Yu Luomian's gaze locked firmly onto Mo Li.
There, one yellow and one purple Soul Ring glowed brightly as they slowly revolved around Mo Li, stubbornly resisting the pressure of Yu Luomian's Soul Power.
At some point, Yu Luomian's hands, which had been clasped behind his back, had clenched into fists.
Liu Erlong was closest to Mo Li. Sensing the Soul Power pressure rise another notch, she glared furiously and stepped forward, releasing her own Soul Power to break through Yu Luomian's pressure.
She glared at Yu Luomian, her voice icy. "Are you done yet?"
Yu Luomian furrowed his brow but made no move to argue.
Mo Li felt the weight lift from his body as the pressure around him faded. He gasped for breath, his chest heaving. Liu Erlong hurriedly placed a hand against his back and circulated her Soul Power to steady his breathing, then shot Yu Luomian another furious glare.
Yu Luomian ignored Liu Erlong's murderous stare and kept his eyes on the two Soul Rings gradually fading from view around Mo Li.
Especially the conspicuous purple Soul Ring.
None of the three spoke again. With Liu Erlong's help, Mo Li quickly recovered.
The Soul Power pressure had been strong, but it hadn't pushed him to his limit. His Soul Rings had simply revealed themselves first. It wasn't a major problem.
"How did you do that?"
As soon as he asked, Yu Luomian saw Liu Erlong and Mo Li both looking at him strangely.
Liu Erlong paid him no heed, watching him coldly. Mo Li gave a faint smile. "No comment."
Yu Luomian's expression darkened, but he soon realized how abrupt his question had been.
From Liu Erlong's expression, it was obvious she knew the answer, but she had no intention of telling him. Mo Li's reply, however, had given him a clue.
At that thought, Yu Luomian reined in his emotions and, for the first time, looked at the young man before him properly.
The youth had a handsome face and a calm expression. He met Yu Luomian's gaze without flinching, and there wasn't the slightest trace of fear in his eyes.
It was as if Yu Luomian, the second-in-command of one of the Upper Three Sects on the continent, was nothing in his eyes.
Yu Luomian glanced at their clasped hands and furrowed his brow almost imperceptibly, but quickly looked away.
A Soul Grandmaster who wasn't even ten years old, with a second Soul Ring already at the thousand-year level.
Even as the second-in-command of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Yu Luomian had seen countless prodigies. Yet he had to admit from the bottom of his heart that Mo Li's talent was truly astonishing.
After Yu Luomian had stared at him for a while without saying a word, Mo Li asked, "Finished testing me? Are you satisfied with the result?"
Yu Luomian glanced at him and said calmly, "You're impressive, but let me tell you this: my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is one of the Upper Three Sects on the continent. We're nowhere near as weak as you imagine."
Although Mo Li's talent had caught him completely by surprise, Yu Luomian remained relentless in his words. "I won't hide it from you. The clan leader you keep saying you'll defeat is my elder brother. He broke through to level ninety-five more than ten years ago and is one of the handful of powerful experts on the continent today."
"And you're nothing but a green young brat. I see you don't know your place, yet you still dare insult my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
Yu Luomian wasn't saying all this to show off. He wanted Mo Li to face reality. After all, Mo Li's earlier words had been far too arrogant, even belittling the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan along with him.
Yu Luomian had always taken pride in his clan and wouldn't simply swallow such an insult. He assumed Mo Li was just an impulsive youth, spouting wild words.
"Whether I can do it is my business. You only need to do what you should after I defeat your clan leader."
Yu Luomian's expression darkened again. He had thought his earlier words might at least make the ignorant young brat see reason.
He hadn't expected the boy to push things even further and speak to him in that tone.
He held a high position within the clan, yet Mo Li kept provoking him with his words. Even with Yu Luomian's composure, he couldn't help getting a little angry.
He was just about to erupt when he saw Liu Erlong glaring at him, her face icy. The corner of Yu Luomian's eye twitched. He looked at Mo Li again. Mo Li's expression was just as cold, his gaze so resolute it was moving.
After a long silence, Yu Luomian said in a low voice, "If you can defeat the clan leader, then it won't just be me—you'll be free to do whatever you want within the clan."
Having said that, he looked at the two of them again, his eyes filled with a complicated emotion he couldn't quite put into words.
"Good." Mo Li smiled faintly.
Mo Li had been willing to go through this test and conversation with Yu Luomian not only for Liu Erlong's sake, but also to gauge his attitude and that of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Judging by what he'd seen, as long as Yu Yuanzhen remained clan leader and kept Yu Luomian's branch under his thumb, Sister Erlong's plans probably wouldn't be easy to carry out.
If Yu Luomian truly didn't care about Liu Erlong at all, he wouldn't have needed to come here and argue with her.
Besides, the academy stood in such a prime location in Heaven Dou City, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. Yu Luomian must have lent considerable support behind the scenes.
This, too, was part of Mo Li's test of Yu Luomian.
It was just that Liu Erlong and Yu Luomian had a poor relationship, so Mo Li couldn't very well interfere.
Mo Li didn't need Yu Luomian to remind him of Yu Yuanzhen's strength. At level ninety-five, he was a Super Douluo and truly one of the most powerful people on the continent. But that didn't mean he was invincible.
Given enough time, Mo Li would accomplish all of this sooner or later.
While Mo Li was lost in thought, Liu Erlong was still glaring at Yu Luomian, clearly unhappy with his presence. "Are you still not leaving?"
Liu Erlong showed him no courtesy as she ordered him out.
Yu Luomian knew he wasn't welcome around Liu Erlong. He hadn't wanted to linger anyway, lest they clash and start arguing again.
He gave Mo Li one last look and said in a low voice, "Remember what you said. I hope you're not all talk."
"At the next Mountain Gathering, you can come to the clan with Erlong and see for yourself. Take a good look at the foundations of my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
"Did I say I was going?" Liu Erlong snapped.
"I'll go."
Mo Li took Liu Erlong by the hand and gave Yu Luomian a calm smile.
Yu Luomian snorted. As he turned away, a complicated look entered his eyes, but he didn't pause for even a moment. He strode out of the forest.
Only after leaving Blue Tyrant Academy did Yu Luomian's pace gradually slow. He couldn't help furrowing his brow; it seemed he had just realized something.
He still didn't know what Mo Li's Martial Soul was.
During his earlier test, all his attention had been drawn to Mo Li's thousand-year second Soul Ring. He had subconsciously assumed Mo Li had reached his limit and withdrawn his Soul Power.
Could the young brat still have strength in reserve?
The corner of Yu Luomian's eye twitched. He couldn't help turning back to gaze in the general direction of Mo Li and Liu Erlong. Then he turned away again and strode off.