At seven years old, Lin Yu had grown significantly in height, reaching 1.35 meters.
He had shed some of his childishness, and his facial features had become a bit more defined.
Over this past year, he had almost every day undergone top-tier education from the Seven Great Sacrificers.
Whether it was physical fitness, combat ability, awareness, mindset, or control and application of his Martial Soul and soul skills, Lin Yu was far beyond other children his age.
His soul power had risen from level 14 to level 18.
Although Lin Yu's soul power only increased by four levels over the year, his strength had undergone a drastic transformation.
Lin Yu suspected that even if he faced a high-level Grand Soul Master, he would be able to defeat them.
He didn't even know his own limits because throughout this year, he had not battled anyone—his training was almost completely secluded.
Qian Daoliu (the senior) did not allow Lin Yu to spar with other core disciples, only letting him train every day.
Though he didn't know why, Lin Yu still obeyed.
And now, after nearly a year of this isolated training, it was finally over.
At this moment, in the Sacrificer Hall,
The Seven Great Sacrificers gathered together, all wearing satisfied expressions as they looked at Lin Yu.
Qian Daoliu placed his hands on his back and said kindly, "Small changes in quantity can accumulate into amazing qualitative changes. There's no need to rush expecting your arduous training to provide immediate answers."
"Sometimes, we must have patience and wait."
"Rewards may not instantly appear after effort, but they will surely arrive splendidly when you give your all."
"Xiao Yu, you have trained hard for a year without engaging in real combat. We all know you must be itching to fight and have held back for a long time, haven't you?"
"Starting today, we will no longer restrict you. You may seek out others to spar, compete, and battle."
"Go ahead, Xiao Yu, it's time to show everyone the results of your year of hard work."
Qian Daoliu's final words could be interpreted as: "Go on, Xiao Yu, it's time to show off."
But honestly, Lin Yu's current strength was still not the strongest among all the core disciples.
If he wanted to show off, it would have to be on a big scale.
Lin Yu planned to wait until after breaking through his second soul ring before doing so.
"At present, my soul power has reached level 18. It's about time I made a trip to the Sunset Forest."
"After absorbing the two top-grade immortal herbs—the Octagonal Black Ice Grass and the Fiery Apricot Tender Leaf—I will be able to increase the duration of my second soul ring by a large margin," Lin Yu thought to himself.
He smiled and responded, "Teacher, competing and sparring with others isn't urgent. The Seven Great Gods have told me there are extremely rare immortal herbs in the Sunset Forest."
"Disciple wants to go there first and take a look."
"Oh?" Upon hearing this, the eyes of the Seven Great Sacrificers lit up, and Qian Daoliu immediately agreed, "Good! Sixth Elder, Seventh Elder, you two will accompany Xiao Yu on this trip."
Qian Jun and Jiang Mo nodded, "Yes! Great Sacrificer."
"Then it's settled. I'll trouble Elder Qian Jun and Elder Jiang Mo. We will set out for Sunset Forest tomorrow."
After speaking, Lin Yu gave a slight bow in respect and then left the Sacrificer Hall.
He planned to return home to accompany his father, Lin Tian, and depart the next day.
About two hours ago, Bibi Dong had summoned Huliena, Xieyue, and Yan for a private meeting.
Huliena asked, "Teacher, did you call for us?"
Bibi Dong faced away from the three, her expression calm as she said, "That Angel Clan child Lin Yu has been training for about a year now, right? I wonder what level his soul power has reached."
"Nana, the three of you find an opportunity to test his strength."
The three exchanged looks, and Huliena spoke first, "Teacher, I'm four years older than Lin Yu, and Xieyue and Yan are six years older than him. If we personally attack, wouldn't that be bullying?"
"I only need to know his strength. It's not necessary for you to act personally. Just find a few core disciples who are two or three years older than Lin Yu and have them test him."
"Understood, Teacher."
The three gradually withdrew.
At this, a cold smile appeared on Bibi Dong's lips: "Heh, the Seven Great Sacrificers working together to cultivate a single child—you're really determined to raise him to be a god!"
"But becoming a god is never easy!"
"I want to see just how powerful the child you all are jointly raising is now."
On his way back to the Angel Clan territory, Lin Yu once again passed by the large training ground for core disciples.
Coincidentally, Huliena, Xieyue, and Yan were there.
Following Bibi Dong's orders, the three immediately stopped training when they saw Lin Yu appear.
"Yan, Nana, that kid's here."
"Hmph, he's only born with full soul power. I don't understand why the Supreme Pontiff pays so much attention to him, even going so far as to test his strength."
"That kid's only trained for one year; how strong could he possibly be? At most level 14 soul power, right?" Yan sneered, completely disregarding Lin Yu.
He pointed at several core disciples nearby and said in a commanding tone, "Hey! You guys, hurry and block that Lin Yu. It's your turn to take the stage."
"Remember what I said—beat him until he's crawling on the ground, full of bruises and teeth knocked out!"
The core disciples hesitated nervously: "B-but Lin Yu is after all the Great Sacrificer's direct disciple, we..."
Yan glared at them coldly and said, "Hmph, what's there to be afraid of? It's just a friendly sparring match. Once you fight, injuries are unavoidable, and it's normal to lose control of your strength sometimes."
"Alright, alright, we understand."
Though a bit reluctant, these core disciples would rather avoid offending Yan, Xieyue, and Huliena than Lin Yu.
Soon, six or seven core disciples blocked Lin Yu's path.
Huliena, Xieyue, and Yan leaned casually against a pillar, watching the scene with interest.
"Hey! You must be Lin Yu, right? We've heard you have innate full soul power, and you're the Great Sacrificer's personal disciple—that's pretty impressive. Dare to spar and test your skills with us?"
Lin Yu looked at these kids who were only two or three years older than him, feeling little desire to fight, and shook his head to refuse politely: "Sorry, I'm not interested."
"Hey, it won't hurt to spar once. Don't be in such a hurry to leave!"
The group reached out to block him, already somewhat rude.
Lin Yu frowned slightly and said, "You're probably not even qualified to spar with me."
With that, he pushed through the crowd and continued walking.
Seeing Lin Yu's attitude, they became defiant immediately: "Hmph! So what if you have innate full soul power? Which core disciple in the Martial Soul Hall isn't a genius!"
"Besides, we're all two or three years older than you. No matter how talented you are, you might not be a match for us now!"
"Not interested? I think you're just scared, huh!?"
Lin Yu, being the Great Sacrificer's personal disciple, had clearly refused and walked away, yet these people still dared to pester him?
He couldn't help but suspect that someone was behind this challenge.
Lin Yu's gaze shifted to not far away, where Huliena, Xieyue, and Yan were watching like spectators.
He seemed to understand something, and gave a cold smile: "Hmph, geniuses? Fine! Then let me teach you so-called geniuses a lesson."