Royal Academy

"Junior brother, once you get to the academy, if anything happens, just give them my name."

"Even those great noble families have to show our Dugu Family some respect!" Dugu Yuan patted Yu Tianshuo on the shoulder and said earnestly.

Yu Tianshuo smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, senior brother. I know what to do."

Dugu Yuan still seemed a little uneasy, and asked again, "And you're sure you don't want us to take you?"

Yu Tianshuo waved his hand. "No need, senior brother. I can go by myself."

Though Dugu Yuan knew Yu Tianshuo was indeed very strong, he was still just a child, and this was his first time attending a noble academy. Dugu Yuan couldn't help worrying a little.

"Still, Father's something else. He has to train you for two hours every day before he'll let you cultivate. He's practically whipped you into a spinning top," Dugu Yuan couldn't help complaining.

Yu Tianshuo didn't mind. He smiled and said, "It's fine, senior brother. I think it's pretty good this way. Cultivation takes hard work, after all."

Dugu Yuan shook his head helplessly.

"All right, I'm off to school." Yu Tianshuo waved to Dugu Yuan, then turned and strode toward Royal Academy with a light step.

As Dugu Yuan watched Yu Tianshuo's figure recede into the distance, a faint smile rose to his lips.

He murmured to himself, "That kid really does make it hard not to worry."

Shaking his head, he turned and headed back to his room to find his sweet, soft daughter.

As he walked toward the academy, Yu Tianshuo began to think.

My master already said he'd look for a Soul Bone, but I can't just sit around waiting.

Yu Tianshuo pondered silently.

Once I get to the academy, I'll show off my talent and strength, then approach Qian Renxue, who's disguised as Xue Qinghe. Whether I pledge my allegiance to her for the time being or strike a deal through an exchange of benefits, I have to get the Compendium of Immortal Herbs and a Soul Bone.

Thinking back on his time with the Dugu Family, a faint smile rose to Yu Tianshuo's lips.

Using Martial Soul perception as an excuse, he had brought up the fact that his master and senior brother had been poisoned, and proposed a solution: transfer the poison into a Soul Bone and use a Soul Core.

As for how he knew? The answer was that his Martial Soul had given him a premonition.

Ever since Dugu Bo accepted that his disciple was extraordinary, many things had become much easier.

That was why he took his disciple's proposed cure so seriously.

As Yu Tianshuo was thinking, a shrill, sneering voice came from the second floor of the academy's teaching building.

"Hey, you down there! Nobody even came to see you off to school. Did your whole family die or something?" The voice brimmed with mockery and contempt, making anyone who heard it feel disgusted.

A burst of raucous laughter followed, as though in response to the voice.

"Hahahaha! Young Master Xue Beng is right. Not only is his whole family dead, but just look at that pathetic getup. He doesn't even have a carriage. Studying in the same place as him makes me smell poverty in the air!"

As he spoke, he pinched his nose, as if a foul stench really did surround him.

His antics set off another burst of raucous laughter.

Yu Tianshuo's brows knitted tightly. He wasn't unfamiliar with this kind of ridicule.

The familiar scene sent his thoughts drifting back to the past, to those days when he'd been bullied.

Back then, he hadn't been strong enough to fight back. All he could do was endure and be a sensible fellow who knew which way the wind blew.

But now, he had people he could rely on.

Suddenly, Yu Tianshuo's body shuddered, and tremendous power surged through him.

His First Soul Ring blazed with dazzling golden light, radiant as the sun.

As the golden light shimmered, dense golden scales began to spread across Yu Tianshuo's skin, covering his whole body until he looked like a golden dragon.

Not only that, a pair of sharp dragon horns sprouted from his head, and a thick, powerful dragon tail grew behind him.

Yu Tianshuo's eyes turned sharp and imposing as he fixed his gaze on Xue Beng and the others upstairs.

Without the slightest hesitation, he leaped forward, shooting toward the three of them like an arrow loosed from its bow.

He was as fast as lightning. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of them.

Xue Beng and his two companions were clearly startled by Yu Tianshuo's sudden outburst. Their faces filled with shock, and they hadn't even had time to react.

But Yu Tianshuo wasn't about to give them a chance.

His fists came down like a violent storm, slamming into the faces of Xue Beng and the one who had mocked him.

With a loud Bang!, the two of them flew backward like kites with their strings cut.

Their bodies traced an arc through the air before crashing heavily into the wall with another muffled Thud!

It wasn't until he hit the wall and felt the piercing pain that Xue Beng finally came to his senses.

But their faces were already contorted with pain and shock.

They clearly couldn't understand how the commoner they looked down on had dared to attack them so recklessly.

The commotion first drew the attention of the other students on that floor.

Unable to contain their curiosity, they poked their heads out of their classrooms to see what had happened.

At first, some of the students had only been watching from the sidelines for fun.

But Yu Tianshuo's actions left them stunned, and they stumbled backward in fright.

A strange empty space formed around Yu Tianshuo. No one dared approach him.

Seeing that Xue Beng had looked down on him, Yu Tianshuo flew into a rage.

"Aaaaaah! You commoner! You actually dared hit me!"

Xue Beng roared furiously, "You useless fools, what are you standing around for? Get him!"

Pointing viciously at Yu Tianshuo, he bellowed, "Break every bone in that brat's limbs! Whatever happens, I'll take full responsibility!"

Faced with the situation, the noble-born students understood perfectly well: on one side was an insolent new student, and on the other was a golden opportunity to curry favor with Lord Xue Beng.

They didn't need to think twice to know which side to choose.

"Kill!" At last, one student couldn't hold back any longer and shouted the bloodthirsty slogan.

His Martial Soul instantly possessed him, and he charged straight at Yu Tianshuo like a ferocious beast.

It was like a signal. The others followed suit, quickly summoning their Martial Souls and unleashing their Soul Skills to launch a fierce attack on Yu Tianshuo.

"First Soul Skill, Wild Wolf Frenzied Scratch!"

"First Soul Skill, Mental Shock!"

"First Soul Skill, Vine Entanglement!"

"First Soul Skill, Strength Amplification!"