Feng Piaoling had just entered and hadn't even had time to get his food when he heard someone calling him. "Boss, over here, over here..."
Turning to look, Feng Piaoling saw that it was the Lan sisters. Sitting with them was a senior female student.
This student's appearance was somewhat inferior to the Lan sisters, but her gaze was exceptionally sharp. She had a slender build and stood nearly as tall as the 1.8-meter-tall Feng Piaoling.
Perhaps because of Feng Piaoling's striking looks, or perhaps for some other reason, she froze for a moment upon seeing him. However, she quickly returned to normal.
Feng Piaoling's face also showed a hint of astonishment because he had seen this girl over a year ago.
The location was a certain Holy Ghost Cult stronghold in Sun Moon City.
At that time, he had been there to strike a deal with Zhongli Wu to obtain the Class 9 Soul Tool, the Spiritual Barrier.
It seemed they had made a friend at the academy, but this person... A trace of coldness flashed in Feng Piaoling's eyes before he walked over with a smile.
In the midst of his thoughts, Lan Susu and Lan Lulu had already hurried forward. The sisters naturally linked their arms with Feng Piaoling's, one on each side.
Lan Susu said coaxingly, "Boss, it's really not easy to find you."
Lan Lulu chimed in, "Exactly! We figured the only place we could run into you was the cafeteria."
As the two sisters spoke, they pulled Feng Piaoling toward their previous seats.
"I've grown accustomed to practicing alone; I accidentally lost track of time. As for you two, not only has your soul power reached Rank 28, but you've also mastered the second stage of the Azure Lotus Sword Manual. Your progress is faster than I imagined."
Feng Piaoling gave a doting smile, using soul power transmission for the latter part of his sentence.
He didn't dislike Lan Susu and Lan Lulu's clinginess; on the contrary, he quite enjoyed the feeling.
The two girls had followed him across tens of thousands of miles, leaving their homes to come to Sun Moon City in the Sun Moon Empire. It was inevitable that they would develop a sense of dependency on him.
It was the same for the others.
Including Huang Chutian, and Wang Gang went without saying.
Over the past six months, thanks to Feng Piaoling's guidance, everyone had not only seen a massive increase in soul power but had also improved their physical constitutions by refining large amounts of Whale Glue.
Their combat effectiveness was incomparable to what it once was.
If someone like Dai Huabin showed up now, they would likely only be on the receiving end of a beating.
While Feng Piaoling might have initially recruited them out of self-interest, as time passed, even if there hadn't been affection before, a bond had formed through their shared experiences.
However, during these last six months—aside from the first two months where he took turns guiding the nine of them—Feng Piaoling had spent almost all his energy comprehending sword intent. This was in addition to his soul power cultivation, deducing the fifth stage of the Azure Lotus Sword Manual, and his daily hour of practicing the Nine Swords of the Gale to improve his sword realm. He truly had neglected the sisters a bit.
"Hehehe..." Feng Piaoling's doting and praise caused the sisters' bright, autumn-water eyes to crinkle into shallow crescents.
They pulled Feng Piaoling down to sit. Since it was a four-person table, Lan Lulu, the younger sister who had claimed a spot first, sat across from the senior female student alongside Feng Piaoling.
Lan Susu glanced at Feng Piaoling with a hint of regret before sitting next to the senior student and introducing her:
"Boss, this is Na Na, a fifth-year senior at our academy. She is fifteen years old, has the Ghost martial soul, and like us, she possesses a Body martial soul. She is a Rank 46 Control Soul Engineer. Thanks to Na Na's guidance over the past six months, we were able to master soul tools suited to our cultivation and martial souls in such a short time, becoming Control Soul Engineers just like her."
As she said this, Lan Susu gave Feng Piaoling a playful wink with her left eye from an angle Na Na couldn't see. She also made sure to emphasize the words "Body martial soul."
"First year, Feng Piaoling. Please advise me."
Na Na? The moment that name reached Feng Piaoling's ears, the coldness in his eyes vanished instantly. He couldn't help but recall the innocent young girl from the original story whose parents were killed by evil soul masters and whose soul was imprisoned, forcing her to join the Holy Ghost Cult—a victim of the evil soul masters' atrocities.
Seeing her sister take the lead in claiming credit, Lan Lulu refused to be outdone and introduced Feng Piaoling to Na Na:
"Sister Na Na, this is our boss, Feng Piaoling. More than six months ago, his soul power had already broken through Rank 36. He was only eleven then, so he should be very close to Rank 40 now. Based on our estimates, he will very likely become the first twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor in the history of the Douluo Continent."
"Fifth year, Na Na. Please advise me." Na Na seemed afraid that Feng Piaoling would recognize her; she lowered her head, not daring to look at him.
The Lan sisters had already prepared the food on the table. After a while, seeing that the meal was almost over and Feng Piaoling still hadn't invited Na Na to join the Soul Hall, Lan Lulu assumed he had forgotten. She made a casual suggestion:
"Boss, didn't you say before that you planned to lead us brothers and sisters to establish a sect? I think Sister Na Na is quite excellent. Why don't we invite her to join us as well?"
Seeing her younger sister being so impatient, Lan Susu was somewhat helpless, but since the words were out, she could only play along.
"Sister Na Na, I really think you should consider joining our boss's sect."
"You might not know, but seven months ago, our soul power was only Rank 22. But under the boss's guidance, we've progressed rapidly and are now Rank 27."
"The other brothers and sisters have also made rapid progress. Our second sister is a year younger than you, and her talent isn't necessarily stronger than yours."
"But since following our boss, she has also progressed quickly over this past half-year. Months ago, she already broke through Rank 39, and now she is working hard to break through the Rank 40 bottleneck."
"And..."
Before she could finish, Feng Piaoling interrupted her. "Susu, Lulu, let me handle the talking. Is it convenient to chat privately?" The last sentence was directed at Na Na.
Na Na nodded, and the two walked out.
Before they left, Lan Susu didn't forget to cheer for Feng Piaoling: "Good luck, Boss!"
Lan Lulu even blurted out something bold: "Boss, you have to win Sister Na Na over so she can be our real sister!"
Feng Piaoling raised a hand with his back turned to them as a response.
A moment later, Feng Piaoling and Na Na arrived under a quiet tree outside the cafeteria. He got straight to the point: "Since Susu and Lulu consider you a friend, it means your nature isn't bad. Can you tell me why you are associating with evil soul masters?"
Na Na remained silent, her head lowered and her shoulders trembling slightly. She knew the person in front of her had an immense background; otherwise, the academy's higher-ups wouldn't have ordered senior students like them to look after his companions.
However, she wasn't sure if he was good or bad. After all, she had seen him meeting with high-level members of the Holy Ghost Cult last time.
"I hope that the next time we meet, you will have left that evil organization."
Seeing her state, Feng Piaoling knew they couldn't continue the conversation today. He left her with those words and turned to walk away.
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