Brothers, Show Your Soul Rings!

Time always slipped away unnoticed. The hellish training finally came to an end, and Spirit Hall's assessment officially began.

After heated discussions between the Pope Hall and the Elder Hall, the assessment was divided into four rounds, jointly supervised and judged by both halls to ensure fairness.

Everyone knew the prestige of the Golden Generation Plan. Now that its members were being selected publicly, every branch hall was bending over backward to squeeze its candidates in. As a result, Spirit City had recently filled with spirited young people.

All of them wore Spirit Hall's standard white uniforms, bringing considerable vitality to Spirit City.

The four members of the Golden Generation mingled among them. Watching those ambitious youths, Qin Chao shook his head slightly, his small hand held in Hu Liena's.

He knew Spirit Hall was powerful, but he had never expected nearly a hundred people to attend the assessment. They had already formed a long line outside the hall, waiting to register before the assessment.

There were entry requirements, too. Aside from Bibi Dong's age restriction-under fifteen-the Elder Hall had added another condition.

-Their soul power had to exceed rank twenty-five.

Spirit Hall retained a copy of Qin Chao's Martial Soul Awakening records. Although the secret of his twin martial souls had been concealed on Bibi Dong's instructions, the fact that he had shattered the crystal ball used to test soul power could not be hidden. The Elder Hall had its own suspicions about his strength, and this rank-twenty-five requirement had been devised specifically to target him.

In those old men's eyes, no matter how extraordinary his talent was, he was still a child not yet seven. A rank-twenty-five soul power requirement would be enough to shut him out of the Golden Generation Plan. Unfortunately for them, Qin Chao was an anomaly...

Looking at the dragon-long queue, Hu Liena frowned slightly as well. They had arrived a little late, and at least seventy or eighty people stood ahead of them. How long would they have to wait like this...?

As luck would have it, the people supervising registration were none other than Chrysanthemum Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo.

Naturally, Spirit Hall would not make two Titled Douluos do the actual work. They were only there to supervise each other and ensure the assessment's fairness. Still, opening a back door for a cherished disciple would be child's play.

"Little Chao, over here!" Seeing the little fellow's impatient expression at the back of the line, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan hurriedly waved him over.

Seeing his teacher overseeing registration, Qin Chao was naturally delighted and quickly called to his companions.

As a Power Attack System Soul Master, Yan was strong and sturdy. With the other three in tow, he shoved and squeezed his way through the crowd, soon reaching the front of the line.

"Why would you stand in line when your teacher is here? Aren't you slapping me in the face, you little rascal...?" Chrysanthemum Douluo feigned indignation. "If that old ghost found out, he'd certainly gossip about how useless I am..."

Qin Chao tugged at his sleeve ingratiatingly. "The line was so long that I didn't see you, Teacher..."

"Are you saying I don't stand out enough?" Chrysanthemum Douluo raised an eyebrow.

Whenever he had a chance to show his face in public, he always dressed with particular flamboyance. Today was no exception.

His appearance was already bewitching, and today he wore a scarlet ceremonial robe that only Titled Douluos were entitled to wear. Dense gold and silver embroidery covered it, and a gemstone the size of a baby's fist was pinned to his chest. He was extraordinarily eye-catching, making Snake Lance Douluo beside him look all the more drab.

"That's not what I meant..." Knowing how much Chrysanthemum Douluo cared about his appearance, Qin Chao hurried to explain. "I'm so short, and I was at the back of the line. How could I have seen your dazzlingly handsome face, Teacher...?"

Qin Chao's flattery hit exactly the right spot, leaving Chrysanthemum Douluo thoroughly pleased. "At least you know what to say, brat..."

He reached out and tapped lightly on the desk of the Spirit Hall member handling registration. "These four don't need to be tested. I'll take them straight inside to prepare for the first round..."

Snake Lance Douluo's brows knitted tightly. He deeply resented Yue Guan's brazen use of the back door, but his rash intervention last time had taught him caution. He had no intention of becoming the bird that stuck its head out and got shot again.

While master and disciple chatted and joked, he discreetly signaled someone in the crowd with his eyes.

"Senior Chrysanthemum Douluo, surely this isn't in accordance with the rules..."

A youth stepped out of the crowd. His features were fairly regular, but the perpetual malice in his eyes lent him a sinister air.

Chrysanthemum Douluo had been enjoying some playful banter with his young disciple. At those words, his smile stiffened.

He looked up, a chill entering his gaze. A brat who dared question a Titled Douluo in front of everyone was certainly more than he appeared.

"You've all come here to join the Golden Generation Plan, so I'm sure you know something about the strength of the original Golden Generation. These are the plan's founding members..."

Though displeased, Chrysanthemum Douluo could hardly lower himself to argue with a child in public. Thus, he offered an explanation, giving the youth a way to back down.

Unexpectedly, seeing that Chrysanthemum Douluo had not lost his temper, the youth climbed right up his nose. "Senior Chrysanthemum Douluo, my branch hall is in a remote region, and news doesn't reach us easily. All I heard before was that the brilliantly talented Golden Generation had only three members. Where did this fourth one come from...?"

The youth looked Qin Chao up and down, a disdainful smile curling his lips. "I just heard him call you Teacher. Could it be that you're playing favorites, using the Golden Generation's name to give your own disciple a leg up...?"

To be mocked like this by a snot-nosed brat before everyone's eyes was a humiliation even an ordinary adult could not stomach, let alone a Titled Douluo.

Anger flickered in Chrysanthemum Douluo's eyes, and his fists clenched tightly. "You..."

"Teacher, when there's work to be done, the disciple should shoulder it. He's only a clown hopping about. There's no need to trouble you with him..."

Qin Chao stepped forward, placing himself in front of Chrysanthemum Douluo.

Chrysanthemum Douluo was a dignified Titled Douluo. If he struck, even being in the right would turn into being in the wrong...

"A straight body needn't fear a crooked shadow. Brothers, show your soul rings!"

Twelve soul rings appeared at once, yellow, yellow, and purple. The optimal soul ring configurations of Xie Yue and the other two gave everyone present a small shock...

"They certainly qualify, but what about you? You look no more than seven or eight. Are you afraid to show your soul rings because you have something to hide...?" The youth still craned his neck stubbornly.

"Of course I'm not as powerful as my older brothers and sister..." As Qin Chao spoke, he picked up the testing crystal ball from the desk.

Surging soul power poured into it, and the purple crystal ball suddenly lit up. A dazzling violet glow spread rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, deep purple filled its interior, making the crystal ball look like a gemstone.

Everyone's attention was drawn to Qin Chao. The crystal ball was a pure, vivid purple, and their eyes were full of shock as they looked at him...

"With a color that intense, his soul power must be at least rank twenty-seven or twenty-eight!" Someone in the crowd spoke first, breaking the stunned silence...

A seven- or eight-year-old Soul Grandmaster was already terrifying enough. Rank-twenty-eight soul power at that age was utterly unheard of. Everyone stared fixedly at Qin Chao, as though looking at a monster.

The youth who had stuck his head out immediately fell silent. His gaze drifted toward Snake Lance Douluo, seemingly by accident, only to find the latter looking elsewhere, with no apparent intention of taking a stance...

"I was only asking. Since your strength meets the requirement, just go inside..." Without any signal from Snake Lance Douluo, the youth's bluster weakened considerably...

"Heh. So we answered your questions and cleared up your doubts for free, did we?" Qin Chao's lips curved slightly, but his gaze was exceptionally sharp.

"I'm kindhearted, so I don't mind answering questions. But insulting my teacher is the same as insulting my parents. If I simply let you walk away, wouldn't that make me an unfilial son?"

"What are you going to do?" A foreboding feeling immediately rose in the youth's heart...

"Let heaven and earth bear witness, and let everyone here stand as witnesses. I, Qin Chao, challenge you to a Life-or-Death Challenge!" Qin Chao declared in a ringing voice. "My teacher's dignity is worth defending with my life!"