That afternoon, when Wu Ling met the six team members, the four boys and two girls were still excitedly discussing the soon-to-arrive disciple of the Pope, Father of Spirit Tools, founder of cultivation methods, and Spirit Hall's greatest genius in history, Wu Ling.
Wu Ling knew about the first three titles, but he truly did not know much about the last one. Only later did he learn the reason from Bibi Dong. After the elders found out he had become a Spirit Leader at fourteen, they praised him in front of their relatives, calling him unheard-of, unprecedented, and the like. After that, one person told ten, ten told a hundred, and eventually it turned into that grand title.
To be honest, before meeting those six teammates, Wu Ling had been thinking that according to the stale plots he had seen before, there should have been the usual filler routine of underestimation, incident, action, shock, and classic face-slapping. But once he actually met them, he realized their respect for him was genuine.
After taking a closer look, Wu Ling understood. Wonderful. They were all second-generation officials. All six were grandchildren of several Spirit Hall higher-ups, sent here to broaden their horizons after their families learned that Wu Ling's participation meant the championship was already guaranteed.
Wu Ling complained inwardly, "Sigh. They did not even give me the most classic routine. As expected, I really do not have the fate of a protagonist."
So Wu Ling immediately fought all six at once. Once they saw his strength, he left under their worshipful stares as if it were nothing.
As for cooperation, sorry, Wu Ling did not need their cooperation.
As for substitute members, sorry, Wu Ling did not need substitutes either.
Wu Ling had only one requirement for these so-called teammates. When he made a move, they had to jump off the stage by themselves and not get in his way.
After that one meeting, Wu Ling no longer paid much attention to them.
During the following days, Wu Ling found time to visit Erasmus Graves's granddaughter, Avis Graves. Since Avis Graves had not yet met Zane Drake, she obediently followed her grandfather's instructions and came to Spirit City to study.
In Wu Ling's view, Avis Graves had been freed from the poison inside her body. If her Jade Phosphor Serpent could evolve into the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor, her talent would absolutely not be weaker than Serena Ivory's group. Since he had nothing better to do, giving her some private coaching was harmless.
There was also Oscar. Under his teacher's guidance, he had been forced to study the theory every support-type Spirit Master needed. At Wu Ling's request, he also often went to Ember for physical training.
As time passed, these five gradually became familiar with each other.
Winter slowly arrived. Yet during the final stretch of that year, the whole world seemed to fall silent. Whether in the Spirit Master world or in the two great royal houses, nothing major happened. It was like a frozen volcano, quietly brewing the power for an eruption.
Winter passed into spring. Spring passed into summer. At the start of summer, the yearly Martial Soul awakening came again, and that meant the new Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament was less than two months away.
On this day, Serena Ivory and the other two stood together, looking slightly tense. Even Oscar and Avis Graves behind them felt nervous on their behalf.
In these past few months, after Serena Ivory, Vulcan Brand and Cassian Glaive, both nearly fifteen years old, had also reached level forty and obtained their Spirit Rings.
Of course, even after reaching level forty and using their Martial Soul fusion skill to defeat a Spirit Leader of Spirit Hall, they still could not inflict any real damage on Wu Ling. If there was any change, it was only that their beating time had grown from five minutes to ten.
As for seventeen-year-old Avis Graves, after escaping the influence of her poison, her cultivation progressed at a tremendous pace. Although her Spirit Power was only level thirty-five, catching up to Serena Ivory's current group before she turned twenty was still possible. Her temperament had also been tempered through training, and she no longer had the spoiled nature she displayed in the original story.
The youngest, twelve-year-old Oscar, had reached level thirty-one two years ahead of schedule. With help from Wu Ling and his teacher, the third Spirit Skill that originally granted flight had been changed into a speed-enhancement ability. In terms of future potential, he had received a small but real upgrade.
Then, led by Ember, the five arrived outside the building that housed what Ember called the fourth clone, Shade, and the fifth clone, Berserker.
"After these past few months of training, you barely qualify to try this. For your first attempt, lasting a quarter hour... no, seven and a half minutes. If you can last seven and a half minutes, I will count your first attempt as a pass."
Before their training, Ember lowering the condition like this, almost as if looking down on them, would definitely have angered them. But after so much training, they knew Ember understood the limits of every part of their abilities. If he still relaxed the condition this far, that meant the danger level was probably even higher than they imagined.
The moment the restrictions around the building opened, pressure like a mountain flood and roaring sea rushed toward them. While they were still dazed, Ember slapped Serena Ivory and the other two inside, then shut the door with smooth, practiced efficiency. If not for the smile on his face, Oscar and Avis Graves would almost have thought he was feeding them to some powerful Soul Beast.
The three shoved inside immediately assumed combat stances under the threat of death. Contrary to what they had imagined, the interior was not strewn with wreckage. It was instead astonishingly spacious, about ten times larger than it appeared from outside. The ground had stones of every size scattered across it, but the surface itself was unusually flat. Since the three had already seen Rose's abilities, they were not too surprised by that.
Then two black figures, one large and one small, came rushing toward them from a distance. Looking closely, one was a tall man in pitch-black armor, holding a black twin-edged sword. The roar of "Aaaaaah!" came from him.
That armored man was certainly tall, but compared to the one beside him, he looked almost small.
The larger figure had an exposed upper body covered in explosive muscle. The stone axe in his hand was taller than any of them, and the beast-like roar came from his mouth.
"They are coming! Brother, Vulcan Brand, prepare!"
The three did not waste a word. They opened with their Martial Soul fusion skill. In the next second, the two sides collided.
Outside, Ember was still chatting with Oscar and Avis Graves when he said, "To be honest, the seven and a half minutes were calculated based on them running the whole time."
"Huh? Calculated based on running? So even if they run, they can only run for seven and a half minutes at most? Then what if they do not run and fight instead?" Oscar asked in surprise.
"Fight?" Ember gave a malicious smile.
The moment Oscar saw that smile, he shivered. After all, they had a private saying. When Ember smiles, life and death are hard to predict.
Before Ember could continue, there was a loud bang, as if something had slammed into the door from inside.
Oscar and Avis Graves's expressions turned strange. Under their stares, Ember walked in and carried out the three people, who now looked like limp mud.