A smile still played on Xue Qinghe's face, but it faltered.
A moment later, he recovered.
He fell silent for a moment.
"Since that's the case, Qinghe won't disturb you any longer, Senior Yu."
With that, he even bowed politely.
Then he left Skywater Academy.
"Teacher, was it really all right to say that?"
After the Crown Prince left,
Shui Bing'er came over from behind Yu Xiaolong.
She couldn't help asking worriedly.
Heaven Dou Imperial City.
Inside the palace.
The Crown Prince's residence.
"Your Highness, that Yu Xiaolong is far too arrogant!"
At his subordinate's words,
Xue Qinghe didn't get angry.
Instead, a playful expression crossed his face.
Then he raised a hand. "Come on, let's go have some fun with Fourth Brother."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Heaven Dou Imperial City
was the most prosperous place in the entire Heaven Dou Empire.
Throughout the imperial city,
the most bustling districts
were where nearly all the powerful Soul Master Academies had set up their grounds.
Hiss!
A sharp, piercing whinny
shattered the quiet of the street.
A young man,
dressed in extravagant, expensive clothes,
came charging forward on a tall horse.
Yu Xiaolong was walking in the middle of the road.
The two were about to collide head-on.
"Get out of the way!"
"Move, now!"
the young man shouted harshly.
The people around them scattered.
Only Yu Xiaolong stood his ground as the horse, a threat to his life, charged straight at him.
He didn't dodge.
Instead, he stopped
and looked up at the rider drawing closer and closer.
Seeing this, the young man's expression turned fierce. "You're asking for death!"
He yanked the reins, actually intending to trample Yu Xiaolong beneath his horse.
But—
the next second—
just as everyone thought Yu Xiaolong's body was about to be crushed into a pulp by the beast—
the next second—
the slender Yu Xiaolong
fixed the rider with a sharp gaze.
A phantom appeared behind him.
The shadow of a divine beast, red and white all over, appeared.
It had the upper body of a man and the body of a white steed.
Whoosh!
A flash of white light.
Then,
the young man and the unicorn, charging with astonishing force,
were sent flying with a crash.
They hit the ground with a thud.
"Hiss!"
At the sight,
everyone drew in a sharp breath.
"Who is that? How dare he charge into Fourth Prince?"
"But he's so strong!"
"That's it for him. He thinks he can just walk away after offending Fourth Prince?"
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
They all looked at Yu Xiaolong with pity.
Hearing the voices around him,
Yu Xiaolong looked curiously at the young man sprawled on the ground.
So this kid was the Fourth Prince of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family—
Xue Beng?
"You wretched bastard!"
"You commoner! How dare you charge into me and injure me?!"
"You're asking for death!"
Xue Beng scrambled to his feet
and pointed at Yu Xiaolong, cursing furiously.
His eyes were filled with venom.
Yu Xiaolong merely raised his eyes.
He wasn't about to waste his time with a useless prince like this.
Yu Xiaolong said, "In the eyes of the strong, there is no place for the weak!"
With that,
he pointed at Xue Beng,
his gaze disdainful.
"You!"
Xue Beng's face instantly turned livid.
There was no denying it—
the display of his Martial Soul had worked.
Xue Beng was afraid.
The Soul Power the other man had just displayed
had unnerved him.
"Just you wait! I'll have you killed!"
Xue Beng stormed off, cursing.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to threaten him.
"Looks like he'll cause me trouble again."
Yu Xiaolong's gaze sharpened.
Back at Skywater Academy,
he looked across the vast grounds.
Once he had enough money, he would have to find a suitable place and build a campus of his own for the Dragon God Temple.
"What!? Teacher got into a fight with Fourth Prince?!"
Shui Bing'er had just finished cultivating her Aquarius Star Dragon Martial Soul.
She was taking a break
when Shui Yue'er came running over, hands on her hips, fuming.
Shui Yue'er said, "That's right! Your teacher is so troublesome. He's even better at stirring up trouble than I am!"
"Hey, hey, Sister, where are you going?"
Before the little girl could finish complaining,
Shui Bing'er had already left the academy.
Heaven Dou Imperial City.
Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
"Shui Bing'er wants to see me?"
The Fourth Prince had just returned from warming up
when he heard the news.
Shui Bing'er!
Why would a top genius from one of the four great academies want to see an ordinary person like him?
Deep down, Xue Beng greatly respected
genius students like her.
"What does she want?"
As he wondered,
a slender figure in blue, with a graceful bearing,
walked in with light, delicate steps,
heading toward the reception hall.
"Shui Bing'er pays her respects to Fourth Prince."
Shui Bing'er bowed,
revealing the fair curve of her chest.
Xue Beng's eyes narrowed.
He looked up at the girl before him, whose brilliance was truly breathtaking.
Xue Beng said, "You must be Shui Bing'er. What brings you here?"
"My teacher accidentally collided with you in the street today. I hope you'll forgive him and let the matter go."
"Hmm?"
Xue Beng had been fretting over the incident just moments ago,
wondering whether he should ask his uncle for help.
He hadn't expected Shui Bing'er to come to him in person.
What surprised him even more was that the powerful man from earlier
was Shui Bing'er's teacher.
Shui Bing'er was already so strong.
Then the man from before had to be even more powerful, didn't he?
A Soul Saint?
A Soul Douluo?
He considered it for a moment.
Then his expression shifted, and he smiled at Shui Bing'er. "Sure. If Sister Bing'er agrees to have a drink with me, I won't hold what your teacher did against him."
At his words,
Shui Bing'er looked up at Xue Beng.
Normally, she wouldn't have given Prince Xue Beng a second glance.
In the eyes of the top students at every academy,
a wastrel like him was no better than a useless fool.
But for her teacher's sake,
Shui Bing'er hesitated for only a second.
She bowed in apology. "Thank you for your magnanimity, Your Highness Xue Beng."
Afternoon.
Yu Xiaolong stood atop a tower in the plaza.
Suddenly, he saw Shui Bing'er returning to the academy.
He leapt down.
And appeared in front of Shui Bing'er.
Shui Bing'er saw him.
She bowed. "Greetings, Teacher."
"Bing'er, did you go see the Fourth Prince?"
Yu Xiaolong was also surprised.
What kind of person was Shui Bing'er?
For her teacher's sake,
so he wouldn't be affected by imperial power,
and so she wouldn't get herself into trouble,
she had actually humbled herself to apologize to Xue Beng and make amends.
"Teacher, don't worry about me. Xue Beng didn't give me any trouble. We just had a little to drink."
"Besides... I'm a direct-line member of Skywater Academy."
Shui Bing'er hadn't lied.
But this showed that
when it came to important matters, Shui Bing'er was very composed.
She was more than capable of standing on her own.
"Mm."
"From now on, whatever you do, let me know first."
Yu Xiaolong didn't take Xue Beng seriously at all.
He hadn't expected his disciple
to protect his safety
by taking the initiative to go and make peace.
That didn't fit the sect spirit he had established when founding the Dragon God Temple.
Arrogance and pride were its very core.
Why should anyone apologize to someone who'd picked a fight with them?
Before you continue