Stepping out from the Pope's Palace, Yan felt the warm golden sunlight fall across his body.
Only then did he let out a long, relieved breath.
The towering, austere Pope's Palace — and the Pope herself, Bibi Dong, sitting high upon her throne with that cold, imperious face — exuded a pressure that was almost suffocating.
Now that he was outside those doors, Yan could finally relax completely.
Xie Yue turned his head, his gaze sweeping across the grand plaza before the palace toward the distant direction of the Spirit Hall Academy.
"It's been two months. I wonder if they've made any progress. Let's go take a look."
"Alright."
As the leader of the Spirit Hall Academy battle team, Xie Yue was always concerned about the team's overall growth and improvement.
The Spirit Hall Academy was located in the very heart of Spirit City, not far from the Pope's Palace, so the two arrived there quickly.
On the academy's training grounds, the air was filled with youthful vigor.
Sweat flew as students trained with full intensity — some releasing spirit abilities, others pushing through grueling physical drills.
Each one of them was completely focused, as if determined to draw out every last ounce of potential within.
When Xie Yue and Yan stepped into the training field, the trainees immediately stopped what they were doing.
"Boss! Brother Yan! You're back!"
Four young men and women ran over excitedly, grinning from ear to ear.
Xie Yue and Yan nodded in acknowledgment.
Looking at their familiar faces, a sense of warmth rose in Yan's chest.
These four were their comrades — members of the Spirit Hall battle team, and close friends.
Each had been handpicked from among countless students, all exceptionally talented — the reason they were known together as the Golden Generation.
In Yan's memory, he knew all four of them well.
The tall, sturdy young man was Sun Chuantao, who always gave off an impression of reliability and steadiness.
His martial soul, the Circular Giant Blade, was much like Xie Yue's Moon Blades — both were Tool-type spirits belonging to the Power Attack category.
Sun Chuantao's spirit power had already reached Level 38, the highest among the team aside from Yan, Xie Yue, and Hu Liena.
The slightly chubby one, always smiling, was Li Kai. His martial soul was the Black-Horned Boar, a Strength-type spirit that combined offense and defense. His spirit power stood at Level 37.
The petite and pretty girl with delicate features was Zhang Ping.
Her martial soul, the Golden-Waist Swift, made her move across the battlefield like a bird in flight — agile and unpredictable.
Her quick reflexes and surprise attacks were her specialty, and she too had reached Level 37.
The thin, scholarly-looking boy was Xu Yu, an auxiliary-type spirit master.
His martial soul was the Radiant Golden Scepter, and his spirit power was Level 36 — the lowest among the seven, and his combat strength was likewise the weakest.
However, his role was absolutely indispensable.
His martial soul had unique properties — not only could it boost his teammates' power, but it could also heal injuries.
Under his support, Xie Yue and Hu Liena could complete their Spirit Fusion Technique in an extremely short amount of time — a crucial advantage in combat.
Though the four of them were slightly older than the trio known as the Spirit Hall's Three Talents, none were yet twenty years old.
In a world where strength dictated status, Xie Yue naturally held the title of "Boss" as their leader.
Yan and Hu Liena, though younger, possessed greater strength — so the others respectfully addressed them as "Brother Yan" and "Sister Na."
Xie Yue smiled.
"I've been away for two months. Tell me — have you all been training properly?"
"Of course! Boss, look — I've even lost two pounds!" Li Kai joked with a grin.
"Fatty, less talking, more training. How's your spirit power progress?"
"Still Level 37, Boss — but almost to 38!"
"Not bad. Keep it up."
Xie Yue turned his gaze to the others and reminded them,
"That goes for all of you."
"Yes, Boss!" they answered in unison.
Sun Chuantao suddenly asked,
"Boss, where's Sister Na? We haven't seen her."
"The Pope asked her to stay behind."
The four exchanged glances. They all knew that the Pope's mission for the Three Talents had been to reach Level 40 within three months and obtain their fourth spirit rings.
"Don't overthink it," Xie Yue said lightly. "We came back after completing our task. The Pope probably just wanted to talk to Nana for a bit."
"Makes sense," Sun Chuantao nodded.
Everyone knew that Hu Liena held a special place in Bibi Dong's heart.
The Pope treated her almost like her own daughter. After not seeing her for two months, it was only natural that they had much to discuss.
Xu Yu, curious, asked,
"Boss, Brother Yan — now that you've both gotten your fourth spirit rings and reached the Spirit Ancestor rank, what's your current level?"
Xie Yue and Yan exchanged a smile before Xie Yue answered,
"Nana and I hunted spirit beasts around five thousand years old, so both our spirit power levels increased by one and a half. We're now at Level 41 and a half.
Yan's situation was a little different, though. I'll let him tell you himself."
At that, everyone's eyes turned expectantly toward Yan.
Yan chuckled and said calmly,
"I hunted an injured Flame Sky Fire Fox and forcefully absorbed its six-thousand-year spirit ring. My spirit power rose by two levels — I'm now Level 42."
"Level 42?!"
All four were stunned — Yan's spirit power was now the highest in the entire team.
"Brother Yan, that's incredible! You're only seventeen and already Level 42!" Li Kai exclaimed in awe.
Yan shook his head modestly.
"It's nothing. Maybe the three of us started at a slightly higher point than you, but if you train diligently and find the right path for yourselves, you'll catch up one day."
The four exchanged glances, looking somewhat incredulous.
They could hardly believe those words came from Yan's mouth.
Everyone knew that Yan was straightforward and kind at heart — but also bold and proud by nature.
With his spirit power now surpassing even Xie Yue and Hu Liena, he had every reason to be smug. Yet here he was, humble and encouraging — something they had almost never seen before.
As they looked more closely, they noticed something different in his eyes.
He truly didn't seem as arrogant as before.
And yet, there was an indescribable aura about him now — something that made him seem even more charismatic than before.
"You're right," Xie Yue said with a faint smile. "Yan has indeed changed. He's completely devoted himself to cultivation lately.
You probably don't know — in the past two months, not only did he obtain his fourth spirit ring, but he also created a powerful new finishing move."
He didn't mention Yan's external spirit bone — if the others knew about that, their shock would only deepen.
"What kind of finishing move?"
All four looked at Yan with curiosity.
Before Yan could answer, Xie Yue grinned and cut in,
"Yan, why don't you show them? I'll be your sparring partner."
The others instantly understood what he meant.
"Boss, are you challenging Brother Yan to a sparring match?"
Xie Yue nodded.
"That's right. What do you say, Yan?"
"Alright," Yan replied without hesitation.
He accepted Xie Yue's challenge.
He, too, wanted to see just how strong he had truly become.
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