Chapter 70: Self-Recommendation
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After a while, Liu Erlong finally finished absorbing the ten-thousand-year soul ring. The intense soul power emanating from her body grew even stronger, indicating that she had broken through to the bottleneck of a Soul King.
Taking a deep breath, Liu Erlong looked at Ye Wen and Ah Yin with a sense of relief.
If we disregard the useless background of Liu Erlong's father, her achievement of reaching the Soul King level at her current age undoubtedly made her a genius among commoners.
After all, the graduation standard for most advanced academies was breaking through to Level 30 as a Soul Elder before the age of 20. Only a handful of noble-born individuals could reach the Soul Ancestor level, and these were the main participants in the continent-wide Advanced Soul Master Tournament held every five years.
However, true prodigies among soul masters were like Bibi Dong—those who could break through to the Soul King level before the age of 20. Though Liu Erlong had surpassed 20, reaching the Soul King level at her age still gave her the potential to achieve the Soul Emperor level before turning 30.
Speaking of which, there was a bug in the original story. For example, Qin Ming, the instructor of the Shrek Academy's Royal Battle Team, broke through to the Soul Emperor level in his early 30s, making him the second-fastest person on the continent.
But this claim didn't hold up under scrutiny. Leaving aside top-tier prodigies like Bibi Dong, many characters in the original story reached the Soul King level around the age of 20, such as Yu Tianheng and Yu Tianxin from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Could they really fail to break through to the Soul Emperor level within ten years? If their talent was so poor, how could they have reached the Soul King level at such a young age?
"Thank you both for your help. I owe you a great debt, and I'll remember it," Liu Erlong said in a manner befitting a wandering martial artist, which earned her some respect from Ye Wen.
Upon reflection, aside from her tendency to act impulsively in matters of love, Liu Erlong wasn't a bad person. At the very least, she hadn't misled others or tarnished her reputation. In the original story, she even founded the Lanba Academy, dedicated to nurturing commoner soul masters.
To avoid the tragedy of her relationship with Yu Xiaogang or the cruel twists of fate, Ye Wen decided to give her some advice.
"You must have ties to either the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan or the Holy Dragon Sect, right?"
Liu Erlong was startled. She couldn't figure out how Ye Wen had deduced her connection to these two powerful factions.
But then she remembered that Ye Wen was now a renowned master of martial soul research on the Douluo Continent, and she understood. Thinking about her irresponsible, absentee father who had abandoned her, she gritted her teeth. Though reluctant, she nodded solemnly.
Driven by curiosity, she asked, "Master Ye Wen, how did you know?"
"It was just a guess. After all, dragon-type martial souls are extremely rare on the continent. The fact that you've reached this level at your age suggests that at least one side of your family has a strong dragon lineage, which contributed to your natural talent. And currently, the two most famous dragon-type martial soul sects are these two."
"So, may I ask why you brought this up?"
Liu Erlong wasn't foolish, nor was she lazy—otherwise, she wouldn't have reached her current cultivation level. She clearly sensed that Ye Wen's words carried hidden meaning.
"It's nothing serious. However, the fact that you're hunting soul rings alone indicates that you don't have the backing of a powerful faction, despite your extraordinary talent. So, I want to warn you—if you don't have any ties to these two sects now, it's best to avoid them in the future.
There's some tension brewing among the top powers on the continent. Getting involved recklessly could put your life in danger.
In the future, if you encounter anyone with the surnames Yu or Tuoba, it's best to stay away from them. Even if you have no connection to them, you might still get dragged into their affairs."
Hearing this, Liu Erlong fell silent.
She had read all three of Master Ye Wen's works, as commoner soul masters needed to seize every available resource to grow stronger. She deeply respected Ye Wen's wisdom, so his words couldn't be dismissed as baseless speculation.
Thinking of her father, who had never acknowledged her existence—or perhaps didn't even know she existed—Liu Erlong steeled her resolve.
"Thank you, Master. I promise I won't involve myself with that man's faction in the future."
"If you understand, that's good. Then let's part ways here. My wife and I have other matters to attend to."
Ye Wen nodded and prepared to leave. Ah Yin, who had been silent until now, bid farewell to Liu Erlong and followed Ye Wen as they turned to leave.
Watching the couple disappear deeper into the Sunset Forest, Liu Erlong's expression shifted. She began to contemplate her future.
As a commoner soul master, even hunting ten-thousand-year spirit beasts alone left her feeling as though she'd narrowly escaped death. While she could continue cultivating her soul power, her combat abilities had already reached their limit. Hunting spirit beasts solo was no longer feasible.
Joining another sect, as Ye Wen had mentioned, would likely result in her being used as expendable labor due to the murky political climate among the continent's top factions.
Moreover, female soul masters were rare, and if she joined the wrong faction, her fate might not be pleasant.
Her thoughts drifted to the recruitment posters for Tian Xing Academy she had seen plastered across major cities. Though she didn't possess gravity-based soul skills, she was still a Soul King.
Not trying felt unacceptable.
"Master Ye Wen, wait!"
Ye Wen and Ah Yin had already walked over a hundred meters when they suddenly heard Liu Erlong's voice calling out behind them.
With a few quick strides, Liu Erlong caught up to them and earnestly asked Ye Wen:
"Master Ye Wen, do you think I meet the recruitment standards for your academy?"
Staring—
Under Ye Wen's gaze, Liu Erlong felt her heart race faster than it had during her battle with the spirit beast.
"How is your foundational knowledge of soul mastery?"
"Not bad. I ranked among the top five in my advanced academy every year."
"That's decent. However, you're quite far from the type of gravity-based soul skill master I'm looking for," Ye Wen said, feigning hesitation.
This immediately panicked Liu Erlong, and she quickly pleaded:
"Master Ye Wen, please don't dismiss me so easily! Look, I've already reached the Soul King level in my early 20s. At the very least, I'll become a Soul Sage in the future.
I'm willing to accept half the salary—I just want to be accepted as a teacher at your academy. Please!"
Seeing her pleading eyes, Ye Wen inwardly smirked. The wisdom of the ancients was truly remarkable.
His tactic of playing hard to get hadn't even fully unfolded, and Liu Erlong had already offered to lower her own salary. If modern capitalists saw this, they'd be thrilled—she was practically volunteering to work for free.
"Alright, but there's no need to cut your salary in half. Everyone has their struggles. Since you're not the type of soul master I originally sought, you'll start as an intern teacher in the medical department, instructing students specializing in healing soul skills.
We'll discuss your official employment once my wife and I return to the academy. Additionally, though you'll be teaching the basics of soul mastery, I expect you to take your responsibilities seriously. Otherwise, I reserve the right to dismiss you."
With that, Ye Wen wrote a letter of recommendation and handed her a token of trust.
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