Chapter 44 – The Golden Generation
Night had fallen.
Inside his room, Lin Beiya sat cross-legged, his face swollen and bruised, quietly cultivating as usual.
His lips twitched every now and then as he muttered under his breath, "Just you wait. One day, I'll be the one teaching you instead."
Although he'd offended the Devil Bear Douluo, Lin Beiya's plan to establish authority and deter future troublemakers had worked perfectly.
After all, he'd defeated Xiong Chumo—a Soul Elder with an excellent martial soul—and, more importantly, he had the backing of the newly appointed Pope, Bibi Dong. With such a powerful supporter openly standing behind him, no one in the academy dared to provoke him anymore.
His life soon returned to a calm, peaceful rhythm. The only difference was that when his classmates looked at him, their gazes now carried faint reverence… mixed with a trace of fear.
Lin Beiya understood that this was the natural result of strength and status, so he didn't pay it much mind.
A month later, as the midyear Martial Soul Awakening Day approached, Shi Nuo successfully broke through to rank 20. Taking advantage of the academy's summer break, he immediately applied for a Soul Ring Hunt.
The academy, having long favored him for his decent talent—and also mindful of his close relationship with Lin Beiya—quickly approved his request. The principal even assigned a Soul Emperor instructor to personally lead the expedition.
"Beiya, I'll be heading out tomorrow," Shi Nuo said excitedly. "I've decided to follow your advice and go for the extreme path."
Lin Beiya nodded. "Mm. For your martial soul, focusing entirely on power-type rings is the best choice."
During past sparring matches, Shi Nuo had noticed a flaw: his bull-type martial soul was too heavy and clumsy, often getting toyed around by faster classmates. Few ever faced him head-on.
That had made him consider improving his agility by selecting speed-enhancing soul rings.
But Lin Beiya firmly objected. "A bovine-type martial soul won't gain much from agility soul rings," he had explained. "Even if you try to make up for your weakness, you'll end up average at everything and excel at nothing."
Instead, it was better to push his strengths to the limit—maximize brute force. Besides, under Lin Beiya's guidance, Shi Nuo had been diligently strengthening his physique and supplementing with whale rubber, improving his base agility more than most realized. When he eventually donned the Taurus Gold Cloth, some of his speed issues would naturally be compensated.
After considering it carefully, Shi Nuo accepted his brother's advice and decided to dedicate himself fully to the power path.
This time, the soul beasts he chose to hunt—the Wild Rhino and the Giant Power Vajra Bear—were both pure strength types.
With the academy on break and his best friend out hunting soul rings, Lin Beiya stayed mostly in the Pope's Palace. His days were filled with physical training and soul power cultivation—a routine both fulfilling and steady.
However, five days after the awakening ceremony, he received an unexpected summons from his "cheap teacher."
Unlike before, when Bibi Dong would meet him in the rear training grounds for personal instruction, this time her attendants escorted him directly into the grand Pope's Hall.
When he arrived, three young children—around six years old—were already kneeling respectfully before her.
The boy on the left had short silver hair and delicate features. The one on the right, with fiery red hair, looked mischievous and restless.
Between them stood a girl with short, ear-length golden hair—her expression pure and lively, her appearance strikingly cute.
Seeing them, Lin Beiya instantly had a guess. Based on their age and presence, there was little doubt—these three were the future pride of the Spirit Hall: the Golden Generation.
Stepping forward, Lin Beiya bowed respectfully.
"Disciple greets Teacher."
Bibi Dong nodded slightly. "The one in the center is my newly accepted disciple, Hu Liena—your junior sister. From now on, you'll look after her, both in cultivation and daily life."
"On her left is her elder brother, and on the right, their childhood companion from the orphanage."
"Their talent may not match yours, but in time, they will also become the top powerhouses of our Spirit Hall."
Her words confirmed Lin Beiya's thoughts—these three were indeed Xie Yue, Yan, and Hu Liena, the future stars who would shake the continent.
Lin Beiya smiled calmly at Hu Liena, giving a polite nod of acknowledgment. Outwardly, his expression was friendly—but inwardly, he couldn't help but complain.
So, the future white-eyed wolf of Spirit Hall has finally appeared, huh? Time really flies…
The little Hu Liena, unaware that her newly met senior brother was silently roasting her, blinked her large eyes in curiosity. Then she sweetly smiled back.
"Hu Liena greets Senior Brother."
Lin Beiya's brow twitched slightly. This girl had only just awakened her martial soul, yet every movement—every blink, every smile—already carried a natural allure that could stir emotions. Born seductress, he thought silently.
Seeing the two had greeted each other, Bibi Dong turned to introduce her eldest disciple to the other two children.
"Xie Yue, Yan, this is my eldest disciple, Lin Beiya. You must have heard of him."
Her taking a disciple had been the talk of Spirit Hall for weeks, so the trio—who had grown up in the orphanage—had naturally heard bits and pieces.
Xie Yue looked at Lin Beiya with burning eyes and nodded in acknowledgment, his expression serious.
Yan, on the other hand, was much more energetic.
"I know, I know! You're 'Lin the Invincible'—the strongest young soul master!"
The corner of Lin Beiya's mouth twitched. Lin the Invincible? His nickname had apparently evolved again. It used to be "Academy Invincible," but now people have just dropped the prefix entirely.
He didn't really care about nicknames, but hearing someone call him that to his face still made him feel a little embarrassed.
Lin Beiya forced a polite smile and said, "Little one, if you have any trouble in cultivation, you can come find me. I'll personally take you to the back mountain for… guidance."
Yan's eyes lit up instantly. "Really? Thanks, Brother Beiya!"
Lin Beiya smiled, but his thoughts were a different story.
Heh, guidance? More like a justified reason to smack some sense into you.
Watching this exchange, Xie Yue and Hu Liena looked at Yan with barely concealed envy.
To be personally tutored by the strongest of their generation—what an opportunity!
Of course, neither of them dared to be as forward as Yan. They just quietly resolved that when Yan got his "personal guidance," they'd shamelessly tag along to watch.
Bibi Dong, observing from her throne, found the interaction amusing. She could easily see through Lin Beiya's mischievous intentions, but rather than disapproving, she found it surprisingly refreshing.
This usually composed, mature disciple of hers actually had a childish side—it was… oddly endearing.
"Alright, Beiya," she said with a light smile, "take your junior sister to get settled. She'll stay in the small courtyard just behind your residence."
"Yes, Teacher."
Receiving the order, Lin Beiya immediately led Hu Liena out of the Pope's Hall. Xie Yue and Yan, who were not personally accepted as Bibi Dong's disciples, could only watch the pair leave, with envy plain in their eyes.
On the way, Lin Beiya kept sighing to himself.
Moments ago, Hu Liena had seemed like a sweet, well-behaved little angel before Bibi Dong—but the instant her teacher's gaze was gone, her personality changed entirely. The lively little girl suddenly turned into a chatterbox whose energy seemed endless.
"Senior Brother, is the Pope's Palace fun?"
"Senior Brother, you must've been born with full innate soul power, right?"
"Wow, so amazing! I'm only at rank 9.5. The teacher said You're a once-in-a-century genius!"
"Senior Brother, I heard stories about you at the orphanage—they said you could defeat Soul Elder even when you were just a Grandmaster! Is that true?"
Lin Beiya felt like five hundred ducks were quacking right next to his ears. His head throbbed.
Bibi Dong really knows how to assign punishment, he thought helplessly. This has to be retribution.
—
End of Chapter