The morning mist still hung over Heaven Dou Royal Academy,
and Chen Jieqi had already finished his meditation and prayer and was standing on the training grounds.
He had been away for only a few days, and nothing at the academy had changed. The Mimicry Cultivation Ground shimmered faintly in the distance,
the aroma of breakfast wafted over from the cafeteria, and a few lower-year students passed nearby, quietly discussing something.
Everything was just as it had always been, but he knew something had changed.
Dugu Bo had broken through.
He was now level ninety-five. The bottleneck had loosened, and he could see the door to level ninety-six.
And with the flight and regenerative abilities granted by the Blue Silver Emperor Leg Bone, that eccentric old man
could now wear Tang Hao down and defeat him.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
The holy light of the Heart of the Naaru flowed slowly through his body, gentle and still.
After returning from Suotuo City, he had not only broken through to level forty-four,
but he could also feel his Soul Power quietly improving over the past few days.
It wasn't much, but it was solid progress.
Footsteps sounded behind him, light and familiar.
"Xiao Qi!"
Chen Jieqi opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth lifting.
"Yanyan."
After Chen Jieqi took over as captain of the Imperial Fighting Team, Dugu Yan had finally stopped calling him her little brother.
Dugu Yan came over and looked him up and down.
Her dark orange hair glowed warmly in the morning light, and a hint of curiosity flickered in her earthy-yellow eyes.
"Did Grandpa... succeed?"
"He did."
She didn't press him for details, only nodded.
Pride flashed in her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it.
"Then why are you standing here spacing out?"
She turned and walked ahead, her tone as casual as if she were talking about the weather.
"Come on. Let's get breakfast.
Tianheng and the others know you're back. They'll definitely pester you for a spar."
Chen Jieqi chuckled and followed her.
"It's not like I beat them."
"Who cares about that?"
Dugu Yan didn't look back.
"As long as you're here, they have a goal."
The cafeteria was much livelier than the training grounds.
The Imperial Fighting Team's table was packed. Yu Feng was arguing with Osler about something,
while the Shi Mo brothers wolfed down the mountain of food in front of them.
Ye Lingling sat quietly in a corner, sipping her porridge.
Yu Tianheng sat by the window. His plate was already empty, but he hadn't left.
His fingers tapped restlessly on the table, as if he were waiting for someone.
When he saw Chen Jieqi enter, his eyes lit up, but he didn't get up right away.
Only after Chen Jieqi and Dugu Yan sat down with their plates did he rise and walk over,
moving so naturally that it seemed like he'd just happened to be passing by.
"Captain Chen, you're back?"
"Mm."
Chen Jieqi looked up at him.
"Have you kept up with your training these past few days?"
"Yes."
Yu Tianheng paused, as if choosing his words carefully.
"You weren't here, but everyone kept training."
Yu Feng leaned over from the next table, half a steamed bun still stuffed in his mouth, and cut in indistinctly.
"Boss Yu's been training extra every day. He's been even more intense than when you were here.
We're all wondering if something happened to set him off."
Yu Tianheng gave him a flat look.
Yu Feng shrank back, stuffed the rest of the bun into his mouth,
and wisely fell silent.
Dugu Yan chuckled but didn't call him out.
Chen Jieqi smiled too, but didn't ask any questions.
After breakfast, Yu Tianheng activated his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul to its fullest in the training room.
Purple lightning crackled around his transformed right arm, every muscle tensed to its limit.
"Again!"
He growled, slamming his right claw at Chen Jieqi with the force of a thunderbolt.
Lightning gathered at the tip of his claw in a streak of purple light. The air split with a piercing hiss.
Chen Jieqi sidestepped and raised Ashbringer in front of him, catching the blow with ease.
The lightning struck Ashbringer, scattering countless tiny arcs. Layer by layer, the holy light dissolved them until they vanished.
"Your power's steadier than it was last week."
Chen Jieqi lowered his weapon, his voice calm.
"But you still lose some force when you burst forward. Keep your control focused on the instant you strike. Don't let your strength leak away beforehand."
Yu Tianheng panted and nodded. He didn't ask, "How could you tell?"
This wasn't the first time. Sweat ran down his temple
and dripped onto the blue stone floor, where it quickly evaporated.
Yu Feng dropped from the air and edged over to Dugu Yan, lowering his voice.
"Boss, has Captain Chen gotten stronger again?"
Dugu Yan glanced at him. "What do you think?"
"I think... he's always been strong."
Yu Feng scratched his head and grinned.
"But this time, he feels different. I can't explain it. It's just..."
"Just steadier."
Osler had appeared beside them at some point. He folded his arms and spoke calmly.
The Shi Mo brothers exchanged a glance and nodded in unison.
"I think so too."
Dugu Yan said nothing, only watched Chen Jieqi's back as he stood in the middle of the training ground.
She remembered the line in her grandfather's letter: "That brat gave me a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone."
The little runt she'd protected since they were children had, without anyone noticing, moved ahead of them all.
"Alright,"
she clapped her hands, her voice clear.
"Stop standing around. Get back to whatever you're supposed to be doing. Xiao Qi just got back. Give him a rest."
Yu Feng wailed.
"Boss, that was just normal training. It wasn't a gauntlet..."
"I said take a break."
Dugu Yan headed for the cafeteria without looking back.
Behind her, Yu Feng muttered under his breath,
"Ever since Captain Chen got here, Boss has gotten more and more protective..."
A dull thump followed, as if someone had smacked him.
Chen Jieqi shook his head with a smile and followed her.
During the spar, he'd noticed that Yu Tianheng's Soul Power was nearing the threshold for a breakthrough.
He didn't mention it, only gave Yu Tianheng another look.
That afternoon, Qin Ming found Chen Jieqi in the training room.
"You're back?"
Qin Ming set down the lesson plan in his hand.
"While you were away, Yu Tianheng kept putting in extra training.
From what I've seen, he's not far from breaking through."
Chen Jieqi nodded slightly.
"I noticed."
"Mm."
Qin Ming leaned back in his chair and looked out the window.
"You know what he's like. He doesn't say much, but he's got something to prove.
Ever since you took over as captain, he hasn't stopped pushing himself."
He paused, his voice carrying a hint of emotion.
"That's a good thing. The team needs people like him."
Chen Jieqi said nothing, only nodded.
Qin Ming glanced at him, then suddenly smiled.
"Alright, I won't keep you."
Chen Jieqi sat alone by the window in the training room.
Afternoon sunlight poured through the lattice window, stretching long shadows across the floor.
He held a teacup in his hand but didn't drink. He only stared absently at the water's surface, the corners of his mouth lifting without him realizing it.
He remembered the look on Xue Qinghe's face when she asked him, "When will you be back?"
She'd lowered her head, her voice soft, the memorial in her hand left untouched.
Dugu Bo's breakthrough had given him real confidence in Heaven Dou City.
He set down his teacup and stood.
Outside, several figures were faintly visible near the gates of Heaven Dou Royal Academy. They weren't students. They were visitors.
He narrowed his eyes and made out two of them.
One had her hair tied in a ponytail and walked with a spring in her step. The other followed beside her, his hair a little longer than Chen Jieqi remembered.
The corners of his mouth lifted.
They'd come sooner than he'd expected.