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Moonlight flowed through the silent study, and wisps of steam curled up from the cups on the desk.
Xia Yun seemed to want to dispel some of the heaviness and changed the subject. "I haven't congratulated you yet, Young Master. In the first round-robin, you won all seven matches."
Chen Xiaojun tapped the tabletop lightly with his fingertips, his tone calm. "Isn't it normal for every top academy to go undefeated in the first cycle?"
"The weight behind your seven wins is different." Xia Yun looked up. "Never mind the other teams—Godwind Academy and Thunder Academy are both publicly acknowledged as the second-strongest academies in their provinces."
"Thunder Academy especially was truly unexpected this time. They actually had six Soul Kings."
"If they didn't have to keep Lei Jiuchong's 'Thunder Umbrella' to control the whole field, they might have been able to field a starting lineup made entirely of Soul Kings."
"That kind of lineup is rare even among top academies."
Chen Xiaojun picked up his teacup, the drifting steam blurring his eyes. "The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon bloodline produces endless martial soul mutations... Their clan's fortune truly is flourishing."
There was not much fluctuation in his words, yet they were like faint ripples on an ancient well.
Xia Yun's face also revealed a hard-to-describe complexity, as if mixed with admiration and a trace of helplessness. "They really can breed. With such a flourishing bloodline, how could others not envy them? Unfortunately, it isn't something one can envy into being."
Chen Xiaojun did not linger on the topic and instead asked, "Five Mountains Academy performed well this time too, didn't they? They also defeated Moon Bay Academy, ranked second in Toske Province."
Xia Yun nodded, but his tone was not relaxed. "Mm. But originally, they