Facing Yu Tianheng

"You're too modest. Reaching Soul Elder at twelve isn't something that can be explained away with mere luck."

Yu Feng, the Wind Chime Bird Soul Master, also stepped forward.

With these few students taking the lead, the others also came forward to exchange pleasantries with Ning Chen.

Although Ning Chen's family background appeared rather ordinary, his cultivation talent was among the best of the current era.

Most of these people came from prominent clans or families, but they also understood how terrifying a twelve-year-old Soul Elder was.

When facing someone like that, so long as there was no enmity, the first thing to do was befriend him.

Being on good terms with a future rising star of the Soul Master World could never be a mistake.

Although Ning Chen's arrival had taken up a future spot in the Continental Soul Master Tournament, Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and the others had voiced their support one after another. Coupled with Ning Chen's overwhelming first-place strength, no one dared show the slightest dissatisfaction toward him.

And so, a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Ning Chen's Soul Power had already broken through to level forty, though publicly, he had only advanced one level, reaching level thirty-three.

Even an increase of one level in a month was enough to directly spur on Tiandou Academy's group of Heaven Dou Tier genius students.

Everyone began cultivating with even greater diligence and effort.

The most obvious among them was Yu Tianheng.

As one of the candidates to become the young clan master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Yu Tianheng had not picked up the bad habits common among spoiled heirs. Instead, he cultivated diligently every day.

That was why he had remained firmly seated at the top of their group in cultivation for several years.

Now that Ning Chen had arrived, although Yu Tianheng said nothing openly, he had privately developed a competitive mindset.

He cultivated day and night, to the point that even Dugu Yan felt sorry for him. The way she looked at Ning Chen was also filled with inexplicable resentment.

Ning Chen was rather speechless about this, but what troubled him most was still the matter of hunting a Spirit Ring.

His true strength had already reached level forty, and he could hunt a Spirit Ring to break through to Soul Ancestor.

However, he had only been at Heaven Dou Royal Academy for a month, and he did not have a suitable excuse to ask for leave.

Although there were fixed rest days every week, finding a suitable Spirit Ring in just two days was practically impossible.

So he could only keep delaying it and wait for a suitable opportunity.

During that month, something else also happened.

Qin Ming, a Soul Ancestor who did not even hold the lowest rank of Sky-Micro Teacher, was exceptionally transferred over.

Nominally, he served as a teaching assistant, helping the Heaven Dou Tier teachers instruct these students.

But in reality, with Meng Shenji supporting him from behind the scenes, Qin Ming was doing a teacher's work.

Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and the other Heaven Dou Tier students had no objections to this.

The reason was simple: Qin Ming was strong enough. During that month, his Soul Power Level finally broke through level forty-nine and reached level fifty.

Furthermore, Meng Shenji personally led Qin Ming to hunt a Spirit Ring. He was now a level fifty-one Soul King.

A twenty-five-year-old Soul King was a genius among geniuses anywhere.

Such age and strength were enough to suppress the pride of these Heaven Dou Tier students.

Moreover, Qin Ming's teaching ability was also quite good.

In only a few days, he discovered Ning Chen's catfish effect. Thus, he often singled Ning Chen out to spar alone against Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and the other students.

That morning, at a training ground deep within Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Ning Chen was fighting Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan.

Qin Ming stood at the edge of the training ground with his arms crossed, calmly watching the three people facing off in the field.

Over the past half month, he had already figured out Ning Chen's abilities.

This kid's combat experience far surpassed that of others his age, and his battle instincts were so sharp that he did not seem like a twelve-year-old at all.

Ordinary one-on-one sparring was no longer much of a challenge for him, so Qin Ming decided to raise the stakes.

"Begin," Qin Ming ordered.

Yu Tianheng moved first.

He stomped his right foot fiercely against the ground and shot toward Ning Chen like a cannonball, blue-violet lightning crackling around his right arm.

Facing Ning Chen, he had no intention of holding back. He went all out from the start.

At the same time, Dugu Yan silently released the glow of her first Spirit Ring behind him.

Jade Phosphorus Red Venom turned into a wisp of pale red mist that drifted soundlessly toward Yu Tianheng and clung to his skin.

The Frenzy Venom took effect, sending Yu Tianheng's speed and attack power climbing once more as his offensive became even fiercer.

Ning Chen sharply shifted his footing and narrowly dodged Yu Tianheng's lightning-wreathed straight punch.

The gust from the fist brushed past his ear, filling the air with the scorched scent of lightning.

Yu Tianheng did not let up. His second Spirit Ring lit up as Thunderous Might activated.

Countless fine arcs of electricity burst from his body and spread in every direction, covering the central area of the battlefield.

Ning Chen did not take it head-on.

The Starlight Bracer flashed silver, and the Stellar Shield instantly condensed before him.

The arcs struck the shield and sent ripples spreading across its surface, but they failed to penetrate its defense.

Seeing this, Dugu Yan's second Spirit Ring immediately lit up as well. Jade Phosphorus Blue Venom turned into pale blue mist and spread toward Ning Chen's feet.

This was her soul skill, Jade Phosphorus Blue Venom. Although it could eliminate pain, it was actually a paralytic poison. It could be used on allies to remove pain, or on enemies to numb their senses and make them sluggish.

Ning Chen caught sight of the approaching blue mist from the corner of his eye and decisively used Stellar Force Surge.

The silver starlight on the bracer suddenly brightened. A warm force surged through his arm and into his entire body, instantly boosting his speed and strength.

He kicked off the ground, his body tracing an arc between Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan. He avoided the range of the Jade Phosphorus Blue Venom while closing in on Yu Tianheng's right side.

Yu Tianheng reacted swiftly, sweeping his left elbow toward him with lightning trailing behind it, but Ning Chen was even faster under the enhancement of Stellar Force Surge.

He ducked beneath the elbow strike and lightly slapped Yu Tianheng beneath the ribs with his right palm, using the force to pull away.

The strike was not heavy, but it landed at precisely the right moment and disrupted Yu Tianheng's attack rhythm.

Yu Tianheng's breath stalled slightly from that palm strike, and the electric arcs of Thunderous Might weakened by several degrees.

Dugu Yan was about to adjust the direction of the poisonous mist, but Ning Chen had already used the opening created by retreating to activate the Starlight Bracer again.

The Stellar Shield condensed for a second time. This time, he did not use it for defense. Instead, he compressed the shield at the front of the bracer, turning it into a palm-sized silver cone of light aimed at the gap between Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan.

"Break." Ning Chen gave a low shout, and the cone of light flew from his hand, leaving a silver streak through the air before striking the ground precisely between the two of them.

With a muffled boom, the silver cone exploded and transformed into a shockwave that spread outward.

Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan were both forced two steps back by the shockwave, and their coordinated formation was instantly torn apart.

Seizing the opportunity, Ning Chen's figure flashed, and he appeared three meters to Dugu Yan's side.

He did not attack. He merely raised his right hand as the silver glow on the Starlight Bracer slowly faded.

If he had struck just then, Dugu Yan would already have lost without any defense.

Dugu Yan's expression changed slightly. She bit her lip and withdrew her Martial Soul.

Yu Tianheng also stopped, the lightning around him gradually fading. He looked at Ning Chen in silence for a moment before suddenly smiling. "Good footwork."

Ning Chen withdrew the starlight from his bracer and smiled slightly as he caught his breath. "I got lucky."

Qin Ming stood at the edge of the field, a satisfied look on his face as he clapped his hands. "Not bad.

Tianheng's frontal suppression and Dugu Yan's flank restraint were the right approach.

Benqi's countermeasures were also decisive. He used speed to disrupt their coordination, divide the battlefield, and defeat them one by one.

That's enough sparring for today. Rest for fifteen minutes. The next group, get ready."