Pressure from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan

Lan Xiaoyue explained, "Brother Shui Yu, there's a dark horse among this year's new students."

"A dark horse? Could it be that child Yu Luomian mentioned?"

Shui Qinghan hurriedly asked, "What did he tell you?"

"He said Skywater Academy had treated him poorly and even allowed Yu Tianxin to be injured. He was very angry."

"One reason I came here was because of this. You two, tell me what happened. I want all the details."

Shui Qinghan did not beat around the bush and said directly, "A few days ago, during registration, Yu Luomian came with his son, Yu Tianxin."

"He publicly declared in the square that Bing'er was the future mistress of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."

"He said that in front of everyone?"

"That's right. And Yu Tianxin took the initiative to provoke a male student and demanded a spar."

"Not only did Yu Luomian not stop him, he even fanned the flames from the side, saying that conflicts between juniors should be settled with strength and elders should not interfere. Then..."

"Then what?"

"Yu Tianxin was defeated by that boy in a single strike of the sword."

"Cleanly and decisively, without any chance to fight back."

Shock appeared on Shui Yu's face. Then he wondered whether the boy was older and had suppressed Yu Tianxin through his level.

"How old was that boy?"

Lan Xiaoyue said, "He's the dark horse from the academy we were just talking about. He's the same age as Bing'er."

"He's a genius among geniuses. No wonder he's stronger than Bing'er."

Shui Qinghan nodded. "Brother, did Yu Luomian say anything about revenge?"

"You know that petty man Yu Luomian better than anyone, don't you?"

Shui Qinghan's gaze sharpened. "What else did he say?"

"This afternoon, Yu Luomian sent someone to deliver a letter to the residence."

"He said that because of that incident, although the sword wound on Yu Tianxin's chest was not fatal, cold energy and sword energy had entered his body. He would need to remain bedridden for at least half a month."

"He believed the matter had damaged the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's dignity and Thunderclap Academy's reputation, and hoped the Shui Family would give him an explanation."

After hearing this, Shui Qinghan let out a cold laugh. "Not giving him face? He himself brought Yu Tianxin here to flaunt their power and publicly announced in the square that Bing'er was the future mistress of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Did he ever ask for the Shui Family's opinion?"

"He proposed the spar himself, and he set the rules himself."

"Yu Tianxin lost, and now this elder jumps out to accuse others of not giving him face? What kind of logic is that?"

Shui Yu silently listened to his sister, his fingers lightly tapping against the tabletop.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, "You said earlier, what was that boy's name?"

"His name is Wu Changkong."

"Since when did Skywater Academy accept male students?"

"He is an exception, and the only exception in the centuries since Skywater Academy was founded."

Shui Qinghan looked straight into her brother's eyes. "His first Soul Ring was a Millennium Soul Ring, and all three of his Soul Rings are millennium-level."

Shui Yu was a man who had seen much of the world.

Though the Shui Family's overall strength was inferior to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's, as the head of the family, he understood the rules of the Soul Master world and just how rare geniuses were.

Thirteen years old and level thirty-nine—such a figure was unheard of even among the direct descendants of the Upper Three Sects.

Not to mention three Millennium Soul Rings. This had simply surpassed the limits of what conventional Martial Soul theory could explain.

"What is this Wu Changkong's background?"

"He is from Water Source Town. His father is an ordinary blacksmith. He was born a commoner with no family backing and cultivated to this level entirely on his own."

Shui Yu said excitedly, "Take me to see him."

"Tonight?"

"Tonight. If he truly is as outstanding as you say, I want to see him with my own eyes."

Shui Qinghan rose as well, but she did not immediately move. Instead, she asked meaningfully, "Brother, there's one more thing I think I should tell you."

"What is it?"

"I've noticed that Bing'er seems to... have feelings for Wu Changkong."

"And Wu Changkong likes Bing'er too."

"The reason he agreed to spar with Yu Tianxin was because he was jealous over Bing'er."

"If word of this gets out, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan definitely won't let it go."

"I'm not afraid of Yu Luomian trying anything. He wouldn't dare act recklessly in the academy."

"But he is, after all, an elder of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and he has considerable influence in the Soul Master world."

"What I fear is that he will use the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's power to pressure the Shui Family over this matter."

"When that happens, it may not be Wu Changkong alone who has to bear the pressure. Bing'er will be dragged into it as well."

Shui Yu frowned as he considered it. "First, let's see that child's talent. If his talent is truly as you say, stronger even than Bing'er's, then he should be worthy of her."

"Though the Shui Family is not as powerful as the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, we are not so afraid that we would not dare let our daughter pursue her own happiness."

"As for Yu Luomian, so long as Wu Changkong becomes strong enough in the future, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan will not be willing to fall out with the Shui Family over something like this."

"But if his talent is not as great as you say, or if there are issues with his character, then we can discuss it when the time comes."

Upon hearing this, a weight quietly lifted from Shui Qinghan's heart.

She understood her brother. She knew that when it came to major family matters, he had always been thoughtful and prudent, never acting on impulse.

Likewise, although he was strict in matters concerning his children, deep down he was a father who respected their choices.

The reason Shui Bing'er had grown into such an independent and composed young woman was inseparable from the influence of growing up beside such a father.

"Good. Then let's go."

"He lives with Bing'er?"

"Of course not."

Inside the hotpot restaurant, Wu Changkong felt as though his stomach had expanded by at least a full circle.

The reason was simple: when Shui Yue'er ordered, she had been outrageously bold. With a wave of her little hand over the menu, she declared, "This, this, this—I want all of it," looking no different from a general reviewing troops.

In the end, the girls each had smaller appetites than the last, and more than half the dishes remained untouched on the table.

Wu Changkong looked at the leftovers covering the table, fell silent for three seconds, then picked up his chopsticks with the air of a man marching to his death.

In his previous life, he could gnaw on frozen-hard rations for half a month on the Far North Icefield. Wasting food simply did not exist in his personal dictionary.

Thus, the specially marinated tender beef, fresh-cut lamb, remaining tripe and beef artery, wide glass noodles and potato slices—even the final plate of bamboo shoots that had barely been touched—none escaped his chopsticks.

He burped. "Shui Yue'er, next time, don't order so much if you can't finish it."

Shui Bing'er added, "You're always like this whenever we eat. You order extravagantly, then can barely eat a few bites."

"If Changkong hadn't helped you finish things today, all that food would have been thrown away."

After being criticized by the two of them in turn, Shui Yue'er protested aggrievedly, "You two aren't even together yet, and you're already ganging up on me."