Lei Bao, Ye Guyi, and the others greeted each other in a flurry of voices, and the conference room instantly became lively.
"Greetings, Supreme Pontiff!"
"Good morning, Furina! You really came."
"Good morning, Sister Furina!"
"Sister Furina shouldn't be a team member on our side, right? Or is she an enemy?" someone asked half-jokingly.
"What is there to fear!" Huo Linfei slammed the table, his voice as loud as a beating drum, "Even if Sister Furina stands on the opposite side, I am not afraid! Victory or defeat is determined by heaven; it all depends on strength!"
Yae Guuji covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes darting around: "Huo Linfei, you are still as arrogant as ever~ Why don't you first look at the gap between you and the Supreme Pontiff Sister?"
"Gap?" Huo Linfei crossed his arms and lifted his chin high, "Even if it were a Titled Douluo, I would dare to say this!"
Xiao Huohuo gave a thumbs up, looking impressed: "I, Xiao Huohuo, admire you; you are a real man."
He turned his head to look at Han Li, who was sitting quietly to the side: "Han Li, what do you say?"
Han Li did not change his expression, his tone flat: "I would choose to run. If strength is insufficient, I will never seek revenge."
"What a useless guy." Huo Linfei couldn't help but curse.
Han Li was not angry, just smiled faintly, that smile carrying a bit of composure and clarity.
Furina clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention: "Alright, alright, let's talk about idle chat later. I came this time to bring you all some good things; your current Soul Power Rank is still far behind other teams."
When he came in, he had carefully sensed the Soul Power level of Ye Guyi and the others.
Ye Guyi was still in the Spirit King Realm, but was vaguely touching the threshold of the Spirit Emperor, estimated to be already at Rank 59.
This speed was already considered fast; if there were Evil Soul Masters to serve as experience babies, she would have likely already broken through to Spirit Emperor.
Unfortunately, Evil Soul Masters are really hard to find in the Three Great Empires.
But it didn't matter, he had already prepared the corresponding Immortal Herbs.
Amidst the curious and puzzled gazes of everyone, Furina walked to the conference table, waved his hand, took out a row of prepared Immortal Herbs from his storage ring, and arranged them neatly on the table.
"Ye Guyi." He picked up a golden, feather-shaped flower and handed it to Ye Guyi, "This is called the Angel Rose, it has pure light power. For the method of consumption, look at this book."
He also handed over the herb encyclopedia.
This flower did not grow in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well; it was a newly unlocked variety in the system mall after unlocking that treasure land, for which he had specifically spent points to buy the encyclopedia.
Ye Guyi took the Angel Rose, held it in her hands, and examined it for a moment; the golden petals shimmered with a soft halo under the light.
She had already received too many favors from Furina; by now, she would no longer refuse or be surprised, just accept it, and repay this kindness in the future.
"Thank you." She said softly, her tone carrying solemnity.
"It's nothing, I hope it is useful to you."
Furina turned around and picked up a strangely shaped, colorful fruit that looked like a soaring Dragon.
He handed it to Gu Qiuer: "This is called the Divine Dragon Banana. It's simple, just eat it directly, there is no special method. By the way, it's best to eat the peel too."
Gu Qiuer took it and flipped it back and forth, unable to help but complain: "Thank you, Sister Furina. However... it doesn't feel like a Divine Dragon at all, the color looks really strange."
Furina chuckled inwardly: Because it was styled after an Eastern Dragon, it was indeed quite different from a Western Dragon.
Next, he began to distribute them one by one.
Xiao Huohuo received the blazing apricot delicate flower, which was a perfect match for his fire-attribute Martial Soul.
Han Li received the Nine-Leaf Dragon Ginseng, which had balanced attributes and perfectly matched his comprehensive and unpredictable Palm Bottle Martial Soul.
Guyue Fangyuan received the Sun-Moon Epiphyllum; this thing could allow one to comprehend the Law of Time, and although the probability was very low, her Spring Autumn Cicada was exactly a time-type, so it should not be a problem.
Huo Linfei received the Qilin Fruit, which complemented his Fire Qilin Martial Soul perfectly.
Yae Guuji received the Thunder-Roaring Grass, which complemented her lightning Charming Fox Martial Soul.
Because Bai Luo was a Food Element Soul Master, Furina gave her an Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid to help her solve the problem of slow cultivation speed in the food system.
Lei Bao also naturally had a share.
Furina handed him two Strange Thunder Fruits—one for himself and one for his son.
He also gave instructions for a few extra portions, asking him to pass them on to Long Ziyun, City Lord of Ice Wolf City, Yan Luo, City Lord of Savage City, and Feng Chuixue: respectively, the Amethyst Dragon Tooth Grass, Strange Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, and spirit soul Fruit.
He only brought one portion for the three of them for a simple reason—their children had not even reached six years old, so even if they were given the Immortal Herb, they couldn't use it; they were too young to bear such strong medicinal power.
The cultivation of Lei Bao and the other three was currently only at the Spirit Saint Realm, and plus they were not young anymore, having passed the best period for cultivation, so even if they ate the Immortal Herb, they would likely only be able to reach Super Douluo in the future at most.
But regardless, they were one of his own showcases, and he was not Tang San, so if he had resources, of course he should let them use them, making them stronger so his own image would look better.
The future development of the Axis Cult would still require their help in managing it.
Lei Bao held the two Strange Thunder Fruits, his eyes slightly reddening, his lips moving, his voice somewhat hoarse: "Supreme Pontiff... My life, Lei Bao, has long been handed over to the Axis Cult. Rest assured, I will definitely Cultivate well and never embarrass you."
He paused, then added: "Following you back then was the most correct decision I have ever made in my life."
Furina smiled and waved his hand: "Alright, alright, less sentimentality. Managing the Axis Cult well and improving your strength is the best reward."
Finally, he walked up to Neuvillette.
This powerhouse at the Limit Douluo level, who was also his own Martial Soul, meant that eating any Immortal Herb didn't have much significance for him.
Furina carefully selected a box of premium tea leaves from Liyue from the system mall and handed it over with both hands.
"Tea leaves for you. Premium tea leaves from Liyue, not the promotional stuff that's ten boxes for half price."
Neuvillette took the tea leaves, his slender fingers gently stroking the exquisite packaging box, nodding slightly, a barely perceptible arc appearing at the corner of his mouth: "Ms. Furina is thoughtful."
"It's only right." Furina smiled slightly, "You've worked hard during this time."
He turned around, facing everyone in the conference room, clapped his hands, his voice crisp and powerful: "Everyone, work hard in the competition! Strive to reach the top eight!"
"No problem!"
"Rest assured, Sister Furina, if we're going to take it, we'll take first place!"
Huo Linfei had just finished shouting, and Yae Guuji smiled and poured cold water: "Huo Linfei, stop bragging. Among the strong enemies this time, many are at the Spirit King level, and there are quite a few at the Spirit Emperor level. Even if we ate the Immortal Herb, we might not necessarily break through the Spirit Ancestor Realm during the competition."
She paused and glanced at Ye Guyi: "However, Ye Guyi might be able to break through to Spirit Emperor. But even so, our overall strength is still a bit inferior to other teams. Top four... that would be the limit, right."
Huo Linfei snorted, crossed his arms, and raised his head unconvinced: "Hmph! Pfft—that's not necessarily true! In front of me, enemies are either utterly defeated or they flee!"
"Hahaha—" Laughter suddenly rang out in the conference room, and even Neuvillette couldn't help but shake his head slightly.
As the laughter subsided, Furina's gaze slowly swept over every face present.
Xiao Huohuo's hot-bloodedness, Han Li's calmness, Huo Linfei's wildness, Yae Guuji's cunning, Ye Guyi's coldness, Gu Qiuer's innocence and liveliness, Bai Luo's... these young people each had their own edges, each with their own radiance.
"Alright, you have all received the Immortal Herbs, go back and absorb them well." He finally instructed, "We'll see the real results on the competition field, don't let me down."
"Yes!"
The uniform response echoed in the conference room.
Furina waved his hand and turned to walk out.
When he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and looked back.
Sunlight shone in slantedly from the window, falling on those young faces, coating them with a layer of warm golden light.
His mouth curled up slightly.
This competition was destined not to be dull.
In the corridor, his footsteps gradually faded away.
The noise in the conference room also slowly subsided, leaving only the wind outside the window, gently blowing the curtains.
The sky over Star Luo City was exceptionally clear, without a single cloud.
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