To Enter Tianshui, You Must Fight Shui Bing'er (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

The woman's gaze immediately shifted to Gu Yena, and upon closer inspection, a look of clear astonishment flashed across her eyes.

The silver-haired woman before her possessed a peerless beauty and a cold, ethereal temperament. More importantly, with her own Spirit Emperor-level perception, she could clearly sense the steady, solid fluctuations of spirit power emanating from the other party—fluctuations far exceeding those of an ordinary spirit master. This was, shockingly, a Spirit King!

Furthermore, judging by her appearance and physique, she was excessively young, looking to be no more than twenty-five.

"A Spirit King?"

The woman whispered subconsciously before straightening her expression to ask, "This young lady, might I ask your age? And what is your spirit attribute?"

Gu Yena was still in a state of slight bewilderment at that moment.

Her silver eyes swept toward the woman with a hint of confusion before turning to Yang Teng, her thoughts swirling.

How did it suddenly become a situation where I have to join this Tianshui Academy?

Seeing that she didn't respond immediately, Yang Teng grew anxious. While he maintained a smile on his face, he hurriedly shot frantic eye signals at Gu Yena.

Those looks contained pleading, hints, and the urgency of, "Leave everything to me, just agree first."

Gu Yena took in his rare, desperate need for her help.

Seeing this guy—who was usually roguish and seemed to take nothing to heart—display such a demeanor, an indescribable sense of pleasure quietly welled up in her heart.

The corners of her lips, usually set in a cold and indifferent expression, loosened imperceptibly, as if they wanted to curl upward.

She did not speak aloud, but instead, a cold mental message was transmitted directly into Yang Teng's mind.

Begging me for help?

Yang Teng's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately responded in his mind.

Help me out, Sister Na! Just get inside first!

Very well.

Gu Yena's mental voice remained flat, yet it carried a trace of imperceptible cunning.

You're covering all my desserts for the next year.

Upon hearing this, Yang Teng almost laughed out loud. Was that it?

What's one year? As long as you like them, I'll cover them for a lifetime if you want!

Of course, he didn't dare to actually transmit that thought.

This silent exchange lasted only a fleeting moment. To the woman in the blue dress at the gate, it merely seemed as though the silver-haired beauty had been lost in thought for a while.

Finally, Gu Yena nodded slightly, her cold voice ringing out.

"My name is Gu Yena, and I am eighteen."

"Eighteen?!"

The woman in the blue dress gasped, the juice cup in her hand wobbling.

An eighteen-year-old Spirit King?! This was simply monstrous talent!

"My spirit is elemental control."

Gu Yena continued, her tone as flat as if she were commenting on the weather.

To prove it, and to meet the requirements of Tianshui Academy, she casually flicked her slender, white fingertips at the air in front of her.

In an instant, the rich water elements in the air gathered rapidly, and two lifelike, azure-blue water dragons with distinct scales and claws condensed out of thin air.

They circled gracefully around Gu Yena's body, their heads raised slightly, radiating pure and powerful water-attribute fluctuations without any of the sluggishness typical of ordinary water-type spirit master skills.

This exquisite display of elemental manipulation completely won over the woman in the blue dress at the gate.

The surprise on her face was instantly replaced by immense joy, her cheeks flushing with excitement.

"Good! Wonderful! Such pure and powerful water-attribute control, an eighteen-year-old Spirit King... Heaven has blessed Tianshui Academy!"

She seemed to already see the scene of the academy holding its head high at the upcoming Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament, and she exclaimed excitedly, "With this talent, we will surely be able to suppress those guys from Shenfeng Academy and Chihuo Academy at the tournament!"

No longer caring about Yang Teng, who stood to the side with a somewhat stiff smile, she stepped forward and affectionately grabbed Gu Yena's wrist, as if afraid that this treasure fallen from the heavens might run away, her tone overflowing with enthusiasm.

"Student Gu Yena, welcome to Tianshui Academy! Come with me, I'll take you to meet the Dean!"

With that, the woman pulled Gu Yena, who still hadn't fully adjusted to the situation, toward the interior of the academy.

The woman in the tight blue dress didn't look back, her figure and Gu Yena's quickly disappearing into the magnificent ice-blue building complex inside the academy gates.

Only Yang Teng was left standing alone at the imposing entrance of Tianshui Academy, feeling somewhat windblown and disheveled.

Yang Teng gave a bitter smile and followed silently behind.

The interior of Tianshui Academy was quiet and elegant, with buildings primarily in shades of blue and white, accented with ice crystals and flowing water decorations.

Dean Shui Yunxia was standing by the window. She looked to be in her thirties, dressed in an elegant water-blue long dress, her figure graceful and her appearance exceptionally beautiful.

She possessed a mature charm refined by the passage of time and the composed demeanor of one in a high position.

She was a powerhouse at the Soul Saint level, as well as the core and soul of Tianshui Academy.

Hearing footsteps, she turned around, her gaze landing first on Gu Yena, a flicker of undisguised amazement and appreciation flashing in her eyes.

The blue-skirted woman had already excitedly reported the situation to her.

"Sixteen years old, Soul King, elemental control-type martial soul, peak-level mastery of the water attribute..."

Shui Yunxia repeated these keywords softly, a bright smile blooming on her face as she made an immediate decision.

"Student Gu Yena, on behalf of Tianshui Academy, I officially welcome you! You shall be a core member of the Tianshui Academy team!"

Gu Yena bowed slightly, her etiquette impeccable.

"Thank you, Dean."

Her voice was cold and clear, yet carried a weight that could not be ignored.

Gu Yena raised her eyes to look at Shui Yunxia and added calmly.

"Dean, there is one more thing. I hope that Yang Teng can also join Tianshui Academy and participate in this tournament with me."

Her tone was natural, as if this were a matter of course—truly worthy of the Silver Dragon King!

Yang Teng immediately gave a mental thumbs-up, silently praising Gu Yena: That's what I'm talking about! This girl, my "bribes" were definitely worth it! He was blooming with joy inside.

Upon hearing this, Shui Yunxia's gaze turned toward Yang Teng for the first time, serious and scrutinizing.

She looked at Yang Teng, then back at Gu Yena, who stood to the side with a calm expression but eyes that revealed a hint of persistence. Her expression turned somewhat strange, shifting between the two for a moment.

"Little Sister Gu Yena!"

Shui Yunxia's tone was gentle, yet carried a sense of unquestionable rules.

"We would be delighted to have your talent and strength, but you must be aware of Tianshui Academy's regulations."

She looked at Yang Teng.

"This little brother Yang Teng does not seem to meet any of them."

The atmosphere in the room stagnated slightly.

Shui Yunxia tapped her fingertips lightly against the smooth tabletop, seemingly weighing her options.

Refuse Gu Yena? That would undoubtedly be a massive loss; such a peerless genius was vital to both the academy's reputation and its tournament results.

But to break the rules for her sake and admit a male student who clearly didn't qualify...

A moment later, she seemed to have made up her mind.

Her gaze turned sharp again as she looked at Yang Teng, her Soul Saint-level perception easily gauging the level of his soul power fluctuations.

"Rules are rigid, but people are flexible."

Shui Yunxia spoke slowly.

"Student Gu Yena's talent is worth the academy making an exception this once. Little brother Yang Teng, judging by your soul power fluctuations, you should be at the Soul Ancestor level, right?"

Yang Teng nodded slightly.

"I can give you a chance, an exception just this once. But whether you can stay depends on your own ability."

She turned to the blue-skirted woman standing nearby: "Go call Bing'er here."

Soon, a young girl walked into the Dean's office. She appeared to be sixteen or seventeen years old, with a tall, well-proportioned figure, long water-blue hair draped over her shoulders, and clear blue eyes.

Her temperament carried a hint of gentle grace; she was none other than the captain of the Tianshui Academy team, Shui Bing'er.

"Dean, did you call for me?"

Shui Bing'er's voice was crisp and pleasant.

Shui Yunxia looked at Yang Teng, her eyes becoming serious and filled with pressure.

"Little brother Yang Teng, your opponent is Bing'er. She is the captain of our academy team, a level 43 control-type soul ancestor."

"If you can defeat her within the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, I will make an exception!"

His opponent was the standout of Tianshui Academy's younger generation, the control-type Soul Ancestor Shui Bing'er.

Victory would open the doors of Tianshui Academy, which had never before been opened to a male; failure would mean the end of the conversation.

Yang Teng met Shui Yunxia's gaze and flexed his wrists:

"Alright! Then let's have a match."