"Zhuqing, why all the fuss? Don't tell me you're afraid of a little kid's clone?"
As Ling Chen spoke, his Peerless Domain unfolded. He had never tested whether fighting through his clones would strengthen or expand his domain.
At the moment, Ling Chen's domain couldn't quite reach Zhu Zhuqing, but if his clone took the initiative, it would be a good way to test his theory.
The clone's small figure instantly split into ten sub-clones, each with 10% of its strength. A hundred afterimages filled the entire arena in a flash.
Zhu Zhuqing gave a disdainful smile. She refused to believe Ling Chen's clones could do anything to her.
"All flash and no substance. Fourth Soul Skill—Nether Shadow Clone!"
Two Zhu Zhuqings, each possessing 80% of her original strength, appeared amid the hundred afterimages. Their hands became claws as they charged at Ling Chen's ten clones.
Zhu Zhuqing's clones moved swiftly. With the agility granted by her Nether Cat Martial Soul, even Ling Chen himself could only see their fading afterimages.
"Looks like I'm still too young! There's a lot I need to learn."
Ling Chen watched Zhu Zhuqing's fighting style carefully. Beyond the advantages granted by her Martial Soul, her agile footwork was another thing he needed to learn.
Zhu Zhuqing's clones tried attacking the afterimages, hoping to stop Ling Chen's clones from switching places with them.
But it was all in vain.
Something as ethereal and elusive as an afterimage couldn't be dispelled with simple attacks. These afterimages were created by light shining on the clones, a natural property of their ability. At their core, they were all light and shadow.
"By switching places with the afterimages, he leaves no footprints along the way!"
Tang San analyzed the situation with a serious expression. They had grown less suspicious of Ling Chen, but now... they were getting closer and closer to the truth.
"True. Clones like his wouldn't leave footprints. But Xiao San, what's his aim in doing this?"
Dai Mubai kept his eyes fixed on Ling Chen. He had never seen such a strange child before, and he couldn't begin to guess what was going through his mind.
Ma Hongjun's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Could he be trying to bring the dead back to life?"
At those words, Dai Mubai smacked Ma Hongjun on the forehead.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Forget whether he can bring people back to life. Most of the people in those four thousand graves are already bones. If you had that ability, could you bring all four thousand of them back?"
Scolded, Ma Hongjun scurried away with his arms over his head, while Ning Rongrong covered her mouth and giggled.
On the arena, Ling Chen's clones soon dispersed. That was all within his expectations.
The clones had already used up most of their Soul Power while traveling. Now that they were fighting, they were burning through it even faster.
Seeing the densely packed afterimages vanish in an instant, Zhu Zhuqing calculated that Ling Chen's clones had lasted for no more than the time it took to burn two incense sticks.
Zhu Zhuqing looked back at Tang San. Seeing his solemn expression, she sent him a message.
"He might have done it on purpose. We should take him back to Shrek Academy and let the teachers have a look."
Tang San couldn't tell whether Ling Chen was the tomb robber either, but he agreed that they should take him back to Shrek Academy and let Yu Xiaogang and the others assess the situation.
After getting Tang San's answer, Zhu Zhuqing walked toward Ling Chen. But after only a few steps, her face turned ashen, and she stared at him in disbelief.
"This is... a domain?"
Feeling all her attributes drop by 41%, Zhu Zhuqing was so shocked that her jaw fell open.
What did that mean? When her clone faced Ling Chen, it could only bring 39% of her strength to bear. What if she used a Soul Skill inside Ling Chen's domain?
To put it in terms of 100 points of strength, Zhu Zhuqing would first be weakened to 59 points by the Peerless Domain. Her clone would inherit only 47.2 points. Once the clone appeared, the domain would weaken it again, leaving it with just 19.352 points.
It was terrifying no matter how deeply you thought about it—or how little.
She had thought she was taking it easy on a child, throwing her weight around because he was so young. But from every angle, it looked as if Ling Chen was the one going easy on her.
"I know you won't let this go. Come on, let's go meet my future dean."
Ling Chen got straight to the point. He wasn't just a tomb robber who rifled through corpses. He had left clues for Yu Xiaogang and the others; whether they could find them was up to them.
He didn't want to see a one-sided slaughter.
The casualties on both sides would be enormous. Spirit Hall had sent a full ten thousand Soul Masters. Ling Chen wasn't saying he could wipe them all out, but he could at least deal Spirit Hall a heavy blow.
And from a moral standpoint, he had done his utmost. He hadn't started the Soul Hunting Operation; the most he could do was warn them.
He was only a sixteen-level child. Expecting him to protect both great clans with his strength—wasn't that just bragging?
"Future dean? After everything you've done, do you really think Shrek Academy will take you in?"
Zhu Zhuqing gave him a disdainful smile, but Ling Chen didn't care in the least.
"As long as there's no conclusive proof that I did it, I believe you'll take me in."
With that, the two stepped off the arena. After joining up with Tang San and the others, Ling Chen went with them to Shrek Academy.
The journey was uneventful. At last, Yu Xiaogang and the other two met the child everyone had been talking about.
"You're Li Tianyi?"
Flender circled Ling Chen curiously. No matter how he looked at him, he didn't seem like a child with a domain.
Yu Xiaogang impatiently pressed him back into his seat, then met Ling Chen's gaze head-on.
"I want you to understand one thing. No matter how talented you are, if your character is lacking, the Heaven Dou Empire will never allow a demon to come into being!"
Yu Xiaogang's warning was unmistakable. Ling Chen didn't back down; a fierce sword intent swept through the entire office.
"You really think I scare that easily? If the so-called Grandmaster is such a fool, all I can do is pity the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!"
For a moment, the two were at each other's throats. Flender hurriedly got to his feet to defuse the tension.
"Let's not get so heated. Come on, come on, we can talk things through!"
Flender ushered the two back into their seats. Tang San and the other four moved behind Yu Xiaogang and laid out everything they knew. Flender went over to Ling Chen and brewed a pot of tea.
Ling Chen immediately spotted a drawing on the desk. It showed a footprint that was an exact match for his own.
"Interesting!"
Ling Chen picked up the drawing, wanting to see whether there was any other evidence related to the tomb robberies.
But the paper felt a little thick in his hand. Without thinking, he rubbed it between his fingers.
At the sight, Flender and the others exchanged glances. They seemed to have overlooked an important clue.
Yu Xiaogang snatched up the two drawings and carefully examined the second one.
It showed Graveyard Mountain, the burial ground of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. The specially marked spots were precisely the graves Ling Chen had dug up.
Yu Xiaogang couldn't make sense of it at first, but Tang San, standing beside him, saw three words from where he stood.
"Spirit Hall!"
At Tang San's words, Yu Xiaogang suddenly understood. A storm of ideas immediately whirled through his mind.
What did this mean? Spirit Hall... tomb robbing... no, grave digging... Spirit Hall planned to dig up their graves for them?
The nature of the situation seemed to change because of Yu Xiaogang's guess.
"So this is your aim?"
Yu Xiaogang's brow relaxed, though his tone remained somewhat stern.
"No comment!"
Ling Chen first pointed at the ceiling, then held up three fingers.
Yu Xiaogang wasn't a fool; he understood. This sort of thing couldn't be discussed openly, especially when one of the parties involved was a child.
"Teacher, he..."
Tang San hadn't even finished asking when Yu Xiaogang raised a hand to stop him.
"I was only testing him. There's nothing wrong with him. You all go outside. I'll have a proper talk with him!"
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