Dugu Yan Calls for Backup!

Xia Yuan looked at Yu Tianheng. There was still a trace of defiance in his eyes.

"What, not convinced?"

Yu Tianheng glared at Xia Yuan with a hint of venom. "Xia Yuan! Don't think winning this once means you've really won!"

"I was careless this time. I didn't dodge!"

"What are you mumbling about? Apologize!" Xia Yuan said coldly.

Yu Tianheng gritted his teeth, the flesh on his cheeks trembling slightly.

A moment later, his legs quivered faintly, and he suddenly bowed. "I was wrong!"

But whether his legs were shaking or something else, the moment he finished shouting, both his knees dropped straight to the ground.

At once, the entire arena froze.

Yu Tianheng himself froze too.

He knew very well that no outside force had been pressuring him.

Everyone could see it too. He had bowed and apologized first, and the whole matter had already ended.

Yet right after it ended, he knelt!

He, Yu Tianheng, the dignified young master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, had actually knelt to an outsider!

If there had been a wager beforehand, he could still have excused it as fulfilling the bet.

But now, he had taken the initiative to kneel to Xia Yuan.

Would that not make him a laughingstock to the world and bring shame upon his sect?

Yu Tianheng could not withstand the blow. A coppery sweetness surged up his throat, and with a "wah," he spat out a mouthful of blood.

The referee was startled and hurried forward to support Yu Tianheng, only for Yu Tianheng to shake him off violently, turn, and run away.

Xia Yuan watched Yu Tianheng's departing back and was speechless for a moment.

Objectively speaking, before this soul battle, Yu Tianheng had only thrown out a few harsh words and had not actually made a move, so Xia Yuan had only asked him to apologize.

Who knew Yu Tianheng's mentality would be so pathetic? He had turned straight into a jelly-legged weakling and forcibly followed up his bowing apology with a kneel.

As for what Yu Tianheng would do afterward, and what the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect would do, that was no concern of Xia Yuan's.

He did not have hypnosis. It was impossible for him to influence their decisions.

The soul battle had already ended. One of the two main figures had left, and the spectating students also scattered one after another, though they still could not help continuing to discuss Xia Yuan and Yu Tianheng.

Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan had not left.

Although Xia Yuan had not forced Yu Tianheng to kneel and apologize to him, Yu Tianheng had knelt on his own...

The process was not quite what Dugu Yan had imagined, but the result was exactly the same.

Seeing that Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan were still waiting for him, Xia Yuan did not leave directly either. He walked straight up to them.

"Student Ye, Senior Dugu."

"Student Xia Yuan." Ye Lingling looked at Xia Yuan and said, "It's all because of me that you ran into all this. I'll take responsibility."

Ye Lingling's voice was very pleasant, but to Xia Yuan's ears, it sounded a little confusing.

Take responsibility for what?

Why did she make it sound as if Ye Lingling had done something to him?

However, Xia Yuan did not pay too much attention to it and merely said, "I already said it, didn't I? Yu Tianheng was the one who provoked me first. This is a grudge between him and me. It isn't your fault."

"And I'm younger than you two. In the future, just call me by my name. No need to add 'student.' It's troublesome."

"Then you can just call me Lingling from now on too." Ye Lingling spoke instinctively, but as soon as she finished, she covered her mouth.

Dugu Yan also looked at Ye Lingling with a strange expression.

Ever since she had met Ye Lingling, she had never seen Ye Lingling show this kind of attitude toward any other classmate, not even some girls.

Could it be that Ye Lingling, this aloof flower of the academy, was about to announce that she had an owner?

Ye Lingling hurriedly changed the subject. "But now Yu Tianheng has suffered such humiliation. He definitely won't let it go."

"My father still has some face with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect. If I go and beg him, he should be able to help you."

"No need." Xia Yuan waved his hand, refusing Ye Lingling's suggestion.

If the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect really wanted to cause trouble, then no one would be of any use.

Dugu Yan, standing to the side, looked at Xia Yuan and said nothing.

"Um..." Ye Lingling said somewhat bashfully, "Then let me treat you to a meal. That should be fine, right?"

Xia Yuan looked at Ye Lingling in some surprise.

He and Ye Lingling were not particularly close, nor had he helped Ye Lingling with anything. What was this sudden invitation to a meal about?

However, Xia Yuan did not refuse.

Qian Renxue had used her identity as Xue Qinghe to recruit him into the academy, and together with what the three education committee members had said, it was clear that she had the idea of having him win the championship in the Soul Master Tournament together with the team.

Ye Lingling was destined to become a member of the Imperial Fighting Team in the future, so getting used to her teammates ahead of time was perfectly normal.

"Lingling, Xia Yuan, you two go on ahead. I have something to take care of," Dugu Yan said to them.

Ye Lingling looked at Dugu Yan in slight confusion, but she did not ask any more questions and merely nodded.

Xia Yuan did not know what business Dugu Yan had either, but it had nothing to do with him, and he could not be bothered to care.

What did matter was that after the battle had just ended, he had tossed an Empty Handed onto Yu Tianheng and made something drop.

This time, Empty Handed did not trigger a lucky critical hit. What he obtained was an item.

Millennium Whale Glue.

Whale glue was a special substance produced inside the brains of whale-type soul beasts.

Taking whale glue could strengthen the body, enhance the muscles, bones, and meridians' ability to withstand pressure—in other words, it could improve one's physique.

For a young master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect like Yu Tianheng to have a piece of Millennium Whale Glue was not particularly strange.

Xia Yuan's second soul ring would continue to grow stronger as his physique, soul power, and cultivation increased.

A heavenly treasure like whale glue, which could improve physical quality, would undoubtedly push the age of his second soul ring even higher.

However, whale glue did not come with only benefits. It also had certain side effects.

Ten thousand years later in the original work, Huo Yuhao had once obtained a piece of ten-thousand-year whale glue. Because he ate a large piece all at once, he suffered the side effect of excessive yang energy.

Xia Yuan had not yet had the chance to check exactly how large the piece of whale glue he had obtained was.

But this piece was only Millennium Whale Glue, so it probably would not turn out like that. Otherwise, wouldn't Yu Tianheng have made a fool of himself?

Only after Xia Yuan and Ye Lingling left did Dugu Yan take something out from on her person.

"If I hadn't been impulsive back then, this probably wouldn't have happened," Dugu Yan murmured. "In that case, I'll ask Grandpa to protect him."

Sunset Forest.

Dugu Yan arrived outside the forest and looked around before tightening her grip on the object in her hand and gently shaking it.

A very distinctive sound came from the object in Dugu Yan's hand.

After a while, an elderly man with green hair, sunken cheeks, and a plain gray robe appeared before Dugu Yan.

His eye color was the same as Dugu Yan's, both a dark green.

The moment she saw the old man appear, Dugu Yan's eyes lit up. "Grandpa!"

"Yan Yan, what's wrong? What did you come to Grandpa for?" the green-haired old man asked.