But the Heavenly Star Furnace came hurtling in at incredible speed, reaching Lan Yu in the blink of an eye.
Just as everyone thought disaster was about to strike, a transparent barrier etched with dragon patterns suddenly appeared in front of Lan Yu.
"Second Soul Skill, Roaming Dragon Qi Wall!"
With the Purple Gold Qi at full strength, layers of dragon-shaped patterns surfaced across the wall.
The dragon shadows circled and flowed, shedding the impact of the Heavenly Star Furnace layer by layer until it was firmly stopped outside the wall.
What was more, the dragon patterns on the wall quietly devoured some of the Soul Power attached to the Heavenly Star Furnace and fed it back into Lan Yu.
Damn! If the Purple Gold Qi alone is already this terrifying, how unbelievably powerful will Dragon Imperial Guest be once I unlock Three Qi Return?!
As Lan Yu pondered this, Qin Yue and Zhilin rushed to his side one after the other.
"Are you all right? Are you hurt?"
Before Lan Yu could answer, Qin Yue had already pulled him into her arms, her voice full of concern and worry.
"Um... Teacher Qin, I'm fine."
Lan Yu awkwardly pushed at her shoulder. Although he was only nine and already stood five foot three, he was still a head shorter than the tall Qin Yue.
Feeling the softness against his chest, he couldn't help coughing.
She's just like Ah Yin, hugging people at the drop of a hat.
Zhilin arrived right behind them and watched the scene, the corner of his mouth twitching.
She says she doesn't want to play nursemaid, but when something actually happens, she runs faster than anyone. I'm a Soul Douluo, and even I couldn't catch up with a Soul King.
"Are you all right?!"
The others hurried over too. Seeing that Lan Yu was safe and sound, Bai Baoshan finally let out a long breath—and only then realized that his back was already slick with cold sweat.
He'd nearly caused a terrible disaster. If his mistake had hurt Lan Yu, he'd have deserved to tie a rope to a roof beam and see who could pull harder!
"Mm-hm~"
Watching Lan Yu in Qin Yue's arms, Tang Shan felt a sudden pang of jealousy. But then she relaxed: As long as Brother is okay.
"Good. Otherwise, it would have been a real loss for the Empire."
Xue Qinghe stepped forward at an unhurried pace and spoke with a faint smile.
Lan Yu wriggled free of Qin Yue's embrace. Ignoring her eye roll, he asked, "Does my sister still need to be tested?"
Everyone hurriedly waved their hands. From now on, they'd do less of this sort of thing, not more.
"Xiao Yu, may I call you that?" Xue Qinghe stepped closer and took Lan Yu's hand, her gaze burning.
"Of course, Your Highness."
"Come now, no need to be so formal. I'm a few years older than you. Just call me Brother Xue."
"Uh... wouldn't that be inappropriate?"
Xue Qinghe said nothing, merely gazing at him.
Unable to resist, Lan Yu could only say, "...All right. Lan Yu greets Brother Xue."
"Haha, excellent!" Xue Qinghe laughed heartily. "From now on, you two siblings will be my second brother and third sister!"
"Congratulations, Your Highness!" the three instructors and Qin Yue chorused at once.
Damn, she can just do that?!
That wretched Xue Qinghe dares to take liberties with me? She's practically begging to die!
As he thought this, Lan Yu tried to pull his hand free. When he couldn't, he gave up.
After Qian Renxue noticed Lan Yu's little attempt, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she stared right at him.
Naughty little brother~
One of these days, big sister will have to give you a proper "lesson."
"All right, I'll leave my younger brother and sister in your good hands, instructors."
"All right, I'll leave my younger brother and sister in your care from now on."
Xue Qinghe smiled as she gave the order, putting particular emphasis on the next words. "Especially Lan Yu. A genius deserves to be treated like one."
With that, she patted Lan Yu's shoulder and took a token from her Storage Soul Tool, offering it to him.
"Xiao Yu, Crown Prince's Mansion affairs keep me very busy, so I can't stay long. This is the Crown Prince's Mansion's pass. If you need anything, just bring it to me."
As she spoke, she subtly leaned down and moved close to Lan Yu's ear, lowering her voice. "I live alone, and the Crown Prince's Mansion is quite spacious. You can come visit me whenever you like. And if you get tired from playing, that's fine too. I'll welcome you to my bedchamber, and we can stay up by candlelight discussing the affairs of the world. How does that sound?"
With that, Xue Qinghe turned and left, leaving Lan Yu standing there in a daze.
Qian Renxue clearly hadn't realized how ambiguous her words sounded.
But to Lan Yu, they came across entirely differently.
That damn Qian Renxue must have switched teams too. No way. I'd better stay away from her.
"Brother, what's wrong?" Tang Shan came over, took Lan Yu's hand in her soft little one, and asked in a gentle voice, her big, watery eyes fixed on him.
"Huh? Nothing." Lan Yu shook his head, forcing down his revulsion before wrapping his arms around Tang Shan.
He rested his cheek against the top of her head. The faint scent of her hair finally made him feel a little more at ease. "My little sister really is the best."
Brother's so cute~
Tang Shan's breath caught. Her cheeks turned bright red, her heart raced, and her eyes grew hazy. In a tiny voice, she asked, "B-Brother, why would you suddenly... say that?"
Hearing the girl's soft, sweet voice, Lan Yu furrowed his brows and studied her seriously for the first time.
"B-Brother?" Under his gaze, Tang Shan's eyes darted away, and she lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes.
"Xiao Shan, you're almost five foot three now, aren't you?"
"Huh? I-I'm still not as tall as you..."
Looking at the girl's figure, whose delicate curves were just beginning to show, Lan Yu sighed inwardly. Xiao Shan had grown up too. They couldn't be so close anymore. A grown girl should keep her distance from her brother.
Thinking this, he let his arms fall and turned toward the instructors, who were arguing so heatedly that their faces had gone red.
Huh?
Tang Shan froze. The warmth vanished at once, leaving her with a pang of reluctance and disappointment. Watching Lan Yu's back, she felt a faint sense of unease.
"Um... instructors, where will my sister and I be staying?" Lan Yu asked, interrupting their argument.
"How about this, Qin Yue!" Meng Shenji patted Lan Yu's shoulder and beckoned Qin Yue over.
Qin Yue had only just approached when Meng Shenji cut her off before she could speak. "Take Lan Yu and Tang Shan to the boys' and girls' dormitories, respectively."
"Understood, Chief." Qin Yue nodded and was about to lead the two away.
"Wait." Meng Shenji stopped her again and added solemnly, "Remember, arrange single rooms for them."
If these two good children had to live with the spoiled young nobles at Heaven Dou Academy and picked up their bad habits, it would be a loss indeed.
Although Heaven Dou Academy was a school for nobles, it had admitted talented commoner students in the past. Yet after enrolling, almost none of them escaped the corruption of those young aristocrats.
"Um... Chief Grandpa, can't I live with my brother anymore?" Tang Shan looked up at Meng Shenji, her face full of grievance.
"Xiao Shan, you're a big girl now. You can't—" Seeing her expression, Lan Yu reluctantly stepped forward to comfort her, but Meng Shenji waved him into silence.
Meng Shenji's eyes widened, and even his voice trembled. "Child, what did you just call me?"
"Grandpa?" Tang Shan tilted her head, looking confused.
"Hahaha! Baoshan, Zhilin, did you hear that? A little genius like her called me Grandpa!"
Meng Shenji threw his head back and laughed, overcome with joy. If a peerless genius like her called him Grandpa, it would be worth breaking through to Titled Douluo on the spot!
"Qin Yue!" Meng Shenji turned to her and immediately changed his mind. "Forget the dormitories. Take Lan Yu and Xiao Shan to the villa I have standing empty!"
Following Lan Yu, Tang Shan let the corners of her mouth curl up.
Brother, don't even think about escaping my grasp.
We still can't share a room, but there'll be a chance someday.
Watching them leave, Meng Shenji turned around and spoke after a moment's thought. "I don't think Yu Tianheng needs to remain captain of the Heaven Dou Team.
There's someone more suitable, isn't there?"
Bai Baoshan and Zhilin nodded together.
They'd originally made Yu Tianheng captain because he was indeed talented and because they'd wanted to show some regard for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
But now, his talent didn't come close to Lan Yu's, and he also had old grudges with Blue Tyrant Academy. There was no reason to keep him as captain.