A year later, Xing Tian, Osler, Shi Mo, Shi Mo, Ye Lingling, and Yu Feng had all successively broken through to Level 25, advancing to Tianzhu Level students and becoming classmates with Dugu Yan and Yu Tianheng.
Osler had made especially rapid progress, leaving Ye Lingling and Yu Feng behind and even catching up with the Shi Brothers. This was thanks in no small part to Xing Tian giving him extra coaching, often using his own Soul Power to assimilate Osler's.
Aside from his regular studies and cultivation, the thing Xing Tian dealt with most that year was noble female students constantly approaching him and slipping him love letters.
Xing Tian had made it clear to these noble young ladies that he wasn't interested, but they still wouldn't give up, and he couldn't exactly lay hands on them.
Fortunately, he had Osler and Yu Feng, two enthusiastic "knights in shining armor," to fend off the swarms of admirers. Otherwise, Xing Tian really would have had to consider whether he should apply to leave the academy.
Another month later, Yu Tianheng came to Xing Tian.
Dugu Yan watched him warily. Osler and Yu Feng already knew that Yu Tianheng's temperament had changed quite a bit, but they couldn't help feeling tense. Only Xing Tian and Ye Lingling remained unfazed.
Yu Tianheng paid no attention to anyone else. His gaze rested solely on Xing Tian, as if there were no one else in the world—not even a sliver of his peripheral vision spared for the others.
He said solemnly, "Xing Tian, I've broken through to Level 30. I'm going back to the clan to hunt for a Soul Ring. That means I'll soon be able to learn the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique. Xing Tian, I hope you'll advance as soon as possible and fulfill your promise to me!"
With Yu Tianheng's talent, he should have needed at least another three months to break through to Level 30.
But after suffering a crushing defeat at Xing Tian's hands and receiving guidance from Yu Yuanzhen, he'd undergone something of an epiphany, and his cultivation speed had noticeably improved.
Xing Tian replied with swagger, "You won't have to wait long."
"Promise me that until I defeat you, you won't lose to anyone else!" Yu Tianheng's eyes burned with intensity.
Xing Tian lifted his chin and curled his lips into a confident smile. "Among our peers, no one can defeat me!"
Yu Tianheng said nothing more. He only let out a faint "Mm" from his throat, then turned and left.
"How interesting!" Xing Tian was faintly excited.
Osler scratched his head. "Why do I get the feeling Yu Tianheng has latched onto you, Boss? It's such a weird feeling."
Ye Lingling rarely spoke up, but this time she did. "It's the conviction of a genius, and a sense of kindred spirits. Yu Tianheng sees Xiao Tian as the one he must catch up to—or perhaps the only rival he'll ever have in his life. That's something even powerful experts dream of. It's like those two elders from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
"Oh—so that's what it is."
With Ye Lingling's explanation, Osler immediately understood.
Then Ye Lingling added, "Just like you and Yu Feng."
"Who wants to be like him!" X2
The two bristled at the same time. "Stop copying me!"
"Hmph!" They both turned their heads away and fell silent.
Xing Tian was still a little excited, longing in his eyes. "I'm really looking forward to Yu Tianheng's breakthrough. I want to see just how powerful the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique is right away. It's just a shame that if I challenge him as soon as he gets back, he won't accept. He'll only think it's unfair. Time really is an irritating thing."
Just then, a man who looked to be around thirty entered the classroom. His appearance was ordinary, but his bright black eyes held a profound gleam.
"Everyone, gather at the training grounds. We're preparing for combat training!"
Dugu Yan looked a little flustered. "It's Teacher Qin Ming. Hurry, let's go—we don't want to be late!"
Osler and the others immediately followed her to the training grounds.
Qin Ming was the most popular young teacher at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. At only thirty, he was already a Level 55 Soul King. He was certain to break through to Soul Emperor within five years and have his name inscribed on the list of the youngest Soul Emperors.
Once he did, he would become the youngest Tiandou Level teacher. That was why the Three Education Commissioners had regarded him as their successor ever since he joined the academy.
The reason Dugu Yan and the others were so flustered was that Qin Ming was gentle and considerate in private, but he took etiquette very seriously in anything even slightly formal. And when it came to teaching students, he was extremely strict.
He treated every student equally, following the rules of instruction to the letter. No matter what rank of nobility a student came from, if they broke the rules, they'd be punished with extra training.
When Dugu Yan had first advanced to the Tianzhu Level class taught by Qin Ming, she'd relied on her grandfather being a Titled Douluo and on her own talent, and hadn't taken the rules seriously. After being late and leaving early several times, she'd nearly been scolded to tears by Qin Ming.
Although Dugu Bo doted on his granddaughter, he understood that he couldn't spoil her, so he didn't intervene.
After that, Dugu Yan both respected and feared Qin Ming, and followed his teaching rules to the letter.
When they arrived at the training grounds, Dugu Yan eagerly said, "Teacher Qin Ming, I want to train against Xing Tian!"
Qin Ming answered with a stern expression, "No! I've already arranged your training partners. In the one-on-one training session, once the Support Type students are excluded, you'll have one extra person."
"So I've made special arrangements for Xing Tian."
After handing out the matchups, Qin Ming turned to Xing Tian. "Xing Tian, although your Soul Power Level is only in the middle of the class, I firmly believe your combat strength is even greater than that of most Tiandou Level students."
"So ordinary combat training would be useless for you. That's why I've arranged for you to train against me!"
As he spoke, red flames burst across Qin Ming's body, and a long, resonant wolf's howl erupted from within him.
Qin Ming's hands became wolf claws, his black hair turned orange-red, a pair of red wolf ears sprouted from his head, his eyes turned yellow, and a flaming wolf tail unfurled behind him.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple—five Soul Rings gleamed brilliantly.
Dugu Yan said anxiously, "Teacher Qin Ming, isn't this a bit much? Xiao Tian is strong, but you're a Soul King!"
Qin Ming replied calmly, "Of course I won't use my full strength. I'll only use Level 30 Soul Power. If Xing Tian can force me to use my fourth Soul Skill, he'll have passed the training."
By now, Xing Tian was already loosening up. His eyes were full of excitement. "Teacher Qin Ming, I was worried you'd give me some boring training exercises. You've really given me a surprise!"
Qin Ming was very pleased with Xing Tian. "Now that's how a genius should act. Our match will be the first. The rest of you, watch closely!"
Before Xing Tian stepped onto the field, Dugu Yan said to him, "Teacher Qin Ming's Martial Soul is the Blazing Wolf, a Mutated Martial Soul."
"Ordinary wolf Martial Souls tend to have attributes like wind, ice, or darkness—all Yin and cold. The Blazing Wolf, however, goes against the grain with its Fire Attribute. This reversed mutation has noticeably improved Teacher Qin Ming's cultivation speed and combat strength compared to Soul Masters of the same level."
"Teacher Qin Ming is better at Close Combat. He's light on his feet, very fast, and has tremendous explosive power."
"Also, Xiao Tian, you absolutely mustn't let your guard down just because Teacher Qin Ming's fifth Soul Ring is a thousand-year one."
"Teacher Qin Ming's fifth Soul Ring came from a top-tier soul beast, a Three-Headed Red Demon Mastiff, which Education Commissioner Meng Shenji personally helped him hunt. The Three-Headed Red Demon Mastiff possesses Hellfire, which burns at an extremely high temperature."
"Although it's less than ten thousand years old, its power surpasses that of ordinary Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Skills."
"Teacher Qin Ming won't use his fifth Soul Skill, but the boost a Soul Ring's attached skill gives a Soul Master is only secondary. More importantly, the Soul Ring's attributes also enhance the Soul Master and their Martial Soul, and can even cause them to evolve."
"The Three-Headed Red Demon Mastiff and the Blazing Wolf are both canine beasts, so Teacher Qin Ming's Blazing Wolf Martial Soul inherited at least half of its Hellfire."
"Be careful!"
Before you continue