Chapter 64: The Reward for a Successful Contest
The Soul Master Academy directly affiliated with the Martial Soul Hall had a long history, dating back to the same period as the establishment of the Martial Soul Hall itself.
For hundreds of years, it had been absorbing fresh blood and nurturing talents for the Martial Soul Hall.
The day after leaving the Pope's palace, Hu Liena brought Su Yun to the Soul Master Academy to complete the enrollment procedures.
As the most popular female student in the Martial Soul Hall's directly affiliated Soul Master Academy, Hu Liena not only had a group of pursuers among the higher grades but even some lower-grade male students blushed when they saw her every smile or frown.
In this generally precocious world, these male students had already considered her their first love.
However, when these male students, who regarded Hu Liena as a goddess, saw her actually holding hands with a boy as they entered the academy, they all made sounds akin to wailing ghosts and howling wolves.
"Who is the boy by Sister Nana's side?"
"I don't know, but he looks quite handsome."
"He couldn't be Sister Nana's boyfriend, could he?"
"My Nana goddess actually took the initiative to hold his hand. My heart is broken... sob..."
As the younger male students lamented, the older male students also watched Su Yun being led by Hu Liena with jealousy in their hearts.
They had never been able to get close to Hu Liena in normal circumstances, and who would have thought that this guy would be held hands with the goddess right away!
Why?!
On the top floor of the teaching building, two handsome figures were leaning on the railing, watching Hu Liena and Su Yun pass through the crowd. One of them showed a slightly strange expression.
"Xie Yue, who is this kid with Nana? Why is he here with her?" Yan, with fiery red hair, looked at Su Yun's innocent face and spoke with a somewhat displeased tone.
Beside Yan, Xie Yue, with short silver-black hair, was equally unaware of Su Yun's arrival.
He only knew that his sister had returned to the Martial Soul Hall a few days ago to meet with the Pope.
In Xie Yue's mind, he thought: Why would Nana bring a little boy to the Soul Master Academy? Could it be that she picked up an orphan outside?
In the Martial Soul Hall's academy, many children were orphans adopted by the Martial Soul Hall.
Looking at Su Yun's clean clothes and demeanor, Xie Yue suppressed his thoughts.
He could tell from Su Yun's appearance that he didn't look like an orphan who had been wandering outside for a long time.
Thinking to himself, Xie Yue replied, "I don't know this boy either."
He glanced at his hot-tempered companion and said, "You're not jealous again, are you?"
The entire Martial Soul Hall knew that Yan liked Hu Liena, and Hu Liena herself was aware of it.
However, due to her consistent indifference, Yan could only maintain his pursuit and, incidentally, 'strangle' any potential competitors.
"Do I look like someone who would be jealous of a little boy?"
"Yes."
"..."
"Last time, a second-year male student gave Nana a flower. After you found out about it, not only did you hang him from a tree, but you also used the itching powder from the Dream Chaser Flower on him."
"..."
"That's because his actions were challenging my nerves."
"You were clearly jealous because Nana threw away the flower you gave her but accepted his. So, you were envious deep down."
"..."
"And the time before that..."
"Stop!"
Damn it, if you weren't going to be my future brother-in-law, I would definitely beat you up right now! (╬￣皿￣)=○
Yan no longer paid attention to his teasing companion, turning his head to see Hu Liena bringing Su Yun to them.
"Brother, Yan."
Hu Liena greeted her two companions and introduced Su Yun at her side, "This is Su Yun, the new disciple my teacher just accepted. Now, he's also my junior brother."
Accepted as a disciple by the Pope!
Xie Yue and Yan exchanged glances, both sensing the shock in each other's hearts.
Being accepted as a disciple under the Pope indicated that Su Yun's talent was extraordinary.
"Su Yun, this is my brother, Xie Yue, and this one beside us is our good friend, Yan."
Good friend... Yan's smile on his face froze for a moment.
Hu Liena introduced them one by one, and Su Yun politely greeted, "Hello, senior brothers."
Nodding slightly after the greetings, Su Yun suddenly looked up and saw Yan, with his fiery red hair, staring at him with a strange hostility.
"I didn't expect you to be accepted as a disciple by the Pope. Your talent must be quite high," Yan said. He considered himself to have good talent and had once wished to become a disciple under the Pope, only to be ruthlessly rejected by Bibi Dong.
Yan initially thought that the Pope, being a woman, would only accept Hu Liena as a disciple, but to his surprise, a few years later, another male disciple was accepted.
This made him want to test Su Yun's skills.
Absolutely not because he felt challenged by Su Yun holding hands with Hu Liena! (▼皿▼#)
As soon as Yan spoke, Hu Liena, who had been with him for many years, immediately understood his intentions. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed, and she scolded, "Yan! What do you want to do?! Su Yun is only seven years old. Do you want to bully a child?"
Seeing Yan's attempt to play dumb in the face of Hu Liena's scolding, Su Yun immediately understood the reason behind the hostility he had sensed earlier.
So, you're Hu Liena's top lapdog...
In Su Yun's mind, several classic images flashed by.
Black Little Tiger.
Two-faced Turtle.
Boiling Goat.
Tom Cat.
Hmm... I guess I'll add a Fiery one later.
"No, I don't have any such intentions."
"Xie Yue, do you think I have that intention?" Yan turned his head to Xie Yue, blinking frantically to signal him.
"No."
Seeing that his future big brother-in-law surprisingly didn't interfere, Yan immediately showed a relieved expression. Then, he looked at Hu Liena and said, "See, Nana, do I look like someone who would bully a child?"
"Like."
Hu Liena looked at Yan with a disdainful expression, stating the facts mercilessly.
Pfft!
Yan spewed out a mouthful of old blood in his heart.
Look, lapdogs always end up with nothing in the end... Su Yun couldn't help but feel a bit sad for him as he watched Yan's awkward expression.
"Humph, anyway, being accepted as a disciple under the Pope means Su Yun must have some strength."
Perhaps feeling exposed by Hu Liena, Yan spoke more normally, "Back when I wanted to become the Pope's disciple, I regretted it."
"So, I want to see, Su Yun, what qualifications do you have to become the Pope's disciple."
"How about it? Do you have the courage to spar with me?" Yan looked at Su Yun, fists clashing, filled with fighting spirit.
Xie Yue, standing aside, did not intervene but kept observing Su Yun.
As the captain of the Golden Generation, he also had regrets similar to Yan's.
Back then, the Pope only accepted his sister Nana as a disciple, and as her brother, he felt both happy and regretful.
Not everyone had the qualifications to become the Pope's disciple.
They didn't make it.
Su Yun did.
This inevitably made them very curious about Su Yun.
As for why Xie Yue didn't take action himself...
Of course, it was because he didn't want to be scolded by his sister Hu Liena.
Good friends; anyway, you've been scolded so many times before, a couple more wouldn't hurt.
"No way!"
Hu Liena pulled Su Yun behind her like a protective vixen with her young fox, sternly saying, "The teacher said Su Yun's position in the future is an auxiliary-type soul master. How can he compete with you, an assault-type soul master!"
Auxiliary-type soul master?
Both Xie Yue and Yan were stunned.
"Uh..." Yan's expression became somewhat awkward.
If Su Yun was indeed an auxiliary-type soul master, he really had no reason to ask him for a fight.
Everyone knew that auxiliary-type soul masters were meant to assist combat soul masters, and they themselves had almost no combat capability.
If he fought with Su Yun, it would be like bullying a child. Would he stoop so low?
Looking at Hu Liena's displeased face, Yan immediately tried to please her, "Nana, don't be angry. If Su Yun, your junior, is indeed an auxiliary-type soul master, then what I said just now..."
Before Yan could finish the words 'doesn't count,' he suddenly saw Su Yun stepping out from behind Hu Liena.
Su Yun smiled and said, "Senior Yan, if you want to spar, I'll accompany you."
Challenge accepted!
With these words, Su Yun shocked everyone present.
"Su Yun, don't be silly. You're just an auxiliary-type soul master. You can't beat Yan," Hu Liena reminded hastily.
"Yes, Su Yun, you're just an auxiliary-type soul master. Winning against you wouldn't give me any face either," Yan also said sincerely.
Indeed, Yan couldn't gain much fighting spirit from defeating an auxiliary-type soul master.
He preferred evenly matched battles that could enhance his combat skills.
Su Yun looked at the worry in Hu Liena's eyes and smiled, "It's okay, Sister Nana. My comparison with others doesn't rely solely on martial souls."
Saying that, Su Yun took out the custom-made long spear from the soul device on his wrist and held it in his hand.
"Fellow senior Yan, can I borrow something to fight you? I hope it's not a problem," Su Yun said.
Seeing that Su Yun actually had a soul device, Yan was initially surprised, but then he thought it must be a gift from the Pope, and his astonishment faded.
"Use a spear to fight me?"
"Of course."
Yan looked at the confidence in Su Yun's eyes, and the fighting spirit that had disappeared rekindled like flames.
Yan believed that since Su Yun dared to challenge him, he must have his reasons and confidence.
Being accepted as a disciple under the Pope undoubtedly meant Su Yun had exceptional qualities.
"My soul power is higher than yours, and I won't take advantage of you. I'll only use my first and second soul skills. If I can't defeat you within three minutes, I'll consider it my loss. How about that?" Yan proposed.
Soul power suppression, a combat soul master fighting an auxiliary-type soul master. If the battle couldn't be resolved within three minutes, then it meant Yan had lost and should return home early to mind his own business.
Su Yun nodded slightly, not refusing, but he had a request, "Can I choose the location for our match?"
"Sure, you can," Yan replied generously.
Seeing Yan's agreement, Su Yun felt a sense of relief.
In truth, Su Yun didn't want to fight with Yan. His martial soul was the Blue Silver Emperor, and Yan had the Flame Lord, a martial soul almost on par in quality with his own.
Moreover, fire counters wood.
Even if the Blue Silver Emperor was powerful, it couldn't ignore the principles of mutual generation and restraint.
The reason Su Yun agreed to the challenge was once again because the system had issued a new mission.
[Side Mission: Defeat Yan in the match.]
[Reward: Blue Silver Emperor's Right Leg Bone.]
Upon seeing the mission message, Ah Yin in Su Yun's mind exclaimed.
Su Yun, upon seeing the mission reward, was also astonished.
A soul bone right from the start! This was incredibly luxurious.
"Little Su Yun, you must win!"
Ah Yin cheered Su Yun on in his mind.
Ah Yin knew that the Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone, originally meant for her child, was undoubtedly going to be absorbed by that fake Tang San.
From what she had learned from the system, the soul bone in the reward was the one she had left behind.
Since that was the case, Ah Yin would rather have Su Yun absorb it than that impostor.
Therefore, she hoped Su Yun would win the match.
When Hu Liena saw Su Yun insisting on the match with Yan, she no longer objected but reminded him to be careful.
Because, in terms of the damage caused by the outbreak of martial souls during a fight, Yan was the strongest among the three of them!
Su Yun accepted the two girls' advice and then inquired about the location of the match before choosing a suitable battleground.
The grassy arena.
The Martial Soul Hall's Soul Master Academy was vast, with countless environments. Many soul masters not only practiced their soul power here but also selected suitable places for battles.
Fighting in a location suitable for one's martial soul could exponentially increase one's combat power.
"Come and see, come and see! Yan is about to beat someone up again!"
"Oh my god, who's the unlucky one this time? What number is this? But whoever it is, that person is really unfortunate."
"Who remembers which unlucky soul it is? Oh, it's that little guy brought by Nana the goddess today."
"Ah? It's him? That little guy dared to touch my Nana's pure and delicate hand. To be honest, I wanted to beat him up too."
"..."
Countless students from the Martial Soul Hall's Soul Master Academy were silently mourning for the person facing Yan's challenge.
They still remembered the previous few who were beaten by Yan, and they all suffered a bit of "humiliation."
"Guess how long the other person can last this time?"
"I guess ten minutes."
"Ten minutes is too long. I guess seven minutes."
"Humph, stop guessing blindly. I heard the rules of their match just now. Yan said that if he can't defeat the other person within three minutes, he'll consider it a loss."
"My goodness, is Yan really that strong now?"
Three minutes—no doubt, it was a short period.
In any situation.
"But you guys don't know. The little guy challenging Yan this time is also an auxiliary-type soul master."
Gasp!
As soon as this statement came out, everyone present was shocked, and they took in a sharp breath!
(End of this chapter)
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