A month passed. Xingtian's life could be summed up as a routine between two points: he either attended class, cultivated, or went to the library with Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, Yu Feng, and Osler.
He also got along reasonably well with the taciturn Shi Mo and Shi Mo brothers.
Everything had been peaceful, but that day, an uninvited guest shattered the calm.
"Student Dugu Yan, could I discuss Soul Master cultivation with you?" A tall, slender young man with black hair stepped in front of Dugu Yan.
Dugu Yan recognized the young man before her. "Yu Tianheng?"
Xingtian took a closer look at Yu Tianheng. So this is Yu Tianheng. His aura is rather ordinary, but his eyes are decent. He does look somewhat like the heir to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Still, Senior Dugu said he'd been quietly watching Sister Yan for a while and thought he'd make a move soon. I've been at the academy for three months already, and he's only just getting started now.
Dugu Yan politely declined. "My theoretical knowledge is only a little better than Yu Feng's and Osler's. You could ask Xiao Tian or Lingling; they're good at this."
Yu Feng and Osler both froze. They were just talking—why did she have to humiliate them? But neither dared to protest.
Yu Tianheng said, "Our grandfathers are both Titled Douluo, and we've met a few times. As juniors, we should get to know each other better. Besides, we're both heirs to Titled Douluo. We ought to have more in common, and maybe we'll even gain some insights that'll help with our cultivation in the future."
Yu Tianheng had all but revealed his true intentions. He wasn't looking for some discussion about Soul Master cultivation; he was simply trying to hit on her.
Dugu Yan said, "I'm rather lazy, and my talent doesn't compare to my grandfather's. I never grasped the true essence of his poison cultivation, either, so I'm afraid I wouldn't be much help to you."
Just as Yu Tianheng was about to say more, Xingtian spoke up. "The successor of Thunder Douluo, the academy's top Tianzhu Level student—meeting you today has lived up to your reputation. I've long admired you. If you want to talk about Soul Master cultivation, I'd be happy to discuss it with you, Brother Yu."
A trace of disdain appeared in Yu Tianheng's eyes. "And you are?"
Osler immediately introduced him with great seriousness. "This is Xingtian, my roommate and the acknowledged number one among the Tianwei Level students."
Yu Tianheng naturally knew Xingtian's reputation. An eight-year-old Soul Grandmaster with a top-tier Martial Soul, close to Ye Lingling, Dugu Yan, Yu Feng, and Osler—everyone at the academy knew of him.
Yu Tianheng's question had only been meant to put Xingtian in his place.
Though Xingtian had become a Soul Grandmaster at eight, something Yu Tianheng himself couldn't do, cultivation speed wasn't everything.
A Soul Master's combat strength depended on many factors. The quality of their Martial Soul came first, followed by Soul Power, then Soul Rings and Soul Bones.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul was the greatest Beast Martial Soul under heaven. With its mighty physique, explosive lightning, and True Dragon Martial Soul that lorded over all, a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Soul Master could look down on the world and stand almost undefeated against opponents of the same level.
What's more, direct descendants of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan mastered the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique, making it easy for them to fight above their level.
But Xingtian's Martial Soul was nothing more than a bug. In Yu Tianheng's eyes, a "True Dragon" like himself, it wasn't fit to carry the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's shoes.
Yu Tianheng maintained his haughty air as he said, "Is that so? But your bug Martial Soul only lets you cultivate faster because of a beneficial mutation. Who knows whether it has any flaws? And it has a Darkness Attribute, too. You'll just be a Soul Master who skulks in the shadows in the future. You're hardly the academy's number one."
Yu Tianheng's assessment of Xingtian's Martial Soul Mutation wasn't fundamentally wrong, and Xingtian agreed.
According to the research, when a Martial Soul that was originally below average underwent a beneficial mutation and leapt to a higher tier—or even became a top-tier Martial Soul—the result wasn't just an enhanced Martial Soul. The Soul Master's cultivation speed also increased, surpassing that of other Martial Souls at the same level.
But this kind of mutation had its flaws, too. A Martial Soul came from the Soul Master themselves, so when the Martial Soul mutated, the person had mutated as well.
It was just like a genetic mutation. It could leave hidden dangers.
Perhaps the Soul Master would be extremely vulnerable to a certain attribute, or the Martial Soul might turn on them. Perhaps the Soul Master would suffer physical disabilities, or the Martial Soul might become uncontrollable.
In short, a flawless beneficial mutation was rare.
Xingtian suddenly rose to his feet and stared Yu Tianheng down, his voice imperious. "Yu Tianheng, that was a bit harsh, don't you think? I called you 'Brother Yu' out of respect because you're a few years older than me. Otherwise, you'd be nothing to me!"
Yu Feng and Osler stared in shock. Xingtian usually wasn't like this. He wasn't exactly warm, but he was always understated. He seemed cold on the surface, with a trace of hidden warmth inside. He'd never been this arrogant before.
Dugu Yan, meanwhile, was swept by a storm of emotion, her cheeks flushing.
Yu Tianheng was obviously here to hit on me, and Xiao Tian is... playing the hero to save the beauty! Could he have feelings for me...?
A trace of disappointment flashed through Ye Lingling's eyes, though confusion filled them more than anything.
Xingtian had done this partly because of Dugu Bo's instructions, but more than that, Yu Tianheng himself had provoked him.
In his previous life, Xingtian had been hailed as the future number one of the demonic path. His talent was universally acknowledged, and he was immensely proud of it. He had even endured seven life-and-death ordeals, each one bringing him within a hair's breadth of death.
Yet Yu Tianheng had dared to deny his talent. Even if he was talking about Xingtian's Martial Soul, and claiming it had flaws that would hinder his future cultivation, Xingtian could never tolerate that.
What's more, Yu Tianheng had said Xingtian would be nothing but a Soul Master who skul ked in the shadows.
Xingtian hated people like that most of all: those who looked down from on high, thought themselves exceptional, and used their narrow perspective to cage everyone else within their own narrow world.
In his previous life, as a successor to the demonic path, he had endured countless sneers and exclusions. He had spent who knew how much time and sweat cultivating until he became the demonic path's brightest rising star, then used overwhelming strength to beat every sneer and act of exclusion into submission.
Now, after living a second life, he still had to endure this treatment. If he kept giving way, he'd be doing a disservice to the demonic arts he had cultivated.
The veins on Yu Tianheng's forehead bulged as he roared, "What did you say?! How dare you insult the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!"
Xingtian gave a cold laugh. "So that's what counts as insulting the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan? You're awfully easy to insult, then. Let me show you what a real insult sounds like."
Xingtian pointed at Yu Tianheng's nose. "You, Yu Tianheng, aren't one of the Blue Lightning Twin Stars, let alone the heir to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's patriarch. In my eyes, you're nothing but an earthworm with horns, a loach with scales!"
Yu Tianheng was utterly enraged. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul and his clan were his absolute faith and pride. Defeating his cousin Yu Tianxin, becoming the heir to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and leading the clan to even greater heights were the goals he had pursued all his life. Yet Xingtian had denied and insulted everything he stood for.
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