Normally, Jing Shanshan's own Soul Power recovered extremely slowly, even with the necklace's assistance, because Gate of Babylon had damaged quite a few Martial Souls in the Star Dou Great Forest.
But with this cylinder, he no longer needed to ponder whether to blow up Martial Souls for energy.
Whenever he needed Soul Power, he could draw it directly from the cylinder.
If he used it well in the future, this cylinder could greatly alleviate Gate of Babylon's excessive Soul Power consumption when operating over long distances!
Jing Shanshan leaned against the headboard. The more he thought about it, the more worthwhile this trip seemed.
His strength had jumped considerably. By his rough estimate, he could now easily defeat three versions of himself from when he had just awakened his Martial Soul.
"But who's going to store Soul Power in it?"
Jing Shanshan's Soul Power reserves were almost always scraping the bottom now. He simply could not squeeze out much to store. Surely he could not blow up Martial Souls for energy to store as Soul Power? If he did that, wouldn't his Soul Power recover even more slowly?
"Other people's Soul Power..."
Jing Shanshan sank his consciousness into Gate of Babylon. Soon, he found something resembling an attachment for the cylinder. Its effect was simple: when other Soul Masters channeled Soul Power into the cylinder through this item, their Soul Power could be converted into pure, attribute-free energy.
That way, Jing Shanshan would not need to worry about whether absorbing other people's Soul Power would affect him.
In that case, he needed to find another subordinate besides Qian Renxue.
"A subordinate..."
Jing Shanshan closed his eyes and pondered it carefully.
"Perhaps... I should establish a faction?"
It was only natural for a king to have a faction of his own!
What king stood all alone, personally handling every little thing?
If word got out, wouldn't it mean the king was incompetent and had no swagger, not even having anyone to order around?!
As for exactly which matters he, as king, needed to handle himself and which he should delegate to his subordinates, The King's Cultivation and Character did not provide detailed records. He, a six-year-old child, could only figure it out himself.
Jing Shanshan regarded this as a hurdle. Once he crossed it, surely he would be one step closer to the ideal king in his heart!
The next day, his parents informed Jing Shanshan that, without even being present himself, he had completed every step from registration to enrollment at Spirit Hall Academy!
Under his parents' expectant gazes, Jing Shanshan abandoned the idea of looking at other academies and went to Spirit Hall Academy.
At Spirit Hall Academy's entrance, Jing Shanshan saw some familiar faces.
The Golden Generation: Hu Liena, Yan, and Xie Yue.
Yan looked Jing Shanshan up and down, looking as though he had misjudged him.
"So you're actually the Great Enshrined's nephew. You really kept that well hidden! No wonder you're so arrogant. You certainly have some backing!"
After giving Yan a calm, unruffled glance, Jing Shanshan ignored his somewhat hostile words, though an entirely different set of waves stirred within him.
Hidden? What were these three talking about? As a king, I act openly and honorably. Aside from temporarily concealing myself when I'm in poor condition and don't want others seeing me, when have I ever deliberately hidden my whereabouts?
Jing Shanshan said nothing, and Hu Liena and the others had no desire to interact with him much either. Mechanically completing the task the Supreme Pontiff had assigned them, they gave Jing Shanshan a general tour of Spirit Hall, then left without even saying goodbye.
The Supreme Pontiff had instructed them to show the Great Enshrined's nephew around the academy, so Hu Liena and the others mechanically completed the assignment, leading Jing Shanshan on a general circuit of Spirit Hall Academy before turning and leaving without so much as a goodbye.
Jing Shanshan did not mind either and headed to Spirit Hall's central library on his own.
As he passed the training grounds, he overheard some Spirit Hall Academy students talking.
"You little sneak! We agreed we wouldn't train, but in the blink of an eye, you're here at the training grounds practicing with someone! Are you still trying to get onto the Spirit Hall Academy Team?"
"It's pointless. Even the Spirit Hall Academy Team's substitutes are Soul Ancestors! You're a Soul Elder. How could you possibly qualify?"
"Huff, huff, I know. Huff, huff, I want to... huff, huff, give it everything I've got and try. I want to compete in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament two years from now!"
Jing Shanshan's interest was piqued.
"What's this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament?"
Seeing a blond child approach, the Spirit Hall Academy students all turned to look at Jing Shanshan.
They judged that Jing Shanshan was probably one of this year's new Spirit Hall Academy students, making him their junior. One of them explained.
"The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament is the highest-level team competition for the younger generation of the Soul Master World. It's initiated and hosted by the imperial families of the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires, with Spirit Hall assisting. The overall competition format is designed to showcase both teamwork and individual strength!"
"Oh! Do lots of people watch?"
"Of course. I'd imagine every prominent figure on the continent will show their face when the time comes!"
Seeing how eager Jing Shanshan looked, the Spirit Hall Academy students nodded as though they understood him perfectly.
If someone performed well enough in the tournament, they might catch some important figure's eye and soar into the heavens in one bound.
Jing Shanshan's thoughts were as follows.
The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament?! Isn't this a stage for displaying my strength?!
A stage where I can display myself as a king, and also one that will weigh whether I'm qualified to be a king!
"How does this king enter the tournament?"
At Jing Shanshan's words, the Spirit Hall students instantly lost their composure and burst out laughing.
"You only awakened your Martial Soul recently, right? What level could you possibly-holy crap, your Soul Power is already level 17! What kind of freak are you?!"
Jing Shanshan never concealed his Soul Power fluctuations. Anyone who wanted to examine him could tell at a glance.
"You've got to be kidding! How come I never heard there was a monster like this among this year's new students?!"
The Spirit Hall students stared at Jing Shanshan as though looking at a monster. Only after calming their shock did one assume the manner of a senior and speak seriously to him.
"Terrifying talent, but unfortunately, you're too young. If you were seven or eight years older, your Soul Power would probably have reached Soul Ancestor, and you'd be strong enough."
"Enough. What's the point of telling this kid so much? He's too weak to compete anyway. Isn't that right, little brat?"
Jing Shanshan looked at the Spirit Hall student who had called him a little brat and spoke, his eyes calm and unruffled.
"Strength, is it..."
Three minutes later...
The Spirit Hall student who had called Jing Shanshan a little brat was covered in injuries, black and blue all over.
The other Spirit Hall students looked at Jing Shanshan with nothing but lingering fear and disbelief in their eyes.
Just now, he had seen a Soul Elder fail to last even three seconds against a Soul Master!
Was there something wrong with their respective Soul Power Levels?
How could their strength differ so much?!
So entering the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament requires forming a team representing an academy. You can't compete based on your individual Soul Power Level alone...
After learning the actual requirements for entering the tournament, Jing Shanshan muttered this inwardly.
Upon arriving at Spirit Hall's central library, Jing Shanshan set the tournament aside.
Now, he wanted to see whether Spirit Hall's central library had any records of items with functions similar to the cylinder's.