Friction and Invitation (4)

Chapter 39: Friction and Invitation (4)

Xie Yue's curse not only jolted Hu Liena, Yan, and the other Spirit Hall members out of their daze, but also woke Yue Guan, who had subconsciously become absorbed in it.

"Excellent material!"

"Excellent material!"

"What excellent material!"

Yue Guan's eyes gleamed as he stared at Ye Qingcang like a starving wolf spotting a lamb. If abandoning Liu Erlong's side right now had not been rather disrespectful—and if his earlier arrogance followed by current eagerness were not so laughable to think about—he would have run over to study the boy already. Even though he could not leave yet, he kept staring blankly at Ye Qingcang. "His blood and vitality surge like a dragon, his sinews and bones are perfectly structured. At a glance, all his channels seem unblocked; his spirit is steady as a cauldron. Looking closer, everything is concealed and contained, without leakage or flaw... Old Ghost, so long as this child's martial soul is not absurdly poor, with this naturally gifted Vajra Glazed Body, I am confident I can raise him into a Titled Douluo. Such unimaginable perfection—believe me, this is the most perfect body Heaven has ever bestowed upon humanity!"

Yue Guan's coquettish description gave everyone goosebumps.

They could tell he was tempted.

But could he not at least act like a normal person?

Honestly, hearing him rave in that tone was terrifying...

Yet Yue Guan's exclamation led everyone present to focus on different things, including Yue Guan himself after he regained his senses.

Dugu Bo was Violet's master's dog → Violet stood beside Ye Qingcang ≈ Ye Qingcang was the master Violet had mentioned!

That was the equation Guimei had laid out.

It was also what Yue Guan realized after coming to his senses.

"A Titled Douluo?" That was what Shui Bing'er, Huo Wu, Feng Xiaotian, Huo Wushuang, Xie Yue, Hu Liena, Yan, and the other young people—as well as Shui Feng, Huo Lie, Feng Wuji, and those who were neither Blue Tyrant Academy teachers nor had personally witnessed Ye Qingcang beating Dugu Bo—had all latched onto in Yue Guan's praise.

That was a Titled Douluo!

A powerhouse standing at the peak of the continent!

Even the ruler of a nation had to treat one with courtesy!

For a youngster who had just met a Titled Douluo for the first time to receive his personal praise and be declared certain to become a Titled Douluo in the future was simply unimaginable to them!

But to those who knew the truth, this evaluation was truly nothing special.

The higher one stood, the farther one saw.

Compared to Tang San, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and the others who had witnessed Ye Qingcang beat Dugu Bo, not only were academy standouts like Shui Bing'er, Huo Wu, and Feng Xiaotian frogs at the bottom of a well, but even Spirit Hall geniuses like Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan were the same.

There was no need to speak of the future!

Ye Qingcang could kill Dugu Bo right now!

What they cared about was the Vajra Glazed Body Yue Guan had mentioned!

And in Violet and Ye Qingcang's eyes, Tang San, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and the rest were also frogs at the bottom of a well, unable to see how vast heaven and earth truly were!

As for Xiao Wu... she was trembling.

Can anyone understand this? Dugu Bo was one thing, but why had another Titled Douluo appeared? Were Titled Douluos just weeds by the roadside these days?

Or was my bad luck simply overwhelming?

Still, the more afraid she became, the more she trusted Ye Qingcang.

Look at Ye Qingcang.

Then look at Tang San.

Comparisons killed people, and goods had to be thrown away when compared.

Tang San's words had sounded wonderful.

But what about his actions?

Ye Qingcang dared to pull her behind him. Though she had no idea how he had done it, how he could predict Spirit Hall's movements from so far away, no matter how cruel his words sounded, everything Ye Qingcang had done showed that he had never abandoned her!

Judge deeds, not hearts; judge hearts, and no one was perfect!

Yet without even asking her opinion, Tang San had made the decision for her while she knew nothing. If she had not been clever enough to take a detour and get behind Ye Qingcang, she would probably have been exposed by now!

She did not know whether Tang San had the courage to die for her.

But she knew Ye Qingcang had the means to snuff out every problem at its source.

"I am Ye Qingcang. Greetings, everyone." Ye Qingcang brought his hands together, one fist pressed into one palm, and saluted Yue Guan, Guimei, Hu Liena, and the others from afar. His breathing was even, and he showed neither pride nor conceit. Instead, he was very humble. "I do not deserve such praise from Senior. I merely learned a few insignificant tricks and trained diligently every day, nothing more... Did Senior and the rest also come here to hunt soul beasts?"

Trained diligently every day?

I don't believe that crap!

Yue Guan's face was full of disbelief.

But since Ye Qingcang would not admit it, Yue Guan could not force him to.

Ye Qingcang had the ability to make Dugu Bo into a dog.

Who knew whether he had the ability to make Yue Guan into one too?

Just as Yue Guan was considering this, a single sentence from Yu Xiaogang made his eyes light up, while Liu Erlong, Flender, and the others looked at their former friend with shock and anger. "This son of Blue Tyrant Academy's headmaster is the genius who created the Stellar Martial Path. He is not merely someone who trained diligently as he claims!"

"Yu. Xiaogang!"

Flender ground his teeth.

He wanted nothing more than to pull out a needle and sew Yu Xiaogang's mouth shut.

Did he know the value of the Stellar Martial Path?

Did he not understand Spirit Hall's way of doing things?

He was handing a blade to Yue Guan and Guimei, letting these two Titled Douluos of Spirit Hall slaughter Blue Tyrant Academy and collect the spoils from its corpse. It was no different from betraying Blue Tyrant Academy!

Yes, if Blue Tyrant Academy fell, Yu Xiaogang could trade the merit of betraying it for the right to learn the Stellar Martial Path, but was that truly worth it?

Did his conscience not hurt?

What was this little scheme supposed to mean now?

Was he planning to force Liu Erlong to relent and grant him the right to learn the Stellar Martial Path, so that he could then change his tune and bury this secret?

If Flender could recognize the issue, Liu Erlong naturally could as well.

Ning Rongrong understood it too.

Even Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, Oscar, and the others understood.

Their gazes toward Yu Xiaogang were filled with contempt.

As though they were looking at a foul-smelling trash bag.

Stuffed full of every kind of garbage.

However, Yu Xiaogang thought too highly of himself and underestimated Blue Tyrant Academy's Social Status. Even though they did not know what the Stellar Martial Path was, Shui Feng, Huo Lie, Feng Wuji, and the others stepped forward to interrupt. Dai Mubai, who had already received Ye Qingcang's promise, voiced his opposition even more firmly, because if the Stellar Martial Path became commonplace, everything he had given last night would have gone to waste.

The same was even more true for Yue Guan and Guimei.

Yu Xiaogang?

The Pope's first love.

But only her first love.

Blue Tyrant Academy?

Nominally, it was the model academy praised and commended by the Pope. But to the two Titled Douluos, Blue Tyrant Academy's true value lay in the fact that it was the sole entity acknowledged by both the Hall of Elders and the Worship Hall—that was, by Pope Bibi Dong and Great Grand Elder Qian Daoliu!

Bibi Dong recognized Blue Tyrant Academy because it was close to Spirit Hall and cooperated with Spirit Hall. As the first academy to express goodwill toward Spirit Hall, especially one that accepted only commoner Soul Masters, it deserved treatment worthy of that pure stance. As for why Qian Daoliu recognized Blue Tyrant Academy, they did not know the exact reason. It was likely that Blue Tyrant Academy's attitude toward Evil Soul Masters had gained the approval of Qian Daoliu, the angel High Priest.

Not to mention merely one Self-Created Soul Skill.

Even a hundred Self-Created Soul Skills would only prove Ye Qingcang's value as a genius. Spirit Hall would not kill the goose that laid the golden eggs when dealing with forces close to it. Just as Xie Yue had created the Self-Created Soul Skill "Crescent Moon," Spirit Hall had not demanded that he hand it over. Spirit Hall gave geniuses a great deal of freedom, of course, provided that the genius's position aligned with Spirit Hall's.

And nothing happened overnight.

First, make contact, then extend an invitation.

Even if they could not recruit him, it did not matter.

So long as Blue Tyrant Academy maintained its current stance.

Spirit Hall was not incapable of accommodating a Soul Master Academy.

Thus, to Yu Xiaogang's surprise, and to the surprise of Liu Erlong, Shui Feng, Huo Lie, Feng Wuji, and the others, the Spirit Hall group led by Yue Guan and Guimei acted as though they had not understood Yu Xiaogang's words at all. Yue Guan in particular was so tactful it was practically unnatural. "So it is a Self-Created Soul Skill. That makes it even more remarkable. Come, Xie Yue... Let me introduce you. This is the finest young man in Spirit Hall. He has also developed a Self-Created Soul Skill called Crescent Moon. Though we do not know whether Self-Created Soul Skills share common principles, I believe that if the two of you exchange ideas, you will surely come up with even more ingenious thoughts. We also happen to be here hunting soul beasts. Why not travel together? These two young people can exchange ideas along the way, and we will have greater security as well. What does Headmaster Liu think?"

Looking at Yue Guan's double standards taken to such an extreme, Liu Erlong fell silent for a moment, making it clear that she did not want to look.

Still, she had to give a Titled Douluo some face.

Seeing that Ye Qingcang did not mind, Liu Erlong nodded and agreed.

But her heart had already gone cold.

When she looked at Yu Xiaogang again, the nostalgia and tenderness she once held for him had vanished, replaced by coldness and fury.

It was exactly like the hostility in Xiao Wu's eyes as she looked at the silent Tang San.

The hostility of someone who had trusted the wrong person.

Liu Erlong: Completely shaped by Ye Qingcang now...

Xiao Wu: I'm getting there, stop rushing me...