Tang Shan's Plan Succeeds, Yu Tianheng Comes Knocking?!

"Should Tang Shan be added?" Zhilin asked.

"Add her." Meng Shenji pondered for a moment before making the decision. "Move Aosluo and Yu Feng to the substitutes."

They had to show some respect to Dugu Bo. The Nine Heart Begonia martial soul was rare enough as it was, and when combined with two Black Tortoise soul masters, their value far exceeded that of Yu Feng and Aosluo.

"It is not impossible for us to shatter Spirit Hall's myth of consecutive victories in the Continental Soul Master Tournament!" Meng Shenji stood with his hands behind his back, gazing out the window toward the distance.

After Qin Yue led Lan Yu and Tang Shan to a detached villa, she said, "This will be your residence from now on. Let me know if you need anything."

With that, Qin Yue turned and left.

That night, a storm raged with thunder and lightning, and raindrops pelted the windows with a rhythmic clatter.

Tang Shan, sleeping in the next room, heard the thunder outside. A flash of craftiness crossed her eyes as a plan formed. She put on her pajamas, hugged her pillow, and tiptoed to Lan Yu's door. Seeing a faint light spilling from the crack, she raised her hand and knocked.

"Knock, knock, knock—"

Inside, Lan Yu was sitting at the desk, contemplating how to approach Dugu Bo to obtain the immortal herbs. Hearing the knock, he paused for a moment before rising to open the door.

Click.

The lock turned, and the door swung open.

The young girl stood outside, her long, warm-brown hair draped loosely behind her, cascading down her back to her waist.

A few stray locks rested against her collarbone, making her neck appear as white and lustrous as jade.

She stood barefoot on the floor, her small, pinkish feet looking delicate, while her loose pajamas accentuated her slender frame.

She held her rectangular pillow against her chest and looked up at Lan Yu, her clear eyes shimmering with moisture.

Half of her fair face was hidden in Lan Yu's shadow, while the other half was flushed by the warm yellow light from the room.

"Brother~"

"Xiao Shan, what's wrong?" Lan Yu's tone softened.

"It's thundering outside... I'm so scared. Can you stay with me, Brother?" Tang Shan's voice was soft, her trailing words trembling as if she were on the verge of tears.

Was Tang Shan afraid of thunder?

Lan Yu didn't recall that, but seeing her current state, he softened and said, "Come in. It's cold out there."

The girl's eyes lit up. She stood on her tiptoes and hurried inside, her bare feet pattering against the floor.

She tossed her pillow onto the bed and nimbly dove under the covers, leaving only her fluffy head visible.

"Brother, hurry and sleep. I'm so sleepy."

"I know."

Lan Yu walked back to the desk and turned off the lamp, plunging the room into darkness.

After a few footsteps, he pulled back the corner of the quilt and lay down.

Outside, the rain poured and lightning flashed, but inside, it was deathly quiet, save for the sound of their breathing.

After a bit of rustling, Tang Shan quietly scooted toward him, her small hand instinctively reaching out toward his body.

"Go to sleep, behave yourself." Lan Yu's voice carried a hint of helplessness.

Sensing his resistance, Tang Shan hummed and pouted, her voice soft with coquetry: "Brother, you know I've never had a father since I was little, and Mom isn't around either... I only have you. I'm just really scared~"

"Sigh~"

Lan Yu let out a long sigh.

What could he do about the younger sister he had raised himself?

Seeing that he didn't speak again, Tang Shan slowly draped her entire arm over his waist, pressing her body tightly against him and burying her head in the crook of his neck. Before long, she drifted into a deep sleep.

Feeling the softness pressed against his side, Lan Yu suffered from insomnia for the first time.

The next afternoon, Lan Yu, still fast asleep, was awakened by the sound of chattering arguments outside.

He carefully moved the leg draped over his waist, sat up with a frown, and went outside the villa.

"Tianheng, let it go. These are the orders from the faculty members, after all." A woman with sharp, deep purple hair advised the young man in blue tactical gear who stood at the head of the group.

Lan Yu glanced at their attire and immediately understood who they were.

However, he ignored them, turned to the pool outside the villa to splash some water on his face, and only after washing away the fatigue of the night did he look up at them.

"Hey! You're quite arrogant!" Yu Tianheng, who had almost been persuaded to drop it, flew into a rage upon seeing Lan Yu's "indifferent" behavior.

He stepped forward, pointed at Lan Yu, and demanded, "So you're the one who wants to steal my position as captain?!"

Heaven knew how aggrieved Yu Tianheng felt. He had woken up to the news that his captaincy had been snatched by some newcomer!

Taking the back door to get into the Heaven Dou Team, which was meant to bring glory to the Empire?

And to top it off, he had squeezed out the future heir of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect?!

If he swallowed this insult, where would the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's reputation go?

"What are you mumbling about? What kind of bullshit captain?" Lan Yu rubbed his temples, suppressing his anger as he said impatiently, "You woke me up for this trivial nonsense?!"

"Huh?" Yu Tianheng was stunned by these words and turned to look at Aosluo and Yu Feng.

"Boss, this is the place. We specifically found out," Aosluo and Yu Feng exchanged a glance and spoke up quickly.

Neither of them came from prominent backgrounds, and they had only managed to keep their spots on the Heaven Dou Team by attaching themselves to Yu Tianheng. Now that Yu Tianheng had fallen from grace, they were relegated to the substitutes.

Yu Tianheng frowned and turned back around. "Is your name Lan Yu?"

"And what if it is?"

As soon as these words left his mouth, Yu Tianheng's face flushed bright red.

Damn it all, this kid doesn't even take the change in captaincy seriously. Instead, it makes me look like a clown for coming here myself!

"You coward! Do you dare to fight me one-on-one?"

He roared, and two yellow and one purple spirit rings suddenly rose from beneath his feet.

Lan Yu considered himself a kind person, but that didn't mean he was a pushover!

"One-on-one? Fine!"

As he spoke, Lan Yu took a step forward, and three purple spirit rings pulsed around his body, a terrifying pressure instantly sweeping toward them.

What?!

Not only Yu Tianheng, but even Dugu Yan beside him widened her eyes in shock.

The first three rings are all thousand-year ones?! Is this some peerless genius the academy specifically invited from a hidden sect or family?!

Yu Tianheng froze in place, caught in a dilemma.

Seeing his awkward state, Lan Yu sneered, "Call everyone you have with you and come at me together. It'll save you from saying I bullied you."

"Arrogant!"

Yu Tianheng roared, and Dugu Yan, who had originally wanted to smooth things over, also turned cold.

At this moment, the Shi Brothers in the back of the group spoke up to advise him, "Captain, the opponent is a genius with three thousand-year spirit rings after all; he cannot be underestimated. Besides, even if you lost the captaincy, aren't you still on the team?"

"That's right, Vice-Captain, please talk some sense into the captain."

To the Shi Brothers, it didn't matter who was captain. As the only two defense-type spirit masters on the team, their positions were irreplaceable, and it wasn't worth offending a genius with such limitless potential just for Yu Tianheng.

"Enough!"

Yu Tianheng shouted, looking around to see everyone bowing their heads in silence, his inner frustration growing even more intense.

"I don't understand why everyone is talking about the change in captaincy."

"It's as if this duel is destined to be a failure for us."

"A year ago, I was selected from the academy to join the Heaven Dou Team and began my first campaign; half the academy was defeated by my hands."

"Wherever this team and I went, all the students and teachers welcomed us with open arms. It was truly a time of high spirits."

"That vibrant vitality, that state of all things flourishing, is still fresh in my mind."

"In just one short year, are we really going to raise our hands and surrender right here just because the opponent has three thousand-year spirit rings?"

"No matter how you look at it, the combat power is one spirit master against six spirit masters. The advantage is ours."

"The captain is right."

Encouraged by Yu Tianheng, the group's confidence surged, and they chimed in one after another.