Chapter 67: Core Lineup
Truthfully, with the wheel-battle format of the individual matches, Lin Beiya could rely on his own strength to fight one versus seven if he wanted. But he had absolutely no desire to act like a babysitter—carrying six little kids so they could "collect achievements" with no effort.
Bibi Dong clearly shared this view.
If victory relied solely on Lin Beiya, it wouldn't reflect the overall strength of the Spirit Hall under her leadership.
"Very well. You may head to the Advanced Soul Master Academy now and take your people with you. I'll inform them in advance."
With Bibi Dong's approval, Lin Beiya no longer had any concerns. Leaving the Pope's Palace, he returned to the Junior Soul Master Academy—a place he hadn't visited in quite a while.
Though he seldom showed up at the academy this past year, his reputation had never faded. His previous feats were simply too astonishing. And his number-one lackey, Shi Nuo, had also demonstrated incredible combat ability—earning the title of Chief Student of the Junior Soul Master Academy.
This only fueled the legend of "Lin the Invincible."
After the morning class ended, Lin Beiya stopped Yu Quan—who was preparing to go to lunch—and got straight to the point.
"Xiao Quan, want to advance with us to the Advanced Soul Master Academy?"
"Eh? Isn't that supposed to be next year…?"
Yu Quan instinctively wanted to say he wasn't old enough yet—but then something clicked in his head.
His face instantly shifted to a mix of nervousness and excitement.
"Is… is this about the Soul Master Tournament?!"
As the grandson of a Platinum Bishop, Yu Quan naturally knew far more than the average student.
And since this classmate—who often flattered him and yet wasn't arrogant or spoiled—was genuinely useful, Lin Beiya had no objection to letting him join the team for some "gold plating."
He smiled and nodded, confirming Yu Quan's guess.
Yu Quan's eyes lit up like fireworks.
Lin Beiya quickly raised a finger to his lips, signaling him not to make noise.
Yu Quan immediately understood and waited quietly until all the other students left the classroom.
Once only the three of them remained, Yu Quan finally asked:
"Boss, the tournament lineup is all up to you?"
"That's right. The process doesn't matter to the teacher—but the championship must come back with us."
"Ah? Then… me? Is it really okay for me to participate?"
The moment Yu Quan heard that Lin Beiya had made a military vow in front of Bibi Dong, he panicked.
He had originally wanted to join the team to shine a little…, but now he realized the pressure was huge.
At ten years old, he was only at rank 24—still behind Shi Nuo. Against the team three years from now? He had zero confidence.
At best, he might reach low-stage Soul Elder by then.
Seeing his concerns, Lin Beiya patted his shoulder.
"Relax. You're mainly here to fill the team roster. You won't need to carry any real fighting pressure."
"…Uh…"
It was the truth, but why did it stab so deeply? Yu Quan nevertheless felt truly comforted—and endlessly grateful.
"Oh, right. You like gathering information, don't you? Starting now—or at least within these three years—you should begin preparing intel on our future main opponents."
The moment he heard he was actually useful, Yu Quan's lost morale recovered instantly.
As the grandson of a Platinum Bishop, he could access far more information than Lin Beiya realized.
"Leave it to me, Boss! I won't claim to be perfect, but I'll definitely gather at least 70–80% of the important intel."
"Good. Then come with me to the principal's office to process the enrollment transfer."
Bringing Shi Nuo and the revived, ambitious Yu Quan along, Lin Beiya entered the principal's office.
The elderly man with snow-white hair was already waiting. Clearly, Bibi Dong's efficiency was remarkable.
"You're here? I thought you wouldn't come until tomorrow."
"Haha, thank you for taking care of us all these years, Principal. The three of us are here to process our student records and transfer to the Advanced Soul Master Academy."
"Alright, just the three of you?"
The principal didn't waste time. The Junior and Advanced Soul Master Academies existed to support each other, and his responsibility was to send good seedlings upward. Promoting them one year early wasn't an issue.
"Yes, just—"
Lin Beiya was about to say it was only the three of them, but suddenly a certain figure flashed through his mind—someone who had once left a strong impression.
"Principal, please process the transfer for Senior Sister Simin from Class Six as well. She'll be coming with us."
"Very well. You speak to her yourself."
Lin Beiya shot Yu Quan a glance. Yu Quan understood instantly and sprinted out of the office. Within five minutes, a bewildered Simin entered the room.
The principal offered the talented young woman a gentle smile.
"Simin, are you willing to advance to the Advanced Soul Master Academy together with Lin Beiya and the others?"
Yu Quan had already explained the situation to her briefly, but the time was too short, so she was still overwhelmed by the sudden proposal.
She had to consider carefully— with her talent not being among the absolute top tier, would entering the Advanced Academy early mean she wouldn't receive proper attention or training?
But then her eyes met Lin Beiya's.
What she saw there was absolute confidence— and that alone filled her with courage.
"Principal, I'm willing."
"Please process my transfer as well."
"Alright."
—
With that, four members of the future seven-person team were now confirmed.
Including the special member from the Douluo Hall, Lin Beiya only needed to select two more from the Advanced Academy. Even if he added one more support-type soul master, he would only need to pick three more teammates. The pressure instantly felt much lighter.
The four completed their transfer paperwork and walked toward the Advanced Soul Master Academy several kilometers away.
Shi Nuo didn't mind anything—where Lin Beiya went, he followed. But Yu Quan and Simin were filled with nervous excitement.
After all, they had no idea what awaited them.
Fortunately, their cultivation levels met the standard. Unlike Shrek Academy's bizarre entrance requirements, the Spirit Hall's Advanced Academy only required students to reach Soul Grandmaster (rank 20+) before age fourteen.
Yu Quan, though the lowest, was already ranked 24.
Simin, a year older, had reached rank 26—same as Shi Nuo.
Once they entered the academy, it was clear Lin Beiya's reputation had already spread. Because of his previous "bear incident," his name was well-known among the senior students. Many whispered among themselves as the group passed.
As an agility-type assassin soul master, Simin felt extremely uneasy under all the attention. She had no choice but to grit her teeth and hide behind Lin Beiya as they walked toward the principal's office.
A knock on the door— Inside sat a stern-looking middle-aged man with sword-like eyebrows and sharp eyes.
He did not seem surprised at all to see them—clearly, Bibi Dong's orders had already reached him.
"I've received the Pope's instructions. I've also read through your files. You four are outstanding seedlings. I expect you to continue working hard—do not slack off."
"Yes, Principal!"
With Bibi Dong's backing, everything proceeded smoothly. Within minutes, their enrollment procedures were completed personally by the principal.
Then Lin Beiya spoke:
"By the way, Principal—could you give me a set of files on the top-performing students in the academy?"
—
End of Chapter