Don't Associate with Mudfish

At those words, Yu Tianheng's expression instantly brightened with delight.

"Are you serious?"

Though several of his older cousins kept him down in the family, Yu Tianheng was confident he could defeat Dugu Yan.

As long as he beat her, he'd be able to get a foot in the door with Dugu Bo.

That could also play a key role in whether he succeeded to the position of Sect Master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect.

His grandfather was a Titled Douluo too, but the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect was a large clan with plenty of direct descendants.

Yu Yuanzhen couldn't protect him the way Dugu Bo devoted himself to protecting Dugu Yan.

Having a partner like Dugu Yan could save him more than a decade of detours, and he wouldn't have to worry about "steel wool balls" either.

He and Dugu Yan were about the same age—both fourteen—and both had reached level 31 Soul Power.

Since Yu Tianheng could already use Dragon Transformation on his arm, he was absolutely confident he could defeat Dugu Yan.

And Dugu Yan didn't disappoint him.

She nodded with confidence.

"Of course. Come with me to the Soul Fighting Arena after class."

"If you win, I'll give you a chance to pursue me."

It was only a chance, but that was enough to fill Yu Tianheng with excitement.

He spent the entire class daydreaming.

He was already imagining marrying a rich, beautiful woman, reaching the pinnacle of life, and succeeding to the position of Sect Master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect.

Dugu Yan and Yu Tianheng hadn't kept their conversation private, so their classmates had heard every word.

They wanted to see which of their two strongest peers would prove to be the top student in their year.

As soon as the bell rang, more than twenty classmates crowded around Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan and headed to the Soul Fighting Arena on campus.

"Come on, place your bets! Dugu Yan to win pays two to one, Yu Tianheng to win pays half."

"I'm in. Two hundred Gold Soul Coins on Yu Tianheng."

"I'm betting on Yu Tianheng too."

"Me, me! I'll put down a thousand Gold Soul Coins."

Dugu Yan and Yu Tianheng, now standing on the fighting platform, naturally saw what their classmates were doing.

Yu Tianheng's lips curled into a smile. He was clearly pleased that everyone was backing him.

Dugu Yan, by contrast, curled her lip in disdain.

She knew how formidable the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul could be at higher ranks.

But they were both Soul Elders. There was no telling who would win, and her Jade Phosphor Snake wasn't a pushover either.

Once everyone had placed their bets, Ye Lingling approached the betting table and put two thousand Gold Soul Coins on Dugu Yan.

"Then I'll cheer Yanzi on."

With that, Ye Lingling raised a fist toward Dugu Yan on the platform.

"Go, Yanzi! If you lose, I won't get any pocket money this week."

Dugu Yan gave her best friend a smile that said, "At least you have good judgment," then turned back, her gaze suddenly dangerous.

Clearly, her classmates' underestimation had left her feeling deeply insulted.

Each platform in the Soul Fighting Arena had an instructor assigned to maintain order and make sure no one was seriously injured or killed during a fight.

With those safeguards in place, the academy strongly encouraged students to take part in Soul Fighting and build up practical experience.

The instructor glanced at both sides, then announced the start of the match.

"Jade Phosphor Snake Possession!"

"Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Possession!"

A green poisonous mist and furious lightning instantly filled the platform.

The clash of green and blue had begun.

Once Martial Soul Possession took effect, Yu Tianheng, already a three-ring Soul Elder, saw his right arm swell into a dragon claw.

That was the source of his confidence.

Under normal circumstances, Yu Tianheng would have let Dugu Yan win.

But this match concerned his future, leaving no room for him to hold back.

Though he trusted in his Martial Soul, Yu Tianheng didn't dare underestimate the Jade Phosphor Snake Martial Soul.

He went all out from the start.

"Third Soul Skill: Thunder Fury!"

Frenzied lightning enveloped his body, instantly boosting his Soul Power by fifty percent and doubling his control over lightning.

As thunder crackled around his dragon claw, Yu Tianheng charged straight at Dugu Yan.

"First Soul Skill: Thunder Dragon Claw!"

Faced with Yu Tianheng's blindingly fast charge, Dugu Yan didn't panic in the slightest.

Two yellow Soul Rings and one purple Soul Ring rose beneath her, and she lit up her third Soul Ring.

"Third Soul Skill: Jade Phosphorus Purple Poison!"

A cloud of purple mist billowed up. Yu Tianheng, charging in with unstoppable force, suddenly lost his sight.

When he reached the spot where Dugu Yan had been standing, he found no target and abruptly came to a halt.

"Yanyan, where did you go?"

From behind and to the side, Dugu Yan found this amusing. Her opinion of Yu Tianheng dropped another notch.

Come on, we're enemies right now.

Did he really think she'd call out her position so he could attack her?

Getting no answer, Yu Tianheng—short on practical experience—started stumbling around in the poisonous mist like a headless fly.

Only when his head began to swim and his limbs grew numb did he realize things were going badly.

"Damn, this poison is potent. I won't last much longer at this rate."

"Second Soul Skill: Thunderbolt!"

The countless strands of lightning coiled around Yu Tianheng flared all at once, bursting out in every direction like bolts of lightning.

Dugu Yan, not far away, narrowed her eyes.

She tapped the ground with her toes and darted farther away.

Whenever the indiscriminate lightning came close, she released her First Soul Skill, firing several poisonous fangs to counter it.

After several seconds, she finally escaped the center of the lightning storm.

"Whew, that was close."

"Now you don't have any way to fight back, do you?"

They said Control System Soul Masters were the natural enemies of Power Attack System Soul Masters, and it was true.

Yu Tianheng's attacks were powerful, but if he couldn't hit his opponent with his vision blocked, they were useless.

After holding out for several dozen minutes, Yu Tianheng could no longer muster a shred of strength. His Martial Soul was forced back into his body, and he collapsed unconscious on the platform.

Seeing this, Dugu Yan withdrew the poisonous mist.

The scene on the platform left the assembled classmates stunned.

None of them seemed to have expected Yu Tianheng to lose, let alone so easily.

After confirming that Yu Tianheng could no longer fight back, the instructor immediately announced the result.

"Dugu Yan wins!"

"Yay!"

Ye Lingling beamed and went straight to the classmate who had organized the bets to collect the four thousand Gold Soul Coins she'd won.

The classmate wore the same expression as Ye Lingling. Though he had to hand over four thousand Gold Soul Coins, almost everyone else had bet on Yu Tianheng, so he still stood to make a fortune.

"Third Trial of the Snake God: Don't Associate with Mudfish—completed."

"Reward: twenty days of cultivation. All Soul Ring age limits increased by five years."

Dugu Yan paid no more attention to Yu Tianheng, who was lying on the platform asleep. She nodded, thoroughly pleased with the reward she'd received for completing the trial.

The moment she received those twenty days' worth of cultivation, Dugu Yan broke through to level 32.

The tangible, visible reward only strengthened her resolve to complete every trial.

Several dozen minutes later, after treatment from the academy's healing Soul Master, Yu Tianheng slowly regained consciousness.

He sat up and rubbed his foggy head, his face turning pale, then red.

After this, he'd never be able to hold his head up in front of Dugu Yan again.