Dugu Yan

Tang Qinghe saw that Tang San had stopped talking and realized he was going to cultivate.

After silently putting the things away, Tang San also sat down on his bed and began cultivating.

Time flew by. Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Tang Qinghe's spirit power had broken through to the thirty-third rank.

His Spirit Body had also improved a little, reaching the twenty-third rank.

That day, after eating dinner, he didn't sit on his bed and cultivate as he usually did. Instead, he took a shower, combed his hair, put on a black outfit, and walked out of the dormitory.

Tang San was surprised. Seeing that Tang Qinghe was going out to cultivate, he hurried after him. "Boss Tang, it's so late. Are you really going to cultivate?"

"I'm going to the Great Spirit Arena to participate in spirit duels."

Tang Qinghe walked ahead.

"The Great Spirit Arena?" Tang San was taken aback. Then he seemed to think of something, and his face darkened as he looked at Tang Qinghe. "Only great Spirit Masters can participate in spirit duels at the Great Spirit Arena, Boss Tang. Could it be that you..."

"Oh, while you were away from home, I broke through to the twentieth rank. Then I went to the Sunset Forest by myself and obtained my second spirit ring." Tang Qinghe smiled, his expression perfectly calm.

Tang San gasped. "Boss Tang, I thought you were only about to reach rank nine. You're a great Spirit Master now? You went to the Sunset Forest alone to get your second spirit ring? Boss Tang, you're simply more powerful than those born with full Spirit Power."

Tang Qinghe smiled without answering, then asked Tang San, who looked a little dejected, "Boss Tang, can I go with you to the Great Spirit Arena? I've just arrived, and I only heard about the Great Spirit Arena from the children at the orphanage. I've never been there."

"You can go, but the Great Spirit Arena isn't free for great Spirit Masters. It costs ten gold Spirit Stones each time."

Tang San was, after all, the young master of Jedi City. But aside from his allowance, his father only gave him one hundred gold Spirit Stones a year for living expenses.

One hundred gold Spirit Stones might have been a lot in some places.

But in a place like Heaven Dou City, where an inch of land was worth an inch of gold, it didn't amount to much.

That was also why Tang Qinghe had given Tang San his name.

Even with the academy's support, Tang San's monthly allowance wasn't much more than ten gold Spirit Stones. Spending a whole month's allowance on one trip to the Great Spirit Arena would be like cutting off a piece of his flesh.

Sure enough, when he heard that it cost ten gold Spirit Stones, Tang San's expression turned pained. But after gritting his teeth, he still said, "I'll go. At worst, I'll go back and ask my dad for more."

"Then let's go together."

Tang Qinghe smiled.

Soon, the two left the Blue Tyrant Academy.

But Tang Qinghe didn't head straight to the Great Spirit Arena. Instead, he stopped at a roadside stall, bought a tiger-mask-shaped face covering, and then continued on to the arena.

The Great Spirit Arena in Heaven Dou City was a grand building. Its overall shape resembled a huge dome, and it stood 120 meters tall. At its center was the main arena, surrounded by forty-eight smaller arenas. Together, they could accommodate tens of thousands of spectators, including several hundred private rooms.

It was a place dedicated to exchanges between Spirit Masters, and also where various forces showed off their strength.

Every Spirit Master Great Tournament, all the competing teams from the Heaven Dou Empire would gather here.

The spirit duels took three forms: one-on-one, two-on-two, and team battles.

Tang Qinghe filled out a registration form with his name, age, birthplace, and spirit. After paying the ten gold Spirit Stones registration fee, he received the lowest-level iron Spirit Duel badge.

Of course, he could have lied about his name and age, or even his birthplace.

Take his name, for example. He could have used a false one. He'd filled in "Black Tiger" anyway, and with so many people in the arena, no one would check.

At the same time, he also underwent a Spirit Power test to confirm his rank.

After all that, Tang Qinghe was finally able to sign up for the one-on-one spirit duels.

Tang San's registration was different. He had paid ten gold Spirit Stones, too, but the next time he came, he would have to pay again—unless he could win a Spirit Duel badge like Tang Qinghe's.

After signing up, Tang Qinghe and Tang San went to wait in the area for one-on-one spirit duels.

As soon as they sat down, someone nearby called out Tang San's name. "Little San, your sister's here!"

Dugu Yan!

Tang Qinghe's heart stirred. He turned to look at Tang San, only to see a pretty young woman walking toward them.

When Tang San heard the voice, he looked over. Among the people there was a girl with short, pale-violet hair. She looked bright and lively, and she wore a faint smile as she walked toward him.

"Is she from my academy, too?"

Tang Qinghe looked at Tang San with some surprise.

Tang San rubbed his nose, looking a little embarrassed. "Oh, Little Dugu is a famous figure at the Blue Tyrant Academy. She broke through to Spirit Elder at fifteen, and joined the academy team just over half a month ago. Boss Tang, you only know how to cultivate all day. You should try getting to know her sometime."

As the two talked, the girl had already walked up to them.

"You're also a student at the Blue Tyrant Academy?"

The girl named Dugu Yan looked at the uniform Tang San was wearing, her eyes revealing some curiosity.

"Yes, miss. I'm Tang San from class three, second year at the Blue Tyrant Academy. I have a single, offensive-type battle spirit. I'll be in my third year soon."

Tang San scratched his head, wearing a sheepish smile.

His friends were all girls, too, and they'd teased him for being such a hopeless little flirt. They couldn't help laughing.

As for Tang Qinghe, though he was very tall, nearly a meter and sixty centimeters, he had a rather youthful face and looked too young. The girl had overlooked him.

But Tang San's next words made her take a closer look. "This is my boss, Tang Qinghe. His battle spirit is the Battle Tiger, and he's a twenty-third-rank single, offensive-type battle Spirit Master."

"Hello, miss."

Tang Qinghe politely raised a hand in greeting, while giving Dugu Yan a careful once-over.

If he hadn't already known her background, he might not have noticed any sign that she was poisoned—even with the foresight he'd gained from crossing into this world.

But at that moment, Dugu Yan's condition was obvious to him.

Dugu Yan's eyes narrowed. She immediately looked Tang Qinghe up and down, then asked curiously, "You look so young. How old are you, little brother?"

"Twelve." Tang Qinghe followed Dugu Yan's lead and gave a false age.

Tang San saw that Tang Qinghe had lied about his age, but didn't expose him. After all, when he'd registered for spirit duels earlier, Tang Qinghe had lied there, too.

Dugu Yan nodded slightly, speaking with the air of someone older. "Then keep working hard. You've got three years until you're fifteen, the age when you can become a Spirit Elder. If you're only twelve, then that makes sense. Your talent is certainly not bad, but you're not a monster."

But Tang Qinghe's next words left her at a loss for what to say. "Miss, do you get weak, dizzy, and pale every ten days or half a month? Do you also feel palpitations and have cold hands and feet?"