"Teacher Xuan, who is he?"
The moment Xuan Ziwen stepped into the laboratory, he saw Ju Zi glaring furiously at Huo Yuhao, clutching several orange-shaped objects in her hands that looked completely harmless.
"He's an exchange student from Shrek Academy."
"See? Even Teacher Xuan said it. I'm not some suspicious intruder who broke into the lab." Huo Yuhao helplessly explained once more to Ju Zi.
From just a few words and the scene before him, Xuan Ziwen instantly understood what had happened.
Most likely, Ju Zi had mistaken Huo Yuhao for an intruder while still half-asleep.
"Alright, Ju Zi. It's my fault for not explaining earlier. His name is Huo Yuhao. For the next two and a half years, he will be studying soul tools under me."
Only then did Ju Zi put down the orange-shaped soul tools in her hands and shoot Huo Yuhao another fierce glare.
Xuan Ziwen turned to Huo Yuhao. "This is your senior sister. Her name is Ju Zi. As you can see, I don't have overly strict rules here. Most of the time I'm not around. I only come by in the mornings."
"If you have any questions while making soul tools, you can ask Ju Zi first. If she can't solve it, then come find me."
"Yes." Huo Yuhao turned around and greeted her seriously, "Senior Sister Ju Zi."
"Hmph." Ju Zi turned to look out the window toward the teaching building below, acting as if she couldn't be bothered with him.
Huo Yuhao didn't mind too much. Although they had nearly fought just now, he didn't sense any real malice from Ju Zi. He simply assumed she was somewhat hostile because he was from Shrek Academy.
Xuan Ziwen followed Ju Zi's gaze out the window and happened to catch sight of Lin Xiao walking in the direction of Illustrious Virtue Hall.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
At the Holy Spirit Cult's headquarters, when Lin Xiao entered the underground council chamber, several figures were already seated.
The moment he stepped in, numerous gazes landed on him simultaneously.
"Take your seat first." From the main seat, Zhongli Wu glanced at Lin Xiao and pointed to the last seat on the right side.
Lin Xiao said nothing. He pressed the mask on his face, walked to the seat, and slowly sat down.
Across from him sat the previous Masquerade Douluo; judging from his aura, his cultivation still hadn't recovered. The Sixth Elder, Abomination Douluo, sitting beside him, gave Lin Xiao a friendly nod.
Soon, aside from the First Elder, who rarely attended meetings, and the Myriad Soul Douluo, who was still in the Star Luo Empire, every other seat was filled.
Lin Xiao sat quietly in his place, sensing several gazes secretly sweeping over him—likely from the reclusive worshippers of the Holy Spirit Cult.
Although they rarely participated in the cult's affairs, those mysterious worshippers were the true combat strength of the Holy Spirit Cult. Even if their cultivation hadn't reached Super Douluo level, they weren't far off.
"Since everyone is here, let us begin this meeting." Zhongli Wu lightly tapped the armrest beside him, and the probing or curious gazes on Lin Xiao instantly vanished.
"First matter: the change in the Eighth Elder position." Zhongli Wu glanced at Lin Xiao.
"You should all have received news about Nightmare. There is precedent for a Holy Envoy below Titled Douluo taking an Elder position, so there should be no objections."
No one had expected anything different regarding Lin Xiao succeeding as the Eighth Elder. Not a single person at the table spoke, tacitly accepting Zhongli Wu's arrangement.
"The other matter concerns the imperial palace." At these words, everyone turned to look at Zhongli Wu.
Everyone knew this was probably the true purpose of today's meeting.
"The Crown Prince has sent word: the next All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, three years from now, will be held in Mingdu. At that time, he will propose that all sects and academies from the entire Douluo Continent participate."
"First, he hopes our Holy Spirit Cult will represent the sects in the tournament. When the time comes, he will take the opportunity to announce our Holy Spirit Cult as the state religion of the Sun Moon Empire."
"Second…"
Zhongli Wu paused and swept his gaze across the room. "The next soul dueling tournament will mark the beginning of the continental war."
At those words, the breathing of several Elders instantly quickened. For evil soul masters, a battlefield was a place where they could openly slaughter to their heart's content.
"Very well. Less than three years remain until the continental war. Each of you, handle your respective duties properly."
"Old Eighth."
Zhongli Wu suddenly called out. Lin Xiao paused for a moment before turning to look at him. Having only just become an Elder, he still wasn't used to the title.
"You participated in the previous tournament. From now on, everything regarding the Holy Spirit Cult's participation in the tournament is fully under your responsibility. Go select the disciples later; no one is to obstruct you."
"Yes."
Just as Lin Xiao answered, the Third Elder suddenly looked at him. "I recall the Cult Leader has a disciple named Yan Feng. His age should be just right."
Zhongli Wu didn't speak, but also looked toward Lin Xiao.
"I'll meet him later," Lin Xiao said after a brief pause. "Since the Crown Prince intends to make the Holy Spirit Cult the state religion, it's best not to make the scene too bloody."
"Very well. This matter is entirely up to you." Zhongli Wu nodded, approving Lin Xiao's suggestion.
"Cult Leader, since the continental war is less than three years away, should we pay more attention to the business in Mingdu? The Common Alliance has been especially active lately and has snatched quite a bit of our share."
Seeing that no one else intended to speak, Nangong Wan broke the silence in the council chamber.
"What are your thoughts?"
"I don't have any concrete ideas at the moment. However, the Common Alliance has proposed holding a soul engineer competition and redistributing shares based on the results. If we can have disciples from the cult participate, I think we can agree."
"What do the rest of you think?" Instead of deciding immediately, Zhongli Wu looked around at the others.
"I have two decent disciples. They can participate in that soul engineer competition when the time comes," the Third Elder said while stroking his chin. "By the way, are there any participation requirements?"
"The current requirements are similar to the soul dueling tournament; participants cannot be over twenty years old. But if we decide to agree, I can still negotiate further with the Common Alliance."
Lin Xiao sat to the side, watching Second Elder Nangong Wan and the Third Elder discuss. He suddenly felt that, without Zhongli Wu speaking up, this Elder meeting was no different from a group of people sitting around chatting, except these people held the authority to decide major affairs of the Holy Spirit Cult.
The other Elders also began discussing continental war matters with those beside them. Abomination Douluo, seated next to Lin Xiao, turned to him as well.
"I know you're grieving over your teacher's death, but… my condolences."
"Huh? Thank you, I'm fine." Lin Xiao paused for a moment and looked at Abomination Douluo several times.
How had he never realized before that there was an Elder like this in the Holy Spirit Cult?
This is from the stockpile, only two chapters. I'll make up for it when I return.
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Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
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