"Wang Xian!"
Hearing someone call his name, Wang Xian turned around and looked back, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes.
The one calling him was Dugu Yan, with Ye Lingling standing beside her.
Seeing Wang Xian stop, Dugu Yan pulled Ye Lingling along and hurried over.
She wore a fitted purple outfit, her short hair slightly tousled by the wind, excitement written plainly across her face.
"Wang Xian, I never expected you to be so strong." Dugu Yan ran up to him and looked him over, her tone filled with surprise.
Ye Lingling, standing beside her, also stared intently at Wang Xian. There was a different sort of light in her cool eyes.
Wang Xian realized that the two of them must have been watching the match from the stands as well.
He smiled slightly. "It's been a while, you two. I didn't expect you to be in the spectator seats earlier too."
"Lingling and I came to take part in two-on-two Soul Fighting. We were competing in a two-person match and had already finished."
"When we came out, we saw so many people rushing toward a Soul Fighting Arena. After asking around and finding out it was your match, we followed them over to watch."
Dugu Yan explained, her eyes sparkling brightly.
"Your Blue Silver Grass was way too powerful, wasn't it? It could turn into shields and hammers, and it even sent a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon flying with a lash. It's my first time seeing anyone fight like that."
"Heh, my opponent was just relatively weak." Wang Xian smiled faintly.
Dugu Yan rolled her eyes at him. "Your opponent wasn't weak at all. An eighteenth-level Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon—anyone else would have been electrocuted into a skewer long ago."
Wang Xian simply smiled and said nothing.
Dugu Yan suddenly changed the subject, her tone becoming much lighter. "Oh, right. You helped Lingling last time, and we still haven't properly thanked you."
"Since we happened to run into you today, how about we have a meal together? My treat." She extended the invitation with a generous, natural smile.
Wang Xian did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked at Ye Lingling.
Ye Lingling was somewhat shy, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks, but she still nodded firmly and said softly, "Mm, let's go together."
"Alright. Since you two have invited me, let's have a meal together." Wang Xian no longer declined.
Dugu Yan happily clapped her hands, then turned and led the two of them toward the busiest street in the city center.
Along the way, she walked at the front, her strides quick and broad, occasionally turning back to say a few words to Wang Xian.
Ye Lingling quietly walked in the middle. Every now and then, she would glance up at Wang Xian before quickly lowering her head again.
Before long, the three of them arrived in front of an imposing restaurant.
The restaurant was called the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion. It stood four stories tall, with upturned eaves, carved beams, painted rafters, and two stone lions at the entrance. A gilded signboard hung above the door; it was clearly not a place ordinary people could afford.
Dugu Yan entered as though she knew the place well and greeted the manager. The moment he saw her, he hurriedly put on a smile and personally led the three of them to a private room on the second floor.
The private room was not large, but it was elegantly furnished. The street could be seen through the window, a clean tablecloth covered the table, and a vase of fresh flowers sat atop it.
After the three sat down, Dugu Yan picked up the menu and skillfully ordered an entire table of dishes. Then she set the menu down, propped her chin on both hands, and looked at Wang Xian.
"Wang Xian, which academy are you from? You're so young, yet your Soul Power is already this high. You can't have been studying at home, right?"
Wang Xian lifted his teacup and took a sip. "Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy."
"What?" Dugu Yan's eyes widened at once as she leaned forward. "You're from Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy too? Lingling and I are as well! How have I never seen you before?"
"I only enrolled a few days ago, so it's normal that you haven't seen me." Wang Xian explained.
"No wonder." Dugu Yan suddenly understood, then smiled. "That's wonderful. We'll be able to see each other often at the academy from now on."
"Which class are you in? Lingling and I are both second-years. You should be in a freshman class, right?"
Wang Xian nodded and told her his class number.
The three chatted as they ate. Dugu Yan had an outgoing personality and was quite talkative, so she quickly grew familiar with Wang Xian.
Though Ye Lingling did not speak much, she was no longer as reserved as before. Occasionally, she would add a sentence or two, her voice soft and gentle.
Wang Xian was naturally good at conversation, and he deliberately sought to draw closer to them. By the end of the meal, most of the distance between the three had disappeared.
"Tomorrow at noon, let's eat together in the academy cafeteria." Dugu Yan set down her chopsticks and looked at Wang Xian with a bright smile, then turned to Ye Lingling. "Lingling, what do you think?"
Ye Lingling pressed her lips together and softly murmured, "Mm."
"Then it's settled." Dugu Yan made the final decision.
Wang Xian agreed with a smile.
It was already getting late. The three left the restaurant, and since Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling lived in the opposite direction from Wang Xian, they said their goodbyes at the intersection and went their separate ways.
Wang Xian walked along the road back to the academy as the night breeze blew toward him, carrying a trace of chill.
He looked up at the evening glow on the horizon, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.
This trip had not only earned him a victory, but also connected him with Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling. It was an unexpected gain.
In the blink of an eye, two months passed. Ever since that meal with Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, the relationship among the three had rapidly grown closer.
Whenever they met at the academy, they often chatted and ate together.
Later, they would also go together to the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena to watch matches.
Wang Xian was handsome and had a good personality. After spending so many days together, their relationship could already be described as inseparable.
Whether at the academy or outside, the three of them did most things together.
Ye Lingling, who had originally been rather shy, was now able to converse normally after spending time with them.
Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy, teaching building.
The dismissal bell rang, and Wang Xian immediately left the classroom, intending to head to the Soul Fighting Arena.
When he reached the ground floor of the teaching building, Dugu Yan below immediately waved at him.
Wang Xian walked over with a smile as well.
"Yanzi, Lingling, sorry to keep you waiting." Wang Xian said with a smile.
Ye Lingling smiled and shook her head, indicating that they had not waited long.
Dugu Yan directly grabbed his hand. "Xiao Xian, hurry up. Lingling's and my two-person Soul Fighting match is about to begin."
"Alright, alright, don't rush." Wang Xian said with a laugh.
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling had formed a team long ago and had achieved quite good results at the Great Soul Arena.
The reason the two of them did not team up with Wang Xian was that there were cultivation restrictions for two-person Soul Fighting teams.
Both of them were already Soul Grandmasters, one at level twenty-six and the other at level twenty-two, so naturally they could not team up with Wang Xian.
After leaving Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy, the three made their way once again to the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena with practiced ease.
However, they did not head to the public waiting room. Instead, under the guidance of a staff member, they went to a private waiting room.
After such a long stretch of battles, Wang Xian had already achieved more than sixty consecutive victories.
He was one of the hottest and most popular competitors in the entire Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena.
Naturally, the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena had greatly improved his treatment, and Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling benefited from it as well.
Before you continue