Wait, How Did My Digital Girlfriend Become a Sword Immortal? Chapter 781: Li Qingran's Choice

Chapter 781: Li Qingran's Choice

"Paikes, what you're implying is that her awakened..."

"No, that can't be possible, right?"

Several old men gathered around the ancient tome Paikes had produced, studying it intently before glancing back at the Battle Soul in Li Qingran's hand—the Su Xian Sword. Gradually, expressions of shock began to surface on their faces.

"It looks like it! It really looks like it!"

"However, that deity's sword was black. It shouldn't be an inheritance of that god's Battle Soul, right?"

"This... it's hard to say. All food-related Battle Souls have the potential to become a God of Food, all fire-related Battle Souls have the chance to become a God of Fire. Since this girl's sword Battle Soul looks so similar to that one's, her chances are definitely the greatest, right?"

"If I remember correctly, that deity has never had an heir. If not for the legends about her, people might have even forgotten that such a deity existed..."

The group of old men chattered away, whispering things Li Qingran couldn't quite understand.

Seizing the moment before anyone else could speak, Paikes stepped forward. "Young lady, your Battle Soul is excellent. I now formally invite you to join my White Star Empire's Royal Academy. Full tuition waiver, accommodation in the highest-grade royal dormitories. You'll be learning alongside the empire's elite Soul Masters. There, even if you come from a small family like the Flame Boar Family, you can expand your connections and secure a brilliant future."

"Paikes, you're being too stingy!" Another old man protested, stepping forward with a beaming smile directed at Li Qingran. "I am the Vice-Principal of the Black Sun Empire's Royal Academy. If you come to our academy, we will arrange a dedicated team of tutors for you. Your clothing, food, lodging, and transportation will be arranged to the standard of imperial princes and princesses. You can even enroll together with our empire's Little Princess."

"Our Yanluo Academy can do the same!"

"Then our Ice Snow Academy can too..."

"Give it a rest! Your Four Phases Academy is for Battle Souls of the ice, fire, wind, and thunder attributes. Li Qingran has an artifact Battle Soul. Sending her to your academy would be a complete waste."

"Ahem!" Finally, a stern-faced middle-aged man cleared his throat, and the entire noisy hall instantly fell silent. "I believe, Li Qingran, that joining our Battle Soul Hall is the best choice. While we cannot provide royal-level treatment here, being able to enter the Battle Soul Hall is itself an honor, a recognition of your talent... Furthermore, joining the Battle Soul Hall does not prevent you from studying at these academies. With the status of a Battle Soul Hall Soul Master, you can freely choose any of those academies!"

Upon hearing this, the several old men fell silent with sour expressions, each glaring unkindly at the middle-aged man.

There was no other reason. This man was a Battle Saint of the Battle Soul Hall, a peak-level 78th-rank Battle Saint, just one step away from becoming an eighth-rank Legend. Moreover, he was still young. Within his lifetime, it wasn't impossible for him to reach the titled Epic level beyond rank 90. Therefore, even though the old men present here were stronger than him, none dared to interrupt while he was speaking.

Li Qingran looked at the middle-aged man. "May I ask who you are..."

"I am from the Battle Soul Hall, Battle Saint—Qin Feng. Battle Soul—Blood Scythe. I am also one of the Battle Soul Hall's Eighteen Iron Riders. You may address me as Mr. Qin."

Li Qingran looked at Qin Feng, then at the several old men staring at her eagerly. She couldn't help but frown in contemplation.

From the information she had gathered, the Battle Soul Hall seemed to be sandwiched between several empires, somewhat disliked by all sides. However, because the Hall Master of the Battle Soul Hall was incredibly powerful—one of the strongest titled Epics in the world—the Battle Soul Hall still held significant sway even while being 'sandwiched.' Furthermore, the Battle Soul Hall's presence extended into the core cities of multiple empires.

On the surface, the Battle Soul Hall appeared to be merely a special institution dedicated to nurturing top-tier Soul Masters. But clever people could see it—the Battle Soul Hall was playing a grand game of chess.

In this world, Soul Masters with top-tier Battle Souls and innate full Battle Power were equivalent to those sect prodigies in the Cangyun Realm. If one controlled all the sect prodigies, wouldn't that mean one could become the sect that dominates the entire Cangyun Realm? Take the current Moon Shadow Sect, for example.

Since she had come to this Small Thousand World, to develop well, she naturally needed to enter the most top-tier power. She wasn't the type to prefer being the head of a chicken rather than the tail of a phoenix. Even if she started as the tail of the phoenix upon entering these top-tier powers, she would exhaust every effort to become the head of that phoenix.

"I choose to join the Battle Soul Hall."

Li Qingran raised her head, her voice firm and resounding.

"Ah, what a fine seedling, snatched away by the Battle Soul Hall again..."

"The Battle Soul Hall harbors wicked ambitions. Sooner or later, they'll leave our various academies without a single genius to recruit."

Facing the complaints of the various academy heads, Qin Feng merely smiled slightly, clearly in a good mood.

"You all exaggerate. Our Battle Soul Hall has never intended to participate in the struggles between the continent's empires. We merely wish to cultivate top-tier Soul Masters who can lead the world's trends, to nurture the strongest Soul Masters. That has always been the founding purpose of our Battle Soul Hall."

The old men wore hypocritical smiles. Everyone knew how much empty rhetoric was in Qin Feng's words.

The Battle Soul Hall has no desire to rule the continent? Hah, saying that might have been passable before. Who would believe it now? If they truly had no such ambition, then they should withdraw all the Battle Soul Hall branch halls opened in the various major cities!

Of course, these thoughts couldn't be spoken aloud. Seeing there was nothing more for them here, the academy heads each activated their Teleportation Arrays to return to their own territories.

Li Qingran's Battle Soul resembled that of the legendary deity; it might be the sole inheritance bestowed by that deity. This matter was very important to report upwards. They hadn't completely lost their chance. Li Qingran belonged to the Battle Soul Hall now, but that might not be the case in the future. When it came to poaching talent, their empires had plenty of methods. Currently, many of the top-tier Soul Masters within the various empires were poached from the Battle Soul Hall's forces. In a way, the Battle Soul Hall was helping their empires cultivate top-tier Soul Masters. This covert and overt scheming between the Battle Soul Hall and the empires had never ceased.

After the academy heads left, the smile on Qin Feng's face gradually faded, replaced by a flash of coldness in his eyes.

"Nowadays, the Hall Master's intention to rule the entire continent and establish an empire is becoming harder and harder to conceal. These people may all become enemies of the Battle Soul Hall in the future. The Battle Soul Hall's future is grim. Talents like Li Qingran absolutely cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of other powers."

"Old Fu." He called out towards the darkness of the hall, his tone calm. "Follow Li Qingran. She and her mother are adrift and unsafe right now. The fact that she possesses innate full Battle Power is now common knowledge in the city. I fear some may reach out to harm them. Keep an eye out for me. If you discover anything, eliminate it on the spot!"

"Yes!" A hoarse, aged response echoed from a corner of the room. The next second, the shadows in the corner twisted momentarily, as if someone had departed from there.

...

There will be another chapter later.