Severing Ties with Tang Shan?! Yu Tianheng Also to Be Captain?!

The Heavenly Star Furnace approached with terrifying speed, reaching Lan Yu in the blink of an eye.

Just as everyone thought disaster was imminent, a transparent, dragon-patterned barrier suddenly manifested before Lan Yu.

"Second Soul Skill, Roaming Dragon Qi Wall!"

Fully bolstered by the Purple Gold Qi, layers of dragon-shadow patterns rippled across the surface of the wall.

The dragon shadows circled and rotated, stripping away the force of the Heavenly Star Furnace's impact layer by layer until it was finally brought to a steady halt outside the barrier.

Not only that, but the dragon patterns on the wall quietly devoured a portion of the soul power attached to the Heavenly Star Furnace, feeding it back into Lan Yu's body.

Damn! If the Purple Gold Qi alone is this terrifying, how heaven-defying will it be once I unlock Three Qi Return and Dragon Imperial Guest!

Just as Lan Yu was pondering this, Qin Yue and Zhilin rushed to his side one after the other.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Before Lan Yu could respond, Qin Yue had already pulled him into her arms, her tone filled with concern and worry.

"Um... Teacher Qin, I'm fine."

Lan Yu pushed against her shoulders, feeling somewhat awkward. Although he had reached a height of 1.6 meters at only nine years old, he was still a head shorter than the tall and slender Qin Yue.

Feeling the softness against his chest, he couldn't help but cough dryly.

She has the same habit as Ah Yin, hugging people at the drop of a hat.

Zhilin, who had followed closely behind, watched this scene with a twitching mouth.

She says she doesn't want to be a nanny, but when something actually happens, she rushes over faster than anyone. I'm a Soul Douluo and I couldn't even keep up with you, a Soul King.

"Are you alright!"

The others hurried over as well. Seeing that Lan Yu was unscathed, Bai Baoshan let out a long sigh of relief, only then realizing his back was already drenched in cold sweat.

He had nearly caused a catastrophe. If his mistake had led to Lan Yu being injured, he really would have had to find a rope and a roof beam to play tug-of-war!

"Hmph."

Tang Shan watched Lan Yu held in Qin Yue's arms, a sour feeling inexplicably rising in her heart, though she breathed a sigh of relief a moment later: As long as Brother is fine.

"It is good that you are unharmed; otherwise, it would truly be a loss for the Empire."

Xue Qinghe stepped forward, speaking with a faint smile.

Lan Yu broke free from Qin Yue's embrace and, under her glare, asked, "Does my sister still need to be tested?"

Everyone waved their hands in a hurry; from now on, they needed less of this kind of thing, not more.

"Xiao Yu, may I call you that?" Xue Qinghe stepped forward and took Lan Yu's hand, her eyes burning with intensity.

"Of course, Your Highness."

"Oh, why be so formal? I am a few years your senior; just call me Big Brother Xue."

"This... wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

Xue Qinghe didn't speak, merely looking at him with a faint smile.

Lan Yu couldn't refuse, so he had to say, "...Alright, Lan Yu greets Big Brother Xue."

"Haha, good!" Xue Qinghe laughed heartily. "From this day forward, you and your sister shall be my second brother and third sister!"

"Congratulations, Your Highness!" The three instructors and Qin Yue quickly offered their congratulations in unison.

Damn, you can even play it like this?!

That damned Xue Qinghe actually dares to take advantage of me; she is practically asking for death!

Thinking this, Lan Yu tried to pull his hand away, but he couldn't break her grip, so he had to give up.

Qian Renxue noticed Lan Yu's small movements, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly as she stared straight at him.

Little brother isn't being obedient~

Wait until later, and this sister will have to "educate" you properly.

"Very well, I shall leave my brother and sister in the care of you instructors."

"Very well, I shall leave my brother and sister in your capable hands from now on."

Xue Qinghe said with a smile, her tone intentionally emphasized. "Especially Lan Yu. A genius deserves the treatment of a genius."

With that, she patted Lan Yu on the shoulder and took a token from her storage soul tool, handing it to him.

"Xiao Yu, the Crown Prince's Mansion is busy with official business, so I cannot stay long. This is a warrant for the Crown Prince's Mansion; if you need anything in the future, just bring this and come find me."

As she spoke, she leaned in slightly, lowering her voice to whisper in Lan Yu's ear: "I live alone, and the Crown Prince's Mansion is quite spacious. You can come find me to play whenever you're free. If you're tired, that's fine too; I shall welcome you to my bedside, and we can discuss the great affairs of the world by candlelight. How about that?"

After saying this, Xue Qinghe turned and left, leaving Lan Yu in a state of disarray.

Qian Renxue clearly hadn't considered the ambiguity in her words.

But to Lan Yu's ears, it took on a completely different meaning.

This goddamn Qian Renxue has probably changed her orientation too. No, I have to stay away from her.

"Brother, what's wrong?" Tang Shan walked up, reached out with her soft little hand to take Lan Yu's, and asked in a gentle voice with her large, watery eyes wide open.

"Huh? It's nothing." Lan Yu shook his head, suppressing the nausea in his heart, and reached out to pull Tang Shan into an embrace.

Resting his cheek against the top of her head, he caught the faint scent of her hair and finally felt a sense of stability. He whispered, "It's still better with my little sister."

Brother is so cute~

Tang Shan's breath hitched. Her face turned beet red in an instant, her heart raced, and her eyes grew hazy as she asked in a soft, delicate voice, "Bro... Brother, why did you suddenly... say that?"

Listening to the girl's soft, sweet voice, Lan Yu frowned slightly and, for the first time, began to seriously size up the girl before him.

"Bro... Brother?" Tang Shan's eyes darted away under his gaze, and she lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes.

"Xiao Shan, you're nearly one meter sixty now, aren't you?"

"Ah? Still... still not as tall as Brother..."

Looking at the girl's figure, which was beginning to show delicate curves, Lan Yu sighed inwardly: Xiao Shan has grown up. Siblings can no longer be this intimate; a girl must keep her distance from her brother as she matures.

Thinking this, he loosened his arms and turned to walk toward the several instructors who were arguing until their faces were red.

Huh?

Tang Shan was slightly stunned. The warmth vanished in an instant, and a sense of reluctance and loss welled up in her heart. Watching Lan Yu's retreating back, a faint sense of unease stirred within her.

"Um... Your Excellencies, may I ask where my sister and I will be staying?" Lan Yu spoke up, interrupting their argument.

"In that case, Qin Yue!" Meng Shenji patted Lan Yu on the shoulder and beckoned to Qin Yue.

Just as Qin Yue approached and before she could speak, Meng Shenji interrupted her: "Take Lan Yu and Tang Shan to the male and female dormitories, respectively."

"Understood, Chief." Qin Yue nodded slightly and prepared to lead the two away.

"Wait." Meng Shenji called her back and added solemnly, "Remember, arrange single rooms."

If these two good children were to live with the aristocratic playboys at Heaven Dou Academy and become tainted by their vices, the loss would far outweigh the gain.

Although Heaven Dou Academy was an aristocratic institution, it did recruit some commoner students with decent talent in previous years, but after enrolling, almost none of them could escape the corruption of those playboys.

"Um... Grandpa Chief, can I not live with my brother anymore?" Tang Shan tilted her little face, looking at Meng Shenji with a wronged expression.

"Xiao Shan, you're a big girl now, you can't—" Seeing this, Lan Yu stepped forward helplessly to comfort her, but was interrupted by a wave of Meng Shenji's hand.

Meng Shenji's eyes went round, and his voice trembled slightly: "Child, what did you call me?"

"Grandpa, right?" Tang Shan tilted her head, looking puzzled.

"Haha! Bai Baoshan, Zhilin, did you hear that! This genius little girl called me Grandpa!"

Meng Shenji laughed toward the sky, feeling extremely gratified. To have such a peerless genius call him Grandpa—even if he were to break through to Title Douluo on the spot, it would be worth it!

"Qin Yue!" Meng Shenji turned his head and immediately changed his mind. "Forget the dorms; take Lan Yu and Xiao Shan to my vacant villa!"

Tang Shan followed behind Lan Yu, the corners of her mouth curling upward.

Brother, don't think you can escape the palm of my hand.

Even if we still can't be in the same room, there will always be opportunities.

Watching the group walk away, Meng Shenji turned around and said thoughtfully, "I don't think there's any need for Yu Tianheng to remain captain of the Heaven Dou Team anymore."

"There is someone more suitable, isn't there?"

Bai Baoshan and Zhilin nodded in unison.

Initially, letting Yu Tianheng serve as captain was partly because his talent was indeed outstanding, and partly out of respect for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.

But now, it seemed his talent didn't even measure up to half of Lan Yu's, and coupled with the old grudge involving Lanba Academy, there was truly no need to keep him as captain.