"Hey, Meng Qianqiu!"
"You and Qian Xunji both have innate full soul power, right?"
Walking along the streets of Spirit City, Ling Yuan turned her gaze toward Meng Qianqiu. Her words were brief, but her tone was exceptionally firm.
"Innate full soul power?"
"Hehe~ me? I suppose I count, too!"
"On the surface, my innate soul power actually wasn't much different from yours, but Qian Xunji doesn't have innate full soul power!"
Meng Qianqiu paused, then smiled again.
"The Six-Winged Angel passed down by the Qian Family is a rare god-bestowed martial soul. Its innate soul power is rank twenty, not innate full soul power!"
"Well?"
"Do you regret turning down his offer just now?"
Meng Qianqiu looked at Ling Yuan with a smile. He wanted to test her attitude toward Qian Xunji. This point was very important.
"Twenty ranks of innate soul power!"
"As for regret, I wouldn't say that!"
"The way Qian Xunji looked at me wasn't clean, and I really disliked it. You're different. There are no stray thoughts in your eyes, and you have no designs on me."
Ling Yuan shook her head. Although she was deeply shocked, she remained firm in her choice and did not change her answer.
"Qian Xunji is the Pope's son and the sole heir of the angel lineage. Offending him now is no different from a moth flying into a flame!"
"Aren't you afraid?"
Meng Qianqiu turned to look at Ling Yuan, seemingly wanting to see right through her. Unfortunately, she shook her head without changing her mind or showing the slightest fear.
"A moth flying into a flame? What of it? Flames are my closest friends. Without venturing alone into a sea of fire, how could I taste the sensation of fierce flames burning my body?"
"The people of this world are foolish and ignorant!"
"Opportunity always favors the prepared!"
"In this world, there are no eternal friends or eternal enemies, only eternal interests! People gather when there is profit and scatter when there is none!"
"Isn't that so?"
Ling Yuan had long since seen through people's hearts and the myriad faces of the mortal world. Her eyes became utterly detached from worldly concerns.
"Splendid, splendid!"
Meng Qianqiu clapped his hands and laughed, then continued.
"In the adult world, there are only advantages and disadvantages, no absolute right or wrong. As long as you're calm and patient enough, you'll discover that everyone around you is a pawn taking the stage in costume!"
"The curtain rises, and the show begins!"
"In this life, some people take a lifetime to wait for, while some debts take a lifetime to repay."
Meng Qianqiu looked at Ling Yuan and spoke pointedly.
"I, Ling Yuan, hereby swear that I am willing to be a flame in the cold night, following you alone along the road ahead."
Ling Yuan immediately declared her allegiance to Meng Qianqiu, formally offering her pledge of loyalty.
"Disputes over one's path aren't truly a matter of right or wrong. By and large, different roads lead to the same destination. We share a common goal, so we won't have to fight each other to the death in the future."
"The purpose of Spirit Hall's Elite Selection Tournament is to select qualified candidates for Pope, to preside over Spirit Hall's next golden age!"
"If you do not fail me, I will not fail you!"
"I formally accept your pledge of loyalty!"
Meng Qianqiu glanced at Ling Yuan. There was no free lunch in this world. Everything in the world had its price marked upon it without anyone noticing.
"Come along with me, all of you!"
Meng Qianqiu then followed the directions on the map and arrived before a branch hall in Spirit City.
"Looks like we're right on time!"
"Who would've thought nearly a hundred people would pass the preliminary test for this Elite Selection Tournament? Looks like we'll have quite a few tough battles to fight!"
Wang Zhan jutted his chin and immediately began clowning around.
The branch hall before them was the camp for the Elite Selection Tournament, and it was already packed with over a hundred Soul Masters.
"Come on, let's head inside too!"
Meng Qianqiu glanced at the branch hall. Most of those inside were commoner talents Spirit Hall had recruited from the two great empires in recent years.
At the entrance to the branch hall, two purple-robed bishops stood guard. Both were powerful Soul Masters at the Soul King level.
"All done. Hurry up and follow me!"
Meng Qianqiu presented their identification. Only after the two purple-robed bishops finished checking it did he lead the group into the branch hall.
"Since you've come here and chosen to follow me, I imagine you already have plans in mind!"
"Spirit Hall's Elite Selection Tournament isn't some little game of playing house!"
"We'll spend the next three years here, and the tournament's three major assessments will directly affect our futures."
"Barring any surprises, we'll be spending these next few years together!"
"Let's get to know one another first."
"That will make it easier for me to assign specific roles!"
Upon reaching a dormitory building, Meng Qianqiu finally spoke again. With two newcomers, they would certainly need time to mesh.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Ling Yuan!"
"I'm fourteen this year, with rank thirty-three soul power and a soul ring configuration of two yellow and one purple. My martial soul is the Lie Yan Rainbow Phoenix, and I can serve as the team's ranged attack system Soul Master!"
Ling Yuan possessed a rare avian martial soul. She could serve as the team's ranged attacker and, when necessary, its spellcasting artillery!
"My name is She Long. I'm fifteen this year, and my martial soul is a mutated snake lance. I'm a rank thirty-four power attack system Battle Soul Elder, with a soul ring configuration of two yellow and one purple!"
"My martial soul possesses the characteristics of both a tool martial soul and a beast martial soul. I can serve as the team's power attacker!"
"Of course, when necessary, I can also serve as the team's control system Soul Master."
She Long looked at Meng Qianqiu. He was a pure Soul Master who greatly admired strength and liked following the strong.
And Meng Qianqiu had earned his recognition.
"A mutated snake lance martial soul with the characteristics of both tool and beast martial souls? Another exceptional talent!"
"Our squad needs talent like you!"
"To tell you the truth, every member of our squad is talented. Everyone's martial soul has its own distinctive personal style."
"I, Wang Zhan, have the mutated martial soul Golden Light War Tiger Emperor. My martial soul's true form is an extremely rare gemstone-type Soul Beast, too. Pretty special, right?"
"Him, Yue Guan!"
"His martial soul is a top-tier mutated plant-type martial soul-the neutral immortal herb, Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum!"
"This martial soul is exceptionally distinctive. He can serve as either a support Soul Master or a Battle Soul Master!"
"He can apply buffs to himself or his teammates. It truly is one flower with many uses!"
"Gui Mei has a body martial soul, the Dark Night Sovereign. He's incredibly fast, coming without a shadow and leaving without a trace!"
"Dugu Bo has a mutated true dragon-type martial soul, the Golden-Eyed Earth Dragon. His martial soul combines the three elements of metal, earth, and poison. In battle, he can both take hits and dish them out!"
"Now that you're here, we've finally got the full set!"
To be fair, Wang Zhan really wasn't wrong. Every member of Meng Qianqiu's squad was talented.
Every one of them possessed a mutated martial soul!
The rarest among them was Meng Qianqiu himself. He was a summoning system Battle Soul Master with an external martial soul.
Once a Soul Master like that matured, he could easily fight multiple opponents alone, and his martial soul had tremendous potential!
"Summoning system, agility attack system, ranged attack system, power attack system, food system, support system, control system!"
"Before we knew it, we've nearly collected them all."
Meng Qianqiu looked at everyone. Such a small team had actually gathered so much talent.
In the outside world, it would have been simply unimaginable.
"Yue Guan's martial soul is the neutral immortal herb Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. His soul skills can buff his teammates, so he counts as half a support system Battle Soul Ancestor."
"Gui Mei will serve as the team's agility attack system Soul Master!"
"Wang Zhan will be our power attack system Soul Master, Dugu Bo our defense Soul Master, and Ling Yuan our ranged attack system Soul Master. I'll personally control the field as our control system Soul Master."
"She Long will stand by as our substitute. That gives our seven-member squad its specific roles."
Meng Qianqiu settled the matter with one decisive stroke. Soon, the seven-member squad was established, and no one objected to their assigned roles.
"Ah, I never imagined we'd still have to study after coming here. Looks like I'm truly destined to suffer through studying all my life!"
Wang Zhan shrugged and grumbled at the side.
He had never been cut out for studying. Who would have known he would have to keep studying even after coming here?
"You! Stop complaining!"
"You'd better make the most of your time and get some rest!"
"Once the individual selection tournament officially begins, you won't have time to study even if you want to!"
"Then you'll know what hard work means."
Yue Guan smiled as he spoke to Wang Zhan.
During this period, they needed to seize the time to cultivate. These might be their easiest days.
There would be no competitions or fighting in the first year!
This year was an exceptionally rare period for growth. All they needed to do each day was read, and in their spare time, the Soul Masters could cultivate leisurely and comfortably.
There was no pressure whatsoever!
Life looked so wonderful!
In Spirit City, outside the branch hall.
Qian Jun Douluo and Demon Subduing Douluo arrived together. Looking at the branch hall before them, Qian Jun Douluo could not help asking, "Well? Has everyone arrived?"
"Almost everyone is here!"
"His Holiness the Pope's son and the Third Elder's son have also entered this Elite Selection Tournament."
"Oh, I forgot to tell you!"
"I heard the Fifth Elder's grandson has entered this selection tournament too, and he brought quite a few people along!"
Demon Subduing Douluo looked at Qian Jun, a faint smile appearing on his face. He seemed to have recalled something amusing and casually mentioned it.
"Alas~ the tree longs for stillness, but the wind will not cease!"
"Once you've so much as brushed against power, shaking it off again becomes almost an extravagant hope!"
"The body's organs are arranged in parallel, but there is only one heart, so people are always biased."
"Because people possess the seven emotions and six desires, they also have personal attachments. No one is an exception."
"With so many heaven's chosen gathered for this Elite Selection Tournament, our work won't be easy!"
"For some things, we can only keep one eye open and the other shut, and try not to get involved!"
As newly promoted elders, how would Qian Jun Douluo and his companion dare get involved in Spirit Hall's power struggles? They could only act as peacemakers and do their best to handle this matter well.
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