Level 24, Not Enough

"You really came."

The figure beneath the eaves slowly stepped out of the shadows, still wearing Xue Qinghe's refined, gentle face. Yet the tone of her voice gave Lu Yuan a familiar feeling once more. During the day, their carriages had passed each other without either of them lingering for even a moment, but now that no one else was around, there was no need to pretend they were strangers.

Lu Yuan stopped in the courtyard and looked her over. "You tucked the note beneath the kettle. I couldn't exactly pretend I hadn't seen it."

Qian Renxue's lips curved slightly. She did not say more about it, merely asked a few questions about his journey. After confirming that nothing had gone wrong along the way, she quickly turned the conversation to cultivation.

"You've reached Rank 20?"

"Rank 21. I absorbed my Second Spirit Ring not long ago."

"How many years?"

"Seven hundred and twenty years."

A hint of surprise finally appeared in Qian Renxue's eyes. When she had left Spirit City, Lu Yuan had only recently obtained his First Spirit Ring. Now that they had met again, not only had his Soul Power broken through Rank 20, but the age of his Second Spirit Ring was clearly higher than that of an ordinary Soul Grandmaster.

Her gaze lingered on Lu Yuan's right hand for a moment. "How is your Second Soul Skill?"

"You should see it tomorrow."

Qian Renxue understood his meaning, and her expression returned to normal. "Then I needn't remind you too much. Tomorrow, Heaven Dou Royal Academy will be holding an exchange between Young Spirit Masters, and Spirit Hall will send people as well. You've just arrived from Spirit City, so it won't seem strange for you to go along and watch."

Lu Yuan quickly understood her arrangement. "Will you be there too?"

"Xue Qinghe will be there."

As Qian Renxue spoke, the mild and composed expression she had worn during the day returned to her face. "So even if we meet tomorrow, it will only be the first time we've met."

Lu Yuan nodded. She did not need to remind him of that.

They spoke for a while longer. Qian Renxue did not rush to tell him everything about her arrangements within the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. Lu Yuan had only just arrived in Tiangou and had yet to even grasp the relationships between the various factions in the city. Knowing too much now would be of no use, so she merely explained a few things he needed to watch out for.

Before he left, Qian Renxue reminded him once more, "Don't come to White Stone Alley casually in the future, and I won't appear here often either. If there's something urgent, go to the teahouse on West Street and leave a mark beneath the backyard windowsill. My people will notify me when they see it."

Lu Yuan remembered the location. "Then I wait for you to contact me?"

"Yes." Qian Renxue nodded. "I'll arrange the time and place to meet separately. Tiangou isn't Spirit City. We have no connection on the surface, so the less we meet in private, the better."

Lu Yuan naturally understood the importance of it and did not ask further.

By the time Lu Yuan left White Stone Alley, the night was already deep.

The next morning, someone from Tiangou Spirit Hall indeed came looking for him.

The visitor was a deacon surnamed Zhao from the Sanctuary. Upon seeing Lu Yuan, he explained his purpose. "Heaven Dou Royal Academy is holding an exchange between Young Spirit Masters today, and the Sanctuary will be taking a few people over. Han Lie said you had just come from Spirit City and had trained at Worship Hall before, so he asked me to see whether you were interested."

Lu Yuan naturally did not refuse. After making some simple preparations, he set off with him.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy covered a vast area, its training grounds built against the mountain. By the time they arrived, more than a dozen Young Spirit Masters had gathered around the spacious field. Most wore the Royal Academy's standard uniform, ranging in age from eight or nine to their teens. Several Academy Teachers sat at the edge of the field, with Xue Qinghe among them.

Deacon Zhao led several young Spirit Hall masters over to pay their respects.

Xue Qinghe's gaze swept naturally across the group, not lingering any longer on Lu Yuan than on anyone else.

Deacon Zhao took the initiative to introduce him. "This child is Lu Yuan. He arrived from Spirit City yesterday."

"From Spirit City?"

Xue Qinghe looked as though she were hearing the name for the first time. She nodded casually. "Then watch with us."

She did not ask anything further, and Lu Yuan merely followed deacon Zhao back to the edge of the field, showing no sign of anything unusual from beginning to end.

The sparring in the training grounds soon resumed.

The two young Spirit Masters brought by Spirit Hall took the field one after another, winning one match and losing one. When the second returned, a lean youth from the Royal Academy noticed Lu Yuan, who had yet to make a move.

"Is he here to spar too?"

Deacon Zhao looked at Lu Yuan. "Want to give it a try?"

"Sure."

Lu Yuan entered the field with his spear in hand, while the youth opposite him rose as well.

The two stood facing each other in the field. The lean youth spoke first. "Gu Yan, Rank 24, Martial Soul: Rending Claw Panther."

"Lu Yuan, Rank 21, Martial Soul: Piercing Spear."

As their Martial Souls were released, two Yellow Spirit Rings rose from beneath each of their feet. Gu Yan's hands rapidly transformed into beast claws, sharp talons extending from his fingertips. He had initially been somewhat casual upon seeing that Lu Yuan was clearly much younger, but when he heard "Rank 21" and saw the two Yellow Spirit Rings surrounding the Piercing Spear, his expression quickly turned serious.

Several more gazes turned toward them from the sidelines. Reaching the Soul Grandmaster realm at Lu Yuan's age was far from ordinary, even at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

The Academy Teacher presiding over the sparring raised a hand in signal, and the two moved almost simultaneously.

Gu Yan's First Spirit Ring lit up first, and his speed abruptly increased. In a few strides, he rushed before Lu Yuan, both claws striking for his upper body one after the other. His movements were swift and fluid, clearly showing that he no longer underestimated his young opponent because of his age.

Lu Yuan sidestepped the first claw and raised the Piercing Spear horizontally to block the second. The instant the spear shaft collided with the talons, he pressed downward with the momentum.

Borrowing that force, Gu Yan continued to press closer. His right foot had already stepped into a range where the spear could not fully extend, and his Second Spirit Ring lit up as well. A layer of pale yellow light swiftly surfaced over both claws.

His movements did not pause. His left claw pinned the spear shaft while his right claw swept in from the side toward Lu Yuan's shoulder.

But at the very instant they came into contact again, Lu Yuan's Second Spirit Ring lit up.

Shock Edge!

A brief, heavy force burst violently through the spear shaft. Gu Yan's left hand, which pinned the weapon, suddenly went numb. Though his already activated Second Soul Skill did not vanish, its continuous assault was forcibly disrupted by the shock, and the right claw aimed at Lu Yuan's shoulder slowed by half a beat.

That brief delay was already enough for Lu Yuan to reclaim control of the spear.

The Piercing Spear snapped back with the motion, and his First Spirit Ring lit up immediately after. Piercing Edge drove the entire spear forward in a fierce thrust. Gu Yan hastily withdrew his claws to block, but he only struck a flash of cold light sweeping past his eyes. By the time he reacted, the icy spear tip had stopped three inches before his throat.

The scattered conversations at the edge of the field fell silent at that moment.

Gu Yan lowered his head to look at the spearpoint so close before him, then raised his gaze to Lu Yuan. After a moment of silence, he took the initiative to retract his Martial Soul.

"I lost."

Lu Yuan dispersed his Soul Skills as well and lowered the Piercing Spear to his side.

From the moment Gu Yan activated his First Soul Skill to when the spear tip stopped before his throat, the sparring match had lasted only a few exchanges. Deacon Zhao had merely casually suggested that Lu Yuan give it a try, but now he looked him over again. He clearly had not expected a Level 24 Soul Grandmaster to lose so quickly.

Quiet discussion soon rose from the Royal Academy side.

"Rank 21?"

"Gu Yan even used his Second Soul Skill and still couldn't take it."

"What Soul Skill was that jolt from the spear just now?"

Lu Yuan ignored those voices and turned, preparing to return to deacon Zhao's side. Xue Qinghe had remained seated from beginning to end. Only after the sparring ended did she follow everyone's gaze and look at him once, then naturally looked away without displaying anything unusual.

However, just as Lu Yuan walked out of the field, someone suddenly stood up behind the crowd.

A tall youth pushed aside several people before him. His gaze crossed the field and landed directly on the Piercing Spear in Lu Yuan's hand.

Several students who had been discussing Gu Yan's defeat lowered their voices considerably when they saw the newcomer.

"Qin Yue?"

"He's already Rank 28."