....
With Bibi Dong's command.
"boom!"
The ground beneath Xuan Hao's feet instantly cracked, and he shot towards Hu Liena like a golden cannonball with unstoppable momentum!
It moved so fast that it left a trail of afterimages in the air.
Hu Liena was startled; this speed was more than twice as fast as when she was running before!
But she was, after all, a control-type Soul Master, and her reactions were extremely fast.
"The first soul skill, charm!"
"Second Soul Skill, Fox Charm!"
Two yellow spirit rings flashed in succession.
Pink light shimmered in Hu Liena's fox-like eyes, and an invisible spiritual wave instantly enveloped Xuan Hao as he charged forward.
As long as she makes eye contact, even for just a moment, she is confident she can stop this raging bull.
At the same time, a sweet and hallucinogenic fragrance spread along with the soul power, attempting to weaken Xuan Hao's senses.
However, the next second, Hu Liena was dumbfounded.
Because she discovered that Xuan Hao, who was rushing towards her, had his eyes closed!
Not only that, he even held his breath!
The moment he made his move, Xuan Hao had already locked onto Hu Liena through the Golden Dragon Perception granted by his Golden Dragon Martial Soul.
He knew that his mental strength was inferior to Hu Liena's, and that if he were to fight a
mind-controlling soul master one-on-one, he would be easy prey if he fell into her trap. So he simply cut off his sight and smell!
"Hey! You're cheating—"
Before Hu Liena could finish her panicked scream, the golden figure had already rushed in front of her.
There was no time to dodge, and no way to defend against it.
"Bang!"
Hu Liena felt an irresistible force strike her, and she instantly lost her balance.
The next moment, she was tackled to the ground by Xuan Hao.
"Got you?"
Xuan Hao straddled Hu Liena, pinning her wrists to the ground.
Although there was a nearly ten-level difference in soul power between the two, under the terrifying suppression of the Golden Dragon Body, Hu Liena, as a fragile control-type soul master, was like a little white rabbit being held down by a big tiger, unable to move no matter how much she struggled.
"You cheat!" Hu Liena's face turned bright red, both ashamed and angry.
"You told me about your soul skills yourself these past few days.
I call this knowing yourself and your enemy," Xuan Hao said with his eyes closed.
Bibi Dong, who was watching from the sidelines, was also stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
She hadn't expected Xuan Hao's combat intuition to be so sharp.
In his first battle against a Soul Master, he actually thought of using this method to circumvent mental control.
What I didn't expect was that this sparring match would end so quickly, so... simply and brutally.
Hu Liena looked at Bibi Dong with a pitiful expression, her eyes welling up with tears.
Her attempt to establish authority backfired, and instead, her junior brother rode on her and rubbed against her. Now, the senior sister had completely lost face.
"Alright, that's enough of our sparring."
Bibi Dong smiled and shook her head, waving her hand to dispel the soul power fluctuations emanating from the two of them.
Although Hu Liena lost somewhat miserably, this was a good lesson for the girl.
Faced with overwhelming power and unpredictable opponents, any fancy techniques must be used with caution.
While a mind-controlling Soul Master certainly possesses terrifying dominance within their rank, this does not mean they are invincible.
This trip not only helped Hu Liena obtain a top-grade soul ring, but also led Bibi Dong to discover Xuan Hao, a prodigy with twin top-tier martial souls. Bibi Dong was in a great mood.
She did not linger in the forest any longer and set off on her journey home with the two little ones.
...
Several days later, in Wuhun City.
This city, composed entirely of Soul Masters, is a sacred place in the hearts of Soul Masters across the continent, standing majestically at the border of two great empires.
The hexagonal city walls soar into the clouds, while the Papal Palace, located in the heart of the city, is magnificent and awe-inspiring.
Upon returning to Wuhun City, Bibi Dong reverted to her aloof and superior pope demeanor.
Although she took Xuanhao as her disciple, she had no intention of letting him live in the Papal Palace as a "canary," but instead simply handed him over to Hu Liena.
"Nana, take him to the Spirit Hall Academy to complete the enrollment procedures."
Bibi Dong stood on the steps in front of the Papal Palace, looking down at Xuan Hao.
"Although you are my disciple, you still need to learn the basic knowledge.
Reading and writing, arithmetic, general history of the continent, and martial spirit theory are all compulsory courses."
"Moreover, geniuses can only remain sharp in a competitive environment.
Working in isolation will only turn you into a brute with empty strength."
After saying this, she turned and walked into the solemn hall, surrounded by a group of paladin knights.
"Let's go, my good junior brother."
Hu Liena raised an eyebrow at Xuan Hao. Although she was still brooding over the previous "crushing defeat," she still had a sense of responsibility as his senior sister.
"Senior sister will take you to see what the best Soul Master Academy in the entire continent is all about."
For the rest of the day, Xuan Hao was like a puppet, dragged around by Hu Liena as she ran about the vast Wuhun City.
The Spirit Hall Academy is located on the back side of Spirit City, nestled in a mountain forest.
The environment is serene yet exudes a chilling atmosphere.
This place gathers the most outstanding young soul masters from across the continent.
Those who can study here are either second-generation rich kids with powerful backgrounds or geniuses with extraordinary talents.
"Listen carefully, the teacher asked you to come here so that you can experience the atmosphere."
Walking along the tree-lined path of the academy, Hu Liena nodded to the students who bowed to her, and whispered to Xuan Hao.
"Everyone here has been selected through a rigorous process.
Although their soul power and talent are not as good as yours, the competitive atmosphere of wanting to become stronger and tearing each other apart is something you can't feel anywhere else."
"Birds of a feather flock together. Only by fighting for the throne within a pride can a lion become a true king."
Xuan Hao nodded thoughtfully.
The enrollment process went very smoothly. After all, Hu Liena had personally brought the student, so the teachers in the academic affairs office dared not neglect her and gave her the green light throughout the process, directly arranging the best single dormitory room and a spot in the elite class.
By the time everything was settled, it was completely dark.
Hu Liena, accompanied by Xuan Hao who had changed into a clean and neat new school uniform, once again ascended the stone steps leading to the Papal Palace.
...
Inside the Papal Palace, the lights were on full display.
Bibi Dong sat behind a large desk, her brows slightly furrowed, a gold pen in her hand, rapidly reviewing the mountain of files.
Hearing footsteps, she didn't even look up, simply saying, "You're here?"
"Teacher, all the formalities are complete." Hu Liena bowed respectfully, then tugged at Xuan Hao, who was looking around curiously.
"Sister," Xuan Hao called out smoothly.
Bibi Dong paused for a moment, raised her head, and glanced at the well-dressed little boy who finally had a bit of an aristocratic air about him. A hint of satisfaction flashed in her eyes.
"It's not bad."
She put down her pen, rubbed her slightly swollen temples, and casually took two items from her desk drawer, placing them on the table.
A bracelet with an antique design and inlaid with purple gemstones.
There was also a handwritten booklet.
"Since you have agreed to become my disciple, I cannot be too stingy."
Bibi Dong pointed to the two items, "These are your gifts for becoming your disciple."
Xuan Hao's eyes lit up, and without any hesitation, he stepped forward and picked it up.
"This ring is a storage soul tool.
The space inside is about fifty cubic meters, enough for you to hold a small mountain of stuff.
When you travel in the future, you'll need something decent to carry your luggage."
Xuan Hao was startled. He had read in a book that ordinary storage soul tools only had a capacity of a few cubic meters, so this fifty-cubic-meter capacity was definitely a priceless treasure!
"As for that booklet, it's a soul power meditation method that I developed myself," Bibi Dong said.
"Although you are born with full soul power and your physique is ridiculously strong, your use of soul power is still at the most primitive instinct stage.
Although your meridians are wide, they appear somewhat disordered because you have never systematically cultivated them."
"This meditation method was revised this afternoon based on your situation.
It can help you refine your soul power, clear your meridians, and solidify your foundation with the highest efficiency."
"Practice for a while first, and I'll see how it goes. If it's not suitable, I'll help you make changes."
Hu Liena gently nudged the dazed Xuan Hao: "This is your teacher's unique secret technique.
Compared to your teacher's meditation method, those so-called top sect secret techniques outside are just trash.
You must practice it well and not embarrass your teacher."
"Ah... Oh." Xuan Hao paused for a moment, then nodded.
"I understand, thank you... teacher."
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