A Missing Person Returns? Ye Lingling Takes the Initiative, and the First Spirit Ring's First Cry!

Monday morning, the air at Heaven Dou Junior Spirit Master Academy was exceptionally fresh.

But for the students of Elite Class, the atmosphere today was a little unusual. The "troublemaker" Yu Tianyu, who had made headlines on his very first day last week before mysteriously disappearing for two days, had returned.

When Yu Tianyu walked into the classroom, the noisy room fell silent for a moment.

Quite a few sharp-eyed students noticed that the already handsome young man seemed to have changed in subtle ways. His skin had grown even more crystalline and smooth, with a faint jade-like sheen. When his eyes opened and closed, a glint that made their hearts skip occasionally flashed in them.

It was like an unparalleled sword that had finally been drawn after being tempered by blazing fire and freezing ice.

"Brother Yu! You're finally back!"

Pang Hu was the first to rush over, his eyes brimming with tears as he tried to give him a bear hug. "You were gone for two whole days! Everyone's been saying you were scared of Teacher Sun's devilish training and ran off with your tail between your legs!"

Yu Tianyu held out one finger and pressed it against Pang Hu's chubby chest, easily pushing him away. "Run off? I just went to restock."

"Restock?" Pang Hu stared at him, baffled.

Before he could ask what Yu Tianyu had restocked, a commotion suddenly broke out at the classroom door.

A dark figure appeared in the doorway. She didn't enter the classroom, but stood quietly there, sweeping her gaze across the room before finally fixing it on Yu Tianyu.

It was Ye Lingling.

She still wore her veil, revealing only her cool eyes, deep as a still pool. In ordinary times, this inheritor of the Nine Heart Begonia barely spoke to anyone outside class, much less sought anyone out of her own accord.

The entire class's gossip-loving spirit instantly ignited.

Could the rumors be true? Had this Blue Lightning young master, abandoned by his family, really gotten close to the Ye family's young lady, who possessed the number-one support Martial Soul?

Amid the many complicated looks, Ye Lingling walked straight up to Yu Tianyu.

"You're back." Her voice was soft, and it was hard to make out much emotion in it. But the fact that she had spoken first was already a miracle.

"Yeah, I'm back." Yu Tianyu sat in his chair, looking at her at his leisure. "I heard you were looking for me these past two days. What, did you miss me?"

A wave of sharp inhales swept through the room. This guy had already teased Dugu Yan, and now he dared to tease Ye Lingling too?

Ye Lingling's eyes shifted slightly. She didn't get angry, instead giving him a careful once-over. "Your aura... has changed. You're more dangerous than before."

As a Support Spirit Master, her senses were far sharper than an ordinary person's. If Yu Tianyu had once been a raging fire, now he was like a volcano of unfathomable depth, a destructive force suppressed beneath a calm surface.

"Dangerous to my enemies."

Yu Tianyu leaned forward, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. "I've always been gentle with my friends, especially beautiful women."

Ye Lingling fell silent for a moment, then suddenly took a delicate little porcelain bottle from her robes and placed it on Yu Tianyu's desk.

"This is a Spirit Calming Pill made especially by the Ye family. Since you're all right, that's good. Teacher Sun said this afternoon's practical exam will count toward our grades. You've missed two days, and plenty of people are waiting to laugh at you."

With that, she turned and left without another word.

Only after her figure had disappeared did the class erupt.

"Holy crap! The goddess gave him medicine?! What kind of treatment is that?" "Why him?! He's just an abandoned disciple who can only play with fire!"

Pang Hu was dumbstruck. He picked up the porcelain bottle and sniffed it. "Brother Yu, you're amazing! You can't even buy something this good with money! The goddess Ye is into you!"

Yu Tianyu toyed with the porcelain bottle, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

This cold-on-the-outside, warm-on-the-inside girl was rather interesting.

That afternoon, at the Martial Arts Arena.

Just as Ye Lingling had said, the practical exam was especially lively today. Sun Buyu stood on the raised platform with the attendance register in his hand, his expression as stern as ever.

"Yu Tianyu!"

"Here."

Yu Tianyu sauntered out of line.

"Since you skipped class without a reason for two days right after enrolling, according to academy rules, you'll have to take a 'special exam.'"

Sun Buyu adjusted his glasses, a sharp glint in his eyes. "If you win this match, I'll not only overlook your absence, I'll also give you full marks for practicals this semester. But if you lose... all your credits will be deducted, and you'll be transferred to the Ordinary Class."

"Oh?" Yu Tianyu raised an eyebrow. "Sounds fair. Who's my opponent?"

"Me!"

A loud shout rang out.

A tall, muscular male student strode forward. He wore the uniform of an upper-year student, his arms wrapped in thick bandages, his eyes fierce as if Yu Tianyu had murdered his father.

"Third-year student, Wang Jingang. Martial Soul: Great Strength Gorilla. Level twenty-three Power Attack System Soul Grandmaster!"

Gasps rose from the crowd.

"It's Wang Jingang! That famous brute!" "A level twenty-three opponent against someone at level eleven? Is Teacher Sun deliberately picking on Yu Tianyu?" "This'll be good. The Great Strength Gorilla is one of the best strength-type Martial Souls. It's tough and durable, a perfect counter to a fragile guy who can only throw fire."

Ye Lingling stood at the edge of the crowd, her brows knitting slightly as her fingers unconsciously tightened around the hem of her clothes.

Wang Jingang walked to the center of the arena and rolled his neck, the joints cracking loudly.

"Kid, I hear you've got quite an attitude. You injured my younger brother as soon as you got here?"

Younger brother?

Yu Tianyu thought for a moment before remembering that the Wind Wolf Spirit Master he'd sent flying with a punch in the dining hall also had the surname Wang.

"Sorry, I don't remember hitting any random strays." Yu Tianyu picked at his ear. "You here to avenge him, or to donate your credits?"

"You're dead!"

Wang Jingang roared, and two yellow Spirit Rings rose from beneath his feet.

"Great Strength Gorilla, Possession!"

As his Martial Soul Possession took effect, his body swelled another size. Black fur covered him from head to toe, and his arms grew as thick as thighs, making him look like a hulking beast standing upright.

"First Spirit Skill: Diamond Fist!"

Without even testing the waters, Wang Jingang went all out. He pushed off the ground, cracking the arena floor, and charged at Yu Tianyu like a heavy tank, his fist howling through the air.

Faced with this powerful blow, Yu Tianyu stood perfectly still.

"Dodge!" Pang Hu shouted anxiously from below the platform.

But Yu Tianyu merely raised his head a little, a hint of disdain flashing in his mismatched eyes.

"A strength-type opponent? Perfect. I'll test out my new move on you."

The instant that enormous fist was about to smash into his face—

Yu Tianyu moved.

"Vmm—"

A deep yellow ring of light rose from beneath his feet without warning!

Its color was so deep that it seemed to carry a hint of purple, far beyond the range of an ordinary Century Spirit Ring.

Then a cloyingly sweet, nauseating stench burst forth, carrying the pressure of an apex predator!

"That's... a Spirit Ring?!"

"He's obtained his First Spirit Ring? But that color can't be right!"

The entire arena was stunned.

Wang Jingang's pupils contracted sharply. He sensed a powerful threat. But with his punch already in motion, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and follow through.

"Die!"

A cruel smile curled Yu Tianyu's lips.

He didn't meet the punch with his fist. Instead, he suddenly leaned backward, his right leg tensing like a spring!

Purple-black poisonous mist instantly enveloped his right leg. Within it, the faint outline of a vicious dragon claw could be seen clinging to his leg.

The energy of the Poison Dragon Factor was compressed to its absolute limit at that moment!

"First Spirit Skill..."

"Poison Dragon's—Spiral Maw!!!"

Yu Tianyu drove his waist and abdomen forward, his body tracing a bizarre arc through the air. His right leg, wrapped in terrifying poison and force, struck Wang Jingang in the chest with a speed that let it overtake the blow already in motion.

"BAM!!!"

A dull, bone-rattling impact rang through the Martial Arts Arena.

Time seemed to stop.

The next second—

The enormous Wang Jingang folded like a shrimp, as if he'd been hit by a speeding Spirit Guidance Train. His eyes bulged, and blood sprayed from his mouth!

"Crash!"

He flew a full twenty meters before slamming into the arena's protective wall and embedding himself in it, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The entire arena fell silent.

Everyone stared, mouths agape, at the young man in the center as he slowly lowered his leg.

One move?

A level twenty-three Soul Grandmaster, a Great Strength Gorilla famed for its defense and power, had been kicked flying?

And—

"Ahhh!!"

Wang Jingang suddenly let out a wretched scream from within the rubble.

The crowd looked over and saw that the clothes on his chest had been completely corroded away. His exposed skin was a terrifying purple-black, a sign that the poison had entered his body!

"What a vicious poison!" Sun Buyu cried, his expression changing as he hurried over to examine the injuries.

Yu Tianyu brushed nonexistent dust from his trouser leg, his expression indifferent. "Don't worry, he won't die. He's just got a few broken bones, and he gets to experience the joys of being poisoned."

He turned around, his gaze sweeping across the students, who were all frozen in shock, before finally settling on Ye Lingling.

"So, what do you think, Classmate Ye?"

Yu Tianyu winked at her, looking so nonchalant that you'd never guess the ruthless fighter from a moment ago was him. "Looks like I won't need you to give me medicine after all. But if you'd like to give me a post-battle massage, I'd be happy to accept."

Ye Lingling looked at him, the corners of her mouth curling beneath her veil in the faintest hint of a smile.

She didn't say anything. She simply walked forward and formed a Nine Heart Begonia in her palm.

"Go."

White petals drifted toward the unconscious Wang Jingang.

Only after doing this did she turn to Yu Tianyu. Her voice was still cool, but her gaze had softened considerably.

"Forget the massage. But... congratulations on becoming a true Spirit Master."

Yu Tianyu smiled.

He knew that the aloof beauty had begun to thaw.

And this was only the beginning.

Now that he had his First Spirit Ring and the body of a dragon, who else but Yu Tianyu was qualified to claim the title of top student at Heaven Dou Royal Academy?