Seated in the middle was a tall, slender young man in blue, with short black hair. He was not particularly handsome, and his expression barely changed, as though the muscles in his face had gone stiff. He gave off an unapproachable air.
Beside the black-haired man sat a young woman with short, deep-purple hair. She leaned against his shoulder, looking languid. Her features were lovely, and though she could not be called a peerless beauty, she looked remarkably spirited. The unusual thing was her green eyes, which lent her a somewhat eerie air.
"Yanzi, I heard our Imperial Fighting Team is getting a new member this time, handpicked by the three education committee members. Apparently, he was recommended by the Crown Prince. Do you know who it is?" asked a blond young man with charming, peach-blossom eyes. He was handsome, but gave off a dissolute air; it was easy to tell he was a playboy.
As he spoke, he crossed one leg over the other and whistled at a female student passing by. Her cheeks flushed, and she hurried away in embarrassment.
The purple-haired girl glanced at him with a look of disgust. "How would I know? And if you don't put that leg down, I'll poison you until you limp for life."
"No, no, I'll put it down! I'll put it down, all right?" After the purple-haired girl's rebuke, the blond young man could only lower his leg with a pained expression.
"Haha, Yu Feng's chickened out!" Seeing the blond young man lower his leg, the young man opposite him—dressed all in black, with blond hair and features as beautiful as a woman's—teased him gleefully.
"Damn it, Leopard, you got a problem with that? Come on, fight me one-on-one right now," the handsome young man snapped.
The young man in black curled his lip in disdain. "I'm not that stupid. You're a flying Soul Master, and I'm a ground-based Soul Master. A one-on-one match would obviously be you picking on me. If you're so tough, why don't you fight the captain? I'll be impressed if you last three minutes."
"You..." The handsome young man was at a loss for words, because he really couldn't beat the captain.
"All right, quiet down. You're squabbling over something smaller than a sesame seed. Instead of wasting your time, you should meditate and improve your cultivation. Learn from the Shi Brothers. They're the same age as you, yet their Soul Power is one or two levels higher." The young man in blue, seated in the middle, finally spoke. The Shi Brothers he mentioned were sitting on chairs in the corner of the pavilion, meditating cross-legged. Both had square faces, sturdy builds, and straight, broad features. Even sitting there, they gave off a steady, grounded air.
The blue-clad young man's words carried weight, and the two immediately stopped bickering.
The young man in blue continued, "But now that you mention it, I do remember meeting that new student a week ago."
"Tian Heng, how strong is he?" asked the purple-haired girl in his arms, curious.
The young man in blue shook his head. "I can't say for sure, but I imagine he's not weak. I happened to be passing by then and saw Xue Beng and a bunch of his lackeys lying on the ground, wailing in pain."
"Tch, what's that supposed to prove? Xue Beng's lackeys are a bunch of pampered brats who've never been through a proper fight. They were probably so scared they forgot to even summon their Martial Souls." The handsome young man curled his lip, clearly holding Xue Beng and the others in contempt.
"Maybe. But what really caught my attention was something else." The young man in blue turned his gaze toward another woman in the corner of the pavilion. She was dressed in black and wore a black veil. Slender, with waterfall-like blue hair cascading down her back, she had eyes the same color as her hair. They held no emotion, and she seemed to radiate nothing but loneliness and desolation.
"Lingling, the Soul Tool the new student was wearing looked very much like yours. If I hadn't seen you just a little while before that, I would've thought he'd stolen your Soul Tool."
As he spoke, he looked toward the black-clad girl's left hand. Beneath the sleeve and wrist guard was a blue gemstone, identical to the one in Lan Si's hand.
"What's his name?" A voice as sweet as heavenly music rang out. Ye Lingling's voice was beautiful, and beneath its hollow tone seemed to lie a hint of urgency.
These seven were the members of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's school team. (P.S. The Soul Fight between the Imperial Fighting Team and Shrek took place only after Shrek had undergone three months of special training with Yu Xiaogang and an additional month of team Soul Fights, so they wouldn't meet for another four months. Some team members' Soul Power would be one level lower by then.)
Team Captain: Yu Tianheng, Martial Soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Level 39 Power Attack System Battle Soul Master. Soul Rings: Two yellow, one purple.
Vice-Captain: Dugu Yan, Martial Soul: Jade Phosphorous Serpent. Level 38 Control-Type Battle Spirit Master. Soul Rings: Two yellow, one purple.
Team Member: Shi Mo, Martial Soul: Black Tortoise, Level 37 Defense-Type Battle Soul Master. Soul Rings: Two yellow, one purple.
Team Member: Shi Mo, Martial Soul: Black Tortoise, Level 37 Defense-Type Battle Soul Master. Soul Rings: Two yellow, one purple.
Team Member: Yu Feng, Martial Soul: Wind Bell Bird, Level 36 Agility Attack System Battle Spirit Master. Soul Rings: Two yellow, one purple.
Team Member: Osler, Martial Soul: Ghost Leopard, Level 35 Agility Attack System Battle Spirit Master. Soul Rings: Two yellow, one purple.
Team Member: Ye Lingling, Martial Soul: Nine Heart Begonia. Level 35 Auxiliary System Tool Soul Master. Soul Rings: Two yellow, one purple.
At Ye Lingling's words, the entire pavilion fell silent. The other six, including Yu Tianheng and the Shi Brothers, who had been meditating, all stared at Ye Lingling in astonishment, their eyes glinting with disbelief.
This was the first time Ye Lingling had ever asked about a man. Usually, she would not ask about a boy, let alone speak much with her fellow team members.
"Lingling, could that new student be one of your relatives?" Dugu Yan asked incredulously.
Ye Lingling did not answer, because her gaze had already been drawn to two figures in the square.
Following Ye Lingling's gaze, Dugu Yan and the others saw their instructor and team leader, Qin Ming, slowly approaching with a young man dressed in black.
His clear, dark eyes were as transparent as water. His short black hair was tousled, but it did not make him seem rude in the slightest. His skin was fair, and his build was well-proportioned and slender. Handsome without losing his masculine edge, he had a way of making people's eyes light up at the sight of him.
Unlike Yu Feng and Osler, the Soul Master World was dominated by Soul Power, and handsome men and beautiful women were commonplace. See too many, and one's eyes grew tired of them.
Yet the young man had a peculiar, unruffled air about him. As he approached, even Dugu Yan, who already had someone, couldn't help taking another look.
"Teacher." When Qin Ming came closer, the Imperial Fighting Team members in the pavilion, each in their own posture, all stood up and bowed respectfully.
"Everyone's here. I imagine you've already guessed why I called you over." Qin Ming smiled faintly, then turned to introduce Lan Si. "Let me introduce him. This is Lan Si, the newest member of the Imperial Fighting Team. Don't let his age fool you—he's a twelve-year-old Soul Elder."
P.S. Third update. Please vote for the story and leave monthly tickets.
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