[These words were incredibly provocative, instantly resonating with the commoner students around them!]
[Yeah! Why should you talk about fairness when you already have resources?]
[Dean Lei Tian's heart lurched at the sight!]
[Had Lei Bufan gone mad? He actually dared to publicly accuse the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?]
[He hurriedly shot the accompanying teacher beside him a meaningful look.]
[The accompanying teacher stiffened and stepped forward, shouting sternly.]
["Lei Bufan, stop spouting nonsense! The Young Master's status is noble. Is he someone you can challenge whenever you please? Step down at once!"]
[Yu Xiaotian could not help finding it amusing!]
[Suppressing a hot-blooded youth—such a standard move for an early-stage minor villain!]
[Just then, a sinister voice rang out.]
["Ah, that's not right!"]
[Yu Luomian, who had remained silent all along, slowly stepped forward with his hands behind his back!]
["Our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was founded through strength. We have never feared any challenge!"]
[Yu Luomian looked at the accompanying teacher, assuming the air of an elder!]
["Since this young student is so ambitious, wouldn't refusing make our clan seem petty?"]
["Our Xiaotian is an unparalleled genius. What is a mere challenge across ranks?"]
["Xiaotian, your Second Uncle believes in you. You're certainly not afraid of such a challenge, are you?"]
[This was an exceedingly vicious form of praise meant to kill.]
[In front of so many people, he had put Yu Xiaotian over a fire!]
[If he refused, he would disgrace the clan!]
[If he accepted, Yu Xiaotian would surely lose.]
[Yu Yuanzhen frowned slightly. It seemed he would have to be ruthless when they returned!]
[Yet Yu Xiaotian suddenly smiled.]
["Second Uncle, you have so much faith in me? Your nephew is truly touched!"]
[He paused, then abruptly changed the subject.]
["Since Second Uncle supports me so much, then I'll accept this challenge!"]
["But fighting is exhausting, and there is the risk of getting hurt!"]
["That Thunder Source Crystal Second Uncle gave me last time was truly excellent! It improved my cultivation considerably!"]
["Since I'm fighting this time to defend the clan's honor, shouldn't Second Uncle, as an elder of the clan, offer some reward?"]
["You care for me so much, so you definitely won't refuse, right?"]
[The smile on Yu Luomian's face instantly froze!]
[Thunder Source Crystals were rare treasures!]
[Giving away one last time had pained him for half a year!]
[And this brat actually wanted another one!]
[Moreover, his words left no room for rebuttal!]
[I'm fighting for the clan's honor. As the Second Master, would you really be embarrassed not to offer a prize?]
[Yu Luomian looked at the gazes around him, especially the faintly amused look in his elder brother Yu Yuanzhen's eyes.]
[He knew the brat had turned the tables on him.]
[But then he reconsidered.]
[This was a 35th Rank against an 18th level, nearly twenty ranks apart!]
[What could Yu Xiaotian possibly use to win!]
[He felt Yu Xiaotian's chances of winning were less than ten percent.]
[Since he could not win, what was the harm in agreeing? He could even earn the reputation of being a generous elder!]
["Hmph! Fine. As long as you can win, your Second Uncle will find you another one!"]
["It's a deal!"]
[Yu Xiaotian smiled like a little fox that had stolen a chicken.]
[After hearing Yu Xiaotian accept, Lei Bufan excitedly clenched his fists, battle intent boiling throughout his body!]
["Good. You've got some guts. I'll be waiting for you at the Soul Fighting Arena!"]
White World.
Thunder Academy.
Lei Dong looked at his old man, Lei Bufan: ...
He then said, "Old man, 35th Rank versus 18th level!"
"You didn't really lose, did you?"
Lei Bufan smiled bitterly. "A challenge across ranks? I was the one who got challenged across ranks!"
Thinking back on it now,
Dean Lei Tian must have wanted to strangle him at the time.
Now the wheel had turned.
Only after Lei Bufan became the academy's dean of discipline did he understand how difficult things had been for the dean back then.
Kids these days were each harder to manage than the last, just like he had been back then!
Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Facing the strange looks from the other elders and disciples,
Yu Luomian had by now cultivated skin as thick as a city wall.
He calmly stroked his beard.
"What are you looking at? This old man was simply farsighted!"
"I used a provocation tactic to motivate Xiaotian's growth! And I even provided precious resources!"
"Without this old man's Thunder Source Crystal, could Xiaotian have advanced so quickly? I deserve credit too!"
Though he said this to forcefully save face,
when he looked at the Sky Screen, Yu Luomian still cursed inwardly.
"This damned Sky Screen! Can it show less of this old man's scenes?"
"Or show more of this old man's glorious moments!"
"Why is it all footage like this? Does this old man not care about his dignity?"
[Thunder Academy Central Soul Fighting Arena]
[The news spread through the entire academy in an instant, as if it had grown wings!]
[Before long, the spectator stands of the Soul Fighting Arena were already packed.]
[Yet the atmosphere at the scene was exceedingly strange.]
[The stands had been invisibly divided into two worlds.]
[On one side were the academy's students.]
[Their faces were flushed, their eyes filled with excitement.]
[In their eyes, Lei Bufan was their idol, a symbol of commoners rising to prominence!]
["Boss Lei will win!"]
["If we can defeat the Young Master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, wouldn't that mean we're even stronger than the main branches of the Upper Three Sects?"]
[This thought grew wildly in the hearts of the young students.]
[They longed to see authority shattered, longed to see a miracle!]
[On the other side were the academy's teachers and higher-ups.]
[Their expressions were uglier than the last, as though they were attending a funeral!]
[Dean Lei Tian sat in the corner of the VIP section, fidgeting uneasily.]
[An elderly dean of discipline lowered his voice and said bitterly to the teacher beside him, "What kind of mess is this?"]
["If we win, we'll be slapping the Sect Master's face. Will we still have any good days ahead?"]
["If we lose, does that mean our academy's teaching quality is terrible? We can't even beat an eight-year-old child! The Sect Master will look down on us even more."]
["This is a dead end!"]
["All I hope is that Lei Bufan, that blockhead, has some sense of restraint!"]
[The accompanying teacher was so nervous that his palms sweated.]
[Before Lei Bufan went onstage, he had specifically pulled him aside and repeatedly warned him!]
["Bufan, listen carefully. You can win, but under no circumstances must you seriously injure him!"]
["That's the Young Master. If you break his arms or legs, selling you off would not be enough to compensate for it!"]
[However, standing on the arena, Lei Bufan let the teacher's warnings go in one ear and out the other.]
[He looked at Yu Xiaotian across from him, who was not even as tall as his chest.]
[He showed no trace of contempt. Instead, his gaze was grave.]
["Go easy?"]
[Lei Bufan sneered inwardly!]
["The teachers are far too naive!"]
["That is the Young Master the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has poured all its efforts into raising!"]
["Even if his Soul Power Level is low, how could he possibly not have life-saving trump cards on him!"]
["He might even be able to block an attack from a Titled Douluo!"]
["If I dare hold back, I will definitely be the one who dies!"]
["I must go all out and treat him as a mortal enemy. That is true respect for a genius!"]
[Lei Bufan took a deep breath and activated Martial Soul Possession.]
["Crackle!"]
[Violent blue-violet lightning instantly covered his entire body.]
[Three soul rings, two yellow and one purple—the optimal configuration—rose from beneath his feet!]
[The phantom of a Thunderclap Battle Eagle appeared behind him and let out a piercing cry!]
[His battle intent reached its peak at this moment!]
Black World.
Shrek Academy.
Seeing this, Dai Mubai could not help frowning as well, putting away his earlier contempt.
He had thought Lei Bufan was merely a simple-minded blockhead.
Now it seemed the man had a brain too.
He said in a deep voice,
"This Lei Bufan is very strong. The ferocity of that lightning doesn't even lose to my White Tiger Vajra Transformation."
"Even as I am now, taking him down would probably be an even match!"
"The Captain of Thunder Academy truly has some skill."
Tang San, meanwhile, pushed his Purple Demon Eye to its limit and stared unblinkingly at the scene.
"Although Lei Bufan's judgment is somewhat overly cautious, there is nothing wrong with it tactically."
"When facing an unknown powerful enemy, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit."
"What concerns me more now is how Yu Xiaotian will respond?"
"I have a feeling there will definitely be a surprise this time!"
After all, their goal was the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.
Surely at this very moment, no academy team anywhere on the Douluo Continent would miss the match playing within the Sky Screen!
Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Yu Xiaogang said to Liu Erlong with a complicated expression,
"With strength like Lei Bufan's, do you still think Yu Xiaotian can win?"
Liu Erlong still nodded.
Yu Xiaogang's gaze dimmed.
Could it be that even Er Long no longer trusted his judgment?
An 18th level defeating a 35th Rank?
It was simply absurd!
Although Liu Erlong had slapped him awake, he still held to his own view.
He merely felt somewhat doubtful inside.
Twenty years had passed. Had Er Long changed as well?
Before you continue