Friction and Invitation (1)

The upper limit of any Soul Hunting Squad was determined by its strongest member.

But the speed of any Soul Hunting Squad was determined by its weakest member.

In this Soul Hunting Squad, which had two Titled Douluo and dozens of Soul Saints, their average speed was determined by the few Soul Ancestors. Fortunately, the dozens of Soul Saints shared the scouting duties. Otherwise, this Soul Hunting Squad would likely have moved even slower.

Even so, they were still far faster than the people from Blue Tyrant Academy.

Moreover, Blue Tyrant Academy had not yet set out. They remained where they were, waiting for that Blue Tyrant Academy student to finish absorbing his soul ring.

When both sides moved at the same speed, they were effectively stationary relative to each other.

When the other side slowed down while their side accelerated, it was equivalent to doubling the acceleration.

When the other side stood still while their side moved forward, it was equivalent to halving the total distance.

Therefore, from high above, Spirit Hall's advance was astonishingly fast. However, no matter how astonishing the speed, it would eventually be delayed.

"Have him withdraw."

"There is no need to come into conflict with Spirit Hall."

"I know Chrysanthemum Douluo once hunted him down, but I do not care what reasons he has, nor how pathetic he is. He must obey orders."

"You hold the sub-authority for the Bloodline Gu."

"If he refuses to obey, execute him on the spot."

"If the situation spirals out of control to the point where he must be executed on the spot, do not forget to bring me back a piece of meat. Recycling waste is not a bad idea either."

Ye Qingcang withdrew his gaze from the sky and gave Violet these instructions.

The moment this stunningly beautiful girl stood beside Ye Qingcang, she discouraged most people from approaching.

Even girls such as Shui Bing'er, Huo Wu, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong, who were equally outstanding in appearance and temperament and wished to interact with Ye Qingcang for various reasons, were forced by Violet's charm to step aside and make room.

"Understood." Violet, both adorable and valiant, nodded seriously. She reconfirmed a detail Ye Qingcang had not mentioned. "When you say withdraw, do you mean withdraw to the perimeter or back into the team?"

"Back into the team." Ye Qingcang patiently elaborated. "To be precise, he is already on the perimeter. He has been hovering at the edge of the detection range of the Soul Douluo here, trailing behind the team as a safeguard."

"Got it."

Violet's gem-like eyes flickered slightly.

Before her voice had even faded—

Her figure moved as though she had Teleported, leaving behind an afterimage.

At a speed beyond what the naked eye could track, she rushed into the forest behind the team.

"Xiao Wu..." After Violet left, Ye Qingcang suddenly spoke, startling both Xiao Wu and Huo Wu. One did not know what this tiger, Ye Qingcang, intended to do; the other did not understand why this friend she had only just met addressed her so intimately. "Later, stand behind me and do not make a sound. Understood?"

Huo Wu scratched her head in confusion and stepped forward, wanting to ask Ye Qingcang whether those nonsensical words were really directed at her.

Then, she saw Xiao Wu, who was also walking out of the crowd toward Ye Qingcang.

Embarrassed, she covered her face and obediently drew back her step.

She had been full of herself for nothing.

So he had not called for her at all.

However, just as Huo Wu withdrew her step, someone else rushed forward and forcibly inserted himself between Xiao Wu and Ye Qingcang!

"Wait!" Tang San proudly stepped forward at the crucial moment. At that instant, he believed the sight of his back would surely look radiant and imposing to Xiao Wu. "Ye Qingcang, what are you trying to do to Xiao Wu?"

Feng Xiaotian blinked.

Huo Wushuang blinked.

Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, Huo Wu, and the others, equally unaware of what was going on, blinked as well.

The scene suddenly fell silent.

This silence immediately drew the attention of several academy heads, including Liu Erlong, Shui Feng, and Huo Lie. Teachers such as Flender, Yu Xiaogang, and Zhao Wuji also subconsciously looked toward the center of the silence.

What they saw was Ye Qingcang, still fingering his prayer beads; Tang San, still wearing that strange look of pride; and Xiao Wu, who had originally been walking toward Ye Qingcang, now changing direction and preparing to circle around from the side.

Three people, three completely different styles!

How did they manage to feel so utterly disconnected while still ending up in the same scene?

However, Shui Yue'er and Ning Rongrong, the two troublemakers who feared the world was not chaotic enough, viewed matters differently from upright people like Shui Bing'er, Huo Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Feng Xiaotian.

"Two men fighting over one woman?" That was Shui Yue'er.

Her gaze swept over Ye Qingcang and Tang San.

She immediately took Ye Qingcang's side.

Do not ask. That was simply the professionalism of someone devoted to good looks!

"That brat Xiao Wu..." That was Ning Rongrong.

Unlike Zhu Zhuqing, who thought highly of herself and wanted to carve out her own path, and unlike Xiao Wu, who had no great ambitions and only wanted to steadily cultivate to Rank Seventy, Ning Rongrong had endured sleeping later than a dog, waking earlier than a chicken, and going more than a week without rest because she had discovered far too many good things while browsing the forum. That was precisely why she was determined to have Ye Qingcang!

Of course, the most important reason was that Ye Qingcang was very handsome!

His temperament also struck right at her heart!

As for those so-called good things...

In the forum shop, you could spend credits to buy soul bones. Could you believe that?

In the forum shop, you could spend credits to customize soul bones. Could you believe that?

In the forum shop, several hundred Self-Created Soul Skills could be learned with credits, as could thousands of Soul Tool blueprint sets. There was nothing you could imagine that the forum shop did not have. Such an all-encompassing shop, capable of supplying things even the two great empires could not provide, had appeared in a tiny academy?

The more she looked, the more she wanted it.

The more she looked, the more shocked she became.

The more she looked, the more confused she felt.

For example, what exactly had Senior Brother Xue Qinghe helped Ye Qingcang conceal? How had the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect received no news for more than a decade? How had this era-defining system been suppressed so completely? Just how powerful was the force in Senior Brother Xue Qinghe's hands, and what did he hope to gain by helping Ye Qingcang conceal it?

Still, she knew she could not possibly pry an answer out of Senior Brother Xue Qinghe. She also knew that by the time she could come into contact with these secrets, they would no longer truly be secrets. Otherwise, that senior brother would not have asked Ye Qingcang to give her special treatment.

But precisely because she did not know, she was unbearably curious.

And compared to these astonishing achievements, Ye Qingcang himself was the true treasure!

A golden hen that laid eggs!

Since she had been born, this was the first person who had ever made her heart stir, and the first person she had ever seen who was so perfect. Though no one could truly be perfect, and Ye Qingcang certainly had flaws, she was confident that she could tolerate them. She desperately wanted to get closer to Ye Qingcang!

That stinking best friend Xiao Wu had been called over and did not even think to bring her along?

Just then—

Xiao Wu had already slipped around from the side.

Everyone watched with their own eyes as Tang San's complexion changed from livid to ashen.

"Looks like it is unrequited love versus mutual affection."

"What a waste of excitement."

Shui Yue'er muttered softly.

She drew strange looks from Shui Bing'er, Huo Wu, Huo Wushuang, Feng Xiaotian, and the others.

A waste of excitement?

So she had wanted to see blood flow like a river?

Who would have thought you were such a troublemaker, Shui Yue'er!

We underestimated you!

"Little San!" Yu Xiaogang squeezed forward, his expression ugly as he tugged at Tang San's arm.

Only then did Tang San snap out of it.

As he watched Xiao Wu walk toward Ye Qingcang, a trace of resentment unknowingly appeared in his eyes.

Still, he knew that remaining here would only make him look worse. Clenching his fists, he followed Yu Xiaogang away without saying a word.

Yu Xiaogang had a way of dealing with this sort of embarrassment.

All he had to do was switch to another circle, and it would not matter much.

Yu Xiaogang led Tang San over to the circle formed by Zhao Wuji, Li Yusong, Shao Xin, and Flender, yet he failed to notice the faint, nearly imperceptible dissatisfaction Tang San also held toward him in those black eyes.

Thanks to reader 20170804112328857 for the 100-credit reward.