"Hmmm, an 8-star Talent means she has a minimum of a Super Rare soul," Brant murmured, fingers tapping lightly against the folded arms. "But if she really is at the minimum rank, don't you think that's great news for humanity?"

"That's true," Lu replied, voice calm and measured. "The Elven Empress has a 9-star Talent, and that's her limit. Even if she raises her soul rank, her talent rank would stay the same. It basically confirms that her ceiling is 9-star—unless some miracle happens."

"Tsk." Brant clicked his tongue, irritation creeping into his tone. "You believe rumours far too easily. What if this is false information spread by the Elves to mislead everyone? She could very well have a 10-star Talent like our Emperor, but lacks a Legendary soul to display it."

Brant's eyes narrowed in thought. "Do you really think the Elven Empress would leave any stone unturned when it comes to finding soul-enhancing treasures if that were true? Sure, there's a chance this is fabricated news—but even so, with a spirit caller, that fifty-per-cent strength sharing, and virtually immortal beasts… she could rival our Emperor even at 9-star, especially once he reaches godhood."

Lu fell silent. He listened, brows furrowing, then slowly nodded.

"It's her monstrous mana…" he muttered, glancing in Lily's direction.

He exhaled softly before continuing, "Alright, back to the topic. What if it's true? What if she really is limited by her soul rank?"

"Then," Brant said flatly, "we'll finally be on equal footing with the Elves in the coming centuries."

"Heh." A faint smirk tugged at Lu's lips. "Optimist. I like your thought process."

They were discussing soul ranks and their relationship to one's talent. A Common soul could house a talent of up to 5-star at most, with each higher soul rank raising that ceiling progressively—

Common – 5-star Talent

Uncommon – 6-star Talent

Rare – 7-star Talent

Super Rare – 8-star Talent

Epic – 9-star Talent

Legendary – 10-star Talent

Higher grade soul automatically house their maximum ranked talents.

This also tied into the fact that an individual of Common rank could normally only reach 5-star strength at best—matching their talent rank. Unless, of course, they formed an ascended bond with their beast, fulfilled certain conditions, or stumbled upon a rare opportunity.

However, being capable of housing a certain talent rank didn't mean that was the talent they had. There were cases where someone possessed an 8-star Talent but had only a Common soul. Outwardly, their talent would manifest as 5-star, even though their true potential was far higher—simply shackled by their soul.

That was where soul-enhancing treasures came into play. Elevating a Common soul to Uncommon would raise the displayed talent accordingly—turning that same individual's shown talent from 5-star to 6-star—until they eventually reached their true peak, 8-star in that case.

This applied to Leo as well. He hadn't checked his talent rank increase directly, but after consuming the Elasian Bloom, his soul rank rose from Uncommon to Rare. As a result, his 6-star [Beastiary Of Souls] Talent advanced to 7-star.

And the higher the talent rank, the greater its effect—not just in raw power, but in how completely it manifested. Lily was a prime example; her talent possessed a dormant effect, usable(the glow of her eyes is a hint), yet incomplete due to her insufficient soul rank.

"Anyway," Lu said, snapping back to the present, "if contracted spirit beasts are immortal, wouldn't it be a waste if she fills her limited slots with low-bloodline beasts?"

"It might be," Brant admitted, then smiled faintly. "But I trust the boy. Knowing him, he wouldn't allow that. And didn't you hear about the commotion in the city square when the candidates were summoned back? Reports mentioned massive spirit beasts—big enough to cause panic and a small-scale stampede."

"Ah, don't give me that." Lu waved a dismissive hand. "For those clueless candidates, even a five-meter-tall beast would scare them senseless. Only we know what real beasts look like."

"Maybe," Brant said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "But don't you think a five-meter beast at Peak 2-star is already impressive?"

"Five meters… Peak 2-star…" Lu repeated slowly.

"…Alright," he grumbled. "At least Super rank. Noble, if luck's on her side."

His jaw clenched so hard it popped when he noticed Brant's smug expression.

"Alright! Fine!" Lu snapped. "That boy of yours must be something—and the fact that you managed to reel him in means you win this year. Happy now?"

Brant didn't respond, simply staring at him in silence.

"Tsk!" With no other option, Lu reached into his metal ring and summoned a large pouch and an even large bottle.

Brant grinned widely.

"Haha. You finally get it."

He quickly bagged both items.

They were premium alcohol worth fifty and a hundred Gold Coins, respectively. Every year, they bet on who would recruit the better candidates—and this year, Brant had won.

Meanwhile, Lily remained blissfully unaware of the professors' exchange. She was busy carving through beasts with her sword, her movements sharp and fluid as she racked up points with alarming speed, determined to claim second place and stand beside Leo.

KEo312 – 56890 → 56940 → 57940

Even Miho, striving to keep pace with Lily, was steadily gaining points—

KEo200 – 2050 → 2070 → 2075

Lily checked on Miho from time to time, making sure she was unharmed before returning to her deadly dance. Before the Beast Tide, she had trained Miho relentlessly. The first step was always acclimating to killing—something Miho had overcome during the trials. The second was mastering her powers.

To that end, Lily had Miho utilize her talents across various cores, cycling through attacks rapidly. But that approach proved inefficient. Eventually, Miho was restricted to fire-based attacks for offence, while wood and earth were reserved for defence. Wood also doubled as a healing element whenever she was injured.

Throughout this period, Miho was force-fed Soul Crystals continuously—so many that she ended up bedridden for a day, sick and exhausted, barely able to move.

But in the end, it all paid off.

She could now kill a Peak 1-star beast on her own—and given enough time, even a low 2-star beast wasn't out of reach anymore.

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