourteen, rank forty-seven Battle Soul Master."
Dugu Yan was much cooler by comparison.
"My lord, should I introduce myself too?" She Long turned his head toward Gu Ping'an.
Xiao Wu, Dugu Yan, and Shui Bing'er were all young girls. He felt it was not quite appropriate for him to insert himself into their group.
"Just give a brief introduction. We can't have them not even knowing who you are later!"
"She Long, rank ninety-five Titled Douluo."
As he spoke, She Long stood ramrod straight, his chin slightly raised, carrying an indescribable air of pride.
Shui Xinrou looked at She Long in astonishment, then turned to Gu Ping'an before sweeping her gaze over Xiao Wu, Dugu Yan, and the others.
Gu Ping'an went without saying. He was an outright monster.
Then there was Xiao Wu. Her Soul Power was lower than Shui Bing'er's, but she was also younger.
And Dugu Yan-fourteen years old, a rank forty-seven Battle Soul Master?
Such a genius?
She hadn't been like this before, had she?
And She Long had called Gu Ping'an his lord? A rank ninety-five Titled Douluo had acknowledged a seven-year-old child as his master?
Shui Xinrou suddenly felt that coming here had been the right decision.
This was a team made up entirely of top-tier geniuses. Shui Bing'er was bound to benefit greatly from joining them.
Especially with a Titled Douluo protecting their path.
"I am Dugu Bo, and I've also become a rank ninety-five Titled Douluo."
At that moment, Dugu Bo, who had remained silent off to the side, suddenly chimed in.
Gu Ping'an turned to look at Dugu Bo in surprise.
Weren't you the one who brought them here?
You already knew both sides. Did you really need to introduce yourself?
It felt like you just wanted to show off your rank ninety-five cultivation!
"Me! Me too!"
A clear, childish voice rang out.
"I'm Shui Yue'er, eleven years old. My Martial Soul is the Dolphin, and I'm an agility attack-type Soul Master."
Gu Ping'an gave Shui Yue'er a gentle smile, then turned back to Shui Bing'er.
"Since you've joined us, let's give you a boost first."
With a flip of his hand, he took out the seventy-thousand-year Head Soul Bone that had originally belonged to the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.
He had reserved it for Shui Bing'er all along.
"A seventy-thousand-year Head Soul Bone. Absorb it first."
"This..." Shui Bing'er froze in place. A seventy-thousand-year Soul Bone-their entire Shui Family did not seem to own even one.
And he was just giving it to her right away?
Shui Xinrou's brow twitched at the sight as well.
If word leaked that their Shui Family had a seventy-thousand-year Soul Bone, someone would probably come knocking with violence the very next day.
But when she caught sight of She Long and Dugu Bo off to the side, she relaxed.
With two rank ninety-five Super Douluos guarding them, no one should dare act recklessly.
"Don't overthink it. I need you to inherit a divine position, so naturally, I have to improve your foundation.
"With your current talent alone, you wouldn't qualify to inherit a divine position."
Learning that it was for inheriting a divine position, Shui Bing'er steadied herself and quickly reached out to accept it.
Then Gu Ping'an took out a jade box.
"This is the immortal herb Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone. Take it after absorbing the Soul Bone.
"Eat only the petals, then suck the stamen last. Use your Soul Power to activate its medicinal properties, absorb them, and refine them. Try to remain calm and composed throughout the process."
"It can raise your talent beyond ordinary innate full Soul Power."
Shui Bing'er accepted it in a daze.
First a seventy-thousand-year Head Soul Bone, then an immortal herb that could raise her talent beyond ordinary innate full Soul Power.
The barrage had left her completely stunned.
"Yanyan, take her somewhere to absorb them!"
Gu Ping'an turned to Dugu Yan.
"Mm! All right!"
After Dugu Yan left with Shui Bing'er, Gu Ping'an looked at Shui Xinrou again.
"Aunt Xinrou, how much do you know about Feng Xiaotian from Godwind Academy? Do you know his age and Soul Power rank?"
Feng Xiaotian was one of the few Soul Masters in the original story with innate full Soul Power.
Unfortunately, he had wasted far too much time pursuing Huo Wu and developing Self-Created Soul Skills.
So much so that, when placed among the other geniuses, he gave the impression of being nothing special.
"Feng Xiaotian?" Shui Xinrou's eyes grew slightly unfocused as she searched her memory.
Tianshui and Godwind were both elemental academies.
As a genius Soul Master of Godwind Academy, Feng Xiaotian was naturally someone she knew about.
"Feng Xiaotian is seventeen now. His Soul Power cultivation... last I heard, he was a rank thirty-six Agility Attack System Battle Spirit Master."
"Seventeen! Rank thirty-six!" Gu Ping'an murmured.
"That's a little low!"
Despite having innate full Soul Power, he had frittered away his potential until he landed in the same bracket as Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun before they took immortal herbs.
Gu Ping'an wondered how old he had been when he started researching Self-Created Soul Skills, and whether those skills had held him back.
Recruiting him seemed less worthwhile than poaching Spirit Hall's Golden Generation.
During the Soul Master Tournament, the Golden Generation's Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan had not only been younger than Feng Xiaotian, but had also possessed higher Soul Power.
And it could not simply be put down to Spirit Hall having more resources.
Spirit Hall also had more people and strict rules. Once resources were divided up, aside from the Pope's disciple Hu Liena, Xie Yue and Yan might not have received much more than Feng Xiaotian.
The problem was that, apart from Hu Liena, the other two were deeply loyal to Spirit Hall and would be hard to lure away.
Rather than poach them, he might as well beat Qian Renxue into submission.
But Qian Renxue was heartless and faithless, selling out her subordinates. Compared with the Shrek group, she was no better-half a catty against eight taels.
Gu Ping'an scratched his head in frustration.
Why was it so hard to find a few talented Soul Masters who suited him to form his core team?
"Wow! What's that? It's so pretty!"
Shui Yue'er, whose hand Shui Xinrou was holding, suddenly raised her other hand and pointed in a direction.
Shui Xinrou followed her finger and saw several figures identical to Gu Ping'an amid the Blue Silver Grass, five-colored radiance flowing over their bodies in a peculiar pattern.
Dugu Bo, She Long, and the others glanced over, then paid it no further attention.
Over the past few days, Gu Ping'an's Clones had erupted in bursts of five-colored light from time to time, dazzling their eyes.
Only Gu Ping'an noticed that the flow of radiance this time was different from before.
"It looks like it worked!"
Before you continue