If it weren't for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, I would've torn this damn Blue Tyrant Academy down already!
"Th-this... But I'm a teacher, not a nanny..." Qin Yue murmured, lowering her head.
"Your attitude is the problem! Qin Yue, don't forget how much the academy has invested in you!"
The three instructors settled the matter between them, each putting in their two cents.
"...Fine." Qin Yue couldn't argue with them, so she reluctantly nodded.
Just then, Xue Qinghe, who had been silent all this time, spoke up. Her gaze fell on Lan Yu. "Would you mind showing us what you can do, Brother Lan Yu? After all, practical ability is part of one's talent."
Hearing that last sentence, Lan Yu looked up at her and sensed there was more to it than met the eye.
It made sense. She was the heir to the Angel God, a genius born with full twentieth-level Innate Soul Power.
She thought herself above everyone else, and now a boy from a humble background had suddenly outshone her. It was only natural she'd be unhappy.
As Lan Yu thought this, he saw Xue Qinghe lift her chin, exposing her snow-white neck. A hint of rivalry shone in her eyes, as if they were engaged in a silent contest.
She had clearly forgotten that she was currently posing as a male idol. Seeing her act like that made Lan Yu shudder.
Was this person Sappho?!
"Of course." Lan Yu agreed with a faint smile, then added, "I'm just not sure who I should...?"
Practical combat tests were a standard part of a Soul Master assessment, so he had no objections.
"Me!"
Bai Baoshan had been itching to step in and immediately called out.
"Ah, that old rascal beat me to it."
Meng Shenji sighed, then joined the others in moving aside to clear the center of the room.
"I am Bai Baoshan. My Martial Soul is the Heavenly Star Furnace, and I am an eighty-fifth-level defensive Soul Douluo."
Bai Baoshan was short and stout, with a kindly face. As he spoke, he walked over to Lan Yu.
"Go ahead, child."
As soon as he finished speaking, eight Soul Rings slowly rose from beneath his feet: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black—the standard configuration for a Soul Douluo.
"Third Soul Skill—Purple Gold Qi!"
Lan Yu gave a low shout. A dense golden-purple glow suddenly lit up around him, while hazy, dragon-shaped wisps of energy coiled about his body.
"Is that... an enhancement-type Soul Skill?" Meng Shenji asked with a frown.
Seeing their expressions, Lan Yu explained, "My Third Soul Skill, Purple Gold Qi, has two forms. In the first form, it's activated with my normal Soul Power. It doubles my strength, defense, and speed, and increases the power of all my Soul Skills by an additional thirty percent. Its duration is proportional to the amount of Soul Power consumed."
As soon as he finished speaking, he stepped forward and jerked his right arm. The dragon-shaped wisps around him suddenly wound around his fist, and he punched straight at the Heavenly Star Furnace in front of Bai Baoshan.
"Clang!"
A crisp sound rang out, but the Heavenly Star Furnace didn't budge.
Lan Yu staggered back a step, secretly sighing. As expected of a defensive Soul Douluo!
"Not bad. That's top-notch even among Soul Elders. You pass!" Bai Baoshan cleared his throat and praised him.
Qian Renxue's anxious heart eased a little, but she couldn't help feeling disappointed.
Was that really all he could do?
Everyone thought Lan Yu was finished, but he only smiled faintly. "That was just a warm-up. Now the real test begins."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lan Yu's aura surged. The Soul Power in the room rushed into him like a rising tide.
The indistinct dragon-shaped wisps quickly took solid form, becoming the phantom of a complete giant dragon. Its claw pressed against his chest, its head hovered above and to one side, its body coiled around his waist, and its tail hung behind him. Purple-gold dragon-scale armor covered his entire body, gleaming brightly!
"This is the second form! It triples my Soul Power consumption, but also triples the boost to all my attributes. The effects of all enhancement-type Soul Skills increase by another fifty percent!" Lan Yu's voice rang out. Only then did the others, still reeling from the Soul Power rushing into him, come to their senses.
Lan Yu stepped forward, and the dragon phantom suddenly contracted, wrapping itself completely around his right arm.
"First Soul Skill: Dragon Strike Claw!"
With a low shout, his right hand transformed into a half-meter-long purple-gold dragon claw, which he swung fiercely.
Five claw-shaped blades of energy shot through the air with a deep dragon's roar, reaching Bai Baoshan in an instant.
"What?!"
Feeling the attack's power—several times greater than the last—Bai Baoshan sensed a faint hint of danger. His expression shifted, and he raised the Heavenly Star Furnace in front of him.
How was this possible? I'm a Soul Douluo!
"Boom!"
A deafening blast erupted. Dust billowed, and the shockwave rolled outward in every direction.
Xue Qinghe's expression froze, and her heart skipped a beat. Lan Yu's attack just now had been terrifying!
Meng Shenji raised his hand to release his Soul Power and was about to disperse the dust.
A clear shout rang out from within the dust cloud.
"Derived Soul Skill: Chaotic Dragon Fist!"
Lan Yu shot forward like an arrow. Several small purple-gold dragon phantoms, wrapped in a flurry of punches, burst out like a barrage.
This was a Soul Skill Lan Yu had derived with the help of his First Soul Ring.
"Bring it on!"
Bai Baoshan roared with laughter. He simply withdrew the Heavenly Star Furnace and charged forward to meet him.
The two darted past each other, trading blow after blow, their collisions producing a series of muffled thuds.
"I'm holding back my Soul Power, but I still have a Soul Douluo's body. You've managed to make me feel pain—you really are something!"
Bai Baoshan marveled as he raised his arm to block Lan Yu's downward punch, then smoothly shoved him back with his other hand. Lan Yu flew backward before regaining his balance.
"Again!"
"Derived Soul Skill: World-Shaking Dragon Hammer!"
"Damn, there's more?!"
Bai Baoshan exclaimed in shock, but his grin grew even wider.
How could this be?!
Qian Renxue was stunned. Her eyes widened. Innate Soul Power was a gift from heaven, but anyone who could develop their own Soul Skills was surely a peerless genius!
Lan Yu channeled his Soul Power, and his left hand became a solid dragon phantom shaped like a giant hammer. He planted his right foot and leaped into the air, bringing the left-hand hammer down with a low dragon's roar. Even the space around him trembled faintly!
"Fourth Soul Skill: Heavenly Star Body Defense!"
Bai Baoshan shouted. A faint light rippled across the surface of the Heavenly Star Furnace, forming a perfectly rounded barrier that enveloped him.
The World-Shaking Dragon Hammer crashed into the barrier. The two forces collided, unleashing an earth-shaking boom.
"Second Soul Skill: Star Collision!"
Caught up in the fight, Bai Baoshan instinctively activated his Second Soul Ring. The Heavenly Star Furnace turned into a streak of light and shot straight at Lan Yu.
"Baoshan, what have you done?!"
Meng Shenji shouted. A black shadow instantly spread from beneath his feet, binding Bai Baoshan fast.
"Ah!"
At Meng Shenji's shout, Bai Baoshan came to his senses. Lan Yu's attacks had made him feel just as he had when he'd fought his Soul Emperor teacher as a boy.
He'd been distracted for a moment and had actually unleashed an offensive Soul Skill!
Even with his Soul Power suppressed, a Soul Douluo's Second Soul Skill was no attack a Soul Elder could easily withstand.
"Brother!"
Tang Shan cried out and was about to rush forward, but Qin Yue reacted quickly and grabbed her. Qin Yue then shoved her aside.
The only black Soul Ring around Qin Yue suddenly lit up. Her whole body transformed into a Blazing Gray Wolf wreathed in fire, and she joined forces with Zhi Lin's Azure Vine to intercept the Heavenly Star Furnace in midair.