"By the way," Electrolux reminded him, "what do you plan to do about that little dragon's soul inside your spiritual sea?"
"The Silver Dragon Wolf?" Zhu Ziyang froze, sinking into thought — he truly hadn't considered that matter until now.
"That little dragon sacrificed herself to become your soul ring, yet her soul has been preserved intact. That alone makes me extremely curious," Electrolux said. "Based on what I previously explained, her soul should have dissipated into the world during the sacrifice, becoming part of your soul skill. But clearly, that didn't happen. Whether this is a unique trait of hundred-thousand-year soul beasts or a result of the sacrificial process itself, it's something worth studying."
"Well…" Zhu Ziyang stammered, unsure of what to say.
"No need to answer right away. You have time to think it through. After all, her soul is still very weak — it may take another five to ten years of nurturing before she wakes," Electrolux said with a chuckle, seeing Zhu Ziyang's awkwardness. "Besides, her condition has sparked an idea in me. Perhaps it could even bring more excitement to your world."
"Oh?" Zhu Ziyang perked up, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Hehe…" Electrolux chuckled. "Don't rush. It's still just a vague idea. Once I've fully considered it and confirmed its feasibility, I'll let you know."
"Alright then." Zhu Ziyang gave a helpless shrug.
After the conversation ended, Zhu Ziyang exited his spiritual sea. Sitting quietly on his bed for a while, he eventually closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Why didn't he continue cultivating?
The answer was simple — he had just completed over a month of meditation. Naturally, his body needed rest. Cultivation shouldn't be stretched too tightly; balance is essential, or it can do more harm than good.
—
The next day, Zhu Ziyang rarely slept in, only waking when Jiang Nannan entered his room carrying breakfast.
After eating, the two headed to class together.
"Huh? Where's Tang Ya? Didn't she come with you?" Zhu Ziyang asked curiously as they stepped out of the dormitory.
"Beibei's back. She and Beibei went to class first," Jiang Nannan replied.
"Beibei's back? That fast?" Zhu Ziyang was clearly surprised.
"According to Xiao Ya, Beibei's family had already selected a soul beast for his third ring. He was just waiting to break through. So, once he reached level 30, he went straight home. No need to go hunting himself," Jiang Nannan explained.
"I see." Zhu Ziyang sighed. "That's the benefit of a ten thousand-year-old heritage. Having pre-selected soul beasts makes things so much easier."
"Exactly!" Jiang Nannan agreed, thinking back to their own difficult search for her third soul ring.
—
Class One.
Zhu Ziyang noticed an unfamiliar face — someone who clearly didn't belong to their class.
Xu Sanshi.
After the freshman assessment, Xu Sanshi had naturally been assigned to Class Two, the Defense-Agility group.
Now, he was sitting beside Xue Weiwei, chattering away enthusiastically, while she smiled and nodded from time to time.
"Ziyang, long time no see!" A warm greeting pulled Zhu Ziyang's attention back. It was Beibei, smiling broadly.
"Indeed, it has been a while." Zhu Ziyang smiled and nodded. It had been over two months since they'd last seen each other. "Congratulations, by the way — reaching the Soul Elder level."
"Thanks." Beibei gave a modest nod, then his eyes lit up with fighting spirit. "Ziyang, how about another duel? I want to see just how big the gap is between us now."
"Sure. I'm up for it," Zhu Ziyang accepted without hesitation. "When?"
"After class, in the Soul Dueling Arena. How about it?" Beibei's eyes sparkled as he received a clear answer.
News of their upcoming duel quickly spread across all the first-year classes. Within moments, not only the students but even the teachers were aware and buzzing with anticipation.
Zhu Ziyang was already famous across the year as the freshman assessment champion and a Soul Elder. Meanwhile, though Beibei had only ranked third, his martial soul — the legendary Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon — was renowned throughout the continent. Rumors said Beibei had also broken through to Soul Elder and recently acquired his third soul ring, making this clash between Soul Elders one of the most highly anticipated events in the year group.
When class ended, a huge crowd had already gathered outside Class One, eyes locked on the door.
"Why are there so many people? Could it be they all know about the duel between Brother Ziyang and Beibei?" Jiang Nannan was stunned to see how packed the hallway was. "Did the entire year show up?"
"Hehe…" Tang Ya scratched her head awkwardly. "I only told Xu Sanshi… didn't expect it to spread to the whole year."
"Xiao Ya, what am I supposed to say to you?" Jiang Nannan sighed and rolled her eyes.
Tang Ya could only give a sheepish grin.
"Make way!" Zhu Ziyang and Beibei looked at each other, then smiled helplessly as they began pushing through the crowd together, raising their voices.
Hearing the voices of these two top figures, the students quickly cleared a path. No one wanted to block the First-Year Champion.
Zhu Ziyang and Beibei exited the teaching building and headed toward the Soul Dueling Arena, followed by Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya — and then by a massive wave of students. At least two or three hundred people followed them. And as they walked, students from other grades, intrigued by the scene, also joined in. By the time they reached the arena, the crowd had swelled to over four hundred, with students in white, yellow, purple, and even a few black uniforms.
Faced with such a spectacle, the Soul Arena staff didn't dare delay and immediately arranged for the formal duel to proceed.
The two stepped into the arena and faced each other. A teacher appeared between them to serve as referee.
The duel was about to begin.
"Hey, who do you think will win — Zhu Ziyang or Beibei?"
"Is that even a question? Of course our class monitor!"
"Exactly! He's the freshman champion! Even Beibei and Xu Sanshi couldn't beat him together before, let alone now with just Beibei alone!"
"But I heard Beibei's broken through to Soul Elder. With the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, they say Soul Masters gain a massive power boost after their third ring!"
"Tch, so what? Class monitor's going to win for sure!"
…
"What should I do, Nannan? I think I messed up…" Tang Ya groaned in regret, hearing the murmurs around them.
"I told you to watch your mouth. Now look at what happened — suffering the consequences of your own actions!" Jiang Nannan said with a smirk.
"You're laughing at me? So mean!" Tang Ya pouted. "How can you be so sure Zhu Ziyang will win? Beibei's already level 32!"
"Just watch. My brother's growing too," Jiang Nannan smiled with pride.
(End of Chapter)
---
This Fanfiction Has Been Completed on Patreon, There is 2 Chapters Ahead of Release for Free Memebers on my Patreon.
Support me if you like this Fanfiction.
Patreon,com/Fallen_Archangel_
(Remove comma for dot.)
Leave a 5 star Review and a Power Stone.