The next day.
Lin Yan had already packed his things and was ready to leave. But when he saw the row of Martial Soul Hall Tokens on the table, he couldn't help looking at Lin Tian, who had already transformed into an old man, and asking curiously, "Don't tell me you spent all yesterday making Martial Soul Hall Tokens?"
"More or less. It's a pity the materials were so poor. The things I Mimicked still had a few flaws."
As Lin Tian spoke, he walked over to the table and collected the tokens. But his gaze landed on the figures outside the hotel window, and he couldn't help turning to Lin Yan. "The wise fisherman casts his line, and the willing fish takes the bait. Our little fish has arrived."
At that, Lin Yan followed Lin Tian's gaze out the window. Sure enough, the Imperial Fighting Team members had appeared outside the hotel, seemingly discussing something.
"The Nine-Heart Begonia's healing is pretty impressive." Lin Yan had held back yesterday, but he figured these people wouldn't have woken up for at least another day. The Nine-Heart Begonia's arrival had hastened their recovery from unconsciousness.
Standing nearby, Lin Tian chuckled. "If you hadn't held back, the fish we're after probably wouldn't have made it here. Same as always. You go handle them."
Hearing Lin Tian, Lin Yan didn't refuse. After packing everything away in his Storage Soul Tool, he went downstairs to check out.
Outside the hotel, the Imperial Fighting Team arrived under the guidance of their teacher, Qin Ming. After asking Supervisor Ao for information, they had learned that the genius was staying at this hotel.
"Teacher, why did you bring us here?" Dugu Yan pressed a hand to her aching stomach. Yesterday, Lin Yan had beaten everyone mercilessly, regardless of whether they were men or women. Only Ye Lingling, the auxiliary-type Soul Master, had escaped unscathed.
Although the Nine-Heart Begonia had treated them and they had recovered somewhat, the places where they'd been beaten still ached faintly.
Qin Ming looked at Dugu Yan, who was clutching her stomach, and didn't know how to answer. He wanted to say they had come to recruit the genius. Supervisor Ao had told him the genius had a Titled Douluo backing him, but as a teacher at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he also had the royal family behind him. He figured it was worth trying to recruit him.
Just as Qin Ming was thinking about how to answer Dugu Yan's question—
Dugu Yan's voice suddenly rose. She stared at the figure emerging from the hotel, the one she had hated all night. "You!"
Lin Yan looked at the group standing outside the hotel, glaring at him with hostile expressions just like the Shrek students had yesterday. He really was popular.
"A bunch of defeated losers. Couldn't beat me yesterday, so are you here for revenge today?" he sneered at the Imperial Fighting Team without the slightest courtesy.
"You damn bastard!" Dugu Yan clutched her painfully aching stomach and glared at the arrogant-looking Lin Yan. "How did you break my poison?"
Her Third Soul Skill's poison had been confirmed by her grandfather to leave anyone below Soul Ancestor rank virtually helpless. Even if this guy's Second Soul Ring was a thousand years old, there was no way he could break it.
She couldn't understand it, and that was one of the reasons she'd been grinding her teeth in hatred at him yesterday.
Lin Yan looked at Dugu Yan, who was demanding an answer, and replied without a second thought, "Your poison's trash."
Those words instantly made Dugu Yan's face flush red with anger. Her stomach stopped hurting, too. She glared furiously at Lin Yan, wanting to punch him, but she knew how strong he was and was afraid he'd hit her in the stomach again. All she could do was glare at him.
Seeing this, Qin Ming hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "Hello, Lin Yan. I'm a senior teacher at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. We came to see you today because we'd like you to join the academy. Would you be interested?"
The Imperial Fighting Team members stared at their teacher in disbelief. They hadn't expected Teacher Qin Ming to bring them here first thing in the morning to recruit Lin Yan.
They were displeased, but remembering what had happened yesterday, they could only swallow their resentment.
After hearing Qin Ming out, Lin Yan folded his arms and glanced at him, then at the defeated losers he'd beaten the night before. He thought for a few seconds before replying, "I can join, but..."
"But what?" Qin Ming asked quickly, sensing a chance. "Lin Yan, if you join Heaven Dou Royal Academy, I can apply to the academy for cultivation resources suited to you."
"Keep the resources." Lin Yan shook his head, then continued, "I don't like huddling together with this bunch of defeated losers. I want another companion and me to join a new team. That's my only condition."
The atmosphere immediately grew tense. The Imperial Fighting Team members had been trying to swallow their resentment, but they hadn't expected Lin Yan to show them such disrespect. What was that about not wanting to huddle together with defeated losers?
What, did he really think that because he'd beaten them once, they'd always be his defeated losers?
Yu Tianheng had always been proud and arrogant, and at last he couldn't hold back. He stepped forward and said, "Lin Yan, I was careless yesterday. That doesn't mean you beat me."
After waking up yesterday, he'd thought it over all night and decided that he'd only been defeated because he'd taken Lin Yan too seriously.
Looking at Yu Tianheng, still stubbornly refusing to admit defeat, Lin Yan shot back without hesitation, "Only useless trash make excuses and refuse to admit they're wrong."
"You—you..." Yu Tianheng wanted to charge at Lin Yan and challenge him right there, to make him understand that he'd only been careless yesterday. But the moment he moved, his wounds flared up, leaving him in so much pain he didn't dare move again. All he could do was glare at Lin Yan.
Lin Yan ignored Yu Tianheng's pointless glare and looked at Qin Ming. "What's your answer? I don't have time to waste."
He didn't feel any need to be polite to Qin Ming, either. Once Qin Ming met the people from Shrek Academy, he'd immediately become one of them, completely forgetting who had helped him hunt for his Sixth Soul Ring.
Qin Ming had plenty of talent, and his Fifth Soul Ring shouldn't have been a thousand-year Soul Ring. Unfortunately, he'd run into that awful Shrek Academy, and his talent had gone completely to waste.
Hearing Lin Yan, Qin Ming didn't hesitate any longer. "I'm afraid I'll have to discuss this with the academy first. Why don't you come back to Heaven Dou Royal Academy with us, Lin Yan?"
Everyone present turned their eyes to Lin Yan, especially Dugu Yan, whose gaze suggested she was already plotting something.
"Sure." Lin Yan pretended to think it over. A few minutes passed before he finally nodded.
Seeing Lin Yan agree, Qin Ming felt the weight lift from his heart. "Good. Then let's head back now, Lin Yan."
But fate had other plans. A voice interrupted them. "Qin Ming?!"
Qin Ming was about to lead everyone away when a familiar, slightly hoarse voice suddenly reached his ears. His whole body stiffened, and he whipped around almost instinctively.
Teacher Zhao Wuji stood not far away, accompanied by a group of children who reminded him of himself when he was young. He held a few cloth bags filled with supplies they'd bought. His expression was still as gentle as ever, though a faint weariness lingered between his brows.
Qin Ming hurried over, his voice filled with urgent respect. "Vice Dean! What are you doing here?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, his gaze swept over Zhao Wuji's right arm. His smile froze, and the delight in his eyes gave way to shock.
He stopped short, his outstretched hand suspended in midair. His voice filled with disbelief, he asked, "Vice Dean, your right arm... what happened to your left arm?"
Zhao Wuji was about to say he'd run into some brat when he spotted Lin Yan among the crowd. He was instantly dumbstruck, his mouth snapping shut.
At that moment, only one thought remained in his mind: "Wait, is this world really that small?"