Opportunity Arrives

Lu Fan and his two bodyguards found a lively late-night food stall with Qin Ming and the others.

Lu Fan and Qin Ming sat side by side at one table, while Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling sat opposite them. Lu Fan's two bodyguards stood behind him, their vigilant gazes sweeping the surroundings.

"Boss, thirty skewers of grilled soul beast meat," Qin Ming called out.

As they ate the skewers, the two of them chatted about their days at Shrek Academy.

Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, and Yu Tianheng quietly ate beside them. They occasionally chimed in, but most of the time, they simply listened to the two talk.

From their subsequent conversation, Lu Fan confirmed his suspicions.

The two girls were quietly eating.

One was a stunning girl in a green gown, with a trace of pride in her eyes. She was Dugu Bo's granddaughter, Dugu Yan.

The other wore a white dress and had a gentle demeanor and clear eyes. She was Ye Lingling, who possessed the greatest healing Martial Soul in the world.

"How has Dean Flender been lately?" Qin Ming asked indistinctly as he put a skewer of grilled soul beast meat into his mouth.

A trace of nostalgia appeared on his face. He had clearly remembered his days at Shrek Academy.

Lu Fan nodded with a smile. "Everything's good. Dean Flender recently made a fortune and earned several tens of thousands of Gold Soul Coins."

However, he did not explain in detail how Flender had made the money.

Qin Ming's face lit up with delight. "That's good! Still, with the dean's personality, it's truly surprising that he managed to earn so much money all at once."

Then Qin Ming asked, "Why are you here, junior? This place is quite far from the academy."

Lu Fan nodded, a hint of helplessness appearing on his face. "For certain reasons, I went home before this. Now that I have some free time, I wanted to return to the academy and see the dean and the others."

His words were half true and half false, making it difficult to distinguish fact from fiction.

Qin Ming said somewhat guiltily, "I'm ashamed. I haven't gone back even once in all these years since graduating."

A trace of self-reproach appeared on his face.

Hearing this, Lu Fan had an idea. A glint flashed through his eyes as he said, "Then why not come to Suotuo City with me, Senior Qin? After I'm done in Suotuo City, I also plan to go to Heaven Dou City to handle some matters. We can travel together."

Qin Ming considered it and said, "That works. I've been taking the students around to the Great Soul Arenas for practical combat training. Suotuo City also has a Great Soul Arena, and it was already among my options. I had only planned to go in a couple of years, but it won't hurt to take the students there early for a look."

The others continued eating their late-night meal nearby. Lu Fan and Qin Ming were the only ones really chatting.

"I wonder what your current cultivation is, Junior Lu, and what your Martial Soul is?" Qin Ming looked at Lu Fan with curiosity in his eyes. "Having cultivated at Shrek Academy for so many years, you must be quite extraordinary."

Lu Fan smiled confidently. "My Martial Soul is a mutated Purple Gold Flower. As for my Soul Power, I'm now a level 32 Soul Elder."

Everyone was shocked upon hearing this, disbelief appearing on their faces.

Lu Fan did not look very old, yet he was already a level 32 Soul Elder.

After all, Yu Tianheng had only recently broken through to the Soul Elder realm, while Dugu Yan was still at the Soul Grandmaster stage.

"May I ask how old you are this year, Junior Lu?"

Qin Ming's tone was somewhat excited. He had clearly been stunned by Lu Fan's talent.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Fan gave a false age. "Fourteen."

Fourteen was still easier to accept, but even so, it was already terrifying. At the very least, he had surpassed Yu Tianheng.

Yu Tianheng's expression changed slightly, and his gaze toward Lu Fan became more solemn.

He had always believed himself to be among the best of his peers, yet someone was actually more outstanding than him.

There are always greater people beyond people, and higher heavens beyond heaven.

Yu Tianheng thought to himself.

The other two girls' gazes toward Lu Fan changed as well. They had not expected to encounter such a genius on this trip.

Curiosity flashed through Dugu Yan's eyes, while surprise appeared on Ye Lingling's face.

For a moment, Qin Ming felt the urge to recruit talent. Looking at Lu Fan with eagerness in his eyes, he said, "Junior, would you be willing to join our Heaven Dou Royal Academy? With talent like yours, I can guarantee your admission into the first team of the Heaven Dou Team."

Lu Fan shook his head apologetically. "No, no. I have tasks arranged by my family, so it isn't convenient for me to join an academy for now."

Qin Ming could only give up, regret appearing on his face. "That's truly a pity. But it's fine. If there's an opportunity in the future, Heaven Dou Royal Academy will always welcome you."

Then he added, "Still, you're all the same age and have comparable talent, so you should interact and exchange pointers more often."

Qin Ming spoke with a smile, his gaze shifting between Yu Tianheng and Lu Fan. He clearly hoped the two could become friends.

Mainly because there had been some friction between them at the hotel earlier.

Qin Ming felt they were all on the same side.

It was better to resolve grudges than to make them.

Seeing this, Lu Fan smiled warmly at Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, extending his hand. "My name is Lu Fan. Please guide me."

The gentle smile on his face, combined with his handsome appearance, made it difficult for others to dislike him.

The two girls introduced themselves as well, their tones polite.

"Dugu Yan."

"Ye Lingling."

Lu Fan nodded, satisfaction appearing on his face.

His goal had already been half achieved. At the very least, he had met Dugu Yan. Next, he only needed to find an opportunity to contact Dugu Bo through her.

After their brief exchange, Lu Fan seemed to suddenly remember something. He took out a key from his robes, handed it to Dugu Yan, and said, "I assume Brother Yu was looking for rooms earlier because you didn't have enough. I can squeeze into one room with my guards. If you two don't mind, you can share the remaining room."

Dugu Yan smiled and nodded as she accepted the key. "Thanks. I'll pay you for the room."

Lu Fan shook his head with a generous smile. "No need. It's only a small amount of money, not worth mentioning. Consider it my treat."

Then he looked apologetically at Qin Ming. "Sorry, Senior Qin, but I don't have any extra rooms."

Qin Ming smiled and shook his head, unconcerned. "It's fine. I'm already very grateful that you were willing to give us one room."

Qin Ming looked at Yu Tianheng and said, "It's already so late. It'll probably be impossible to find rooms now, so let's squeeze in with them over there tonight."

There was a trace of helplessness in his tone.

Yu Tianheng nodded. Dissatisfaction showed on his face, but he said nothing.

Seeing that it was getting late, Qin Ming left with Yu Tianheng.

Lu Fan, meanwhile, returned to the hotel with Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling.

Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling walked in front, while Lu Fan followed behind them, his gaze moving back and forth over the two girls as if he were thinking about something.