Ye Lingling hesitated and did not move. She looked at her close friend as if asking, Are you sure?
Do you even know who he is before going?
And wasn't he apparently here for you? Yet you were just charging straight at him?
Dugu Yan seemed to understand the meaning in her eyes. She waved dismissively. "What's there to fear? If he can cultivate at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he can't be that old."
"I'd like to see just how many heads he has, and where he gets the nerve! He even dared to set his sights on my grandfather. Hmph!"
"Oh, come on, let's go. It'll be fine."
As she spoke, she grabbed Ye Lingling's hand. After asking Qin Ming for leave, she hurried off.
The others were all rather curious and surprised by this.
"Hey, what do you think happened to Sister Yan? Why's she in such a rush?"
"How would I know? Something must have happened, or she wouldn't be like this. Sister Yan has never asked for leave from training before."
"Duh, you think I don't know that?"
Yu Feng and the others chattered in hushed voices. Yu Tianheng did not join them. He merely watched the direction in which the two women had left, his gaze shifting as though he were pondering something.
A moment later, his eyes settled, and he too went to ask Qin Ming for leave.
Dugu Yan had most likely run into some trouble. To him, this was an opportunity. If he seized it, perhaps the two of them could finally get together.
He had pursued her for quite some time. Although they had always gotten along well, something seemed to be missing, and their relationship had yet to be defined.
Perhaps this was the chance Heaven had given him. He had to seize it.
[So this was Heaven Dou Royal Academy. It was even more imposing than described in the novel. No wonder it was one of the continent's foremost academies.]
Before the gates of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Su Ye casually looked around while recording some of what he saw and heard in his Diary, padding out the word count.
To him, the scenery was what stood out most about Heaven Dou Royal Academy. The rest was nothing special.
His Martial Soul was unusual. His entire body was like that of a child of the void, allowing him to remain at all times within the most, most, most elite simulated cultivation environment.
This special state of merging with the void provided an immense boost to his cultivation.
If not for the peculiarities of an Ultimate Martial Soul, he would probably already be level fifty or sixty. And that was a conservative estimate.
"Brother Su Ye, over there is..."
After the two entered the academy, Qian Renxue kept talking, diligently introducing everything in the academy to Su Ye like a conscientious guide.
Quite a few people spotted them along the way, and all secretly clicked their tongues.
Good heavens, His Highness the Crown Prince was personally accompanying him?
Just what sort of background did he have?
Time quietly passed.
Once they had seen about enough, Qian Renxue turned and asked with a smile, "What do you think? Not bad, right?"
Su Ye nodded slightly. Just as he was about to exchange a few compliments, his gaze swept aside, and he suddenly noticed two graceful figures approaching from afar.
[Huh? Purple hair, green eyes, and a wasp waist. Unless something unexpected happened, that should be Dugu Yan. No wonder so many netizens in my past life had been obsessed with her. She really is beautiful!]
[And the one beside her... long blue hair and a veil. No need to guess—Ye Lingling.]
In the distance, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, who were still searching everywhere for their target, immediately saw the Diary update.
At first, Dugu Yan was somewhat displeased at being judged by someone, but when she read the latter part, the corners of her lips lifted.
Mm, very good. He had good taste!
Ye Lingling was not as carefree as her best friend. When she saw that the other party had recognized her at once, her first reaction was not delight but nervousness.
At the same moment, the air pressure around Qian Renxue dropped, and she looked at Su Ye with dangerous eyes.
Such a great beauty as me is standing right in front of you, yet you're looking at someone else?
What kind of eyes are those? Could they possibly compare to me?
Su Ye had no idea what Qian Renxue was thinking, nor did he have time to care. His gaze remained on Dugu Yan.
Don't misunderstand. It was not love at first sight.
He was mainly wondering whether he should go over and get acquainted.
After all, wasn't the reason he had come here to meet Dugu Yan and then determine Dugu Bo's whereabouts?
The immortal herbs at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well were far too important to him. With Alchemy in hand, he could turn all those resources into strength in a short time and get off to an initial takeoff.
In this world where strength was revered and the strong could casually decide the life or death of others, lacking strength made him feel terribly insecure.
However, while he was still hesitating, Dugu Yan had already pulled Ye Lingling over with an open, straightforward manner.
They had heard along the way that Crown Prince Xue Qinghe had brought a young man to tour the academy. They figured that must be Su Ye.
Upon reaching them, Dugu Yan had intended to strike first and give him a show of force.
Hmph, he dared to set his sights on me and Grandpa? Just watch me... Uh, so this was Su Ye? The owner of the Diary?
He looked... well, not bad.
Once she saw Su Ye's face clearly, Dugu Yan's momentum stalled before swiftly dissipating.
Especially when she recalled his evaluation of her just now, a rare blush appeared on her pretty face.
Still, she was not some lovestruck fool. She quickly recovered.
After greeting Xue Qinghe, the Crown Prince, her gaze fell on Su Ye once more.
Likewise, Su Ye was looking at her.
As their eyes met, Dugu Yan inexplicably felt a little flustered. She slightly shifted her gaze away, not daring to look at that face or those dazzling, bright eyes.
"Brother Su Ye, let me introduce you. This is..."
Although Qian Renxue was unhappy with the way those two were making eyes at each other, she still introduced them according to her current persona.
"Brother Su Ye and Miss Dugu are both rare geniuses on the continent. Heaven Dou Academy is fortunate to have you both. I hope to see the two of you shine at the next Soul Master Elite Tournament."
"Your Highness overpraises me." Dugu Yan replied modestly, then looked at Su Ye again.
By now, she had mostly calmed down. Looking directly at that devastatingly handsome face, she softly said, "From now on, we'll be classmates."
"Classmate Su Ye, my name is Dugu Yan. My Martial Soul is the Jade Phosphor Snake. I am a level thirty-eight control-system Battle Soul Elder."
"Ye Lingling. My Martial Soul is the Nine-Heart Begonia. I am a level thirty-five support-system Soul Elder."
After Dugu Yan finished speaking, Ye Lingling followed suit. Her voice was cool, and her gaze drifted away slightly, as though she did not dare look at Su Ye.
Yet her little ears were perked up. Clearly, she was very curious about just how strong this mysterious owner of the Diary was.
"Su Ye. My Martial Soul is the Void Mirror..."
"Yan Yan."
Su Ye was just about to introduce himself in the local fashion when someone interrupted him before he could finish.
The newcomer made quite a commotion, and his voice carried anger and tension. The group immediately turned toward the sound.
Not far away, Yu Tianheng stood expressionlessly, both fists clenched tight.
Heaven knew what he had just witnessed. He had thought Yan Yan was in trouble and had hurried over in good faith to make an impression.
Yet as soon as he arrived, he saw her chatting and laughing with another man.
It was a smile he had never seen from her before.
Why?
Before you continue