Shui Bing'er

The Thunder Academy, their opponent in the third exchange match, wasn't putting all its energy into preparing for the competition.

Thunder Academy had been established with the support of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. It considered itself on equal footing with the Feng, Huo, and Shui Clans. The academy's dean was a direct descendant of the Yu Clan, as was the captain of its team.

Some time ago, these direct descendants of the Yu Clan seemed to have received some news and started acting strangely. They sent out quite a few people to search for someone important.

Thunder Academy's dean had little interest in the exchange match, either.

As a direct descendant of the Yu Clan, he knew that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Thunder Academy, and the direct descendants of the Yu Clan all owed their current status to Thunder Douluo.

If anything happened to Thunder Douluo, there was no telling whether the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect could maintain its place among the Upper Three Sects.

Unlike the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Clear Sky Sect, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had only one Titled Douluo: Thunder Douluo.

The clan's resources were heavily concentrated, and talented branch members were suppressed in favor of cultivating only direct descendants. The price of this was that if those descendants proved useless, the clan would have no talent to succeed them.

It had been the same in Yu Xiaogang's generation. There had been many gifted members of branch families and illegitimate children.

But they were all suppressed and bullied. Liu Erlong, for instance, had blood ties that made her a direct descendant, yet her mother's low status meant she was looked down upon. Despite her talent, she was still bullied and suppressed. In the end, her mother died young, and Liu Erlong left the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

This wasn't an exception. It was tradition.

The direct descendants would never give those from branch families a chance to surpass them.

In Yu Xiaogang's generation, the direct descendants generally lacked talent. The branch-family prodigies were also ruined by the suppression, leaving only Liu Erlong, who had left the clan, to grow into someone of real ability.

But the Yu Clan didn't care. If they were ruined, so be it. That was better than letting them grow up and step on their own children.

A perfectly reasonable way to judge others by oneself!

Thunder Douluo was what gave these direct descendants of the Yu Clan their confidence. A Titled Douluo could live for a long time, so the Yu Clan's direct descendants figured that it didn't matter if this generation lacked talent. They could cultivate the next one instead. They weren't about to let the branch families benefit.

Now that Thunder Douluo had gone missing, these direct descendants of the Yu Clan could only keep the news under wraps and search for him in secret, without letting the branch families know.

Thunder Academy's dean, Yu Yuanting, was sitting in a lavish office decorated primarily in blue.

His sky-blue robes were embroidered with the dragon emblem of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. His sturdy Beast Soul Master's build made him look especially tall and imposing, and he seemed both dignified and powerful.

Yu Yuanting wasn't particularly concerned about the exchange match. All he cared about was when they would find the missing Thunder Douluo.

In this dangerous world, going missing was as good as being dead.

Everyone knew what would happen to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan without a Titled Douluo.

Ning Fengzhi might claim that the Upper Three Sects stood united, but would the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect still count as one of them without a Titled Douluo?

Ning Fengzhi might even take advantage of the situation and grab a share for himself.

Thinking about it, Yu Yuanting tapped the desk, his head aching.

He was Yu Yuanzhen's cousin, and they were close, so he knew more than most. Yu Yuanzhen had gone out to seize the Soul Power Breakthrough Pills being escorted by those Soul Douluos from Spirit Hall.

With his strength as a Titled Douluo, he should have succeeded and returned long ago.

But there had been no news for so long. He was probably in grave danger.

Yu Yuanting knew this was most likely connected to Spirit Hall. After all, he knew Yu Yuanzhen had gone to rob them.

But knowing that was one thing. Publicly asking Spirit Hall what had happened to Yu Yuanzhen was another.

If he asked openly, he might not find out what had happened to Yu Yuanzhen—and could end up revealing that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect had lost its Titled Douluo.

Should he use the exchange match as an opportunity to speak with Qian Xunji in private?

If Yu Yuanzhen was still alive, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect could pay a heavy price to get him back.

He knew the odds were low, but they still had to try. Yu Yuanting understood how important Yu Yuanzhen was. The Yu Clan had to have a Titled Douluo.

But...

Yu Yuanting looked at the roster of competitors in front of him and sighed.

Element City, Thunder Academy, student dormitory.

Sikong Zhen had also heard about the exchange match tomorrow. After learning the levels of Xiang Yu, Dongfang Jing, and the others, he couldn't help being amazed.

Was the Summoner raising "pigs"?

Four "fat pigs" at once—what incredible wealth!

They had everything: Immortal Pills, equipment, and experience cards.

As for the other Heroes who had been left to fend for themselves—

Li Bai of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had become the talk of Heaven Dou City thanks to his immortal looks. His reputation was the highest among all the Heroes, and he had exchanged it for ten double experience cards and a pair of Rapid Boots. The Rapid Boots didn't just increase movement speed; they also boosted attack speed, helping him build up his passive more quickly. They were very useful for Li Bai, who needed to accumulate sword energy to unleash his ultimate.

Pei Qinhu of the Star Luo Empire ranked second. He had exchanged his reputation for four experience cards and a Master Force. Master Force was a very suitable piece of equipment for Pei Qinhu because it enhanced the damage of his basic attacks after using a skill. Combined with his skill set, it let him clear a battlefield quickly. When Pei Qinhu changed forms, his basic attacks and skills in human form were enhanced.

With the two effects stacked, his basic attacks dealt a lot of damage.

Third was Doria, who had gone overseas to Sea God Island. Somehow, this support Hero ranked third in reputation. The Mermaid Martial Soul carried considerable prestige on Sea God Island, especially since the Sea Witch had no descendants.

The Hero in fourth place was a bit unusual. Sikong Zhen even wondered whether Qian Xunji had made a mistake...

It was Yao and Cai Wenji. Those two had tied for fourth, overtaking the original fourth-place Hero, Xiao Qiao, at an astonishing rate.

Sikong Zhen only found out later that the two of them had gained their reputation in an unusual way. Not among humans, but among... Soul Beasts!

Cai Wenji had evolved into a violent poison healer and was leading Yao—the fake "Auspicious Beast"—around the Soul Beast forest, gathering underlings and seizing territory. Thanks to the unusual nature of Yao's Seven-Colored Elk Martial Soul, some Soul Beasts even came to join them of their own accord.

After learning the truth, Sikong Zhen felt he should never have come to this lousy Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.

Chapter 84: Shui Bing'er

This wasn't the first time Sikong Zhen had been left shaking his head at the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's absurd antics.

Ever since he'd awakened his Martial Soul and been sent to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, he'd received worse treatment than the ordinary direct descendants, despite being a genius with Innate Full Soul Power.

They even mocked and ostracized him because his Martial Soul wasn't the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul.

For a while, Sikong Zhen wondered if there was something wrong with him. Was he really a good-for-nothing, not worth cultivating?

Then he trained his Soul Power and beat up the brats who mocked him several times. He was absolutely sure there was nothing wrong with him.

The problem was that this clan was full of idiots.

After being suppressed and indoctrinated, both openly and behind the scenes, Sikong Zhen finally understood: this was a lousy clan.

Summoner, you've done me wrong!

If he'd known this place would be such a nightmare, he would've stayed in Spirit Hall or joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect instead!

But he'd already chosen his path, and could only grit his teeth and keep going.

He knew a little about strategy, too.

There was no hiding the divisions within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Anyone who looked into it would realize the truth.

It was only because of Thunder Douluo that the factions had never come to blows.

Without a moment's hesitation, Sikong Zhen handed Qian Xunji a list of people who resented the clan.

At the same time, he chose to pledge himself to an elder with whom he was fairly close and became his disciple.

The elder was quite old. Thunder Douluo was so distantly related to him that he had to call him "uncle."

Unlike the other direct descendants, the elder had lived through several generations and had a broader perspective. He understood that the clan's future prosperity depended on its talented younger members. Combined with Sikong Zhen's willingness to pledge himself to him, that was enough for the elder to protect him.

After that, Sikong Zhen enjoyed a brief period of peace. He trained and steadily hunted Soul Beasts for Soul Rings.

When his Soul Power reached level fifteen, he applied to study at the intermediate Soul Master academy affiliated with Thunder Academy.

During his time at Thunder Academy, Sikong Zhen attracted attention because of his ties to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

But not for long.

They soon realized that the direct descendants, like Yu Tianxin, received far more attention than Sikong Zhen, and stopped paying him much mind.

Once their eyes were off him, Sikong Zhen officially began putting his plans into motion.

He was a Hero who was well-rounded in both combat and strategy.

His arrival at Thunder Academy hadn't been a spur-of-the-moment decision. He'd planned it long ago.

He had already earned the elder's trust.

But the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was full of people, and the trust of a single elder wasn't enough to let him do much. At best, he could enjoy the treatment given to an ordinary genius.

To find a way forward, he had to leave the clan. Thunder Academy, supported by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, was an ideal opportunity.

Although the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan controlled it, it was still an academy.

Its students came from all over, and all sorts of people studied there. They were talented, and they were nobles—a natural pool of resources and talent.

Sikong Zhen was very satisfied with the place...

Meanwhile, at Skywater Academy in Element City—

Shui Bing'er had just returned from hunting Soul Rings with her younger sister, Shui Yue'er, and her junior schoolmates Zhen Ji and Wang Zhaojun. She had barely stepped down from the carriage and entered the academy when she learned what had happened during the two days she'd been away.

After traveling nonstop without getting enough rest, Shui Bing'er was exhausted. When she heard that Skywater Academy had lost its exchange match—and that one person had defeated all seven of their fighters—anger flashed across her usually proud, cool, and beautiful face.

She had always taken pride in Skywater Academy, trained hard, and wanted more than anything to become captain of the Skywater Academy Team.

Now she'd suddenly learned that the Skywater Team had lost. Naturally, she was unwilling to accept it.

But the result—a single fighter defeating all seven...

Reason told her that Spirit Hall hadn't won by luck, and that Skywater Academy hadn't suffered an undeserved defeat.

Yet in reality, she still felt resentful and suspicious.

After learning the whole story, Shui Bing'er decided to watch Thunder Academy's match.

If she didn't see it with her own eyes, she really wouldn't be able to sleep at night.