What a disgrace to the teaching profession. They've brought shame on their academy!
Qin Yuan sneered inwardly.
Once they were caught red-handed, Gutang Academy would be finished. It might even have all its results in this year's tournament annulled.
For an advanced Soul Master Academy still finding its feet, being saddled with these two worthless teachers was truly unfortunate.
Of course, Qin Yuan would show no mercy.
If he hadn't kept his wits about him, that misfortune would have fallen on the Imperial Fighting Team when tomorrow's match began.
He remained beneath the balcony, listening to the two men talk so he could uncover more details and assemble a complete chain of evidence.
In any other city, he would have killed them already. But this was sacred ground to the Soul Master World, and as a Soul Master himself, he knew he could not act recklessly.
Especially during the Soul Master Tournament. Any deaths would implicate every team competing for the Heaven Dou Empire.
Wang and Huang saw the lights go out in the Imperial Fighting Team's room. Coupled with what they had seen earlier, they were certain the team had eaten the food.
Now all they had to do was wait for the drug to take effect.
Drugging an opponent was a despicable tactic, but anything was worth it if it won their Battle Team tomorrow's match. Besides, what could anyone do if the trail never led back to them?
To avoid arousing the Organizing Committee's patrols, the two men gathered their things and hurried back to their Battle Team's hotel.
Qin Yuan followed them, using Treading Snow Without Trace. Light as windblown catkins, he tracked them through the quiet streets without being noticed.
To prevent the academy Battle Teams from the two empires from fighting in private, Spirit Hall had housed them on separate streets several kilometers apart.
The two Gutang Team teachers were unfamiliar with Spirit City's layout. With the streetlights going out one by one in the depths of night, they inevitably took a wrong turn.
Suddenly, an evening breeze swept past. Both men looked up, their gazes turning wary.
Someone had appeared in the alley ahead without their noticing. The figure wore a bamboo hat and dark gray night clothes, an otherwise unremarkable sight.
Yet the figure's aura was overwhelming. Simply standing there was enough to put them under immense pressure.
Blocking their path at this moment could be no coincidence.
Huang stepped forward and cupped his fists. "Who are you? This is Spirit City. If you have no business with us, we'll be on our way."
A low voice came from beneath the bamboo hat. "You're not going anywhere!"
Qin Yuan pulled his hat lower, keeping his face hidden. The Flame War Blade appeared in his hand.
A spark lit the black alley. The next instant, fire "swallowed" the blade. A breeze sent waves of scorching heat across their cheeks, stinging them like burns.
The flames illuminated the alley, casting the silhouette of a wandering swordsman against its walls.
This was Qin Yuan's disguise. He had worn the same outfit before Bibi Dong and Ghost Douluo, so if they noticed his appearance, they would likely connect it to him and avoid any misjudgment.
His movements were so light that he had long since shaken the watchers Spirit Hall had assigned to him.
"He's strong!"
Huang and Wang exchanged a glance and summoned their Martial Souls at the same time.
If they had nothing to hide, they could have used their Soul Skills, made a commotion in the street, and drawn the City Guard.
But they had drugged the Imperial Fighting Team and then turned up in this part of the city. If caught, they would have a hard time explaining themselves.
Their faces darkened. They seemed to understand why this man had appeared.
We can't let him catch us!
Both men were Soul Kings, yet before Qin Yuan, it was as if every move had been taken from them. Neither dared act, afraid the next instant would be his last.
The Battle Blade scraped against the paving stones with a faint, repeated rasp. Under its scorching heat, the stones seemed to melt, leaving a fiery slash across the ground.
To the two men, Qin Yuan seemed like a demon from hell come to claim their lives. The faint, looming presence of Divine Slaughter's Domain robbed them of the will to resist.
Only when Qin Yuan brought his blade down did they belatedly react, summoning their Martial Souls to block.
Their Martial Souls were a Giant Bear and a Demon Wolf. The Giant Bear Soul Master endured the blade's searing flames and struggled desperately to pin it down.
The Demon Wolf Soul Master struck from the flank, aiming straight for Qin Yuan's vitals.
By unspoken agreement, neither side dared use a Soul Skill. But Qin Yuan's masterful swordsmanship was no mere decoration!
He did not even bother wrenching his Battle Blade free. With a slight exertion, the flames on the Battle Blade condensed into Blade Aura, surging forward like a rainbow piercing the sky and forcing the Giant Bear Soul Master back again and again.
The Blade Aura streaked through the night. It looked certain to strike a nearby apartment building, but vanished into thin air midway.
The Demon Wolf Soul Master had already closed in. His right hand became a claw, and he lunged for Qin Yuan's heart.
Qin Yuan was light on his feet. An evening breeze drifted in, and his body seemed to be "blown" aside, easily evading the fatal strike.
He reversed his grip. The blade brushed lightly past his arm, then swept down in a slash.
To the Demon Wolf Soul Master's horror, the Flame War Blade came at him from an impossible angle. It moved so fast that it severed one of his arms.
Pain lanced through the stump, leaving him momentarily unable to resist. Qin Yuan kicked him away, then surged forward.
The Battle Blade left a fiery red trail in the dark. Gripping its hilt with both hands, Qin Yuan raised it overhead.
Flames blazed along the blade like a crimson sun. The Battle Blade swelled to an enormous size, as though he had entered his Martial Soul Avatar state, nearly filling the entire alley.
He brought it down with force. The Giant Bear Soul Master could no longer resist and was grievously wounded by the Blade Aura.
Qin Yuan put away his blade and stood still. A straight, fiery slash remained across the alley's paving stones, refusing to fade.
He grabbed each man by the collar, intending to hand them over to the Organizing Committee.
As soon as he stepped out of the alley, Spirit City's guards surrounded him.
Though he had used no Soul Skills, the commotion had been terrifying. In the stillness of the night, it was impossible to miss.
The City Guard soldiers made no rash moves. They gripped their spears and watched Qin Yuan and the two men he held with nervous eyes.
The Giant Bear and Demon Wolf Soul Masters acted as though they had found a lifeline. "Save us! We're teachers from the Gutang Team! This thug attacked us!"
A middle-aged man stepped out from among the City Guard. He gave Qin Yuan a slight nod, then ordered his men to take the two teachers into custody.
Finally, he said to Qin Yuan, "We'll give you an answer you're satisfied with, Mr. Qin."
With that, the City Guard withdrew.
Qin Yuan was puzzled.
He had shaken his watchers, and with his current disguise, no one but Bibi Dong and Ghost Douluo should have recognized him.
Yet he had fought inside the city, and the City Guard had let him off that easily?
Or had Bibi Dong arranged special treatment for him?
He was still puzzled, but the answer soon became clear.
"So it's you, Your Excellency Ghost Douluo. It's been a long time."
Qin Yuan cupped his fists and removed his disguise, his expression as calm and composed as ever.
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