A Lot of Trouble

Shui Yue'er's gaze was cold as she gripped Li Jiuxuan's hand tightly.

With him shielded behind the two girls, the pressure of his Ice Dragon King Martial Soul quietly began to permeate the air.

This attire—they were undoubtedly from the Blue Lightning Overlord Dragon Clan!

Li Jiuxuan's eyes were filled with resentment; the clear-eyed, resilient child had instantly transformed into a vicious youth consumed by a thousand fires of rage.

If only he possessed sufficient strength right now.

He would kill the three people before him with the most brutal of methods, using their corpses to pay tribute to the souls of his slaughtered village.

"The Blue Lightning Overlord Dragon Clan is blocking Skywater Academy students for no reason. What do you want?"

Shui Bing'er stepped forward, her Ice Phoenix Martial Soul quietly manifesting. Pale blue ice feathers unfurled behind her, and her extreme ice-attribute soul power blocked the lightning that was about to spread toward them.

"I am Yu Tianhong, an admissions deacon for Thunder Academy. By the order of the Blue Lightning Overlord Dragon Clan's Sect Master, I am here to take this child to Thunder Academy. He has been admitted."

The middle-aged man in the lead glanced at Shui Bing'er with indifference, stomped his foot, and his soul rings appeared.

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

He was shockingly a level 62 Soul Emperor!

Merely by revealing his soul rings, an unparalleled aura of soul power surged outward, causing Shui Bing'er's clothes to flutter violently and forcing her to take a few steps back.

"He is currently a student of our Skywater Academy; he does not need to join your Thunder Academy."

Shui Yue'er furrowed her brows, not expecting the newcomer to be a Soul Emperor!

To think the Blue Lightning Overlord Dragon Clan would go to such great lengths for a six-year-old child!

Thunder Academy was one of the founding forces of Four Elements City, though its true background was the Blue Lightning Overlord Dragon Clan.

The current captain of the Thunder Academy's young generation team was none other than the direct eldest son of the Blue Lightning Overlord Dragon Clan, Yu Tianxin!

The other three factions of Four Elements City were Skywater Academy, Godwind Academy, and Blazing Fire Academy.

Although the four houses were cooperative, they were primarily rivals. The younger generation clashed fiercely, while the older generation vied with one another in the shadows, competing for resources.

However, in the present day, Skywater Academy's core competitiveness was likely the weakest.

If nothing else, Skywater Academy was almost the only academy on the entire continent, besides Martial Soul Hall, that was open to commoners.

What, that academy was also open to commoners?

Heh, given those admission requirements, which commoners could actually meet them?

They were either children of officials or absolute prodigies.

The vast majority of true commoners simply did not possess such stunning talent!

They only cared for the strong.

"Joined Skywater Academy?"

The leading Yu Tianhong frowned, saying disdainfully, "Your Skywater Academy has always only recruited female students. How could you possibly recruit a young boy?"

The collateral clansmen who carried out the capture mission yesterday died in this frozen wasteland. Could it really have been the work of Skywater Academy?

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

"So what if he's a boy? He is a special student of our Skywater, and it is not for your Thunder Academy to dictate how we run our affairs!" Shui Yue'er scoffed at the man's attitude.

A fine excuse, being "admitted" to Thunder Academy.

They were clearly just coveting the bloodline power of little Jiuxuan's Ice Dragon King!

"This child possesses the same dragon-clan power as our Blue Lightning Overlord Dragon Clan. He is naturally suited for Thunder Academy, not Skywater."

Yu Tianhong's Soul Emperor pressure was released once more, and his Martial Soul, the Blue Lightning Overlord Dragon, manifested!

His face underwent beast-transformation, his pupils turned violet-blue, his hands morphed into dragon claws, and a dragon tail sprouted from his back.

The moment the Martial Soul was released, the frozen wasteland was beset by howling winds and thunderous lightning. The snowy forest for several miles around was uprooted, swept into the air, and razed to the ground!

As core prodigies of Skywater Academy, Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er were not people Yu Tianhong could afford to harm. The four academies currently kept each other in check; without an absolute advantage, a large-scale conflict would only benefit the other academies!

"I will be taking this boy now. I hope your Skywater Academy will not continue to obstruct me."

Yu Tianhong's gaze swept casually to the side.

His eyes landed on Xue Furong, who had remained expressionless and restrained her aura the entire time.

In truth, these words were meant for her.

The two academies had many dealings, both open and covert, so he naturally knew Xue Furong. He had even sparred with her at Skywater Academy years ago, only to regretfully lose by a single move.

But that was seven or eight years ago, when neither of them held high positions and both were level 54 Soul Kings.

"Not obstruct you?"

Xue Furong remained expressionless. She did not mobilize her soul power, yet a layer of extreme icy mist rose around her, the coldness restrained yet bone-piercing.

She stood there without the slightest ostentation of released soul skills, yet the violent lightning on Yu Tianhong's body subconsciously avoided the three-foot radius around her.

"After all, you wouldn't want to go through the trouble of a battle with me. It's not worth it for a mere boy, and it might even cause bad blood between Skywater Academy and Thunder Academy..."

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

Shui Yue'er was anxious, fearing that under the pressure from both academies, Xue Furong might actually hand Li Jiuxuan over: "Aunt Furong, we cannot let them take little Jiuxuan away!"

Shui Bing'er did not speak; she simply stepped back to stand less than a meter in front of Li Jiuxuan, mobilizing her Soul Power to its limit. A chill spread, and her soul rings emerged: Yellow, Yellow, Purple...

Even when facing a Soul Emperor, she did not show a shred of cowardice. If they wanted to take Li Jiuxuan, they would have to get past her first.

"Hmph."

Yu Tianhong was quite satisfied with Xue Furong's lack of action. That narrow defeat years ago remained a great humiliation in his heart.

An elite combatant of the Upper Three Sects had actually lost to a woman of common origin!

But now, Xue Furong was wary of him.

It must be that this woman had finally recognized the situation and her status.

"Xue Furong, your choice is a wise one!"

Yu Tianhong sneered and made his move. With a flash, accompanied by the divine might of lightning, he descended before Li Jiuxuan.

The aura of a Soul Emperor was far too formidable. Once his Soul Power was unleashed, the pressure swept in all directions, effortlessly pinning Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er in place, rendering them unable to move.

Shui Bing'er's knees trembled; she could not even manage to stand straight. That invisible Soul Emperor pressure suppressed the Soul Power within her, making it impossible to circulate.

Li Jiuxuan and Shui Yue'er, standing behind Shui Bing'er, were in the same state. This was a Soul Emperor; the gap in Soul Power was as vast as heaven and earth.

There was not a single chance to resist.

In front of a Soul Master of this level, they were like ants.

Shui Bing'er gritted her teeth, refusing to yield. Since she could not mobilize her Soul Power, she braced herself against the Soul Emperor's pressure and struggled to raise her hands, determined to stop Yu Tianhong from taking Li Jiuxuan no matter what.

"Skywater Academy indeed finds it difficult to fall out with Thunder Academy..."

Just as Yu Tianhong was about to brush Shui Bing'er aside to forcibly take Li Jiuxuan, Xue Furong spoke: "However, what makes you think that I need to go to great lengths just to defeat you?"

Boom!

Yu Tianhong had just extended his hand when his pupils suddenly constricted!

His body was sent flying backward violently, his chest aching as if it were shattering. He soared across the snowy plains for hundreds of meters before finally slamming into the side of a snow cliff and coming to a halt.

The cliff face cracked and collapsed instantly.

"Xue Furong, you!"

Yu Tianhong landed, his eyes splitting with rage, unable to believe that this woman would actually dare to strike him!

"Fifth Soul Skill: Soul Power Compression!"

Another shout rang out across the world. Yu Tianhong watched with his own eyes as his two Soul King-level clansmen were sent flying, smashed into the pile of rubble behind him.

There was no fluctuation of Soul Power on their bodies; they had clearly been knocked unconscious.