Hu Liena's Frustration, Golden Crocodile's Disciple

Qin Yu did not care in the slightest.

He had always repaid a grudge, and he was not about to worry about what others thought.

Whether the lava had ruined Yan's face by accident or design, the result was the same: seeing his enemy miserable made Qin Yu feel good.

"Qin Yu, are you all right?" Hu Liena looked him up and down. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine."

Qin Yu shook his head and smiled. "I didn't disappoint you, did I?"

"Disappoint me how?"

Hu Liena looked puzzled.

"You came to watch me beat someone up. Was it satisfying?" Qin Yu asked.

"You..." Hu Liena did not know whether to laugh or cry.

She could not say whether she had enjoyed watching it,

but Qin Yu had certainly enjoyed delivering the beating.

Hu Liena thought it over, then asked, "Qin Yu, did something else happen between you and Yan?"

Qin Yu's actions and Yan's reactions went beyond an ordinary rivalry over her. There seemed to be another grudge between them.

"Does it still matter?"

Instead of answering, Qin Yu returned the question.

Hu Liena shook her head with a rueful smile. "No, it doesn't. Even if there was no grudge before, the two of you will never have anything to do with each other again."

"Mm."

Qin Yu nodded slightly, then asked with a pointed look, "Aren't you going to check on Yan? You two were friends, after all."

"I'd better not."

Hu Liena shook her head and sighed. "If I go, Yan will probably get the wrong idea again and refuse to give up."

"This might be the chance to make him let go."

"But for the sake of our friendship, I'll ask my teacher to send a Soul Master with powerful healing abilities to treat him."

Some of Yan's behavior had made her deeply uncomfortable.

Still, they had been friends.

She could not just stand by and watch him remain disfigured.

Once this was over, she would consider their friendship at an end.

Qin Yu nodded and said nothing more.

Hu Liena had meant to leave, but somehow, she found herself following Qin Yu all the way to his dormitory building.

Qin Yu stopped and gave her an odd look. "Could you respect my privacy a little?"

"Uh."

Hu Liena came to her senses, her cheeks reddening, but she retorted, "What privacy could you have? Are you hiding something in there you don't want anyone to see?"

"Not yet."

Qin Yu smiled, then added mildly, "But there will be if you come in with me."

"Hm?"

Hu Liena froze, not quite catching his meaning.

Only when she saw his wicked grin did she think back over what he had just said.

"Qin Yu!"

Hu Liena's face flushed with embarrassment and anger.

Bang!

Qin Yu slipped into the dormitory and shut the door at once, calling back, "For my own safety, you'd better leave."

Staring at the closed door, Hu Liena's mouth twitched. She gritted her teeth. "Qin Yu, you're the one with something to hide!"

"For your safety? What about mine?"

"Quick to hide, aren't you... Hmph. Next time, I'll give you a good beating!"

Hu Liena shook her fist at the dormitory door and stormed off.

Bibi Dong, watching from the shadows, saw it all.

Her expression barely changed as she left.

Not long after Bibi Dong departed, Qian Daoliu returned to the Worship Hall.

Golden Crocodile Douluo, however, stayed. He came to the door of Dormitory 102, raised his hand, and knocked lightly.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Hm?"

Qin Yu, who was about to begin training, paused and headed for the door.

He knew it could not be Hu Liena.

Yet he could not sense anyone standing outside.

Through the gap beneath the door, however, he could clearly see a shadow. Someone was there.

Whoever stood outside was no ordinary person.

Qin Yu opened the door and found a broad-shouldered man of late middle age standing there.

The man was wider than the dormitory doorway.

"Second Worship?"

Qin Yu was surprised to see him, though he had an idea why he had come.

Golden Crocodile Douluo was clearly here for him.

Qin Yu stepped back at once, cupped his hands, and bowed. "Junior Qin Yu greets the Second Worship."

"Mm."

Golden Crocodile Douluo nodded and smiled, approval glinting in his eyes.

After observing Qin Yu for the past six months, he had found the boy's temperament much to his liking.

Golden Crocodile Douluo drew in his shoulders and entered the dormitory.

Looking down at Qin Yu, who did not even reach his thigh, he smiled warmly. "Qin Yu, I took notice of you half a year ago."

"The Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon martial soul. Excellent."

"You've gained two levels of Soul Power in six months. You haven't squandered your talent."

Between his observations over the past six months and Qin Yu's fight with Yan just now, Golden Crocodile Douluo was pleased with what he had seen.

"I remember you too, Second Worship."

"If not for you, I would never have received special treatment at Spirit Academy or come this far. Thank you for supporting me."

Qin Yu smiled.

"Hahaha! Good, good."

Golden Crocodile Douluo laughed, then got straight to the point. "Qin Yu, I won't beat around the bush."

"Will you become my disciple?"

"I will."

Qin Yu nodded without a moment's hesitation.

With such powerful backing right in front of him, he would be a fool not to take it.

With Golden Crocodile Douluo as his teacher, he would have someone to rely on, both within Spirit Hall and across the continent.

Out in the world, connections mattered.

"Excellent!"

Golden Crocodile Douluo smiled, delighted.

He wasted no time. "Qin Yu, gather your things and come with me to the Worship Hall. It's a better place for you."

Spirit Academy's training resources were good.

But what the Four Great Halls could offer surpassed them.

"Teacher, I'm ready. There's nothing I need to pack." Qin Yu smiled.

"Oh?"

Golden Crocodile Douluo narrowed his eyes and asked, "You knew I intended to take you as my disciple?"

"I did."

"Then tell me why I waited until now."

"When my martial soul awakened, you stepped in to support me but didn't take me as your disciple. You were clearly testing my character."

"Without the right character, talent means nothing."

Qin Yu met his gaze.

"Without the right character, talent means nothing. Well said!" Golden Crocodile Douluo beamed with approval.

Qin Yu's talent pleased him.

Qin Yu's character pleased him even more.

Taking on a disciple like this was Golden Crocodile Douluo's good fortune too.

"Qin Yu, come with me."

Golden Crocodile Douluo gripped Qin Yu's shoulder, and in a flash, they vanished.

Spirit Academy would handle the rest.

Before coming, Golden Crocodile Douluo had already told the academy's administrators to classify Qin Yu's records at the highest level of secrecy.

The records contained little of value, but they still deserved protection.