Imperial Fight Team

Heaven Dou Royal Academy, in a small bamboo grove.

Seven young men and women in varying poses sat around a square stone table, drinking tea. The table was piled with all kinds of fruits and pastries. Unlike the other students, they did not wear the goose-yellow academy uniforms, yet the passing students found nothing strange about it. They merely kept their distance, afraid of provoking them.

At the center of the stone table sat a tall young man with long black hair. He was not particularly handsome, and there was rarely any expression on his face, as though his facial muscles had frozen.

Beside him sat a young woman leaning against his shoulder with a lazy expression. Her short dark-purple hair made her look valiant, but strangely, she had a pair of green eyes that gave off an eerie feeling. She was not stunningly beautiful, yet she possessed a bewitching charm. At that moment, she was pouring tea for the young man, who had his eyes closed in rest.

"Yan Zi, what do you think Teacher Qin Ming called us here for? Isn't school only officially starting the day after tomorrow? It's not like we're those useless layabouts who idle around school all day with nothing to do."

The speaker was a handsome young man with short golden hair. One crossed leg was raised so high it was nearly above the stone table, making it clear that he was the unruly sort. As he spoke, he glanced from the corner of his eye at a passing student, frightening the student into quickening his pace and fleeing in embarrassment.

The purple-haired girl shot him a look of disgust. "How would I know? And if you don't put that leg down, you can forget about keeping it."

"Don't, don't! I'll put it down, all right?"

After being scorned by the purple-haired girl, the golden-haired youth could only lower his crossed leg with a bitter expression.

At that moment, another black-clad youth with golden hair spoke up, his voice teasing. "Did you hear? That bastard Xue Beng got beaten up by two new students at noon today."

"Haha, Panther, is that true? Now that would be interesting. I've wanted to beat him up for a long time too. If my old man hadn't stopped me, I'd have done it already," a blue-clad youth cut in.

As for the final girl, dressed entirely in black and even wearing a black veil over her face, she stood to the side and gazed into the distance without speaking for a long time.

These seven were the members of Heaven Dou Royal Academy's school team.

Captain: Yu Tianheng. Martial Soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. Rank 39 attack-type Battle Soul Master. Soul Rings: two yellow, one purple.

Vice Captain: Dugu Yan. Martial Soul: Jade Phosphorous Serpent. Rank 38 control-type Battle Soul Master. Soul Rings: two yellow, one purple.

Member: Shi Mo. Martial Soul: Black Tortoise. Rank 38 defense-type Battle Soul Master. Soul Rings: two yellow, one purple.

Member: Shi Mo. Martial Soul: Black Tortoise. Rank 37 defense-type Battle Soul Master. Soul Rings: two yellow, one purple.

Member: Yu Feng. Martial Soul: Wind Bell Bird. Rank 36 agility-type Battle Soul Master. Soul Rings: two yellow, one purple.

Member: Oslo. Martial Soul: Ghost Leopard. Rank 36 agility-type Battle Soul Master. Soul Rings: two yellow, one purple.

Member: Ye Lingling. Martial Soul: Nine Heart Begonia. Rank 35 auxiliary-type Tool Soul Master. Soul Rings: two yellow, one purple.

While they chatted and joked around, Qin Ming arrived with Zu Zong and Xiao Wu.

Seeing Qin Ming arrive, everyone stood and greeted him, inviting him to sit. Even the black-clad girl, who had remained silent all along, stepped forward.

"Teacher, you've gotten even more handsome after just a few days!"

"Teacher, come quickly! I already brewed tea for you."

At that moment, the ever-silent black-clad girl, Ye Lingling, spoke. "Who are those two?"

For some reason, her Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul had found a sense of familiarity in the people across from her. That familiarity came from the blue-haired boy.

Ye Lingling's words stirred up quite a commotion. It was not that they were particularly interested in the newly arrived boy and girl, but that they were shocked Ye Lingling had spoken at all. Even though they spent every day together as teammates, they had barely heard her say a few words.

Qin Ming was somewhat embarrassed as well. Surrounded by his students, he had nearly forgotten the matter at hand.

"Let me introduce them. These are Zu Zong and Xiao Wu, the two new members of our Imperial Fight Team. Introduce yourselves first."

Qin Ming's words clearly displeased most of the Imperial Fight Team. Aside from Ye Lingling, whose icy expression remained unchanged as ever, everyone else looked rather unhappy.

Geniuses always had their own pride. In their eyes, the seven of them were already a perfect combination. They naturally rejected these two strangers. Moreover, the pair looked only twelve or thirteen years old. What was the use of being handsome and pretty? They were obviously admitted through the back door. There had been such precedents in previous years, but they had all been driven away by them.

"Teacher Qin Ming, don't tell me some 'important figure' sent their precious young master and miss here through the back door again?"

The one who spoke was Dugu Yan. Of the seven, she looked down the most on those aristocratic children who occupied positions without doing anything. Her grandfather was also a Title Douluo, and even the emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire had to show him respect, so she spoke without any reservations.

Looking at the purple-haired girl with green eyes before him, Zu Zong thought, So this was one of the few female characters in the original story who never once gave Tang San a proper look from beginning to end.

To be honest, Dugu Yan had it rather rough. Her boyfriend's clan was wiped out, and the vast Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was taken over by Tang San's family. Not only that, her grandfather Dugu Bo had helped Tang San so wholeheartedly, yet neither grandfather nor granddaughter received even a single Immortal Herb. Instead, they ended up benefiting the Shrek Seven Devils. How ironic.

Zu Zong did not care about being ignored, but Xiao Wu, standing beside him, had long since become unhappy. Pouting, she stomped her long legs against the ground repeatedly. "Hmph, you're the ones who got in through the back door! Xiao Zong and I got in by our own strength."

Xiao Wu's audacity in talking back piqued Dugu Yan's interest. In the past, everyone else had been too timid to speak in front of her. The name Jade Phosphorous Serpent alone was enough to frighten children into silence.

Dugu Yan licked her lips and said, "Little sister, if you want to join the Imperial Fight Team, you'll have to show enough strength. Otherwise, go home and drink milk with your little boyfriend! Hahaha."

Provoked by Dugu Yan, Xiao Wu's competitive nature was completely ignited. "Ah! I'm going to beat you to death, you old hag!"

Old hag? Black lines appeared across everyone's foreheads. Even Ye Lingling, who rarely smiled, could not stop the corner of her mouth from twitching.

Zu Zong rolled his eyes. If she's an old hag, then wouldn't you, a hundred-thousand-year-old rabbit, be...

Xiao Wu fumed. Ah! You blockhead, whose side are you on?

"Y-you old hag? You're courting death!" Dugu Yan's mouth twitched as well. She had called the other girl little sister, yet the other girl had called her an old hag?

For a moment, flames seemed to blaze in both their eyes. It looked as though neither would rest until a winner had been decided.

As the leader of the Imperial Fight Team, Qin Ming felt his head grow twice as large. He could not help sighing. "What a bunch of troublesome children."

These chapters were only transitional. They would not be this drawn out afterward.