Meanwhile.
At the Sea God Pavilion.
The Senior Elders had just finished their duties and had yet to leave Sea God Island when Xian Lin'er called them back.
"Lin'er, what is so important that you had to summon us old folks?" Elder Song gave Xian Lin'er a mildly reproachful look.
Her daughter was already so grown up, yet she was still so rash.
By then, Yan Shaozhe and the other Senior Elders had also begun arriving.
Once nearly everyone was present, Xian Lin'er stopped keeping them in suspense.
"Ahem. I have some good news to announce. After taking Tian Chen to the Soul Tool Institute yesterday, I discovered that he has astonishing talent for Soul Tools."
At the thought, a satisfied smile appeared on Xian Lin'er's face. "Not only does he grasp the principles behind Soul Tools extremely quickly, but he also demonstrates astonishing creativity and talent in practical work. I have decided to take him as my disciple and personally guide his training in Soul Tools."
Her declaration immediately caused an uproar in the Sea God Pavilion.
Yan Shaozhe, in particular, bristled the moment he heard it.
He slammed a hand against the table, rose to his feet, and said furiously, "Lin'er, aren't you moving a little too fast?"
He had already planned to have Ma Xiaotao get closer to Tian Chen so that he could bring the boy back to the Martial Soul Department. He had never expected Xian Lin'er to move even faster and already beguile Tian Chen to this extent.
Xian Lin'er froze briefly, then revealed a sly smile.
She secretly gloated, unable to suppress a surge of satisfaction as she watched Yan Shaozhe's exasperation.
There had once been an unhappy history between her and Yan Shaozhe, an ill-fated romance from her youth.
Now, she had