"This is my first time as an instructor, and one with full responsibility at that. To have a team representing the university in my very first year of teaching would be a brilliant achievement."

And it was true. Songjiang Soul Martial University placed immense importance on the Junior Class program, and the eyes of the whole society were on this experimental project. If it produced results in its first year, Yang Chunxi, as the person in charge, would certainly receive significant credit.

"Bai Xiweng, Bai Xiwu." Gao Lingwei looked at the names circled in red on the list, her finger tapping on these two first. "Top-tier. The best duo at Pine Soul Soul Martial."

Rong Taotao raised an eyebrow slightly. "If they’re top-tier, why weren’t they selected in the first three batches? How did they end up in the fourth?"

Gao Lingwei: "A matter of timing and fate."

As she spoke, the corners of Gao Lingwei’s lips curled up slightly. She turned to look at Rong Taotao’s profile. "Just as they’ve run into us this time."

Yang Chunxi watched Gao Lingwei’s somewhat domineering demeanor and couldn’t help but shake her head and smile.

She was clearly just a freshman, yet she acted like a senior-year campus tyrant.

Gao Lingwei continued, "They both use short blades. They have Soul Pearls on their foreheads that link them mentally, allowing them to share vision. Bai Xiweng is the more dominant one; he’ll even occasionally control his younger brother’s body during a fight."

Stunned, Rong Taotao said, "One person controlling two bodies?"

Gao Lingwei nodded lightly. "You can tell the younger brother, Bai Xiwu, really idolizes his older brother. He doesn’t mind giving up control of his body. Bai Xiwu’s Martial Arts are also genuinely powerful. For their opponents, it’s a huge problem."

Yang Chunxi interjected, "The brothers have a special Soul Skill that can create wind and snow in a small area. And in the snow, they can also create a snow clone. It can’t move, but it’s very deceptive. You two should be careful."

Rong Taotao nodded, but then said, "The wind and snow don’t matter. The stronger it gets, the more it benefits us. My Da Wei has a Snowball Cat."

"Yes. Once you advance to the Soul School rank, you’ll be able to create blizzards yourselves. Ling Wei will be even more formidable then," Yang Chunxi said casually, then gestured to another red circle. "Qi Dao, Qi Tian."

"You need to watch out for these two brothers as well. They’re rare among students for forgoing cold weapons; they’re Hand-to-Hand Combatants. The forehead Soul Pearl is standard, but the Soul Pearls on their chests, while technically considered a full-body Defense Soul Skill, are effectively an offensive Soul Skill."

Rong Taotao quickly asked, "How so?"

Yang Chunxi: "The Soul Skill from the Soul Pearls on their chests can turn their entire skeletons into Frost Snow Skeletons."

Rong Taotao: "Huh?"

Yang Chunxi nodded. "Frost Snow Skeleton. It’s similar to your Iron Snow Forearm Soul Skill, but it’s a rarer and more powerful type of Soul Skill. It’s perfect for their hand-to-hand fighting style."

While Rong Taotao and the others were studying their opponents, far away in a dorm room for the Junior Class’s Martial Arts Class, a boy with a buzz cut was slumped in a chair, his fingers furiously tapping on his phone screen.

Judging from the huge blocks of text in the chat window, he seemed to be urgently trying to express something and had been trying to persuade the other person for a long time.

"RING RING~~"

Finally, the text replies stopped. The other person was calling him directly.

The buzz-cut boy froze for a moment, then his face lit up. Glancing at his roommates, he grabbed his phone and walked out of the dorm room.

The call connected, and a male voice came through. "Ji Qingmei?"

"Yes, Senior Zonglu, it’s me," the buzz-cut boy said hurriedly, quickly walking to a corner of the hallway.

On the other end of the line, Zonglu’s voice held a trace of disdain. "Are you serious about all that stuff you sent me?"

"Of course! I swear!" Ji Qingmei said. "Rong Taotao is seriously strong. You can’t just dismiss him because he’s young!"

"You know he’s the son of a Soul General. He’s had the best training resources his entire life. His Martial Arts are incredible, and all his Soul Pearls and Soul Skills are definitely top-notch. His strength is absolutely at a top-tier level!"

Zonglu was silent for a moment before saying, "If you were saying Gao Lingwei is strong, I’d get it. After all, she’s the champion of the Outer Region. Even with a few less years of training, her realm has caught up. She’s a Soul Captain, same as all these juniors and seniors."

"But this... Rong Taotao you’re talking about..."

A glimmer of hatred shone in Ji Qingmei’s eyes as he said, "I’m not lying to you. Hundreds of people can vouch for me. Rong Taotao’s Martial Arts are insane. He took on three of us by himself!"

"It was in the Martial Arts Arena, during last year’s final exams!"

"Heh." A scornful laugh came through the phone. "So what if he beat the three of you? Aren’t you guys just Soul Soldiers? You think beating three Soul Soldiers is a big deal?"

Ji Qingmei’s face flushed red. He desperately wanted to say that he wasn’t bad, that his Martial Arts were strong, just to prove how formidable Rong Taotao really was. But after thinking it over, he held his tongue.

Ji Qingmei said, "Don’t forget, he has that mysterious Lotus Petal inside him!"

"You might not think he’s that strong, but he beat Gao Lingwei in a one-on-one fight. He even nearly killed her! And Gao Lingwei is at least a Soul Captain, right?"

"Besides, with Rong Taotao’s background, his family has resources we normal students can’t even compare to. His teammate, Gao Lingwei, must have all her Soul Slots embedded with the most powerful Soul Pearls!"

"Hmm..." A thoughtful sound came from the other end of the line.

This sentence from Ji Qingmei seemed to have gotten through to the other person.

Ji Qingmei pressed on, adding fuel to the fire. "You have to knock them out in the first stage. His mom is a Soul General!"

"His mom will definitely get them the most powerful Soul Pearls. Soul Pearls are bizarre and have all sorts of functions. If you’re not careful, you’ll be in for it. You absolutely can’t let them get to the top eight! That Rong Taotao is a menace!"

As he spoke, Ji Qingmei subconsciously rubbed his thigh, as if recalling the feeling of Rong Taotao’s Dragon Sparrow piercing it during the final exams before the new year.

"Heh, you little brat, you’re really something else, trying to get me to target the son of a Soul General." Senior Zonglu snorted on the other end, but then asked, "Are you sure they’re participating in the campus selection tournament?"

"Gao Lingwei is competing as a freshman? And isn’t Rong Taotao in the Junior Class? He’s competing as a first-year high schooler?"

Ji Qingmei nodded frantically and said, "I’m sure. Rong Taotao came back a while ago. I don’t know where he went to train, but he’s taking up a spot in the Martial Arts Arena and then running off campus to train. It’s so fucking disgusting..."

Senior Zonglu: "Cut the crap. Get to the point!"

"Ah! Right!" Ji Qingmei snapped back to reality and said hurriedly, "This past week since he’s been back, Gao Lingwei, who usually trains every day, has also disappeared. But they’re both still living on campus. Students see them going to the cafeteria to eat."

"As disgusting as those second-generation kids are, there’s no way they’d stop training. They must be training in private, trying to avoid attracting attention while they research tactics to use against their opponents!"

"A guy like Rong Taotao has no idea how the world works, and he loves the spotlight. He definitely thinks he’s all that. They’re guaranteed to compete!"

"Alright, fine. I’ll look into it," Zonglu said before hanging up the phone directly.

’Rong Taotao almost killed Gao Lingwei. A lot of people saw it, since it happened right in the Martial Arts Arena. Whatever that Lotus Petal is, it definitely can’t be underestimated.’

’And besides Rong Taotao’s own strength, his background is what it is. His resources are beyond compare. Gao Lingwei has already advanced to the Soul Captain stage, so she can use all six of her Soul Slots.’

’If a Soul General helped her fill all six slots with extremely powerful Soul Pearls...’

’If those two sneak their way into the top eight, things could really get messy!’

Senior Zonglu’s brow furrowed as he stared at his phone, lost in thought. Meanwhile, in the corner of the dorm building’s hallway, Ji Qingmei clutched the thigh Rong Taotao had once pierced, his eyes filled with vicious hatred. ’Fuck, I hope they beat you to death. I hope you get focused down! I hope you both get seriously injured!’

It was important to remember that the selection tournament was in mid-June, and the final exams were in early July.

The students in the Martial Arts Class could only advance to the Soul Class through the placement matches in the final exams. For Ji Qingmei, this was an opportunity—a golden opportunity!