"As for Vincent, you two had better not get too close to him."
Hearing this, Yang Chang'an immediately frowned. He gave Qingyu a long look, his mind instantly beginning to turn. He knew perfectly well that Vincent's grandfather was the distinguished Platinum Bishop of Star Luo City, a figure who ranked among the regional power brokers even within Spirit Hall.
Moreover, Vincent had been selected to join the Training Camp on Angel God Mountain not long ago. That alone proved that, at least back then, his family's allegiance had leaned firmly toward the Worship Hall. They could even have been considered part of its faction.
Yet Qingyu was suddenly warning them to keep their distance from Vincent. The implication was obvious: something serious had gone wrong with Vincent's background. Or, more directly, his grandfather, the Platinum Bishop, had changed his stance recently and planted his backside firmly in the other camp.
Yang Chang'an swiftly weighed the possibilities. In all of Spirit Hall, there was only one person the Worship Hall would reject and guard against so fiercely-Pope Bibi Dong.
At that thought, Yang Chang'an could not help marveling inwardly. Her Holiness the Pope truly was no ordinary woman. As long as she did not go mad, her methods were formidable indeed. She had quietly turned someone from the Worship Hall's faction against it. That sort of political finesse was far beyond most people.
Having worked out the connections, Yang Chang'an did not dwell on it further. He and Vincent were merely acquaintances who nodded and exchanged greetings when they met, not even friends. Whatever trouble arose on Vincent's side had little to do with him.
Pushing those tangled thoughts aside, Yang Chang'an looked at Qingyu, Jin Li'er, and the others before him and asked a question he had kept bottled up for a long time.
"Are we really going to take on Purple Glory with just the few of us?"
What sort of place was the Purple Glory Training Camp? It was filled with prodigies handpicked by Spirit Hall, each blessed with dazzling talent and formidable strength.
More importantly, the top trainees at the Purple Glory Training Camp were at least five years older than their group! Everyone knew what a five-year gap meant in the soul master world. It was an enormous gulf in strength.
For their little group to challenge the Purple Glory Training Camp would be like hurling eggs against a rock. The difference was anything but small.
There was no point whining about older fighters bullying younger ones or lacking honor. They would be the ones arriving to challenge the camp. When the time came, who would bother observing such empty rules?
At the question, the easy smile on Qingyu's lips briefly stiffened. Then he shook his head gently and said in an even tone:
"That's not something small fry like us should worry about. The important people above us will make the arrangements. That's their concern. All we need to do is follow orders."
With that, Qingyu raised his head and gazed toward the towering Angel God Mountain in the distance.
Yang Chang'an immediately understood. He nodded silently and asked no more questions. After briefly saying goodbye to Qingyu and the others, he turned and headed toward the Dormitory with Niu Wenchuan beside him.
Watching Yang Chang'an and Niu Wenchuan recede into the distance, Jin Li'er tilted her head and glanced at Qingyu, her face full of puzzlement.
"Could he really understand what you were getting at just now?"
Jin Li'er knew perfectly well that, for the families behind Yang Chang'an and Niu Wenchuan, befriending someone with Vincent's powerful backing would be a blessing they could only dream of. After all, his grandfather was a Platinum Bishop, a regional power broker within Spirit Hall whose authority reached the heavens. He was not someone they could afford to offend lightly, much less deliberately distance themselves from.
Qingyu glanced at Jin Li'er. This girl was only a little more sensible than the impulsive Shi Hao. At heart, she was still a hot-tempered, violent lass. At that thought, a teasing smile curled his lips, and he deliberately needled her:
"If even you could understand what I meant, how could someone with Yang Chang'an's brains possibly miss it?"
Jin Li'er froze. It took her a couple of seconds to realize that Qingyu had just called her brainless in a roundabout way, and she instantly bristled with fury. Her beautiful pupils narrowed into vertical slits, and the Soul Rings around her flickered faintly. She raised a hand and slashed at Qingyu with her claws, snapping angrily:
"You rotten bird! How dare you make fun of me! I'll tear that mouth of yours apart!"
Qingyu was ready. With a flicker of movement, he dodged Jin Li'er's attack, and the two immediately began scuffling, livening up the atmosphere once more.
Meanwhile, Yang Chang'an and Niu Wenchuan strolled back to the Dormitory.
They pushed open the door and found Vincent and Han Yun sitting on the floor, cultivating through meditation. Faint fluctuations of soul power lingered around them both. Sensing the movement at the doorway, Vincent and Han Yun stopped meditating one after the other and slowly opened their eyes.
Seeing how exhausted Yang Chang'an and Niu Wenchuan looked, Vincent spoke first, a hint of resignation in his voice. "You two really are born battle maniacs. You get restless if you go a single day without fighting. You actually went off for combat training again."
Yang Chang'an waved a hand, putting on a timely wry smile as he explained:
"We don't have a choice. You know what Spirit City is like. It simply doesn't allow places like the Great Soul Arena to exist here. If we want to build combat experience, all we can do is go to the Training Camp's Combat Training Grounds and grind our way through."
Places like the Great Soul Arena could normally be found in cities all across the continent, but Spirit City was different. This was the holy land of the soul master world. How could it allow a Great Soul Arena here?
Of course, Spirit City was not entirely without places to fight. They simply had no access to them with their status.
Beside him, Niu Wenchuan scratched his head and nodded with an earnest expression, grumbling nonstop. "Exactly, exactly. I'm just going there to get beaten up. If I had a choice, I really wouldn't go. Back home, my old man put me through the wringer. Here, all these experts put me through the wringer. I'm starting to wonder what I even gain by coming to this Training Camp. Isn't it just getting beaten up somewhere else?"
Niu Wenchuan was not making idle complaints. Those were his honest feelings. At home, his family's elders forced him to practice combat every day. He had thought things might be easier at Spirit Hall's Training Camp, only to discover that the training here was even harsher. He was thrashed every single day.
Still, it was not entirely without benefits.
Spirit Hall's Healing Soul Masters were truly impressive. No matter how badly he was injured in the morning, once a Healing Soul Master treated him, he would be completely healed by the afternoon, ready to continue training without the slightest hindrance.
It had to be said that Spirit Hall truly had money to burn. What other faction could casually assign three Healing-Type Soul Saints to a single training camp? Across the entire soul master world, only Spirit Hall could provide such treatment.
After that, the roommates chatted on and off about trivial matters, such as the Training Camp's food, their cultivation progress, and their daily training routines.
Yang Chang'an remained cautious throughout, never venturing beyond the surface in conversation. He did not breathe a word about Qingyu's warning concerning Vincent, the Purple Glory Training Camp, or the conflict between Pope Bibi Dong and the Worship Hall. He kept his mouth firmly shut on those matters and maintained his vigilance.
Vincent was clever too. He could tell at a glance that Yang Chang'an had no desire for a deeper conversation or a closer relationship with him. Though somewhat puzzled, he could not be bothered to invite a snub. After all, they were merely teammates sharing a dormitory. There was no need to press a warm face against a cold backside. So Vincent said nothing more, closed his eyes again, and resumed cultivating in cross-legged meditation.
Han Yun, who was naturally quiet and reserved, merely gave Yang Chang'an and Niu Wenchuan a slight nod in greeting. Then he too closed his eyes and immersed himself in soul power cultivation without another word.
Silence soon returned to the Dormitory. Only the four young men's steady breathing and the faint sound of circulating soul power remained. No one spoke again, as though the entire conversation had never happened.