More than half a month had passed since Mo Li broke through to Soul Grandmaster.
During this time, besides his regular cultivation, Mo Li occasionally received combat instruction from Liu Erlong.
From Liu Erlong's perspective, whenever she faced Mo Li before, she had deliberately suppressed her strength, keeping it roughly on par with his.
After all, even with her strength suppressed, her combat instincts and the physique of a Soul Saint were beyond anything Mo Li could surpass at his current level.
But during the half month since Mo Li had broken through to Soul Grandmaster, she had been quietly astonished. What had once been an easy victory now forced her to secretly unleash a little more of her strength before she could regain control of the fight.
Anyone who grew arrogant and underestimated Mo Li just because he was only a Soul Grandmaster would surely suffer a serious loss.
Mo Li knew nothing of Liu Erlong's amazement. His cultivation continued steadily as before.
Blue Tyrant Academy's gate.
"This is the right place, isn't it?"
The speaker was a girl with short purple hair and a pair of strangely alluring green eyes. Tall and graceful, she exuded a unique charm with every glance and movement.
She pointed at Blue Tyrant Academy's entrance arch and spoke to the blue-haired girl beside her.
The other girl wore a black veil and black clothes. Her demeanor was cool and mysterious, and her pale blue eyes were crystal clear, as though they held not a trace of impurity.
The two girls standing in front of the academy's entrance arch drew plenty of attention.
They were Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan.
At Dugu Yan's words, Ye Lingling looked up at the arch in front of them and said softly, "There probably isn't another Blue Tyrant Academy."
"Then let's go ask."
With that, Dugu Yan took Ye Lingling by the arm and led her into Blue Tyrant Academy.
More than half a month had passed, and Dugu Yan could no longer hold back her urge to reclaim her pride from Mo Li.
After losing to Mo Li last time, she had learned her lesson and trained hard for more than half a month. Her Soul Power Level was still only twenty-eight, but she had made considerable progress.
She had been too careless last time, losing to Mo Li, a mere Soul Master. This time, she was fully prepared to wipe away that humiliation.
Dugu Yan had sought out Ye Lingling at the academy and insisted she come along as a witness.
Ye Lingling had only smiled and readily agreed.
Just as the two were about to enter Blue Tyrant Academy, the gatekeeper stopped them. His reason was perfectly reasonable.
"You're not students here, are you?"
"How did you know?"
Dugu Yan was surprised. She hadn't intended to force her way in, but the gatekeeper's eyes were almost too sharp.
"It's school hours, and our students all wear uniforms."
"Uh." Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling stared speechlessly at the Blue Tyrant Academy students coming and going. Most of them wore blue-and-white uniforms.
Those without uniforms were teachers. There weren't many teachers at the academy, so the gatekeeper naturally knew them.
The two of them stood out in their clothes, so of course they had been stopped and questioned.
Dugu Yan had a sudden inspiration and said to the gatekeeper, "We're actually here to visit a friend."
"Oh? What's your friend's name?"
"Mo Li."
"Alright, I'll check." A short while later, the gatekeeper returned. "Sorry, there's no student named Mo Li here. Are you sure you have the right place?"
Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan were both confused.
Dugu Yan looked utterly disbelieving and hurriedly pressed him, "How is that possible? Isn't this Blue Tyrant Academy?"
"This is Blue Tyrant Academy."
"Then how can there be no Mo Li?"
"Sorry, there really isn't a student named Mo Li here."
Ye Lingling was surprised, but then she thought of something and stepped forward to give another name: Jiang Zhu.
"Oh, let me check." The gatekeeper turned and went back inside.
Dugu Yan, meanwhile, was already furious. Her voice was full of indignation; she clearly thought Mo Li had given them false information. "Mo Li, you bastard! You actually lied to both of us!"
Ye Lingling was waiting for the gatekeeper when she suddenly heard Dugu Yan cursing behind her. She hurried over and covered Dugu Yan's mouth with her hand.
"Yan Yan, stop it." Ye Lingling sounded helpless.
Dugu Yan was still struggling in Ye Lingling's grasp when the gatekeeper came back out. He looked at them, puzzled. "Jiang Zhu is a student here. Please wait a moment while we find her."
"Thank you." Ye Lingling replied politely.
Then she turned to Dugu Yan. "Yan Yan, don't get worked up. We've met Blue Tyrant Academy's dean before, remember? Mo Li wouldn't lie to us."
Ye Lingling was just as surprised by the situation, but she wasn't as blunt as Dugu Yan.
She had met Liu Erlong and Mo Li twice in all.
Especially at the Heaven Dou Auction House last time: when Liu Erlong appeared, she had clearly heard Mo Li call her Sister Erlong, while Jiang Zhu had called her dean.
Mo Li and Liu Erlong were quite close.
But there was no doubt Jiang Zhu was a student. When treating Mo Li earlier, Ye Lingling had also noticed Jiang Zhu's Soul Rings. She was a bona fide Soul Grandmaster.
"I already asked. Jiang Zhu is definitely at Blue Tyrant Academy. We just need to wait a little," Ye Lingling patiently explained to Dugu Yan.
After hearing Ye Lingling's analysis, Dugu Yan finally understood, but she still looked sulky. She clearly had a serious grudge against Mo Li.
Before long, Jiang Zhu arrived. From a distance, she spotted the two girls standing by the entrance arch.
"Hello." When Jiang Zhu came closer, she greeted them politely.
"Hello." Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan returned her greeting.
After the introductions, the atmosphere turned a little awkward. Jiang Zhu waited for them to speak, Ye Lingling's gaze wandered somewhere in the distance, and Dugu Yan had no intention of saying anything.
In the end, Jiang Zhu smiled gracefully, said a few words to the gatekeeper, and led the two girls into the academy.
The buildings of Blue Tyrant Academy, nestled in a primeval forest, surprised Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan, who were visiting for the first time.
"I didn't expect your academy to have such lovely scenery." Dugu Yan looked around curiously.
Blue Tyrant Academy was no match for the size of their Heaven Dou Royal Academy, but judging by the orderly buildings nearby, it wasn't far behind.
"Thank you," Jiang Zhu said with a smile.
The three girls each had their own beauty and charm, and before long they had drawn countless glances.
"Could you take us to see Mo Li?" Ye Lingling asked Jiang Zhu softly.
"We're already on our way there," Jiang Zhu replied.
Although Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan hadn't said so, how could Jiang Zhu not know why they had come?
After all, before dealing with Mo Li, they had only heard of Blue Tyrant Academy.
Aside from coming to see Mo Li, she couldn't think of any other reason for their sudden visit.
The three of them passed through the central teaching building and followed a stone path behind it.
After crossing through the forest, Jiang Zhu spotted a flower garden enclosed by a fence in the distance, and Mo Li sitting calmly by the water's edge.
"Little Li!"
Jiang Zhu called to Mo Li from far away, sounding delighted.
At the sound of her voice, Mo Li looked up. He immediately saw Jiang Zhu, beaming with joy, then noticed Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan behind her. Smiling, he rose and went to greet them.
"Sister Jiang Zhu." Mo Li first replied to Jiang Zhu, then looked at the two girls behind her. "Sister Leng Leng, Senior Dugu, what a rare visit."
"I hope we're not interrupting you," Ye Lingling said with a faint smile.
"Enough talk. I'm here for revenge!" Dugu Yan was as direct as ever.
"You just got here and already want to fight? How about taking a break first?" Mo Li said with a smile.
"I came to spar with you," Dugu Yan said indignantly.
"What about you, Sister Leng Leng?" Mo Li temporarily ignored Dugu Yan's challenge and turned to Ye Lingling. "Did the Ice-Skin Snow-Jade Ginseng help?"
Ye Lingling froze, then shook her head, bitterness filling her eyes.
Mo Li thought for a moment before encouraging her. "There'll be a way."
Ye Lingling looked at Mo Li, her eyes shifting slightly. In the end, she gave a gentle nod.
Once the two had finished their serious conversation, Dugu Yan sprang out from the side and pointed at Mo Li. "Done talking? Then let's get started. I'm going to wipe away my old humiliation!"
"Love the enthusiasm. Come on, then." Mo Li grinned.
"Let's do it." Seeing Mo Li's easy smile, Dugu Yan immediately bristled with anger.
The three followed Mo Li to a flat patch of grass. The ground clearly bore plenty of traces from past battles.
This was where he usually fought Liu Erlong, not far from their lodgings.
When they reached the spot, Mo Li smiled at Dugu Yan. "Have you made some progress over the past half month, Senior Dugu?"
"Why do you care? Are you afraid you'll lose to me? If you are, hurry up and surrender. I'll even let you off the hook."
Dugu Yan gave a smug little snort.
Mo Li clearly feared that she had improved. Her Soul Power Level was still only twenty-eight, but she couldn't afford to lose the advantage in confidence.
But contrary to her expectations, Mo Li wasn't the least bit shaken by her long string of taunts. Instead, he smiled and beckoned her to attack.
"You're such a pain!"