The one hundred and seven members of the Zodiac Hall sat in silence on the platform atop the cliff wall beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Gu Xuan stood directly in front of them, looking at them with a calm expression.
Gu Miao did not sit; instead, she stood waiting by Gu Xuan's side. To this day, she still calls Gu Xuan "Master" because it was he who had given her a new life and hope. In her eyes, her very life belonged to him.
Though Gu Xuan felt somewhat helpless about this, such was the nature of this world. Consequently, he showed no other emotions, maintaining the iron-clad aura of a superior perfectly.
Dugu Yan and the others had not come. Aside from the one hundred and eight members of the Zodiac Hall, Gu Xuan was alone.
Gu Xuan calmly looked at the several Gate Masters sitting at the very front. This was his first time meeting them. Since the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had been searching for these people across the continent, they had only recently managed to barely assemble the framework of the Zodiac Hall.
However, it was currently just a skeleton. Their strength was far too weak within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, placing them at the absolute bottom of the hierarchy.
But that was only for now. Although the talent of most of these people was average, a few among them possessed top-tier potential. Given enough time in the future, the strength of the Zodiac Hall would undoubtedly rise.
Gu Xuan's decision to nurture them was not a mere whim; he had a profound purpose for them. It was simply not the time yet, for with their current strength, even if he wanted to utilize them, they would be of little use.
Long Yi looked at Gu Xuan at the front with a fervent gaze, his gratitude beyond words. In the year or so since arriving at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, his soul power had increased by a full four ranks!
There was no other reason than the fact that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan possessed too many resources. Gate Masters like them, elected for their outstanding talent, received individual training and instruction, truly putting their potential to use.
The other members of the Zodiac Hall also trained their respective strengths. Being demi-humans, they were naturally better suited for the mimicry cultivation environments of beast soul masters.
Combined with their innate soul beast characteristics, their targeted development was far more malleable than that of pure humans.
Of course, not all of the one hundred and eight people were like Long Yi. Fifty of them were under the age of ten, having only recently awakened their martial souls.
At this moment, they nervously held the large hands of their older brothers and sisters, cautiously observing Gu Xuan. From their elders, they had learned that it was this older brother who had rescued them from the jaws of danger and given them the happy life they now enjoyed. The eyes of these children were filled with light.
Gu Xuan looked toward the crowd, his peerless and handsome appearance glowing even brighter. He said softly, "I did not gather you here today for a stroll. I hope you are mentally prepared for what I am about to say next."
As Gu Xuan spoke, everyone focused intently, ears pricked to listen. Among them, the two large ears of Zhu Er, who sat at the front alongside Long Yi, flapped open—a rather comical sight.
Zhu Er was also a Soul King, and his talent ranked among the best in the Zodiac Hall. His appearance was similar to Zhu Bajie from Gu Xuan's past life memories of Journey to the West, but he did not need to protect Tang Sanzang. Instead, he earned the name Zhu Er through his terrifying strength.
The Zodiac Hall consisted of one Hall Master, a Vice-Hall Master, and twelve Gate Masters. Beneath the Gate Masters were twelve Vice-Gate Masters. The names of the twelve Gate Masters contained numbers from one to twelve, symbolizing their talent.
However, most of these positions were currently vacant. Only those with true talent could hold these posts; the positions were not assigned simply to match the twelve zodiac animals just because of the Hall's name.
The reason it was called the Zodiac Hall was simply that Gu Xuan liked the sound of the name and felt it suited this group of people.
Currently, the Zodiac Hall only has four Gate Masters. Their talent was not poor; in Gu Xuan's estimation, they could at least reach the Soul Douluo level in the future, while Long Yi and Zhu Er might even reach the Titled Douluo realm.
Seeing everyone's rapt attention, Gu Xuan continued, "The reason I recruited you from all over the continent is not just to let you live the life of normal humans, but more importantly, because of your value."
"Because of your martial soul mutations, you possess the characteristics of your martial souls and cannot appear in public with normal faces. However, most of you have also gained talent far beyond that of ordinary people because of this."
"I am no saint. One day in the future, I may need you to charge into battle for me. Therefore, from this moment on, you must make a decision for yourselves."
"Those willing to stay shall remain seated. Those who wish to return completely to the life of an ordinary person may stand up. I will not stop you, nor will I control your thoughts, but I require subordinates who are completely obedient to me."
Gu Xuan's speech was not long, but most of them understood its meaning. A minute after his words fell, no one stood up—not even the children who had just awakened their martial souls.
Gu Xuan was very satisfied with this. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had already screened them once when searching for them. This group had originally consisted of more than one hundred and eight people.
Even the children who awakened their martial souls this year were the same.
After their martial souls mutated upon awakening, the people of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan did not bring them back immediately. Instead, they tracked them, allowing them to experience being abandoned for a time before selecting those with good character to bring back.
Perhaps not every single person among them was of perfect character, but they were already of very high quality.
Long Yi was the first to speak. "Hall Master, it is because of you that we gained a new life. Even in other places, our future would have been nothing more than dying for others. But here, we can feel the warmth of home. Only here are we treated as normal people. Therefore, I will not leave. I, Long Yi, am willing to die for the Hall Master."
Zhu Er spoke similarly, "Hall Master, I only ate my fill for the first time after coming to the clan. Because I eat so much, I had to plow a hundred acres for a landlord every day just to barely feel seventy percent full. Although I wanted to flee that place, I was only a minor Soul King and could not defeat those powerful soul masters. If not for you, I might never have been able to eat my fill."
"Zhu Er is a crude man, but I understand gratitude. Rather than working myself to death, I would rather die in battle with dignity."
"Zhu Er is willing to die for the Hall Master."
Following the words of the two Gate Masters, the others rose simultaneously and knelt on one knee, shouting, "We are willing to die for the Hall Master!"
Gu Miao, beside Gu Xuan, had also knelt on one knee, her eyes filled with fervor. This was the master she followed!
Gu Xuan nodded in satisfaction and signaled for everyone to sit. He then said, "Brothers, you will not regret today's decision. In the future, a mark belonging to you will surely be left upon this continent."
Gu Xuan did not use many inspiring or brainwashing words, for they no longer needed them. In the future, they would certainly face matters of life and death. By making things clear now, there would be no turmoil later.
Gu Xuan turned to look at Gu Miao and said seriously, "Gu Miao, you must remember every word I am about to say. As the Vice-Hall Master, although your strength cannot yet compare to the Gate Masters, your wisdom must be worthy of this position."
Gu Miao said solemnly, "I understand, Master."
(End of Chapter)
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