Bei Bei looked at Furina and voiced the thought in his mind: "But the vacation is almost over, right? Do you plan to let Gu Qiuer stay at the Axis Cult or Jianan Academy, or take her with you to Shrek Academy?"
He paused and added: "If she goes to Shrek, with her Aptitude, the academy teachers shouldn't refuse her. With my recommendation, enrollment shouldn't be a big problem."
Of course, this ultimately depended on the wishes of Furina and Gu Qiuer themselves.
Furina thought for a moment and quickly made a decision: "My plan is to let her stay at Jianan Academy, right here with the Axis Cult. She can serve as a substitute for Ye Guyi and the others' competition team; she is very strong."
She had her own considerations in mind.
At Shrek, there was a Limit Douluo, Elder Mu, presiding over things. Bringing Gu Qiuer there would definitely catch Elder Mu's attention. Moreover, the Golden Ancient Tree of Shrek Academy might very well be one of Tang San's eyes and ears.
Letting Gu Qiuer and Wang Dong meet ahead of time was already a limit-pushing operation; if she let them continue to spend time together day and night, there was no telling what variables might be triggered.
Setting aside those concerns, if she brought Gu Qiuer to Shrek, the academy would indeed be happy to accept her, and she could even become a core student of the Outer Court without an examination.
But what benefit would that be to her? None at all.
Her own trip to Shrek was purely to poach talent, promote the Axis Cult, and simultaneously build a good relationship with Elder Mu. After all, she could ignore others at Shrek, but Elder Mu was different; he had strength, status, and immense influence in the academy. By building a good relationship with him, there would be fewer obstacles to her future plans for ruling the continent.
Gu Qiuer brushed back her long golden hair, her casual movements carrying a hint of natural elegance.
She tilted her chin up, her tone full of confidence: "I don't care either way, it's the same wherever I go. But just as Sister Furina said, I am very strong!"
She paused, as if announcing something remarkable: "My Martial Soul is the golden dragon spear, and my Soul Power has already reached Rank 41!"
Upon hearing this, everyone showed expressions of surprise.
Furina, however, understood the truth in her heart.
She naturally knew that Gu Qiuer's Martial Soul was essentially still the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, and her Soul Power was far more than Rank 41. Without a doubt, Gu Yuena or Di Tian, worried about her identity being exposed, used their abilities to help conceal it, replacing her Martial Soul with the golden dragon spear, suppressing her Soul Power, and even helping her arrange her spirit rings. As her Rank increased, she could Breakthrough and condense spirit rings on her own, similar to a Soul Beast undergoing re-cultivation.
Even so, among everyone present at the moment except for Furina herself, Gu Qiuer's Soul Power was already the highest.
Looking at Gu Qiuer, Bei Bei couldn't help but feel a hint of envy in his eyes.
He was several years older than Huo Yuhao and the others and had decent talent, but he had started his Cultivation Technique relatively late. Currently, his Soul Power was only at the Rank 39 Peak, still half a step away from breaking through to Rank 40. Additionally, having to accompany Tang Ya in researching methods for Martial Soul evolution had scattered much of his time and energy.
But even excluding those factors, he felt he might not necessarily surpass the girl before him. Gu Qiuer looked even younger than Furina, yet she was already a Rank 41 Soul Ancestor; one could only say she was exceptionally gifted.
Bei Bei silently complained in his heart: The Axis Cult should be the one called Shrek Academy, right? How can they find so many monster-level geniuses?
Furina, Huo Yuhao, and Ye Guyi were one thing, but what was the deal with Gu Qiuer? So young, so monstrous, with a Martial Soul he'd never heard of called the golden dragon spear—but any Martial Soul with the word 'Dragon' in it would never be bad. Moreover, with such a fast cultivation speed, the quality of the Martial Soul was definitely high.
Even if all four of them were excluded, those six people with Xiao Huohuo were not simple either; their talent at least reached the level of Shrek's Outer Court Core Students.
Bei Bei shook his head inwardly. If things continued to develop at this momentum, the Axis Cult surpassing Shrek was truly just around the corner. Shrek had to take this seriously and carry out reforms.
Furina patted Gu Qiuer's shoulder and smiled: "Since you've said so, why don't you formally join my Jianan Academy and join the team for the Continental Young Soul Master Tournament? I believe you'll get along well with them."
She calculated in her mind: The original plan was just to find a few students with decent talent in the academy to serve as substitutes. After all, although a maximum of seven people can play in a team match, you can't let the main force fight all the way to the end, right? That would expose too many trump cards and consume too much energy, which is unfavorable for subsequent matches.
Three substitute members could be added, so why not add them? It would be a waste not to.
Now with Gu Qiuer joining, perhaps this team could go even further, reaching the top eight or even competing for the top four.
As for the finals... although they lacked a Martial Soul Fusion Skill like Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's, Ye Guyi's Martial Soul had now reached the half-step Ultimate Attribute, and Gu Qiuer's strength was not to be underestimated. Combined with the spirit tool support provided from her side, there might actually be hope.
Gu Qiuer nodded, her eyes sparkling: "Okay, no problem! With this Young Miss taking action, the championship will definitely be easy!"
Her tone was full of natural confidence, as if the championship were already in the bag.
Bei Bei shook his head helplessly and reminded her with a smile: "That's not necessarily true, Gu Qiuer. Our Shrek Academy has always been the champion, and those competing this time are all Inner Court elites. I heard there are two seniors at the Spirit Emperor level, and the remaining five are all Spirit King level powerhouses; their strength is not to be underestimated."
"Hmph!" Gu Qiuer gave a light snort and raised her chin, her long golden hair swaying gently with the movement. "So what? I'm not afraid! I am very strong."
Looking at her like this, Bei Bei couldn't help but laugh: "True, for a Genius like you, having confidence is a good thing. However... you shouldn't be blindly confident or arrogant."
His tone was gentle, carrying the concern of an elder brother.
Gu Qiuer curled her lip and waved her hand, saying: "Alright, alright, I get it. Why are you as long-winded as my Un... Uncle Di!"
She almost let it slip and corrected herself in time, but a flash of awkwardness still crossed her face.
Tang Ya smiled and took over the conversation, her voice gentle: "I think that uncle of yours is just concerned about you."
Gu Qiuer was silent for a moment and softly replied: "Mm."
In that voice, there was a trace of undetectable softness.
Seeing this, Furina broke the brief silence at the right time and clapped her hands: "Alright, alright, don't think too much. Let's go, I'll take you around, introduce you to some new friends, and help you get familiar with the environment here."
Gu Qiuer's eyes lit up, immediately regaining her previous spirit, and she nodded vigorously: "Okay!"
She turned to follow Furina's pace, and after walking a few steps, she turned back and waved to everyone: "See you later!"
Huo Yuhao and the others also waved back in response.
Wang Dong stared at that golden back, and that inexplicable feeling welled up again.
That person... is she really just someone who looks like me?
She always felt there seemed to be some kind of connection between them, yet she couldn't say what it was.
"What are you dazing about?" Xiao Xiao leaned over and nudged her with an elbow. "She's already far away."
Wang Dong snapped out of it and shook her head: "Nothing."
Only her gaze still involuntarily followed that gradually receding golden figure.
Xiao Xiao looked in the direction of her gaze, blinked thoughtfully, but didn't ask further.
The sunlight fell, plating the two figures with a soft golden edge. One with blue-pink hair and blue-pink eyes, the other with golden hair and golden eyes; clearly distinct, yet somehow... similar.
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