Boom!!!
Lordia stood calmly at the center of Spirit Academy's training plaza.
The Golden Generation lay sprawled on the ground, defeated.
Hu Liena and Xie Yue's Martial Soul Fusion had dissolved, leaving the two kneeling with their soul power completely drained.
"Just a little more."
Su Linfeng, watching from the edge of the plaza, called out,
"Li Kai, you hesitated just now. Why didn't you coordinate with Zhang Ping to strike Teacher Lordia from both flanks?"
This was their special training.
Eight years.
Under Spirit Hall's full support, Lordia had already advanced from Soul Sage to Soul Douluo, becoming the pride of the Golden Eagle Clan.
He now served as the Golden Generation's sparring partner, spending the last several months pushing them to their limits.
Over the years, not only had the Golden Generation grown up, but their strength had skyrocketed as well.
Xie Yue, seventeen years old, ranked 43.
Yan, sixteen years old, ranked 42.
Hu Liena, fifteen years old, ranked 41.
Li Kai, Sun Chuantao, Xu Yu, and Zhang Ping, all fifteen. Xu Yu was ranked 38, while the other three had reached rank 39.
Such growth truly matched their talent and Spirit Hall's investment.
Among their peers, none could compare.
"Heh-heh…"
Li Kai scratched his head sheepishly as he climbed back up, glancing awkwardly at Su Linfeng.
"Brother Linfeng, Teacher Lordia is Zhang Ping's uncle. Wouldn't it have been wrong to go all out on him like that?"
"Li Kai! This is an all-out match!"
Zhang Ping shot him an annoyed glare.
"You held back? I wasn't even thinking of him as my uncle just now!"
"Cough, cough!"
Lordia cleared his throat toward Zhang Ping, then raised his head in mock arrogance.
"I, an esteemed rank 81 Soul Douluo, would need you brats to hold back? Don't flatter yourselves.
"You're weak because you're weak. Train harder!"
Though his words were sharp, inwardly Lordia admired the tactics Su Linfeng had devised and the Golden Generation's raw talent.
Three Soul Sects and four Soul Elders had actually come close to forcing him to reveal his Martial Soul True Body. They had nearly won!
The sparring rules forbade him from using his true body—he could only rely on his first six rings below the seventh. If he had to go beyond, it counted as his loss.
Ordinary Soul Sects and Elders would never push him so far. The key was Hu Liena and Xie Yue's Martial Soul Fusion Skill—two Soul Sects, yet fused, they could unleash near-Soul Emperor-level power. Terrifying!
As Lordia finished, the others kept quiet, but Zhang Ping couldn't hold back. Her face reddened with anger.
"Uncle Plant, you dare call us weak? If you've got guts, let Brother Linfeng join our side and fight the eight of us together!"
"Uh…"
Lordia's eye twitched violently. He turned to see Su Linfeng watching with a faint smile. Cold sweat instantly broke out across his forehead.
Forget adding Su Linfeng to their team—just Su Linfeng alone could force out his Martial Soul True Body in under a minute.
One glance was enough to remind him of the fear of being crushed by flame.
Spirit Hall had hidden such a monster for so long… now they were finally unveiling him at the tournament. It would shake the entire continent.
Thinking this, Lordia pretended not to hear Zhang Ping. He looked up at the sky and said,
"All right, it's getting late. That's enough for today. Tomorrow, I expect you to refine your teamwork even further!"
"Uncle Lordia…" Zhang Ping started.
"Cough, cough!"
Lordia shot her a meaningful glance.
"Don't forget—we have more important priorities! That's all for today. Dismissed!"
"Oh! Right…"
Zhang Ping blinked, then remembered. She glanced at Su Linfeng standing nearby, and her cheeks instantly flushed red.
Finally free of training, Li Kai, Sun Chuantao, and the others simply collapsed on the ground, meditating to recover their soul power.
Zhang Ping hesitated a moment, then walked up to Su Linfeng. Her face pink, she stammered,
"Brother Linfeng, do you… have time tonight? My mother would like to invite you to our home as a guest."
Here we go again.
Su Linfeng forced a wry smile. Hu Liena had never taken those childhood incidents seriously—but Zhang Ping? She really had.
Persistent.
Pure family upbringing.
At last, he sighed helplessly.
"Her Holiness the Pope has something for me tonight. She told me to come back early. I'm afraid it'll have to wait for another day."
"Huh?"
Zhang Ping froze, then her face fell like a deflated balloon.
"Really? Such bad timing?"
"It's true. If you don't believe me, ask Nana."
Su Linfeng smiled faintly to ease her disappointment.
"Another day, all right? I should head back now."
Leaving her with a gentle smile, he turned and walked toward Spirit Hall.
At that moment, Hu Liena caught up to Zhang Ping, nudging her in the side with a mischievous grin.
"Well, little vixen, didn't work out, did it? Brother Su wasn't lying, though—the Pope really did tell him to come back early tonight."
Zhang Ping blushed, rubbing at her side.
Her eyes narrowed slyly.
"You little foxy minx, you've got no room to talk. Didn't you strike out, too?"
Hu Liena's face turned bright red.
"W–What nonsense are you spouting? I… I… it's not like I even want to—"
"Heehee, really? You don't want to?"
Zhang Ping smirked and gave her a playful swat on the backside.
"What a waste to let such a chance slip by."
"Mmm~!"
Hu Liena let out a startled squeak, her face burning.
"Why are you always so handsy?!"
"Nana, Zhang Ping!"
Suddenly, Yan popped his red-haired head out of nowhere.
"What are you two doing?"
The two girls jumped, startled.
Zhang Ping snapped, her face crimson,
"Yan! What's wrong with you?!"
"Ah, I… I was looking for Nana."
Yan scratched the back of his head awkwardly, glancing at Hu Liena.
"Uh, Nana, I wanted to—"
"Forget it, I don't have time."
Her mood ruined, Hu Liena waved him off.
"I need to head back, too."
Without another word, she hurried after Su Linfeng.
"Brother Su, wait for me!"
Spirit Hall. Pope's Palace.
Bibi Dong had returned early today. At the moment, she sat cross-legged on her bed, attempting to cultivate.
But strangely, ever since the incident with Su Linfeng that morning, her mind had been restless. She couldn't focus at all.
Teenagers really are a headache…
Creak—
The door opened slightly, and Su Linfeng poked his head inside.
"Big Sis, you're back so early today?"
"Ah!"
Bibi Dong quickly rose, flustered.
"Y-Yes. I came back a bit earlier."
"Then…"
Su Linfeng stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He walked carefully to the window, then shuffled nervously toward the bed.
"Then… Big Sis, do you want to talk now?"
With that, he sat down on the edge of the bed, keeping a meter's distance between them.
Awkward.
The kind of silence that makes the air feel heavy.
"L-Linfeng…" Bibi Dong began.
"Y-Yes?!"
Su Linfeng's heart thumped wildly.
W-What is it, Big Sis?!