Special Training Begins, Yu Tianxin's Invitation

Special training began before dawn the next day.

I chose the training grounds in a natural depression surrounded by dense forest behind Thunder Academy.

"Starting today, the intensity of both your training will double. Yu Xiaolou, your martial soul is not strong enough, but your foundation is still solid after being tempered by the immortal herb. I'll teach you a simplified version of the Nine Heavens Thunder God Art. You will circulate it through thirty-six cycles every day. If you can't do it, then you don't eat breakfast."

Yu Xiaolou's face scrunched up, but for once, he did not complain.

"Qing Luo, your Dragon Scale Tulip Vine has already reached the standard of a top-tier plant-type martial soul, but you lack real combat experience. Starting today, you will spar with me for the time it takes to burn one incense stick each day. You do not need to defeat me. You only need to last one incense stick under my attacks."

"Yes, Young Master."

Training began. Yu Xiaolou sat cross-legged beneath a dead tree, gritting his teeth as he circulated the simplified cultivation method.

Thunder spiritual power rampaged through his meridians. Every completed cycle left sweat beading on his forehead, but he endured all thirty-six cycles without making a sound.

By the time he finished the final cycle, his entire body was drenched in sweat, yet his eyes shone brighter than ever.

Qing Luo's situation was even more brutal. Her Dragon Scale Tulip Vine was indeed powerful, but before me, no matter how strong a control-type martial soul was, it still had to be able to touch its opponent. I did not even release my martial soul. With only footwork and Soul Power suppression, I made every one of her moves half a beat too slow.

I predicted the trajectory of every vine she launched in advance. The instant they emerged, I knocked them back.

After one incense stick's worth of time, she was panting heavily, with loose strands of hair plastered to her face by sweat. Even so, she never once called for a stop.

On the fifth day, Yu Xiaolou was finally able to complete thirty-six cycles within an hour, and his Soul Power showed faint signs of breaking through.

Qing Luo was also finally able to last one incense stick under my attacks. Although I had gone easy on her, the strength she displayed already far surpassed that of control-type Spirit Masters at the same rank.

That afternoon, just as I finished sparring with Qing Luo, footsteps sounded from the entrance to the back mountain.

Two people. Their steps were steady, and neither had weak Soul Power fluctuations. With a sweep of my spiritual senses, I found one at level thirty-nine and the other at level thirty-seven. At Thunder Academy, the only students who could reach that Soul Power Level at such an age were the top-ranking senior students of the Genius Class.

The young man in front looked around seventeen or eighteen. He had blond hair, blue eyes, and wore fitted blue training clothes. His features bore a three-part resemblance to Yu Luomian's, but his brows carried the sharpness unique to youth.

Half a step behind him was a lean young man in the same blue training clothes. He had short black hair and a sharp gaze.

The blue-clad youth stopped three steps in front of me and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Yu Tianxin, martial soul Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, level thirty-nine assault-type Soul Elder. This is Lei Dong, martial soul Thunder Spider, level thirty-seven control-type Soul Elder. I have heard some things about your achievements and talent from my grandfather. Reaching level thirty Soul Power at your age, possessing two thousand-year soul rings, and killing two Soul Kings alone. Now that I see you in person, you truly have an extraordinary bearing. If you do not mind, I shall call you Tian Lin."

His tone was neither servile nor arrogant. He neither deliberately tried to get close nor put on the airs of a senior student. Yu Luomian's grandson had inherited his grandfather's straightforward nature.

"You're too polite, Senior Brother Tianxin. Did the two of you need something from me?"

Lei Dong stood behind Yu Tianxin with his arms folded, sweeping his gaze over me without bothering to hide the disdain on his face.

Yu Tianxin went straight to the point. "We would like to invite you and your two companions to join our cultivation group. We can spar and prepare together for the upcoming Continental Advanced Elite Spirit Master Tournament."

The Continental Advanced Elite Spirit Master Tournament. I knew of this competition. It was the highest stage for the younger generation of Spirit Masters across Douluo Continent to make their names known. The champions of the first tournament had been Spirit Hall's Golden Generation, and after that battle, Spirit Hall's prestige on the continent had directly surpassed that of the two great empires. Thunder Academy's best result over the years had been reaching the quarterfinals. It had never entered the semifinals.

"I can join. But I have one condition."

"Please say it."

"Your people all need to follow my arrangements."

The moment those words fell, the surroundings went quiet. Yu Tianxin's expression did not change, but before he could speak, Lei Dong exploded. He stepped forward, his tone aggressive. "What did you say? Follow your arrangements? One of us is level thirty-nine, and the other is level thirty-seven. You're a freshman who just enrolled. What gives you the right to make us listen to you? Even if you're a genius, there should be some respect for seniority, shouldn't there? In terms of Soul Power Level, Brother Tianxin is a full nine levels above you. In terms of experience, we've been in the Genius Class for two years, while you've only been here for a few days!"

Yu Tianxin raised a hand to stop Lei Dong, then turned to me with an open, earnest gaze.

"Tian Lin, I do not mean to question you. My grandfather personally told me that you killed two Soul Kings by yourself. There is no second person in all of Thunder Academy with such a record. I also know that you have a close relationship with my great-grandfather. I heard that his breakthrough to a level ninety-six Title Douluo was related to you. My grandfather said you are his benefactor. I have always remembered those words, so I do not doubt your strength."

"But," he shifted the topic, "those are all things I have heard. Lei Dong and I have not seen them with our own eyes. Since we are forming a team to prepare for the tournament, everyone has to entrust their backs to one another. As the team leader, I also need to know the strength of every person under my command."

"How about this? You and I will spar. If you win, all of us will listen to you. If you lose, you can join normally, and we can slowly learn to work together from there. What do you think?"

I looked at him for two seconds. When Yu Tianxin said this, his gaze was open and honest, without the slightest hint of provocation. He genuinely wanted to confirm my strength, not suppress me. With someone like this, I really had to beat him into submission.

"Fine."

Yu Tianxin nodded, then turned and walked toward the depression on the back mountain. Lei Dong followed behind him, a gloating smile on his lips. He had partnered with Yu Tianxin for two years and had personally witnessed Yu Tianxin remain undefeated in the Genius Class. A level thirty-nine Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul, combined with the combat techniques personally drilled into him by Yu Luomian, meant that even against a Soul Ancestor, he could fight for dozens of exchanges without falling behind. No matter how talented a level thirty freshman who had just enrolled might be, there was no way he could overcome a gap of nearly ten levels to defeat him.

Yu Xiaolou and Qing Luo stood at the edge of the depression. The little fatty clenched his fists, his palms covered in sweat. He knew I had killed Soul Kings, but he had not witnessed that battle himself. This time, it was a genuine face-to-face duel.

Qing Luo clasped her hands before her, her expression calm. She believed her Young Master would not lose.

Yu Tianxin took his position and released his martial soul. The phantom of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon appeared behind him, and three soul rings lit up: two yellow and one purple, a standard configuration.

Level thirty-nine Soul Power erupted without reservation. The sandy soil beneath his feet sank slightly beneath the pressure, while arcs of electricity leaped across the ground with a dense crackling sound.

"Please." He raised his right hand, palm upward, and assumed a standard opening stance.

I did not release my martial soul. I merely stepped forward. The pressure of the Azure Dragon spilled from within me and crashed precisely onto the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon phantom behind him. The blue lightning dragon shuddered violently, the electric arcs over its body instantly becoming chaotic as it let out a low, mournful cry.

Yu Tianxin's expression changed sharply. His right hand instinctively pressed against his chest. He could feel his martial soul trembling in fear. This was the submission of his bloodline, deep within his bones, before a true dragon.

He drew a deep breath and forcibly stabilized his martial soul. Rather than retreat, he advanced. Faced with bloodline suppression, he did not choose to defend. Instead, he launched a direct frontal assault.

The first soul ring of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon lit up, and a lightning dragon claw blasted toward my face. His judgment was clear: since his martial soul was suppressed, he would use pure Soul Power to clash head-on.

But my true strength was far beyond anything he could compare to.

The moment three soul rings lit up beneath my feet, Lei Dong's sneer froze on his face. The first ring was purple, the second deep purple, and the third pitch-black.

Level thirty-three Soul Power erupted without reservation, and the pressure of the Prison-Suppressing Azure Dragon shook several fine cracks into the ground beneath my feet.

"Ten-thousand-year soul ring!" Lei Dong shouted in shock. He looked at Yu Tianxin, then at me, and all the disdain in his eyes turned into astonishment.

Yu Tianxin reacted far faster than Lei Dong. He did not pay attention to that ten-thousand-year soul ring. Instead, using his forward momentum, he poured all his Soul Power into his second soul skill.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon let out a furious roar, and a thick pillar of lightning burst from its mouth, blasting straight toward my chest. He held nothing back in this strike, because he knew perfectly well that holding back against an opponent with a ten-thousand-year soul ring was no different from courting death.

I merely raised my right hand, gathering Soul Power in my palm, then slapped the lightning pillar. The beam was dispersed head-on, arcs of electricity scattering in every direction and burning several charred holes into the dead trees around us.

Yu Tianxin was sent back three full steps by the recoil. Each step left a deep crater in the sandy ground.

He steadied himself, then raised his head and looked at me.

Lei Dong stood behind him with his mouth hanging open, unable to say a word. He had partnered with Yu Tianxin for two years, yet he had never seen Yu Tianxin suppressed so badly by a Spirit Master of the same rank.