Chapter 170

If the Spirit Hall's martial soul academy in Spirit City is built against the mountain, then this Blue Tyrant Academy is built in the center of the forest. Because around the teaching building, the remaining area is all forest.

It is said that this is the largest patch of vegetation within Tian Dou City.

Liu Erlong took Qian Renxue away from the training ground, directly following a small path beside it toward the rear of the academy, and soon entered the forest outside the main campus area.

The two walked forward in the fresh-air forest; after about ten minutes, the trees thinned, and a particularly sturdy tree had a sign hanging on it, engraved with the words, 'Important academy area, no entry without permission.'

Upon passing this large tree, the scenery ahead changed instantly.

It is a small lake, with a surface diameter of only fifty meters; a stream about three meters wide quietly feeds water from the other side of the forest and then flows back, keeping this place, which should be considered a pond, always with fresh water.

Beside the pond stands a crude thatched hut built of wooden planks and straw, blending completely with the surrounding environment. Around the hut is a fence, inside which various flowers are planted, blooming in competition, colorful and very beautiful.

The air is fresh, and the forest is tranquil.

Liu Erlong turned and said, 'This is my residence; usually no one comes to disturb.'

'So, you should also explain your identity to me.'

Hearing Liu Erlong's question, the blond-haired girl's gaze remained calm: 'Explain? Explain what? The extermination of the Blue Tyrant Dragon Clan? That was indeed done by me.'

'You are indeed Yu Tianlin!'

Liu Erlong's gaze turned somewhat sharp as she scrutinized her, 'I do not doubt your current strength, but could you really have killed a peak Titled Douluo several years ago? How old were you then?'

'If there is something hard to speak of, you can totally tell me, and we can figure it out together; you have grown up now, haven't you? Is the Spirit Hall threatening you?'

Qian Renxue did not answer, merely saying lightly, 'This has nothing to do with you. Think of your poor mother, Liu Erlong—you have always hated the Blue Tyrant Dragon Clan, haven't you? Look, I even helped you vent your anger.'

'What bullshit are you spouting! Yu Erlong that beast isn't even dead yet!'

Liu Erlong is the daughter of Yu Luomian and a dusty woman; because of her mother's background, Yu Luomian did not want to bring her home. When Liu Erlong went out to travel, her mother had already died of illness.

The two characters 'Erlong' in her name were given by her mother for her father, because she was the second son in the family, so Yu Luomian's nickname from childhood was Erlong.

Liu Erlong doesn't care about the Blue Tyrant Dragon Clan, but Yu Xiaogang does; she can't even imagine how painful it must be for Xiaogang's heart upon learning the sect's demise! 'I must know the truth!'

'Whether you believe it or not, the truth is thus: I killed Yu Yuanzhen, and the Blue Tyrant Dragon Clan vanished at my hands.'

Liu Erlong was furious but could do nothing about it, and she snapped angrily, 'So you came to Blue Tyrant Academy just to participate in the competition?'

Qian Renxue shook her head, 'The competition isn't important; what matters is fighting a few genius soul masters. I want to completely shatter their confidence and plant a seed of failure in their hearts. There is no place more suitable than the Continental Soul Master Elite Tournament. The psychological shadow caused by private duels and a widely watched competition is not the same.'

Liu Erlong's gaze turned somewhat odd, 'Genius soul masters? You wouldn't be here for those monsters of the Spirit Hall, would you?'

Qian Renxue pondered for a moment and asked, 'You even know them?'

'Indeed, this year's Soul Master Tournament is extraordinary; the Spirit Hall has too many genius soul masters this year, most members are descendants of Titled Douluo from the Offering Hall, and there are even two fifteen-year-olds. Among the seven, aside from the Darkgold Bear martial soul master named Xiao Yuan who is a Soul Ancestor, none have a soul power level below Soul King! There is a fifteen-year-old Soul King! Do you understand what that means?'

Qian Renxue asked, 'How do you know their soul power levels? Are there Soul Emperors and Soul Saints?'

Liu Erlong shook her head helplessly, 'I don't know that; I never said I knew their soul power levels, but many academy higher-ups are saying that this time the Spirit Hall members are basically Soul King or above powerhouses.'

'The Spirit Hall's Holy Son battle has already ended, with many people going to watch; the Holy Son is that fifteen-year-old Soul King, Jun Wuyin.'

'The Spirit Hall started promoting them early; the championship is already predetermined, and with that young Jun Wuyin, the next Soul Master Tournament likely has no hope, so current advanced soul master academies are all vying for third place.'

Qian Renxue asked strangely, 'Third? Why not second? Are there still experts?'

Liu Erlong gave her an odd look, 'The second runner-up has already been reserved by a team from the Tian Dou Royal Academy; your brother Yu Tianheng is also a fourteen-year-old intermediate Soul Ancestor! A forty-five-level strong-attack Battle Soul Ancestor, he has even become the core of the Tian Dou Royal team; I don't know how he cultivates, but he is a ten-thousand-year fourth ring, now acclaimed as the first genius of Tian Dou City.'

'With Yu Tianheng, few soul master academies can match; our Blue Tyrant Academy, after great effort, has trained only a few students, just one of whom is a Soul Ancestor, and the strongest, Wu Yu, is only level forty-one.'

'Of course, our academy still has no problem beating the Tian Dou Academy's trash second team.'

When Liu Erlong mentioned the Tian Dou Royal Academy, her eyes flared; both are advanced soul master academies in Tian Dou City, obviously they have long-held grudges.

Qian Renxue understood in her heart; surely Yu Tianheng absorbed those four top-quality soul bones, which is why his soul power level rose so quickly, and with the Snow Jade Crown's blessing, his mental strength can also resist the soul impact of ten-thousand-year spirit beasts.

But upon hearing Yu Tianheng's name, she couldn't help but frown slightly; this guy is a rare sort who leaves her with no recourse, he's a clingy follower.

'Since you don't want to explain to me, I don't care either, but if Yu Tianheng knew you were here, he would surely come looking for you.'

'I'll arrange a place for you to stay; from now on you will be the captain of Blue Tyrant Academy.'

Liu Erlong took out a few sheets of paper and a pen from her storage ring and handed them to Qian Renxue, 'After a while the competition will start; the top sheet is the registration info—fill it out, and I'll submit it for you. The lower sheets are the information of our academy's participating members; take them and go find them, it's best to get acquainted first.'

'With you this monster this time, perhaps the result will be different from what we imagined.'

Qian Renxue nodded, filled out the information swiftly, took the data of several people, turned, and walked toward the school.

Liu Erlong unconsciously glanced at the registration form in her hand; the next moment, her body stiffened instantly.

She saw that the name written on it was not Yu Tianlin, but Yue Zhengling.

In the martial soul column, it was not Blue Tyrant Dragon, but Holy Angel.

"."

'A martial soul not a dragon's dragon girl? Impossible; that decaying clan only recognizes the Blue Tyrant Dragon martial soul.'

'Holy Angel. Could it be a twin martial soul? No wonder, she turns out to be an illegitimate child too—a child of a Spirit Hall soul master and a Blue Tyrant Dragon soul master, abandoning the Yu surname, is she not recognizing the Blue Tyrant Dragon Clan?'

After experiencing the shocking battle on the training field, the formerly overconfident, high-level old faction led by Shangguan Tian, who relied on high soul power to do as they pleased, suffered an unprecedented blow.

Recently, those troublemakers have all become much more obedient, especially Chi Yu Can, who was intimidated by Qian Renxue, and now dare not even show their faces in the academy.

For some lower-year junior students, or low-level soul masters who daily suffer oppression and bullying, this is undoubtedly something worth celebrating.

After all, for them, having someone step in to suppress those almost hegemonic scoundrels on campus is tantamount to liberating them from a dark, sky-less cage, allowing them to regain the unique youthfulness and vitality of young people.

Not everyone enjoys a constantly competitive environment; those who like cutthroat competition are ultimately only a minority.

Thus, taking their place as the pinnacle of Blue Tyrant Advanced Soul Master Academy is Qian Renxue, this 'noble young lady' who entered a commoner academy.

This nickname, used sarcastically by Chi Yu Can and Shangguan Tian, actually became Qian Renxue's honorific in the hearts of students of all grades at Blue Tyrant Academy; its fame spread even to other advanced soul master academies, and the other academies' participants have also heard of it to some extent, with many soul master academies even sending people to inquire.

On the Douluo Continent, the strong have always been revered; in this era where soul masters reign supreme, worshiping the strong is simply human nature.

Moreover, Qian Renxue is a person who is ruthless yet speaks little, and she is an extraordinarily beautiful peerless maiden; beautiful people attract attention wherever they are.

Thus, in the training ground battle, one punch shattered the claw of the Terrorclaw Bear martial soul master, and the second punch even forced a Soul Saint expert in martial soul true form to retreat dozens of steps.

Even without needing to compare in soul duels, the academy's top title has already changed hands, making Qian Renxue the big boss in every student's heart; this incredible feat has become gossip for many, and although several days have passed, the heat has not diminished but instead begun to intensify.

Among these students' gossip, Qian Renxue's training ground battle has been distorted and exaggerated more and more; currently several versions have emerged, for example, it's actually not just a Soul Saint she fought as the 'noble young lady,' but a hidden-cultivation Titled Douluo.

Rumors that the 'noble young lady' killed a Titled Douluo with a single punch without using her martial soul are endless, and all kinds of exaggerated gossip float everywhere.

Originally, Qian Renxue was, in the eyes of the students, a peerless heavenly prodigy with astonishing combat power, able to match a Soul Saint in a short time by crossing major realms; but after the rumors spread everywhere, she had already become an unfathomable hidden expert.

Qian Renxue held the documents in her hand and knocked on the door of a dormitory on the third floor.

"Coming! Who is it?" a somewhat dazed female voice came from the dormitory, and the girl opened the door.

Through the crack appeared a girl with brown hair; the girl had a sweet face, her eyes were a little wet, as if she hadn't woken up, looking very lovable.

"Doudou, a thirty‑fifth‑rank agility‑attack battle soul master, martial soul white dove, one of the competitors from Blue Overlord Academy, currently working part‑time as a commentator at the Tiandou City Grand Soul Fighting Arena—it seems you don't even want to return to the academy for work; I've tried to find you several times already."

Doudou first froze for a moment, then suddenly let out an extremely high‑pitched scream.

Ah——! You, you you you you! You're that noble lady who killed a Title Douluo with one punch!!!

Qian Renxue frowned slightly displeased, "That's just a rumor, and besides, don't call me with that weird nickname; just call me Le Zheng Ling."

【9】 Besides you, there's Control System's Han Chenyu, Support System's Mo Xiangran, and your original team captain Wu Yu—I haven't met them yet; first take me to find them.

Besides you, there's also the control-system Han Chenyu, the support-system Mo Xiangran, and your original team captain Wu Yu—I haven't met them yet. First, take me to find them.

In a classroom of Lan Ba Academy.

A refined young man wearing black-rimmed glasses leaned back in the chair behind him, leisurely sipping the hot tea just brewed.

The man sighed helplessly, "Geez, I originally thought that transfer student was just a noble lady coming to experience life, but I didn't expect her to be a super monster like Yu Tianheng."

Originally, having a Red Dragon Wu Yu in the academy was already enough for me to endure, and now another one has come!

Damn it! How am I supposed to achieve my ambition of unifying Lan Ba Academy like this!

The idle youth lounging in the chair next to him also nodded in deep agreement; he wore a flamboyant tailcoat, a lock of hair blocking his left eye, making him look quite chuunibyou.

Yeah, with them around we can't unify the academy; that blonde woman has the power to repel a Soul Saint, yet she chose to join Lan Ba Academy—too strange.

It's really unexpected that such a monster isn't a member of the Spirit Hall.

After all, soul masters like them with decent martial souls and passable innate soul power, upon entering the Spirit Hall, aren't even worth a phoenix's tail; the Spirit Hall never lacks geniuses, only peerless heavenly talents.

Han Chenyu and Mo Xiangran would rather be a chicken's head than a phoenix's tail, which is why they came to Lan Ba Academy, wanting to strut their stuff and be the big boss; they didn't expect the good times to be short-lived—when Wu Yu arrived, she outright snatched his captain position, fortunately Wu Yu isn't very bright and only likes fighting.

He, relying on the advantage of the Control System being the team's soul, remains the team's most important core, and the authority to speak still lies with him.

Hmph——!

Han Chenyu calmly adjusted his black-rimmed glasses, flamboyantly flicking the curls he was proud of.

It doesn't matter; as long as that 'noble lady' doesn't provoke us, otherwise—hmph.

Originally Han Chenyu had thought of jumping down from the roof when Qian Renxue was being bullied, to perform a dashing hero-saving-the-beauty stunt; maybe they could even have a passionate romance between an overbearing commoner genius and a put-upon noble lady, but unfortunately the floor Han Chenyu was on was too high, so he didn't dare jump right away.

Although what happened afterward left Han Chenyu somewhat dumbfounded, completely unlike his plan of 'beauty in distress, hero to the rescue,' overall it didn't really affect anything; he remains a high-quality male of Lan Ba Academy, and the defeats of Shangguan Tian and Chi Yu Can don't affect his standing there.

Who in Lan Ba Academy doesn't know my name, Han Chenyu? In the academy I'm equivalent to the Royal Tian Dou Academy's 'Yu Tianheng'—absolutely super number one!

With a 'bang,' the classroom door was pushed open.

The girl who walked in from outside had a head of soft, golden long hair, asymmetrical earrings on her ears, giving her an elegant and noble air; behind her followed their designated team mascot, Dou Dou, whose face beamed with a cheerful smile, looking very lively.

This is none other than……

That noble lady who smashed Shangguan Tian with one punch on the field, then blasted the dean back dozens of steps with another punch, whose popularity once surged? A golden-haired girl with flowing waterfall-length hair simply stood calmly at the doorway, fixing her plain gaze on Han Chenyu; a single simple look was enough to make the air in the entire classroom solidify and tense.

Dou Dou excitedly pushed Qian Renxue inside.

Ah Ling, hurry and look—this is our team's secret base! How is it, pretty, right?

The two youths who had been lazily lounging in the chairs immediately straightened up, tense as if facing a great enemy—'Dou Dou, what are you doing?! Why are you still a guide?!'

Mo Xiangran, wearing the flamboyant tailcoat, turned his head shakily and said, 'Chen, Chenyu, not good—look, that lady has come to our door; won't she kill us with one punch?'

I'm not blind yet.

What should we do? I'm just a Support System soul master; Chenyu, you'll definitely be able to beat her, right?

Hehehe, you've become the big boss—do you think I'm somebody?

Bearing the title of the team's core, I cannot lose! Lan Ba Academy's high-quality male Han Chenyu also gazed calmly at Qian Renxue, though the hand holding his teacup couldn't help but tremble slightly.

By common sense, as the core soul of Lan Ba Academy's representative team, he actually wouldn't fear this blonde girl at all; he's just caught off guard by being suddenly confronted, so he seems a bit unprepared.

Pat—pat—

Clearly it was just the sound of high heels approaching, but perhaps infected by Mo Xiangran's nervous mood, the usually confident Han Chenyu also unconsciously grew tense.

'Big sis, you're not going to attack him, are we? We have no grudges, so there shouldn't be any conflict, right? Or are you trying to wipe out the whole team's members? Just to steal my position?!'

'Then what should I do—make a decisive tactical retreat, or fiercely resist to defend my position?'

'No good, there's simply no time to think properly—did this woman calculate this point and come here on purpose? Anyway, relying on my Control System martial soul, the Golden Rope, at this close range he also isn't without a chance; as long as I control her, the battle will end.'

'That's right, we can totally fight! His Golden Rope Han Chenyu isn't some soft persimmon anyone can pinch!' But when the opponent stood before him, her deep violet eyes gazed at him coldly; no matter how tough his mouth, Han Chenyu's body instinctively betrayed him at once, quite honestly.

The black‑glasses‑wearing refined young man's legs went weak, and he almost reflexively plopped down on his knees; regardless of what he had just been thinking—whether this round could be fought or he could rely on grit to brute‑force it—the moment he personally met those calm, cold violet eyes, it all came to nothing.

I'll say this up front: by common sense, following the customary style of the soul master world, since I've already raised my hands in surrender, you can't attack me anymore.

Han Chenyu glanced lightly at Qian Renxue, pushed his black‑rimmed glasses up, his eyes shining with wise, astonishing insight, and he smiled: 'Of course, if you still want to attack me.'

—Then give me two more kowtows.

Even while saying the latter part of that sentence, Han Chenyu remained shyly confident and handsome.

As the atmosphere crew's Dou Dou, he was quite the cheerleader, clapping his little hands pat‑pat.

Wow, as expected of our team's core, you're still shyly quite handsome today!

Chenyu, you—

At that moment, Mo Xiangran saw his good brother already kneeling; after a moment's thought he also realized it made sense—indeed, as expected of the intellectual Han Chenyu, doing this must have his reasons, so he too followed with a firm, tactical kneel.

According to the rules of the soul master world, you can't attack us now.

Now even Qian Renxue, who has seen all kinds of monsters and demons and has a big heart, feels deeply caught off guard.

At this moment, before her suddenly knelt two stiff‑necked, confident team members, with the leader being their team's Control System soul master; although things were proceeding more smoothly than expected, why did she feel an inexplicable sense of helplessness? Qian Renxue softly said, 'From now on I am the captain of this team, but you are the Control System soul master, the team's soul; I can have a soul‑duel with you—whoever wins gets command, how about that?'

Since both of them were kneeling before her, what else could she do? This caused Qian Renxue's tone to grow gentle as well.

No need! It's not such a big deal!

As it turned out, who would have thought? The stern, confident Han Chenyu flicked his sleeve with suave ease and bluntly said:

The team's core position—I, the young master, am handing it straight to you!

Qian Renxue nodded. 'That works too.'

Fortunately she came specially to take a look today; otherwise who knows what shocking deed Han Chenyu might be cooking up behind the scenes.

Qian Renxue also glanced at DouDou, serving as morale officer and constantly cheering the two; she felt the team had some ability—despite how abstract the members were, they could still achieve something, so their skill was definitely there.

Only one person remains.

Heaven Battle City, Grand Soul Arena.

The Grand Soul Arena in Heaven Battle City is oval overall, reaching a height of 120 meters; inside it is divided into a main arena and twenty-four sub‑arenas. It can hold an audience of sixty thousand, including a hundred VIP boxes.

Here is not only a place for soul masters to exchange and practice, but also a place where various forces display their strength.

Here, soul battles are divided into three types: one is sparring, i. e., mutual practice, prohibiting vicious killing; another is a death match, used to settle irreconcilable disputes; the last is a wager match.

Overseen by the Grand Soul Arena as referee, each side of the wager sends an equal number of soul masters to compete; the winner takes everything in the wager. The wager is essentially a death match; many nobles and clans often use this method when they face major contradictions.

The match formats are also three: one-on-one, two-on-two, and group battles. For group battles, the number of participants on each side is negotiated; according to the Grand Soul Arena's rules, it is generally limited to seven to ten people.

Registering for a soul battle here is very simple: just fill out a form with name, age, birthplace, and martial soul, and you can receive the initial iron soul badge; of course, registration also requires each person to pay ten gold coins as the fee.

As DouDou just entered the Grand Soul Arena, a clamor of noises rang in Qian Renxue's ears, making the whole arena especially lively.

'Kill! Bastard! Hurry up and strike!'

'Beat her to death! Beat her to death!'

'Trash! Fight back quickly!'

The dim, damp, dirty death-match area is hexagonal, spacious; the center is a large open space, exactly where soul masters compete.

The perimeter walkways are already packed with people, and there is an open buffer zone between the iron cage and the stands.

The air carries a faint smell of blood mixed with sour sweat; on the spacious stands, many people jump to their feet excitedly, clutching their betting slips, shouting nonstop, faces either excited or ferocious, all eyes focused on the iron-cage-enclosed platform where two soul masters are wildly fighting.

This is a death match.

Derived from soul masters' wagers, these matches usually start only when there is a major conflict, though some come to fight for nobles just for gold soul coins. Here, soul masters are no longer symbols of strength or honor; they become a means for people to vent their inner darkness, or for unscrupulous soul masters to earn gold soul coins and fame.

Often, those active here are mostly lowly commoner soul masters, merely providing a bit of amusement for nobles' disputes to earn enough gold soul coins.

Thus, many death matches in the soul arena are despised by visiting soul masters who come to train, and they call it a filthy place where nobles satisfy their desires.

DouDou timidly tugged at Qian Renxue's sleeve, looking around uneasily; she was a well-behaved, excellent student who couldn't stand seeing corpses.

'Ah Ling, this death-match place is very dangerous; I usually don't come here even when I work at the soul arena. Do we really have to go?'

Because the people who often loiter in this death-match area are mostly young nobles and thugs, it's rare to see pretty girls here; thus, near the stands where Qian Renxue and DouDou are, a few gloomy glances are cast upon them from the shadows.

Some ill-intentioned gazes keep sweeping over the timid yet spirited DouDou and the icy-eyed Qian Renxue.

At this moment, Qian Renxue gently pinched her brow, watching the fight in the arena nearing its end; her deep violet pupils were tinged with a layer of scarlet.

Flesh and blood flew, blow after blow landing on flesh; the place reeked of violence and sin. For Qian Renxue, this atmosphere was all too familiar.

A seductive, somewhat stirring voice sounded in Qian Renxue's ear, making her heart itch, as if a fairy were whispering temptation into her ear.

'Why not slaughter all these noisy trash? Xue'er, let's go kill them—how about that? Completely release yourself; let me see the darkness deep inside you!!'

'My darkness? After all these years, you still haven't had enough?'

Hei Xue was momentarily speechless; she suddenly recalled that Qian Renxue, who wields light power, is an even worse guy than she is.

Qian Renxue curiously wondered in her mind, 'Why aren't you hiding anymore? Another me—I thought you'd keep avoiding me.'

Upon hearing that, Hei Xue could no longer contain her anger; her sultry, seductive tone vanished.

'Qian Renxue!!! You bastard! Two years ago was our first face‑to‑face meeting!! At our first meeting you already tried to strike me! Do you really want my martial soul that badly?'

Qian Renxue muttered to herself, 'What nonsense—if I weren't after Hei Xue's martial soul, why would I go to all this trouble?'

Hei Xue burst out cursing, 'Damn Qian Renxue! Don't forget—I can know what you're thinking!'

Qian Renxue said somewhat innocently, 'But we were originally one; wouldn't it be good to return to my embrace? You are me, I am you, we will never be separated—return to the angels' embrace; the angel god will forgive your sins, don't you want beautiful wings?'

'Hmph! I don't want that! Which of us is really the dark side? Damn it, why are you tempting me?'

Light and darkness were originally one, but because she bore multiple different divine powers, she and Hei Xue were completely split apart into two parts.

Qian Renxue found that, compared to herself, Hei Xue—the dark persona built from her negative emotions and memories—was actually much simpler and cuter, though she was more irritable than ordinary people and couldn't control her emotions, like she had mania.

Perhaps because Hei Xue is merely a moviegoer who has all of Qian Renxue's memories but has only breathed this world's air once, thinking about it, she is rather pitiable.

Hei Xue, furious, shouted, 'Stupid woman! Wait for me!' After a fit of impotent rage she vanished; this frustrated negative persona seems to be the first of its kind.

For Hei Xue, the Soul‑Devouring Asura Spider Emperor martial soul is not just a martial soul; it is the medium of her existence. If she handed it to Qian Renxue, whether she could continue to exist would depend on Qian Renxue's will—she dare not gamble on that wicked woman's intentions.

If Qian Renxue one day suddenly says, 'What level are you, to use the same martial soul as me?' and then kills her, what would happen? This also makes Hei Xue's feelings toward Qian Renxue extremely complicated: on one side she can't help but love her other self, on the other she fears Qian Renxue's power; she simply can't match that wicked woman, as the dark side she has too many disadvantages, and her martial soul lacks any soul rings altogether.

Two years ago, Qian Renxue seduced Hei Xue and nearly seized control of her soul imprint by force; if not for her martial soul being able to wield a portion of Asura and Rakshasa divine power, she would probably be dead now.

DouDou tugged at Qian Renxue's sleeve, 'Ah Ling, are you okay?'

Qian Renxue came to, shook her head, and kept watching the red figure fighting nonstop inside the iron cage.

'Wait, isn't that Captain Wu Yu?'

At that moment, DouDou realized that the one actually fighting in the death match was the former team captain; she stared, shocked, at the blood‑soaked figure and gripped Qian Renxue's arm nervously.

Inside the death match's iron cage was an eighteen‑ or nineteen‑year‑old red‑haired girl wearing a highly elastic leather outfit that revealed her long, full thighs; the one‑piece suit also covered her ample bust, which became even more pronounced when she released her martial soul.

A faint reddish glow shimmered on her skin; fine dragon scales covered both cheeks, extending down from her neck along the shoulders to cover both arms.

A fire‑attribute red dragon! Also a top‑tier powerful sub‑dragon; four rings of soul power—two yellow, two purple—constantly pulsed beneath her, the soul rings flashing nonstop.

Although Wu Yu's soul power was one rank below her opponent's, putting her at a disadvantage, she suddenly stepped forward; all four soul rings lit up, and her left fist, wreathed in roaring flames, slammed forward.

To Wu Yu's opponent, the punch seemed anything but simple—as if all her soul power and soul skills were instantly condensed into that fist; in the eyes of the Soul Ancestor, Wu Yu herself was reduced to just that one fist, a fist blazing with crimson light.

'Wait, this punch.'

DouDou suddenly gave Qian Renxue an extremely strange look.

DouDou is a girl skilled at drawing people in with high emotional intelligence; she actually knew Qian Renxue all along, merely pretending to be clueless in the dormitory.

She had watched that punch on the field earlier from the window; Liu Erlong's loud voice could be said to have swept across half the academy—who wouldn't want to peek out to see what was happening? Not long ago, Qian Renxue seemed to have used that punch to repel a Soul Sage‑ranked dean, so DouDou was especially familiar with Wu Yu's punch, though Wu Yu's punch lacked the plain, unadorned quality of Qian Renxue's fist, instead appearing extraordinarily sharp and fierce! Although they look somewhat similar, they are not the same, because without guidance Wu Yu took the wrong path; what was originally Qian Renxue's unified spirit‑energy simulation of 'sovereign over heaven,' perfectly blending physical and mental attacks into a terrifying ability.

But in Wu Yu's hands, it lost the mental power boost and intimidating ability, its power greatly diminished; Wu Yu's version is merely an adaptation and fusion between soul skills, but such a technique can still be considered a rather advanced skill on the present Douluo Continent.

Boom—

The feeling of the opposing bear martial soul Soul Ancestor in that instant could be described in two words as most fitting: boiling; he felt his fur was about to be cooked.

Pfft—

A mouthful of fresh blood spurted out; the tall, sturdy bear martial soul Soul Ancestor slowly collapsed to the ground, and from its mouth and nose, fresh blood flowed down like little snakes.

Watching this scene, Dou Dou's heart pounded wildly. Wu Yu, big sis, you're done for—you stole someone else's soul skill and got caught! In this era, sectarianism is extremely serious; abolishing the thief's martial soul sect over a unique soul skill is not uncommon.

Just a glance at the move, and one could replicate it; even if the move's concept was diametrically opposed, at least Wu Yu's punch still had decent power. Watching that Wu Yu, who was impatiently collecting money, Qian Renxue couldn't help but feel a bit interested.

Seeing Dou Dou's troubled look, Qian Renxue said softly: "Don't worry, Dou Dou; my tolerance isn't that small, or rather, the stronger the soul masters in this world, the more interesting I find them. Let's go wait for her outside."

Ah, oh.

Hearing those words, Dou Dou couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Big sis, you've run into a kind soul! It's already evening; outside the Grand Soul Arena of Tian Dou City, there's also a different scenery.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the whole city in a warm orange hue, making the majestic architecture of the Grand Soul Arena appear even more solemn and majestic in that light.

The shadows of the city walls gradually lengthened, enveloping part of the Grand Soul Arena, adding a touch of mystery to the atmosphere.

The crowd bustled, some excitedly discussing the just-concluded soul battle tournament, others hurrying home.

Shops along the street lit up one after another; light streamed through the windows onto the stone pavement, forming patches of mottled light and shadow.

Wu Yu dragged her heavy body slowly out of the Grand Soul Arena, preparing to return to Lan Ba Academy; this time, sneaking out to fight a death match without the dean's knowledge must not be discovered, otherwise she wouldn't be able to come out again.

Afterward, Wu Yu saw the excited blonde girl with arms crossed, lazily leaning against the stone wall of the Grand Soul Arena, gazing calmly at her; beside her, Dou Dou waved his hands excitedly.

Big sis! Over here! Over here!

Seeing these two people, Wu Yu's originally excited mood from winning the death match also gradually calmed down. Her mind now holds only one thought: what to do if her stealing someone else's self-created soul skill is discovered? Or is she a genius soul master who can repel a Soul Saint with a single punch, waiting online! Very urgent! How can this Dou Dou be so girly? He doesn't use his brain at all! At this point, not helping her cover up is bad enough, but you even went out of your way to greet her, insisting on playing her to death—are you happy only then? Watching the true wielder of Supreme Sovereignty appear, Wu Yu's ears instantly flushed a charming red.

"Er, Dean Liu Erlong has something for me, so I'm leaving first today. Dou Dou, take your friends out to eat without calling me—I've already eaten."

Wu Yu covered her face, lowered her head, and walked past Qian Renxue.

Qian Renxue suddenly asked, "Want to learn?"

"What?" Wu Yu blinked, but still suppressed her excitement; this might be a trap—she had no reason to teach herself.

"I can teach you."

Wu Yu's dark red pupils constricted slightly, her steps suddenly stopped, and she abruptly turned and bowed.

"Big sis! I want to learn the One‑Punch Strike!!"

Sunday, I slept in, then got up and cranked out ten thousand words straight away! I haven't dropped a massive update in ages—damn! Damn! Damn! Bros, am I being fierce or not? Damn, I feel my wrist acting up again; ten thousand words really isn't something a human writes—those authors who churn out ten thousand words every day are truly badass.

(End of chapter)