The Martial Arts Arena fell into dead silence.
Xue Yao turned around. He didn't look at Feng Xiaotian in the pit again. Instead, he took Little Griffin by the hand and prepared to leave.
He had just taken two steps when—
"W-wait."
A hoarse voice came from behind him.
Feng Xiaotian climbed out of the pit and staggered upright, his legs still trembling.
But he paid them no mind.
He stared fixedly at Xue Yao's back. His eyes were bloodshot, veined with red.
There was no anger. No resentment.
Only an overwhelming unwillingness to accept defeat, and a frenzied yearning for the unknown.
He might have been a lovesick fool, but he was also a top-tier genius who regarded wind as his very life.
Today's battle had shattered the confidence he'd spent six years building until not a scrap remained.
But at the same time, it had opened a brand-new door for him.
"Tell me."
Feng Xiaotian took a step forward. His voice trembled slightly.
"How did you do it?"
He took a deep breath, his voice taking on a pleading note.
"That technique that lets you stack power instantly, without any windup... what exactly is it?"
"I spent six years spinning around like a top every day, all to stack up that pitiful little bit of damage."
"What have I been doing wrong?"
When faced with the truth, the dignity of Godwind Academy's number one was worth less than a speck of dust.
Xue Yao stopped.
He turned and looked at Feng Xiaotian's ashen face.
This kid still had some hope.
At least one failure hadn't turned him into a complete waste. Knowing to set aside his pride and ask for guidance already put him ahead of many others.
"You want to learn?" Xue Yao asked lightly.
Feng Xiaotian jerked his head up, a glimmer bursting into his eyes.
He nodded frantically.
"I do! If you'll teach me, I'll do anything!"
"Even if you make me your lackey and tell me to take a detour whenever I see you from now on, I'll accept it!"
Xue Yao chuckled.
"Forget about taking on a lackey."
He looked at Feng Xiaotian, his tone suddenly turning serious.
"But I can teach you. I can not only explain the principle behind the move you just saw, but also help you improve that lousy Chain Slash of yours."
"I'll turn it into a true peerless skill."
At those words, Feng Xiaotian's heart gave a sudden jolt. His breathing quickened.
"Really?!"
"Of course." Xue Yao nodded.
Then he changed tack.
"But I have one condition."
"Nothing comes for free. If you want this theory, you'll have to give me something in return."
Feng Xiaotian slapped his chest without hesitation.
"What do you want? Gold Soul Coins? Rare herbs? I know everyone at Godwind Academy. I can go back and gather whatever you need!"
Xue Yao shook his head.
He didn't care for any of that. What he truly wanted was reliable, hard power.
"I want the Feng Clan."
Xue Yao held Feng Xiaotian's gaze and spoke slowly, each word distinct.
Feng Xiaotian froze.
"Our Feng Clan?"
He didn't quite understand.
"That's right."
With his hands in his pockets, Xue Yao spoke at a leisurely pace.
"The Feng Clan is the force behind Godwind Academy."
"Your family's Martial Soul is the high-level Beast Martial Soul, the Gale Demon Wolf. When it comes to wind, your clan is an established powerhouse."
Xue Yao knew the Feng Clan's background inside out.
He hadn't spent the past few days at the academy idling in the library.
He'd already committed the details of the various factions to memory.
Feng Xiaotian had a mutated two-headed wolf, but his father, Feng Cang, truly had the Gale Demon Wolf.
What's more, the Feng Clan's patriarch was a Soul Douluo at Level 83.
In this era, Titled Douluo were mostly hidden away within Spirit Hall or the Upper Three Sects. They were practically never seen in public.
Among those who ventured out into the world, Soul Douluo were already at the ceiling of combat strength.
They were regional overlords—unquestionably top-tier fighters.
Xue Yao's plan was simple.
He'd been attracting too much attention in Heaven Dou City.
Although Qian Renxue was secretly protecting him, he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
More importantly, his parents were far away in the Farack Kingdom.
The Farack Kingdom was too small. Its strongest fighter was his mother, Gao Nianzhen, a Level 72 Soul Saint.
If something went wrong with Spirit Hall, and Bibi Dong went mad and sent people to cause trouble in Falake, a single Soul Saint wouldn't be able to hold them off.
He had to put an absolutely secure shackle around his rear.
And the Feng Clan was currently the perfect target.
"I want the Feng Clan and our Farack Kingdom to form a defensive alliance."
Xue Yao laid out his terms clearly.
"Your clan's core members, along with your father, Feng Cang..."
"I want them to take up residence in the Farack Kingdom and establish a Godwind branch in Farack City."
"From now on, your Feng Clan will be responsible for the safety of the Farack royal family."
The Martial Arts Arena was so quiet it was frightening.
Feng Xiaotian's eyes widened.
He'd never expected Xue Yao to propose such an overbearing condition.
What kind of deal was this? It was practically an attempt to strap the entire Feng Clan to the chariot of the Farack Kingdom!
"Impossible!"
Feng Xiaotian came to his senses and refused without thinking.
"Our Feng Clan has been rooted in Heaven Dou City for years. Godwind Academy is one of the city's landmarks."
"You want my father to take the core members to your little kingdom? That's absurd. My father would never agree."
Xue Yao wasn't in the least bit anxious.
He'd expected this reaction from Feng Xiaotian.
"Don't be so quick to refuse."
Xue Yao raised one finger and gave it a slight wag.
"Your father's been stuck at Level 83 for many years, hasn't he?"
Feng Xiaotian's expression changed.
That was a secret within their family. How did Xue Yao know?
The Gale Demon Wolf Martial Soul was indeed formidable in the early stages. But in the later stages, its wind-type Soul Power tended to grow impure.
Without a special opportunity, a Soul Douluo could spend the rest of his life stuck at that stage.
"That so-called Thirty-Six Consecutive Slashes of yours," Xue Yao continued, "is proof that your Feng Clan has reached a dead end."
"You only know how to use wind's cutting force. You don't understand its flow or resonance at all."
"Even if you trained with that crude method until you died, you'd never reach the threshold of becoming a Titled Douluo."
Xue Yao's words were like knives, piercing the Feng Clan's weakness with unerring accuracy.
"But I have a complete system of wind-attribute theory."
Xue Yao pointed to his own head.
"It goes straight to the source of wind. It can not only help you perfect your Self-Created Soul Skill, but also help your father sort out his impure Soul Power."
"It'll give him a very good chance of breaking through that barrier and reaching the threshold of Level 90."
Breakthrough to Titled Douluo!
At those words, Feng Xiaotian sucked in a sharp breath.
If such a theory really existed, it would be a chance for the Feng Clan to defy fate itself.
Forget moving to the Farack Kingdom. His father, Feng Cang, would probably even agree to go drink the bitter north wind in the Far North!
"You... are you telling the truth?"
"I have no reason to lie to you. You saw it with your own eyes just now."
Xue Yao's tone was calm.
"Besides, I'm not asking your entire clan to move. Godwind Academy can keep operating in Heaven Dou City."
"I only need your father to take a few trusted experts to Farack City and hold down the fort."
"The Feng Clan can only profit from this deal."
Feng Xiaotian lowered his head, his mind racing as he weighed the options.
On one side stood the family's long-established foundation and its pride.
On the other was a godlike theory that could change the clan's fate, along with the Chain Slash technique he'd dreamed of mastering.
After a long while, Feng Xiaotian clenched his teeth and raised his head.
"This is too important. I can't decide on my own."
"But I'll write a letter today and tell my father exactly what you said."
"As for what he decides, that'll be up to him."
Xue Yao smiled.
He knew the deal was practically done.
No Soul Master could resist the temptation of breaking through to a new level, especially an established Soul Douluo who'd been stuck for so many years.
As long as Feng Cang understood what he stood to gain, the alliance was as good as sealed.
"Fine. I'll wait to hear from you."
Xue Yao had just taken two steps when he suddenly stopped.
"To show my sincerity, I'll give you a hint."
Feng Xiaotian immediately pricked up his ears.
"Your Chain Slash..."
"The problem lies in your wings."
Xue Yao's voice drifted through the air.
"When you spin in midair, you keep your wings at too fixed an angle."
"You treat wind like wood and try to hack your way through it. Of course it's going to be difficult."
"Wind flows. What you need to do is follow its currents."
Xue Yao raised a hand and traced a slight downward curve in the air.
"Next time you spin, tilt your wings downward by fifteen degrees."
"Don't fight the wind resistance. Let the wind push you around."
"That's all I'll say. Figure out the rest yourself."
With that,
Xue Yao led Little Griffin out of the Martial Arts Arena at an unhurried pace.
Feng Xiaotian was left standing there alone.
Fifteen degrees.
Let the wind push me around.
These unfamiliar ideas exploded in Feng Xiaotian's mind.
He was a genius. He'd taken the wrong path, but his insight was unquestionable.
He followed Xue Yao's advice and rapidly ran through the possibilities in his mind.
Suddenly,
he slapped his thigh, his eyes blazing.
"That's it!"
"How did I never think of that before?!"
If he cut along the direction the wind was flowing, that terrifying backlash would vanish in an instant.
His spin speed could at least double!
He could also save more than half the Soul Power he consumed!
Watching Xue Yao's disappearing figure, the last trace of doubt in Feng Xiaotian's heart completely dissipated.
"An alliance... We have to form an alliance!"
Feng Xiaotian tore off toward the academy exit. He didn't even bother wiping the dirt off his face.
"I'm going back to write a letter right now!"
"Even if my dad refuses, I'll cry, throw a tantrum, and threaten to hang myself until he agrees!"
"The Feng Clan is clinging to this powerful ally for good!"
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