When Dugu Yan and Ning Rongrong walked in, they immediately drew everyone's attention.
One was a proud, icy beauty, like a rose bristling with thorns.
The other was gentle and refined, with the innate bearing of a noblewoman.
Both possessed peerless beauty. More importantly, they had an air of detachment that stood out against their surroundings.
"Are you two young ladies here to watch the matches, or...?"
A middle-aged man who looked like a manager hurried over with a beaming smile.
Dugu Yan ignored him, her emerald eyes sweeping over the Soul Masters in the arena.
Ning Rongrong smiled. "We're here to find someone."
"Find someone?"
The manager stared blankly.
Just then, a brash voice rang out.
"Well, if it isn't the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? What's the matter? Couldn't hack it in some backwater place like Shrek, so you came running to us?"
A tall, handsome young man strode over, surrounded by a crowd.
His Soul Ring configuration was quite impressive: two yellow and two purple. He was clearly a Soul Ancestor above level forty.
Ning Rongrong frowned slightly when she saw him.
He was a minor noble from Heaven Dou City named Lei Dong. His Martial Soul was Thunder Hawk, and he had once pursued her, only to be rejected without mercy.
"Lei Dong, my affairs are none of your business."
Ning Rongrong's tone was calm.
"Haha, Rongrong, you've still got that same fire."
Lei Dong didn't take offense. His gaze swept over Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan.
"I heard you left Shrek. Good riddance. A trash academy like that doesn't deserve you. Why not join our Thunder Hawk Team? I promise—"
"Enough."
A cool voice cut him off.
Dugu Yan stepped forward, looking at Lei Dong as if he were already dead.
"Do you want to die?"
Lei Dong's expression darkened at once.
"What are you? How dare you talk to me like that?"
"I'm her senior sister."
Dugu Yan replied coolly.
"Senior sister?"
Lei Dong acted as though he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"You? An ordinary person without even a trace of Soul Power?"
The team members behind him joined in, laughing.
Dugu Yan smiled instead of getting angry. Her smile made the air around them feel several degrees colder.
"In that case, I'll show you."
Before the words had left her mouth, an immense wave of Soul Power erupted from within her!
Yellow, yellow, purple, black, black!
Five Soul Rings rose one after another!
When the two Soul Rings shimmering with the dim light of ten thousand years appeared, the noise throughout the Great Soul Arena fell silent.
Everyone's gaze converged on Dugu Yan.
A ten-thousand-year fourth Soul Ring!
What kind of talent was that?
Lei Dong's smile froze on his face.
His own fourth Soul Ring was only five thousand years old.
"Do you still think I'm making too much noise?"
Dugu Yan's voice rang out softly.
Before Lei Dong could reply, her first Soul Ring lit up.
"First Soul Skill: Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison."
A wisp of pale green mist drifted silently toward Lei Dong.
Lei Dong paled. His third Soul Skill, "Thunderlight Wings," activated at once as he tried to fly backward and escape.
But the mist followed like a shadow. There was nowhere to hide.
In an instant, Lei Dong's body stiffened. His face turned an unhealthy purplish blue, and he convulsed violently, frothing at the mouth as he collapsed to the ground.
Instant defeat!
A level forty-four Soul Ancestor had been poisoned on the spot without a chance to fight back!
Dugu Yan couldn't be bothered to look at him again. She recalled her Martial Soul and swept her gaze over the arena.
"Blue Silver Academy is recruiting two temporary team members. In six days, we'll face Shrek Academy."
"Applicants must be Soul Ancestors or above."
Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard it clearly.
The entire arena fell silent.
Blue Silver Academy?
This woman's power was truly terrifying!
A match against Shrek Academy?
That was the academy currently making waves, the one reputed to accept only monsters!
Two figures in the crowd exchanged glances, then stepped forward.
They were two burly young men who looked seven or eight tenths alike, their bearing steady and composed.
"We're interested," said the young man on the left in a deep voice.
Dugu Yan sized them up. They were both Soul Ancestors just over level forty, and their Martial Soul auras were of the same origin. They were probably brothers.
"Names and Martial Souls."
"Shi Mo. Martial Soul: Black Tortoise."
"Shi Pan. Martial Soul: Black Tortoise."
Defense-type Soul Masters? And two of them?
Ning Rongrong walked over with a smile. "We need teammates, not punching bags."
Shi Mo replied in a deep, rumbling voice, "When my brother and I join forces, we can attack or defend. Below Soul King, no one can break through our defense."
"Oh?"
Dugu Yan raised an eyebrow.
"Big words."
"Whether they're big words or not, you'll see for yourself."
Shi Pan chimed in, his eyes full of confidence.
Ning Rongrong glanced at Dugu Yan, who gave a slight nod.
"Good. You're in."
Ning Rongrong said.
"Meet us at the entrance to Blue Silver Academy at this time tomorrow. Don't be late."
"Once this is done, we'll make it worth your while."
With that, she and Dugu Yan turned and left, leaving behind a carefree silhouette and an arena full of stunned Soul Masters.
Six days passed in the blink of an eye.
During those six days, under Chen Xuan's guidance, Ah Yin gained an entirely new level of control over her own power.
She no longer needed to deliberately reach out to communicate. With a single thought, all the Blue Silver Grass across the academy became her eyes and limbs.
She could even condense life energy into a tangible form, heal wounds, and spur plants to grow.
That day, Chen Xuan brought her to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well in Sunset Forest.
"Teacher, this place..."
Ah Yin could sense two completely opposite energies here, yet they blended together perfectly.
"This is where you once underwent rebirth."
Chen Xuan pointed to the Blue Silver Grass at the center of the spring.
"It's also the starting point for you to truly become an emperor."
He looked at Ah Yin, his expression growing more serious.
"Today, I'm going to teach you how the Blue Silver Emperor truly fights."
"Your bloodline grants you unparalleled control and vitality. But an emperor must have more than the compassion to protect her people. She must also possess the majesty to annihilate her enemies."
Chen Xuan held out his hand.
"Watch closely."
A sprig of ordinary Blue Silver Grass took root and began to grow in his palm.
In the next instant, faint golden light shimmered along the edges of its soft leaves. They became as tough as iron and as sharp as blades!
"Is that... Sharpness of Metal?"
Ah Yin sensed the aura, uncertain.
"Correct."
Chen Xuan flicked his finger. The Blue Silver Grass leaf shot out silently and sank into a distant boulder, leaving behind a small hole so deep its bottom couldn't be seen.
"Everything has a spirit, and everything has its own nature. Blue Silver Grass may seem fragile, but when life energy is condensed to its utmost, it can imitate the properties of all things."
"It can become a blade, a sword, a shield, or a cage."
"Your people are your sharpest weapons."
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