The Teacher Above, Dugu Bo Arrives

Qin Yuan shrugged and took a training blade from his Soul Tool.

Activating his martial soul consumed Spirit Power, so ordinarily, Qin Yuan trained with this ordinary iron blade.

Lei Meng was on the verge of rage; he decisively grabbed a training blade from the nearby rack.

"Fine, you've got guts. If you dare use a soul skill, don't blame me for finding someone to deal with you."

With that, Lei Meng gripped the blade with both hands and swung it at Qin Yuan's head without mercy.

The teammates nearby watched with gleeful schadenfreude.

"The captain's proudest skill is his blade technique. This new teacher dared to belittle him in that area—it won't end easily."

"I reckon if the Three Education Commissioners don't step in, that new teacher will be bedridden for at least half a year."

Lei Meng's blade was fast and fierce; anyone else would have had to dodge its edge.

But today, he'd picked the wrong opponent. As fierce as his blade was, it was only for competition, while Qin Yuan's blade was meant for killing, carrying an innate murderous aura from the bone.

Qin Yuan raised his right hand lightly, with little technique or flashy showmanship—just an unadorned strike that easily deflected Lei Meng's blade, then followed up with a thrust straight at Lei Meng's throat.

Lei Meng had considerable skill in blade technique; after one exchange, he knew Qin Yuan was an expert. He didn't panic, retreating in a flash, his movements somewhat clumsy.

Qin Yuan didn't press the attack, giving him a chance to catch his breath.

Lei Meng's expression turned serious, all previous contempt gone, and he dared not boast anymore.

"This isn't right—the captain's at a disadvantage," the Fighting Team members found it baffling.

Qin Yuan stood with his blade, just standing there putting immense pressure on his opponent. He said calmly, "What, still want to compete? Your blade technique is no good!"

Lei Meng blustered with a hollow shout, "My blade technique is none of your business to judge."

He decisively abandoned the training blade and switched to his martial soul. "Third Soul Skill, Thunder Flash!"

The Thunder Blade bathed in a flash of lightning, its power magnified. With every swing, it was accompanied by peals of thunder; the blade cutting through the air left residual lightning that numbed the whole body on contact.

Qin Yuan's gaze sharpened. Faced with such a fierce assault, he didn't activate his martial soul, merely maneuvering the iron blade in his hand.

His blade strikes alternated between feint and real, making Lei Meng feel like he was punching cotton, losing all his steam.

The opponent's blade technique blended illusion and reality, and he couldn't figure it out at all.

Sometimes, what seemed like Qin Yuan's full-force strike would dissipate mid-swing. Other times, a casual, effortless blow carried boundless power.

After a moment, Qin Yuan gripped the blade with both hands and sent the Thunder Blade flying.

The martial soul clattered to the floor and vanished instantly.

The blade aura Qin Yuan had unleashed hovered above Lei Meng's head, while he himself stood calmly to the side, arms crossed.

Thud.

Lei Meng knelt.

"The captain surrendered? Who is this teacher?"

"But surrendering doesn't require kneeling, does it?"

The Fighting Team members buzzed with confusion, utterly baffled.

The next second, Lei Meng solemnly cupped his hands toward Qin Yuan, then performed a kowtow. "Master above, please accept this disciple."

His blade technique was a Family Secret Skill, and he had mastered over eighty percent of it, yet even so, he couldn't last more than a few exchanges against Qin Yuan.

Normally, he would have accused Qin Yuan of bullying the weak, but just now, Qin Yuan hadn't activated his martial soul and had only used a broken iron blade to easily defeat him.

Thus, Qin Yuan's blade skill was far above his own. Bowing to such a master wasn't shameful!

"The captain wants to take him as a master?" The Fighting Team members were stunned speechless.

It was well known that on the continent, tradition dictated one could only have one master.

Though many still took multiple masters, if they later wanted to take another, they had to get the first master's approval.

The Lei Clan was a ducal family of the Heaven Dou Empire. If Lei Meng voluntarily took Qin Yuan as his master, then when Lei Meng inherited the title, Qin Yuan would become the duke's master—a meteoric rise.

"Too rash and impatient. Go settle down. Taking a disciple? Hah, I'm not interested." With that, Qin Yuan turned and left the Training Room.

He had no desire to take on a disciple, much less tie himself to the ducal mansion.

Lei Meng, after all, still lacked some refinement. If today's lesson could wake him up, it would be worthy of Heaven Dou Royal Academy's hospitality.

"He... he refused?"

In just a few minutes, the Fighting Team had been shocked more than in the entire previous year.

Teacher Jiang scratched his head and explained with a dry laugh, "Mr. Qin, I apologize for not informing you beforehand. If I've offended, This Humble One..."

Qin Yuan waved his hand, unconcerned.

On the continent, there were many soul masters with blade or sword martial souls, but few with true mastery in blade or Sword Dao.

To see a junior with some skill in blade technique was gratifying to Qin Yuan. His impromptu guidance just now was done on a whim.

On the other side, Dugu Bo sought out Ye Lingling.

With such a major incident happening to Dugu Yan, how could it not alarm Dugu Bo?

The Three Education Commissioners had no idea how to track Dugu Bo's whereabouts, but Prince Xue Xing knew very well.

The moment he learned of Dugu Yan's poisoning, Dugu Bo rushed over.

Fortunately, with Qin Yuan's help, Dugu Yan had already turned the corner, leaving him with nothing to worry about.

Earlier, seeing Qin Yuan absorb the Sixth Spirit Ring beyond his level, he had conceived the idea of getting to know him. Now that Qin Yuan had saved Dugu Yan, he had no reason not to pay a visit.

However, just now Qin Yuan was sparring with Lei Meng, so he first went to find Ye Lingling to inquire about the situation.

After a brief conversation, he asked in astonishment, "You're saying that Teacher Qin has the ability to completely eradicate the toxins inside Yanyan's body?"

At Dugu Bo's loss of composure, Ye Lingling was baffled. "That's what he said. But Teacher Qin also mentioned that he would need your help to have a chance at a full cure."

Dugu Bo took a deep breath.

So that meant Qin Yuan had recognized this as a sign of Martial Soul Poison.

Logically, this was the Dugu Clan's greatest secret. Once an outsider learned of it, Dugu Bo would have to nip the threat in the bud. But Qin Yuan not only knew how to cure it, he had also saved Dugu Yan's life!

Dugu Bo was not the cold-blooded type. He distinguished clearly between gratitude and grudges, and repaid kindness without fail. Naturally, he would not harm Qin Yuan.

"Lingling, thank you for this. Old Man is looking into your grandfather's whereabouts; there should be a reply soon."

With that, he rose and left Ye Lingling's dormitory. "Rest early. Old Man is going to see Yanyan."

As dusk fell, Teacher Jiang arranged a temporary guest room for Qin Yuan.

But before resting, Qin Yuan went to Dugu Yan's dormitory to check on her condition.

The moment he entered, he sensed a thick, rancid odor in the air. Yet Dugu Yan on the bed showed no signs of a toxin relapse. Combined with the fact that the door hadn't been fully shut when he came in, he guessed someone had entered the room.

"Who!"

"Heh, you've got some vigilance."

From the darkness, Dugu Bo's figure slowly emerged, the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul manifesting behind him. Its crimson serpent eyes added a touch of sinister allure to the gloom.