Hearing the voice, Tang San turned his head and saw that it was none other than the Spirit Hall's Saintess Qian Renxue, though currently disguised in the same appearance she'd worn at the small clinic—face full of freckles, slightly dark skin, wearing round prescription glasses, even her voice altered.
A glint of cunning flashed through Tang San's eyes as he said nonchalantly, "Oh, it's you, Freckles."
!!!
Hearing Tang San's address for her, Qian Renxue's eyelid twitched involuntarily. Though this disguise was her own choice, she never imagined she'd one day suffer an attack on her appearance!
Her, Qian Renxue, being mocked for her looks!
Qian Renxue shot Tang San a glance and said, "Don't you know criticizing someone's appearance is rather improper?"
Tang San chuckled, "My apologies, Freckles, but I don't know your name."
"My name is Ye Ruxue," Qian Renxue said calmly.
"Ruxue (Like Snow)?" Tang San put on an exaggerated expression of surprise, pretending complete ignorance as he looked her up and down before asking, "What part of you resembles snow? Are the freckles like falling snowflakes?"
Qian Renxue's eyelid twitched violently, her teeth clenching slightly as she said with mild anger, "Hey Tang San, even if you're currently the rising star who entered the Main Academy as top ranker, I'm still your senior here. Shouldn't you show some respect?"
Seeing Qian Renxue's irritated tone, Tang San found it slightly strange. The Qian Renxue people knew was aloof and upright, as impartial as a Law Enforcer.
Tang San thought to himself, "Perhaps when people wear masks, they're actually taking them off."
Tailong, standing nearby, genuinely didn't realize the freckled girl Ye Ruxue was actually Saintess Qian Renxue. He asked in confusion, "You're a student from the Main Academy?"
Ye Ruxue shook her head and pointed to a middle section of the Elite Soul Master Ranking. Following her direction, Tang San and Tailong saw the listing: [Level 40 Soul Ancestor, Ye Ruxue, Rank 10.]
Tang San wasn't surprised Qian Renxue made the list—after all, she was the current Saintess, a Level 60 Soul Emperor. But the ranking showed her as Level 40.
He quickly understood, thinking, "I see. This must be some special method by Spirit Hall to suppress soul power. Reducing twenty levels—does that mean subtracting the ten levels from Innate Full Spirit Power and another ten from the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul awakening ceremony? Truly befitting the Angel God, symbol of light and justice—discounting gifted power at birth, only counting self-earned cultivation."
"You're actually ranked tenth!" Tailong exclaimed.
Ye Ruxue explained, "The Pan-continental Elite Soul Master Competition will be held in less than three years. To represent Spirit Academy, you need to be in the top ten at minimum—usually seven main competitors with three substitutes."
Hearing this, both Tang San and Tailong looked toward the top of the ranking to see who placed in the top three.
"First place: Level 49 Soul Ancestor, Xie Yue. Second place: Level 49 Soul Ancestor, Yan. Third place: Level 48 Soul Ancestor, Huliena."
Qian Renxue said, "Those three are currently the strongest and fastest-growing Soul Masters in Spirit Academy, even hailed by the Pope as the Golden Generation. Especially Xie Yue, ranked first—he can already create his own Soul Skills, and his strength is extraordinary."
Hearing about self-created Soul Skills, even Tang San frowned slightly. "The power of a self-created Soul Skill is no small matter. Even if its strength is only equivalent to a five-thousand-year Soul Skill, the force it unleashes could potentially reach the ten-thousand-year level."
Tang San himself had trained in the Clear Sky Sect's Inherited Spirit Abilities, so he understood the might of self-created Soul Skills.
Just as Martial Soul Fusion Techniques have compatibility—where different levels of compatibility result in vastly different power, with higher compatibility leading to stronger fusion skills—the same applies to Soul Skills. Whether you cultivate someone else's Soul Skill or create your own, even if it's the same skill, the power is entirely different.
For example, the Clear Sky Sect's Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique can be cultivated to the Ninety-Nine Returns to One realm, but even then, it is divided into three stages: minor mastery, major mastery, and perfection. Yet beyond perfection lies one more level—the founder. No one can surpass the founder in cultivating a Soul Skill.
Qian Renxue also gave high praise, nodding and saying, "Indeed, to possess 49th-rank Soul Power at just seventeen years old and the ability to fight above his level is truly remarkable. He absolutely deserves the top rank."
Then, she glanced at Tang San with a faint smile. "Xie Yue's talent is no less than yours, the son of the Clear Sky Douluo."
Tailong, standing nearby, was displeased and stepped forward. "Hmph, forget about Xie Yue or whatever. Third Young Master is the strongest in the world. He's only been training five years longer than our Third Young Master. In five—no, three years—Third Young Master will definitely surpass him."
"The top spot can only belong to our Young Master Tang San!"
Tang San had no interest in such verbal disputes, but hearing about Xie Yue's strength made him quite happy. After all, he had come here to seek formidable opponents to temper himself.
Being invincible is a lonely thing.
Tang San glanced at Qian Renxue and asked nonchalantly, "Wait, that doesn't sound right. I heard the 'Saintess' is actually the strongest among the younger generation in Spirit Hall, possessing the legendary Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul. So why isn't the name 'Qian Renxue' on this list?"
Tang San deliberately emphasized the words "Saintess," though of course, Qian Renxue had no idea her disguise had already been seen through. Without a trace of suspicion, she stammered slightly, "Well, the Saintess is far too busy to visit the academy, let alone participate in rankings."
Her voice grew quieter, betraying a hint of guilt. It was rare for her to find even a little time away from her demanding God Trials. Right now, she felt like she was on a break after finishing an exam.
After exchanging a few more words, Tang San waved his hand to bid farewell to Qian Renxue. "Freckles, you should work hard on your training too. If I climb into the top ten, I'll push you down the ranks."
"Don't call me Freckles!" Watching Tang San's retreating figure, Qian Renxue didn't know whether to be annoyed or amused. "Tang San, son of the Clear Sky Douluo... what an idiot."
Tang San and Tailong continued walking along the main path deeper into the academy. The student dormitories were located at the very back.
Arriving at the student dormitory of the Main Academy, Tang San was somewhat surprised to find that each student here was assigned a small two-story house, with the first floor serving as a cultivation area and the second as a resting area.
"You're the new students who advanced to the Spirit Main Academy, right? Head to the left for the newcomers' area. Your student tokens have the house numbers marked on them," the dormitory administrator said.
Tang San and Tailong glanced at the tokens in their hands. Tailong's had the number 10 in the bottom right corner, while Tang San's had the number 1.
Tailong remarked, "Third Young Master, it seems the housing is arranged based on our ranking during the advancement. Mine is at the outermost, while yours is at the very center."
Tang San frowned, sensing that things weren't as simple as they seemed.
"Based on ranking? Then the one living next to me must be...!?"
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