Young Master Zhou, Walk Slowly

With the defeat of Ye Lingling, the Imperial Fighting Team had truly become the Imperial Insect Team. Qin Ming looked at the proud students he spent every day with, now all turning their faces away in silence, and felt a dull ache in his own heart.

However, this was no time for despair. He took a deep breath, straightened his chest, and gathered up the pain in his heart.

"Yu Tianheng, Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon spirit, thirteen individual matches, eleven wins, one draw, one loss..."

On the sofa, the body of Yu Tianheng trembled, and he lifted a face filled with confusion and helplessness.

Qin Ming continued, "Dugu Yan, Jade Phosphor Serpent spirit, nine individual matches, eight wins, one loss..."

Dugu Yan wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and also lifted her head.

"Osler..." Qin Ming continued to call out the names of his team members, then announced their records. As he spoke, one after another, the Imperial Fighting Team members lifted their heads to look at him.

Finally, Qin Ming scanned their faces, whether blank or silent, and puffed out his chest. "Imperial Fighting Team, team battles, five wins out of five. What a terrifying team you are."

"But..." Dugu Yan sobbed, "we lost, we..."

Qin Ming raised a hand to interrupt her. By now, he had fully regained his former composure and said in a clear voice, "We did lose, and we lost miserably. A team being swept seven-to-zero is rare in the history of the soul master world."

"But, we cannot negate our previous efforts just because of one failure... Do you remember what we said when we set out from the academy?"

The group looked at each other, all seeing the confusion in the others' eyes.

"This tour of the empire for soul fighting is intended to broaden our horizons among the soul masters of the world. We should treat this as a journey; everything we see and experience is a lesson. We must not be arrogant, let alone complacent. Cherish ourselves, and do not mingle with the filth of the secular world..." From the edge of the group's vision, Ye Lingling, shrouded in a black robe, spoke quietly.

Her tone was flat, as if devoid of any emotion. Yet, the group was suddenly enlightened.

The corners of Qin Ming's mouth curled into a smile, his eyes shining brightly. "That is indeed the oath we made to the school gate when we set out. It seems only student Ye Lingling remembers it clearly."

"Teacher, I was wrong." Yu Tianheng stood up, his face full of guilt.

Qin Ming placed a large hand on his shoulder and spoke gently to the group, "Everything we see and experience is scenery. The journey will not always be beautiful; there will be more difficulties and mundane, ordinary sights. But we must remember, no matter what the scenery is like along the way, we are already on the road..."

That's right, we are already on the road. We have won many matches; this is just one failure, it's no big deal.

Watching the group regain their senses, Qin Ming breathed a sigh of relief. The members of the Imperial Fighting Team were all intelligent people; they would understand the logic without too many words. At the same time, he shook his head and sighed.

He had indeed started with such a mindset, but later, with each victory and each compliment, he didn't know when he had started to fill his eyes with data and victory, becoming obsessed with it.

In the end, he didn't even know the immensity of heaven and earth, foolishly attempting to challenge the titans of the soul master world, harboring an arrogance that everyone else was drunk while he alone was sober.

Until... Qian Yun used victory after victory, as if slapping him awake with one blow after another!

Having sobered up, Qin Ming felt only reflection, with little regret.

After all, these were precious experiences in life, and he believed that after this ordeal, the Imperial Fighting Team would burst forth with even greater potential.

"Teacher, what do we do next? Go back to the academy?" Dugu Yan asked. Their soul fighting tour was nearing its end. Returning to the academy now was a decent choice.

Qin Ming shook his head. "We won't return to the academy yet. We will finish the remaining soul fighting matches. After returning to the academy, I require you to devote yourselves entirely to cultivation, striving to reach level forty spirit power for everyone before the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament."

"Ah..." The group was in an uproar. Level forty spirit power was no small goal for them.

However, they were all holding back a surge of energy, and given their talent, it was not entirely impossible. They all nodded.

"Teacher, we will definitely do it... By the way, that Amiga has amazing talent and is the right age, so he should be participating too, right? Hmph, when the time comes, I must beat him once." As soon as Dugu Yan finished speaking, Shi Tou's voice rang out.

"Right, beat him!"

"Beat him!"

Qin Ming watched the suddenly indignant group without interrupting. He quietly left the room, sorted out his thoughts, and walked toward the rest area where Qian Yun was staying.

In the rest area on the other side, Qian Yun, having removed his mask, was eating his breakfast unhurriedly.

He didn't have much feeling about the victory just now; after all, he had the advantage of knowing his opponents inside and out, and he had made targeted preparations in advance. If he hadn't won, he would have no face to see Bibi Dong.

Just as he was thinking, a light knock on the door sounded, followed by a servant's respectful voice: "My Lord, the leader of the Imperial Fighting Team, Qin Ming, requests an audience."

"Oh?" Qian Yun put down his knife and fork upon hearing this, frowning slightly as he thought, "What is he here for?"

However, Qin Ming shouldn't be the type to do something as shameless as "the small one is beaten, so the old one comes out."

"Invite him in." Qian Yun wiped his hands and hopped off the chair.

"Yes."

A moment later, with the creak of the door opening, Qin Ming pushed the door and walked in.

As soon as he entered, he saw the tray on the table and Qian Yun, who was looking at him with a pair of large golden eyes.

Realizing he had come at a bad time, Qin Ming looked a bit awkward. "Haha, haven't eaten breakfast yet?"

Without the mask covering his face, Qian Yun's appearance was fully visible. Qin Ming took a careful look at him.

The little boy in front of him had long, jet-black hair and delicate features, possessing a calmness beyond his years. His black hair paired with a pair of bright golden eyes made him look cute while revealing a hint of majesty, but it was precisely this lack of coordination that created a unique temperament belonging only to him.

Qian Yun stared at the tall Qin Ming and said indifferently, "Teacher Qin Ming, what can I do for you?"

Qin Ming looked at Qian Yun, who had dealt a heavy blow to the Imperial Fighting Team, and was surprised in his heart: "I didn't expect this Amiga to be even younger than Tianheng and the others; his talent is truly terrifying... However, his appearance should be quite to Lingling's taste."

Thinking this, he remained calm on the surface and said, "You don't need to be nervous. We are opponents on the field, but we can be friends off the field. I just admire your outstanding strength."

"Oh." Qian Yun narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "I have received your sentiment."

The subtext was: you can leave now.

If it were the usual Qin Ming, he would have said goodbye upon hearing the dismissal. But today, for some reason, Qin Ming seemed not to understand and instead said calmly, "Amiga, are you really representing Martial Soul Hall in the tournament?"

Qian Yun gave him a strange look, thinking to himself, Does this even need to be asked?

However, since Bibi Dong had not requested that he reveal his identity, Qian Yun shook his head: "I don't know what you are talking about."

Although Qin Ming knew the truth, the two sides had not explicitly stated it. His heart couldn't help but grow more eager: "Your talent is astonishing; you must be highly valued in Martial Soul Hall, right?"

Facing his evasive attitude, Qian Yun grew impatient, and his tone became less pleasant when he spoke again: "What exactly are you trying to say? If you are inviting me to join the Imperial Fighting Team, I can tell you clearly right now: it's impossible."

"No." Qin Ming waved his hand, hesitated for a moment, and said: "I want to know, have you heard of Shrek Academy?"

Qian Yun was startled, frowning as he said: "Never heard of it."

Although he masked it well, Qin Ming still caught a trace of panic in his expression, thinking to himself that there was a chance.

Qin Ming pulled a case from his inner jacket pocket and handed over a card, saying: "This is my business card. Although I am a teacher for the Imperial Fighting Team, I graduated from Shrek Academy. The academy's motto is 'Only recruit monsters, never ordinary people.' I think you would be interested. As for the other details of this academy, I can only say that I guarantee you won't be disappointed."

Placing the card on the table, Qin Ming put away his card case, ignoring the impatience in Qian Yun's eyes, and proceeded to take out paper and a pen to start writing.

A moment later, he handed him a letter. Looking at Qian Yun again, his gaze carried a hint of warmth: "I believe you have guessed it; the Imperial Fighting Team was formed by the academy for the purpose of winning the championship in the future tournament! You will be participating too, right? Then we shall meet again."

With that, without waiting for Qian Yun to react, he turned around, opened the door, and left.

After Qin Ming left, Qian Yun picked up the business card and letter he had left behind, reflecting on his words: "Hmph, whether I participate is not yet certain, but Shrek Academy... if I want my plan to proceed smoothly, I do indeed need to pay a visit."

Not long after Qin Ming left, the door was knocked on again.

Qian Yun looked up; he had truly become a popular commodity today.

"What is it?"

The servant's voice came from outside the door: "Sir, Zhou Qingtian from Rosen Bank requests an audience."

Qian Yun frowned deeply. He had long heard of this Zhou Qingtian; he hadn't expected to be sought out by him so quickly. However, now was not a good time to be seen in public, and furthermore, Qian Yun had no fondness for him.

"Not interested, I won't see him!"

"Yes."

Qian Yun's words passed clearly through the door to the servant who had been listening intently. Although he was surprised by the irritability Qian Yun displayed, the smile on his face remained as refreshing as a spring breeze.

He walked out into the corridor and opened another door.

Outside the door, a man with the appearance of a noble young master was standing sideways. He brought no guards, dressed only in a simple white robe, his back straight as a rod, his left hand leaning on a Tiger-Head Cane. This was Zhou Qingtian of Rosen Bank.

The servant looked at him, his professional smile tinged with an apology: "I am very sorry, Young Master Zhou, but my master is not currently available to receive guests."

"Oh?" No embarrassment appeared on Zhou Qingtian's face at being turned away; instead, the smile on his face grew even deeper: "No matter. Amiga has just finished a match and indeed needs to rest. It was I who was abrupt."

Zhou Qingtian said with a hint of regret: "Then I can only hope for a chance meeting in the future."

"I shall take my leave now."

The servant's smile remained unchanged, and upon hearing this, he bowed slightly: "Safe travels, Young Master Zhou."