Going to Such Lengths

Shui Yue'er fixed them with a cold stare, gripping Li Jiuxuan's hand tightly.

Sheltered behind the two women, he let the pressure of his Ice Dragon King Martial Soul quietly spread.

There was no doubt about it—those outfits marked them as members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!

Li Jiuxuan's eyes blazed with hatred. The clear-eyed, resolute child was gone, replaced in an instant by a vicious boy brimming with rage.

If only he had enough strength right now.

He would kill all three men before him in the cruelest way possible, then offer their corpses as a sacrifice to the souls of everyone who had died in his village.

"Why has the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan stopped a student of our Skywater Academy for no reason? What do you want?"

Shui Bing'er stepped forward. Her Ice Phoenix Martial Soul quietly appeared, pale-blue ice feathers unfurling behind her. The extreme ice-attribute Soul Power held back the lightning about to spread toward them.

"I am Yu Tianhong, admissions steward of Thunder Academy. By order of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's sect master, I have come to bring this boy to Thunder Academy. He's been accepted."

The middle-aged man at the head of the group gave Shui Bing'er a cold glance. He stomped, and his Soul Rings appeared.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black...

He was a Soul Emperor of level sixty-two!

Just the appearance of his Soul Rings sent an overwhelming surge of Soul Power rippling out. Shui Bing'er's clothes snapped in the wind, and she was forced back several steps.

"He's already a student of our Skywater Academy. He doesn't need to join your Thunder Academy."

Shui Yue'er furrowed her brow. She hadn't expected one of the newcomers to be a Soul Emperor!

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had gone to such lengths over a six-year-old child!

Thunder Academy was one of the founding powers of Four Elements City, but its true backing was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

The captain of Thunder Academy's current youth team was none other than Yu Tianxin, the eldest direct-line son of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!

The other three powers in Four Elements City were Skywater Academy, Godwind Academy, and Blazing Fire Academy.

Though the four powers cooperated with one another, they were even more rivals. The younger generation clashed fiercely, while the older generation competed behind the scenes for resources.

At present, however, Skywater Academy's core strength was probably the weakest.

For one thing, aside from Spirit Hall, Skywater Academy was practically the only academy on the continent that admitted commoners.

What, that other academy also admitted commoners?

Heh. With admission requirements like theirs, which commoners could possibly meet them?

They were either the children of officials or prodigies.

Most ordinary people simply weren't blessed with such dazzling talent!

All they wanted was the strong.

"He's joined Skywater Academy?"

Yu Tianhong, the man at the head of the group, furrowed his brow and sneered. "Your Skywater Academy has always admitted only female students. Why would you take in a boy?"

The collateral clan member who had carried out yesterday's capture mission had died in this frozen wilderness. Could Skywater Academy have been responsible?

After all, how could a boy who had only just awakened his Martial Soul defeat three Soul Elders?

"So what if he's a boy? He's a special student of our Skywater Academy. Thunder Academy has no right to meddle in our affairs!" Shui Yue'er scoffed at his attitude.

So much for being accepted by Thunder Academy.

He was simply coveting Xiao Jiuxuan's Ice Dragon King bloodline!

"This boy shares the power of the dragon lineage with my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. He was born suited for Thunder Academy, not Skywater."

Yu Tianhong released the might of his Soul Emperor once more, and his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon appeared!

His face took on beastlike features, his pupils turned purple-blue, and his hands became dragon claws. A dragon tail even sprouted from his back.

The instant his Martial Soul appeared, howling winds and roaring thunder swept across the frozen wilderness. The snowy forest for several miles around was uprooted and hurled into the air, leaving the ground completely flattened!

As core prodigies of Skywater Academy, Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er were people Yu Tianhong wouldn't harm. The four academies were currently locked in a balance of power, with no one enjoying an absolute advantage. If a large-scale conflict broke out, the other academies would be the ones to benefit!

"I'll take this boy with me. I hope your Skywater Academy won't keep obstructing us."

Yu Tianhong cast a casual glance aside.

His eyes settled on Xue Furong, who stood nearby, expressionless and with her aura concealed.

In truth, he was saying those words for her benefit.

The two academies had plenty of dealings, both open and covert, so he naturally knew Xue Furong. He had even sparred with her at Skywater Academy years ago, and still regretted losing by a single move.

But that had been seven or eight years ago. Back then, neither of them had held a high position, and both had been level-fifty-four Soul Kings.

"Obstruct you?"

Xue Furong remained expressionless. She hadn't even summoned her Soul Power, yet a layer of frigid mist rose around her. The cold stayed hidden, but it cut to the bone.

She stood there without flaunting a single Soul Skill, yet the violent lightning around Yu Tianhong instinctively shied away from the space within three feet of her.

"After all, you don't want to go to the trouble of fighting me, do you? This boy isn't worth it, and besides, it could sour relations between Skywater Academy and Thunder Academy..."

Yu Tianhong sneered. "You should know, my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is one of the Upper Three Sects."

Shui Yue'er was growing anxious, afraid that under pressure from both academies, Xue Furong would really hand Li Jiuxuan over. "Aunt Furong, we can't let them take Xiao Jiuxuan!"

Shui Bing'er said nothing. She merely stepped to within a meter of Li Jiuxuan, her back to him. She summoned all her Soul Power, and cold spread as her Soul Rings appeared, yellow, yellow, purple...

Even facing a Soul Emperor, she showed not the slightest fear. If they wanted to take Li Jiuxuan, they would have to get past her first.

"Hmph."

Yu Tianhong was quite pleased that Xue Furong still hadn't acted. His defeat all those years ago had been a great humiliation to him.

An elite of the Upper Three Sects had lost to a woman of humble origins!

But now, Xue Furong was wary of him.

The woman must have recognized the situation—and their respective standing.

"Xue Furong, you're making the wise choice!"

Yu Tianhong sneered and made his move. He blurred forward, wrapped in the divine might of lightning, and appeared before Li Jiuxuan.

A Soul Emperor's aura was simply too powerful. As soon as he released his Soul Power, its pressure bore down on everyone, pinning Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er in place so they couldn't move.

Shui Bing'er's knees trembled. She couldn't even straighten up. The invisible pressure of the Soul Emperor suppressed the Soul Power within her, leaving her unable to circulate it.

Li Jiuxuan behind Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er were the same. This was a Soul Emperor; the difference in Soul Power between them was like heaven and earth.

They had no chance of fighting back.

Before a Soul Master of this caliber, they were no more than ants.

Shui Bing'er gritted her teeth and refused to yield. Unable to summon her Soul Power, she braced herself against the Soul Emperor's pressure and struggled to raise both hands, determined to stop Yu Tianhong from taking Li Jiuxuan.

"Skywater Academy really shouldn't sour relations with Thunder Academy..."

Just as Yu Tianhong was about to push Shui Bing'er aside and forcibly take Li Jiuxuan, Xue Furong spoke. "But what makes you think fighting me would take any great effort?"

Rumble!

Yu Tianhong had only just reached out when his pupils suddenly contracted!

His body was hurtling backward. Pain tore through his chest as he flew hundreds of meters across the snowy wastes, finally crashing into the side of a snowy cliff.

The cliff split apart and collapsed.

"Xue Furong, you!"

Yu Tianhong hit the ground, his eyes wide with fury. He couldn't believe the woman had actually dared to attack him!

"Fifth Soul Skill, Soul Power Compression!"

Another shout rang through the air. Yu Tianhong watched as his two Soul King-level clansmen came flying over and were smashed into the rubble behind him.

There was no fluctuation of Soul Power from either of them. They were clearly unconscious.