Martial Soul Class!

Xu Ding, the dean of Spirit Hall Academy, was sitting in his office, leafing through the student register.

Hearing familiar footsteps outside the door, he looked up to see Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan walking in with two children.

He hurriedly rose, his face wreathed in a welcoming smile, and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Your Eminence Chrysanthemum Douluo! What brings you here?"

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan brushed the cuffs of his robe, his smile gentle.

"Old Ding, I've come to bring you some students today."

Xu Ding paused, his gaze settling on Su Yu and Hu Liena-the two children looked no more than six or seven years old.

They wore clean, practical clothes, their clear eyes revealing a childlike cleverness.

After a moment's thought, he suddenly recalled the news that had spread throughout Spirit City yesterday and asked tentatively:

"You mean... those two exceptionally gifted children from yesterday's Martial Soul Awakening? One with innate full Soul Power, and the other with level-nine innate Soul Power?"

"Precisely."

Yue Guan stepped aside and ushered Su Yu and Hu Liena forward.

"This is Su Yu. He has innate full Soul Power, and his martial soul is rather unusual. This is Hu Liena. She has level-nine innate Soul Power, and her martial soul is the Demon Fox."

"His Holiness the Pope has taken both of them as personal disciples and specifically instructed that they come to the academy in the mornings to study theory. You'll need to take extra care with them."

Only then did Xu Ding examine the two children closely, his gaze lingering on Su Yu for a moment.

Then he turned to Hu Liena. Seeing a hint of the distinctive liveliness of the Demon Fox martial soul in her features, he could not help silently praising her-what a promising seedling!

"Rest assured, Your Eminence Chrysanthemum Douluo. With His Holiness the Pope's instructions, I will certainly make suitable arrangements."

"With such exceptional talent, these two young Highnesses will surely achieve something in their studies here at the academy."

"All right, I'll leave them in your hands. Don't neglect them."

With that reminder, Yue Guan stirred slightly, then vanished from the room in a streak of light, leaving only a faint scent of chrysanthemums.

Xu Ding withdrew his gaze and turned to Su Yu and Hu Liena. His eyes lingered a little longer on Su Yu as he asked gently:

"Your Highness Su Yu, I've heard that your martial soul is quite unusual. May I ask what kind it is?"

"Dean Xu, my martial soul is called Wood Release. It's an elemental martial soul that can generate and control the wood element," Su Yu answered truthfully.

"Wood Release? An elemental martial soul?" A flicker of curiosity crossed Xu Ding's eyes.

"This old man's knowledge is limited. I've never seen such a martial soul before. Would Your Highness be willing to demonstrate?"

"Of course." Su Yu nodded, his hands rapidly forming seals as he gave a low shout:

"Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!"

As his words fell, several green wooden vines instantly shot from his arm.

Fine markings covered the vines as they slowly twined upward. They looked unremarkable, even somewhat frail.

Watching the wooden vines, Xu Ding furrowed his brow almost imperceptibly, a trace of disappointment flickering through his eyes.

This martial soul looked utterly ordinary, seemingly at odds with the reputation of innate full Soul Power.

As he pondered this, Su Yu suddenly spoke. "Dean, you can reach out and touch my wooden vines."

"Hmm?"

Though puzzled, Xu Ding did as he was asked, reaching out to touch the cool surface of a vine lightly with his fingertips.

The next instant, his expression changed dramatically. He jerked his hand back, his eyes filled with astonishment.

"This is..."

"That's right, Dean Xu." Su Yu withdrew the wooden vines, his voice calm yet confident.

"My wooden vines can absorb the Soul Power inside a Soul Master's body to strengthen themselves."

"And this absorption is continuous. Unless the trapped person's Soul Power runs dry, it won't stop."

Understanding finally dawned on Xu Ding. He studied Su Yu anew, the disappointment in his eyes long since replaced by shock.

Stroking his beard, he murmured, "To think such a peculiar martial soul exists... absorbing Soul Power to strengthen itself. Used to restrain someone, it would indeed be a troublesome ability."

"Innate full Soul Power, paired with a trait like this-truly extraordinary. Truly extraordinary!"

His gaze grew more serious as he looked at Su Yu before turning to Hu Liena.

"Your Highness Hu Liena, your martial soul is the Demon Fox, correct? Level-nine innate Soul Power is also a rare talent."

Hu Liena nodded obediently. "Yes, Dean Xu."

Xu Ding laughed heartily. "Good, good! Both Your Highnesses possess exceptional gifts. Come with me."

"I'll take you to the inner academy's Martial Soul Class. The students there are all outstanding among their peers, so you can learn from one another."

With that, he led the two outside, his steps much lighter than before-the two children His Holiness the Pope had sent truly had not disappointed.

Spirit Hall Academy, Martial Soul Class-

The students in this class were the most gifted in all of Spirit Hall Academy.

The minimum talent required to enter the Martial Soul Class was level-eight innate Soul Power.

Because the requirements were rather stringent, the Martial Soul Class normally admitted only a dozen or so new students each year.

Xu Ding reached the classroom door and knocked lightly.

With a creak, the door opened, and a middle-aged man with a lean face, dressed in a long blue-green gown, stepped out.

He was Xu Yan, the Martial Soul Class's main instructor. Upon seeing Xu Ding, he hurriedly bowed.

"Dean!"

"Instructor Xu." Xu Ding stepped aside to reveal Su Yu and Hu Liena behind him, his tone carrying a measure of gravity.

"These two are His Holiness the Pope's personal disciples. Starting today, they will study theory in your class."

He pointed first to Su Yu. "This is Su Yu. His martial soul is Wood Release, and he has innate full Soul Power."

A flicker of surprise crossed Xu Yan's eyes as his gaze fell on Su Yu.

The child still looked rather slight, yet he possessed the gift of innate full Soul Power. That was truly rare.

Xu Ding then pointed to Hu Liena. "This is Hu Liena. Her martial soul is the Demon Fox, and she has level-nine innate Soul Power."

Xu Yan nodded again. Looking at Hu Liena, he noticed the spark of liveliness in her eyes that belonged to the Demon Fox martial soul and silently praised her:

Another promising seedling.

"His Holiness the Pope specifically instructed that they only need to build a solid foundation in theory." Xu Ding patted Xu Yan's shoulder.

"I'm leaving them in your hands. Don't let anything happen to them under your care."

"Rest assured, Dean," Xu Yan replied solemnly. "I will do my utmost to teach them."

He stepped out of the doorway and gave Su Yu and Hu Liena a gentle smile.

"Your Highnesses, please come in. I'll introduce you to your classmates."

Su Yu and Hu Liena exchanged a glance, then stepped into the classroom.

The students inside immediately fell silent, dozens of gazes turning toward them in unison.

Some were curious, some were probing, and some held that particular defiance of youth-who among those admitted to the Martial Soul Class was not exceptionally gifted?

Xu Yan walked up to the lectern and cleared his throat. "Class, this is Su Yu, and this is Hu Liena."

"Starting today, they are our new classmates in the Martial Soul Class."

"They are both His Holiness the Pope's personal disciples. Su Yu has innate full Soul Power, while Hu Liena has level-nine innate Soul Power."

As he spoke, he pointed to two empty seats in the middle of the classroom. "Su Yu, Hu Liena, sit over there for now."