Blue Tyrant Academy

He felt sharp pangs radiating from his ribs, and the coppery taste at the corner of his mouth grew stronger.

"Stop... stop..." Yu Xiaogang's voice grew weaker and weaker.

His consciousness began to blur. Only his instinct to survive made him shield his head with all his might.

The one-eyed bandit grabbed him by the hair and slammed his face into the ground. "Still dare call yourself a Grandmaster?"

His forehead struck a rock, and blood instantly streamed down, blurring his vision.

Amid the blood-red haze, Yu Xiaogang thought he saw Xu Yuan's calm face, Tang San's respectful gaze, and himself holding forth with confidence...

But those illusions were soon shattered by even heavier kicks.

"Boss, that's enough. Keep going and he'll die." One of the bandits saw that Yu Xiaogang was about to give out and warned him.

The scar-faced bandit spat and nudged Yu Xiaogang's limp body with his foot. "He's useless. No point keeping him around. Search him and see if he's got anything valuable."

The bandits immediately crowded around and roughly rummaged through his clothes.

They found the Gold Soul Coins hidden against his chest, the old bracelet on his wrist, and even took off his shoes to check them. In the end, all they found were a few silver coins and a broken jade pendant engraved with the character Yu.

"Fucking penniless." The scar-faced bandit cursed and casually tossed the pendant to the ground. "Let's go!"

The bandits carried off the stolen goods and disappeared into the distance. Only Yu Xiaogang's ragged breathing and the wind's mournful whine through the leaves remained in the forest.

After who knew how long, Yu Xiaogang finally managed to gather a little strength through the pain.

He struggled to roll onto his back and gazed up at the night sky, splintered by the branches overhead. The moon hid behind the clouds, unwilling to grant him even a sliver of light.

Blood still ran from his forehead, and his ribs hurt so much he didn't dare take a deep breath.

Yu Xiaogang touched his face. It was covered in sticky blood and dirt. He didn't look like a Grandmaster of theory anymore—not in the slightest.

"Xu Yuan..." Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth. Each word tugged at his wounds. "If I survive... I'll make you... pay in blood..."

At that moment, Yu Xiaogang blamed everything that had happened to him on Xu Yuan.

Ever since meeting Xu Yuan, he felt that nothing had gone his way. If Xu Yuan hadn't been there, he wouldn't have suffered any of this.

Yu Xiaogang struggled to get up, only to find that his right leg wouldn't move at all. It was probably broken.

The bandits had already smashed the carriage to pieces, and the driver had disappeared—who knew where he'd fled.

The howls of unknown beasts echoed from deep within the forest, sending a chill through his whole body.

Yu Xiaogang curled up on the ground and stared at his bloodstained fingers. Suddenly, he began to laugh. His laughter was hoarse and shrill, echoing through the silent woods like a wounded lone wolf.

All his life, he had pursued the truth and other people's recognition.

Yet in the end, a few bandits he despised had beaten him into a cripple and left him in this desolate wilderness, his life hanging in the balance.

"Maybe... Xu Yuan was right..." Yu Xiaogang's consciousness grew hazier and hazier. "My theories... were wrong all along..."

The thought had barely surfaced before he ruthlessly suppressed it.

No!

He wasn't wrong!

Xu Yuan was!

So were all those people who couldn't appreciate his talent!

In the blink of an eye, more than ten days passed.

Xu Yuan and the other two arrived in Heaven Dou City by carriage and got down at the entrance to Blue Tyrant Academy.

During their time traveling to Heaven Dou City, Xu Yuan and Zhu Zhuqing had grown closer and closer.

At God King Tang San's suggestion, he had given Zhu Zhuqing a simplified version of the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.

This had surprised Xu Yuan. He hadn't expected God King Tang San to let him teach a simplified version of the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to someone else.

Given God King Tang San's personality, he would never pass it on to someone who hadn't joined the Tang Sect.

Zhu Zhuqing was immensely grateful to Xu Yuan for teaching her the simplified version of the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. Combined with the fact that he had saved her life, this stirred other feelings for him in her heart.

But when she thought of her engagement to Dai Mubai, she felt she wasn't worthy of Xu Yuan.

It was the season when Blue Tyrant Academy was recruiting students, and many people wanted to study there.

Blue Tyrant Academy might not have been the best school, but it was one of the few advanced academies open to commoners.

The academy's entrance wasn't particularly imposing, but it carried an air of solemnity. The words "Blue Tyrant" were carved into the stone stele beside the gate in bold, forceful strokes.

A long line had already formed at the entrance. Most of the applicants were plainly dressed boys and girls, their faces full of nervousness and hope. A few wore finer clothes, but they stood quietly in line as well. No one dared show off.

"Wow, so this is Blue Tyrant Academy?" Xiao Wu craned her neck to look, her ponytail swaying gently with her movements. "It looks so big! Much more impressive than Notting Academy!"

Zhu Zhuqing stood beside Xu Yuan. Her long black hair was tied up with a simple wooden hairpin, revealing her smooth forehead. Her cool features had softened considerably since they first met.

Zhu Zhuqing leaned close to Xu Yuan and said quietly, "I hear their practical combat classes are famous."

Xu Yuan nodded, his eyes falling on the sign at the registration desk. "Let's sign up first."

The three of them shuffled forward with the line. Xiao Wu curiously sized up the other applicants and chattered away to Xu Yuan.

Zhu Zhuqing stood quietly to one side, warily scanning the crowd. It seemed she still hadn't fully let go of her vigilance after being hunted.

When their turn came, the teacher handling registration looked up at the three of them and pushed over three forms. "Name, age, Martial Soul, Soul Power Level. Fill these out."

Xu Yuan picked up the pen and filled in his information. Xiao Wu leaned over and looked at the Martial Soul field on the form, tilting her head as she thought.

She wrote down Soft Bone Rabbit, then entered thirty-one in the Soul Power Level field. When she finished, she proudly raised her chin at Xu Yuan.

She should have been Level 29, but Xiao Wu knew how terrifyingly fast Xu Yuan cultivated, so she had been working especially hard on her own training at the academy.

Zhu Zhuqing filled out her form quickly, her handwriting neat and graceful. She entered Hell Spirit Cat as her Martial Soul and twenty-seven for her Soul Power Level.

After finishing, Zhu Zhuqing glanced at Xu Yuan and Xiao Wu's forms, astonished.

Xiao Wu was actually Level 31, and Xu Yuan's level was... Level 38!

At twelve years old and Level 38, Xu Yuan's talent could be called the best on the entire Douluo Continent—without a doubt.

This left Zhu Zhuqing feeling somewhat inferior, as well as under a great deal of pressure.

The registration teacher picked up their forms. His gaze lingered on Xu Yuan's age and Soul Power Level for a full three seconds. His eyes widened slightly behind his glasses, and his fingers tapped unconsciously against the desk.

"Twelve years old... Level 38?" the registration teacher repeated under his breath, as if checking that he hadn't read it wrong.

The registration teacher then looked up at Xu Yuan, his eyes filled with scrutiny and curiosity. "Young man, you can't just write anything you want on the form."

Xu Yuan saw what was happening and said, "Teacher, if you don't believe me, we can test it."