I, Yu Tianheng, Officially Challenge You. Do You Dare?

Realizing this, Lin Yan instinctively took two steps back, putting some distance between himself and Dugu Yan.

He had originally intended to just strike up a casual conversation to get closer to her, all for the sake of plotting to obtain those immortal herbs later on.

He hadn't expected his opening line to be such a bombshell.

Opposite him, Dugu Yan saw Lin Yan deliberately avoiding her, but instead of getting angry, she took a step forward and hooked her arm through his.

"What are you doing? Are you afraid big sister is going to eat you?"

"You were so imposing just a moment ago, why are you suddenly acting all shy now?"

It had to be said that Dugu Yan had a very impressive figure, and that natural allure of hers, combined with her sudden closeness, caught Lin Yan completely off guard.

"No, I... I'm a bit allergic to the scent."

"Allergic? Get out of here!"

Seeing the awkward, insincere expression on the little boy's face, Dugu Yan pulled him into an embrace, her movements incredibly intimate.

"Come on, you aren't familiar with the academy yet, right? Big sister will take you to get something to eat."

It wasn't that Dugu Yan was being a flirt; it was simply that Lin Yan's appearance was highly deceptive.

In truth, all women possess a natural maternal instinct, and upon seeing a handsome, cute little boy, they instinctively want to get close to him; Dugu Yan was no exception.

Ask yourself, what adolescent girl wouldn't want to dote on a younger boy who was handsome, cute, powerful, and came from a powerful background?

Clutching Lin Yan, Dugu Yan was about to walk out of the classroom with a smile on her lips.

However... predictably, Yu Tianheng spoke up again.

"Dugu Yan! You stop right there!"

Yu Tianheng let out a roar from behind them.

"Do you even know what you're doing? What do you take me for?"

Dugu Yan's figure stiffened, and she turned back impatiently while still holding onto Lin Yan.

"I'm telling you, you're so annoying!"

"Don't you know in your own heart whether you like me or not?"

"Hmm? If he doesn't like you, why is he pursuing you?"

Lin Yan feigned innocence, tilting his head to look up at Dugu Yan.

Dugu Yan:

"Because of the sect's interests, what else could it be?"

The young girl laid this reason out on the table quite frankly, without the slightest bit of evasion.

It was clear that Dugu Bo truly doted on her, which was why she had developed such a personality where she dared to say anything.

There were quite a few students who had stayed behind to watch the spectacle.

With his intentions exposed in front of everyone, Yu Tianheng's face flushed a deep red.

"Who said I don't like you? You can't read minds, I... I do like you."

"Oh!" Dugu Yan put on an icy expression and said.

"I don't like you."

"Pfft~"

Lin Yan couldn't hold it in and suddenly burst out laughing. This laugh drew Yu Tianheng's attention back to him.

"What are you laughing at? If you've got guts, come fight me one-on-one!"

"Yu Tianheng, that's enough! How old is he? You're really shameless enough to say something like that? Have you lived all these years in vain?"

Dugu Yan's willow-leaf eyebrows arched in anger; she was truly annoyed now.

Yu Tianheng had been jealous of a child from the very beginning, which was inevitably too petty.

And under Dugu Bo's upbringing, the thing Dugu Yan hated most was a petty man.

"Why are you always taking his side? Didn't you two just meet for the first time today?"

"Just because he's good-looking?"

Dugu Yan hated Yu Tianheng's pettiness, but Yu Tianheng found Dugu Yan's behavior just as bizarre.

His face was full of confusion, just as he had said.

The two of them had known each other for less than half a day, so why was Lin Yan able to outshine him, someone who had been pursuing her for so long?

To this, Dugu Yan answered Yu Tianheng's question with her actions.

She tightened her arm around Lin Yan, pressing his little face against her chest without the slightest hesitation.

"You're right! Just because he's good-looking, I like him!"

Although Dugu Yan's clothes weren't particularly revealing, being this close meant Lin Yan's face inevitably made contact with her soft curves.

This scene left Yu Tianheng staring with eyes so wide they looked ready to split.

He pointed a trembling finger at the two of them.

"You..."

"What? Can't stand the sight of me? If you can't stand it, then stop pestering me. I will never be with you."

Dugu Yan lifted her chin, her words leaving absolutely no room for negotiation, effectively rubbing Yu Tianheng's pride into the dirt.

Lin Yan was a bit puzzled by this.

Weren't these two a couple in the original story? Why was their relationship so strained now? Could it be because of his own arrival?

No! Looking at how Dugu Yan expressed herself, it seemed they hadn't liked each other from the very beginning. Could it be that they developed feelings over time later on?

Lin Yan couldn't figure it out, but he didn't dwell on it too much.

After all, memories from his past life were just memories; the present was what he was truly experiencing.

Everything should be based on reality, after all~

As his thoughts returned to reality, Yu Tianheng saw Dugu Yan's refusal was so blunt that he could no longer bring himself to continue his pursuit while saving face.

After holding it in for a long time, he could only grit his teeth and spit out a harsh threat.

"Lin Yan, is it? You just wait!"

The surrounding students immediately let out a chorus of boos.

They had expected to see a good show, but they hadn't expected Yu Tianheng to end things so hastily when faced with Lin Yan, who had "stolen" Dugu Yan away.

What a letdown!

The crowd was deeply disappointed and began to disperse.

However...

"I don't really want to wait."

The boy's youthful voice echoed, clearly reaching the ears of everyone present.

The crowd, preparing to leave, stopped in their tracks and turned their gazes back.

Yu Tianheng's brows furrowed tightly.

"What do you mean?"

Lin Yan, his small face pressed against Dugu Yan's chest, fixed his gaze on Yu Tianheng and said.

"Exactly what I said."

"Find a place where we can fight right now. Once I beat you up, stop bothering me."

"Can you do that?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire place erupted.

"Holy crap! This little brat is really good at posturing!"

"Wahaha~ He's such a little wolf-dog, he's so handsome!"

"Sister Yan, please, let me touch him, won't you!"

"..."

The crowd was like ignited willow catkins, bursting into a frenzy all at once.

As the protagonist of the incident, Yu Tianheng's face was now as dark as the bottom of a pot.

He was currently level 26, considered an elite within the entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family, and was even known alongside Yu Tianxin as the Blue Lightning Twin Stars.

To have a little brat who had just awakened his martial soul challenge him was an immense insult!

Yu Tianheng laughed in extreme anger, a mocking sneer tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Boastful! Do you even know what level I am?"

Lin Yan:

"It doesn't matter! Your behavior makes you look weak."

Lin Yan straightened his body and, to the shock and stupefaction of Dugu Yan, broke free from her embrace.

He then continued.

"For a soul master, the time before age twenty is the golden period for cultivation speed. Everyone is working hard to become stronger, yet you, you waste your energy on romantic entanglements."

"Someone like you, how strong could you possibly be?"

His resonant words carried across the entire field.

This single sentence effectively covered every student who wasn't working hard on their cultivation.

The faces of the crowd turned a mix of green and white.

Especially Yu Tianheng, whose fists were now clenched so tightly they creaked, his expression fierce, as if he would devour someone the next second.

"Hahaha! Good, good, good!"

Yu Tianheng laughed loudly, then pointed his finger at Lin Yan.

"There is a path to heaven that you refuse to take, yet you insist on barging into the gates of hell."

"Originally, for the sake of the Imperial family and Dugu Yan, I truly couldn't do anything to you today, but now..."

"Hahaha!"

He wiped every trace of expression from his face, replacing it with a sinister scowl.

"Lin Yan, I, Yu Tianheng, a level 26 assault-system battle soul master, formally challenge you!"

"Do you dare?"