His Name? Qi Dao!

The Heart Sword State might defy the heavens, but it was not without limits.

In particular, the immense strain it placed on his body meant Qi Dao could only use it as a trump card.

Only a powerful physique and deep reserves of Soul Power could let him sustain the Heart Sword State for longer.

With that in mind, Qi Dao added physical conditioning to his daily training.

Practicing swordsmanship gave his body some exercise, but it fell well short of dedicated physical training.

The next day, on the dining hall's second floor.

Xiao Chenyu made good on the meal he had promised the day before. Food on the second floor cost far more than on the first, but the ingredients were varied and included Soul Beast meat, which was highly nutritious.

At the table, Xiao Chenyu, Liu Long, Ling Feng, and the others watched Qi Dao eat with gusto and could not help swallowing.

Their boss really was no ordinary person.

He had already eaten more than the three of them combined.

What they did not know was that Qi Dao's sword strike yesterday had taken a heavy toll on his body. He needed a great deal of food to replenish what he had lost.

After eating his fill from yesterday through today, however, Qi Dao had mostly recovered.

Once everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Xiao Chenyu suddenly took out a gold card and handed it to Qi Dao.

"What's this...?" Qi Dao looked at Xiao Chenyu.

Xiao Chenyu grinned. "Boss, the dean told my father what happened yesterday. When Father found out, he tore Xiao Haijie to shreds with his scolding. Then he heard we were close, so he sent me to bring you compensation."

"This gold card has this much in it!"

Xiao Chenyu proudly raised one finger.

Liu Long and Ling Feng drew sharp breaths.

"Could it be... a hundred Gold Soul Coins?"

Xiao Chenyu rolled his eyes at them.

"A hundred?"

"Poverty has limited your imaginations. My father is an imperial baron and the lord of Notting City. If word got out that he offered only a hundred Gold Soul Coins in compensation, he'd be a laughingstock!"

"There are a full thousand Gold Soul Coins on this card!"

Qi Dao's eyes lit up.

"Whoa, that's quite a sum!" Qi Dao took the card without ceremony and turned it over in his hand.

"If only I could get a thousand Gold Soul Coins every time I fought your brother."

Of course, Qi Dao doubted he would be so lucky again. Xiao Chenyu's father had most likely offered the thousand Gold Soul Coins out of respect for the dean.

But while Qi Dao had spoken idly, someone else took his words to heart.

Xiao Chenyu's eyes darted. "Boss, if you're short on Gold Soul Coins, I have a plan that might earn you a little extra!"

"Oh?"

"Let's hear it!"

Qi Dao's eyes brightened.

The most direct way to strengthen his physique was through food.

Eat more Soul Beast meat, train more, and his physique would naturally improve.

But ordinary people could hardly afford meat from older, more nutritious Soul Beasts.

There was also Whale Rubber.

Qi Dao remembered that Whale Rubber could strengthen the body too. This was not yet the era of the Peerless Tang Sect, and no one had discovered its true effects. People had always treated it as an aphrodisiac.

So Qi Dao badly needed money.

A sly glint appeared in Xiao Chenyu's eyes as he leaned forward. "Boss, you beat Xiao Haijie yesterday, but don't think he's accepted it."

"And because he lost to you, Father is very dissatisfied with him. I know he must be itching to challenge you again and wash away the shame."

"If you're confident in your strength, Boss, I can goad him into proposing a wager on a fight with you. He'll hand over the money himself."

"That guy definitely has a hefty stash saved up."

Qi Dao gave Xiao Chenyu an odd look.

"You've really found your calling, haven't you?"

Xiao Chenyu chuckled.

Qi Dao's fight with Xiao Haijie yesterday had won Xiao Chenyu over completely. He was now willing to be Qi Dao's underling.

Besides, he had never gotten along with Xiao Haijie. He felt no guilt about setting him up.

A little later, just as Qi Dao and the others were preparing to leave, a dejected figure walked past in the distance.

It was Yu Xiaogang!

Qi Dao glanced at him, then looked away and called to his companions as he stood.

"Let's go!"

"You got it!"

Yu Xiaogang had naturally noticed Qi Dao's group too.

Watching them leave, he frowned slightly.

He was certain Qi Dao had seen him, yet the boy had not even greeted him. He had no manners at all.

Yu Xiaogang did not like being ignored.

At the same time, he could not help feeling a little relieved.

Good thing I didn't take him as my disciple.

Yu Xiaogang's future disciple would need more than exceptional talent. He would also have to be polite, sensible, and respectful toward his teacher.

Yu Xiaogang would never offer to take a student like Qi Dao as his disciple.

With a soft snort, he went to the faculty dining area and began his meal.

Then he overheard two young teachers talking at the next table.

"Teacher Li, have you heard?"

"Yesterday, a first-year child nearly killed the sixth-year Xiao Haijie with a single sword strike!"

"What?"

"That happened?"

"I remember Xiao Haijie obtained his First Soul Ring last semester, didn't he?"

"How on earth did that first-year do it?"

"Could his Innate Soul Power be that high?"

"To seriously injure a Soul Master with one sword strike, that first-year must have at least level-eight or level-nine Soul Power. Even then, he'd need a top-tier Martial Soul to wound Xiao Haijie so badly with one strike."

Teacher Li was so astonished that his voice rose.

Their conversation reached Yu Xiaogang's ears.

At the mention of level-eight or level-nine Soul Power and a top-tier Martial Soul, his ears pricked up. His chopsticks stopped in midair.

He had been away on business yesterday and did not know what had happened at the academy.

But the teachers' conversation caught his attention at once.

A first-year student had seriously injured Xiao Haijie, who was at least level twelve or thirteen, with a single sword strike.

On that point, he agreed with the latter part of Teacher Li's assessment.

That first-year's Martial Soul had to be a top-tier Sword Martial Soul.

As for the first part...

Yu Xiaogang snorted in disdain.

These two teachers aren't clever enough!

He remembered a little about Xiao Haijie. The boy was the city lord's son, had a wolf Martial Soul, and had obtained his First Soul Ring last semester.

Most importantly, his First Soul Ring was a Hundred-Year Soul Ring.

A Hundred-Year Soul Ring greatly strengthened the physique of a Soul Master with a Beast Martial Soul.

So even with a top-tier Martial Soul, an ordinary level-eight or level-nine Soul Master would struggle to stand against Xiao Haijie.

Much less seriously injure him with one sword strike, as the teachers had described.

Yu Xiaogang boldly concluded that the first-year who had defeated Xiao Haijie possessed not only a top-tier Sword Martial Soul, but also Innate Full Soul Power.

He had probably even obtained his First Soul Ring already and used his First Soul Skill to injure Xiao Haijie so badly with a single strike.

Yu Xiaogang's breathing quickened.

Now there's a genius worthy of becoming my disciple!

As for that utterly ill-mannered Qi Dao...

A brat whose Martial Soul underwent a malignant mutation can forget about becoming my disciple in this lifetime!

He turned toward the teachers and cut in. "What is the name of that first-year student you're talking about?"

The two young teachers frowned when they saw it was Yu Xiaogang.

They had no fondness for this freeloader at the academy. Still, he was the dean's friend, so they had to show him respect to his face.

Teacher Li could only answer, "His name is Qi Dao!"

"What!"

Yu Xiaogang's pupils contracted, and he shot to his feet.

He moved so abruptly that he knocked a plate off the table.

But he had no attention to spare for it. Only one thought filled his mind.

Qi Dao!

How could it be him?

I know. It must be someone else with the same name!