Revenge Repaid, Two Levels in Half a Year

The three supported one another as they slunk away in disgrace.

Little did they know, "that person" they had spoken of had been there all along.

"What incredible strength. One punch was enough to leave a Soul Grandmaster helpless." A short-haired boy with red hair stepped out from behind a tree.

He stared fixedly at the door to Qin Yu's dorm room, his thoughts unreadable.

A long while passed.

"Hmph!"

The boy snorted and turned away.

Inside his dorm, Qin Yu remained utterly unaffected by the Three Musketeers' visit. He continued eating at his own pace.

To him, Spirit Academy was merely a stepping stone.

Once he had learned the basics about Soul Masters and soul beasts, he would find another path to grow stronger, even if the academy truly paid him no attention.

"Yan... Heh."

A thought occurred to Qin Yu, and his eyes glinted.

He was not the sort to let trouble come knocking and then shrug it off.

If anything, he held a grudge.

Yan had sent the Three Musketeers after him. Qin Yu would find a chance to settle that score, with interest.

Whether it was a kindness or a slight, he repaid it tenfold.

Three months later.

Half a year had passed since Qin Yu awakened his martial soul and arrived at Spirit Academy.

In that short time, his Soul Power Level had reached the peak of level sixteen. Even with ample resources behind him, his progress was astonishing.

"Little Yu~"

Qin Yu ran into Hu Liena again on a tree-lined path.

He looked at the alluring, foxlike girl and sighed helplessly. "Senior, my name is Qin Yu, not Little Yu. And I'm not your little brother."

By his count, this was the fifth time he had run into her.

Hu Liena came to Spirit Academy every so often. While visiting Xie Yue, she would also make a point of stopping by to see Qin Yu.

She enjoyed teasing him.

"How are you not my little brother?"

"You came from Sunshine Orphanage too, and I'm older than you. That makes me your big sister."

Hu Liena was still using Sunshine Orphanage as her excuse.

In truth, she simply wanted to tease him.

"You have a point, Senior."

Qin Yu thought for a moment, then smiled. "If you're my big sister, shouldn't you give your little brother a break?"

"Go on."

Hu Liena smiled, her eyes curving with delight.

It was the first time Qin Yu had ever called her "big sister." She loved the sound of it and wanted to hear him say it again.

"Then, Senior... please move aside."

Qin Yu looked entirely serious.

Hu Liena's smile froze. She stood there, eyes widening as she stared at him in disbelief.

Of all things, he had meant for her to give way. She had thought he meant...

"Qin Yu, you really are hopelessly dense."

Hu Liena glared at him, torn between irritation and laughter.

"What does that have to do with being dense?" Qin Yu rolled his eyes at her and walked past, heading to the cafeteria for lunch.

This time, however, Hu Liena did not leave. She followed him.

"Qin Yu, I'm hungry."

"Sounds like you've had too much to eat already."

"You!"

Hu Liena was furious. She clenched her fists and threw a flurry of punches at his back, grumbling under her breath, "He really doesn't know what to say."

But that exchange made one thing clear to her.

Qin Yu was not dense at all. He was sharp, and he never let himself come off worse.

"Hmph."

Hu Liena huffed and kept following him.

"Why are you following me?" Qin Yu glanced back at her.

"To eat. Is that a problem?" Hu Liena stared straight at him. "You don't own the cafeteria. You can't stop me."

"You can eat."

Qin Yu nodded, then changed tack with a teasing smile. "But, Senior... the way you're looking at me, I think you're about to eat me alive."

"Qin! Yu!"

Hu Liena flushed with indignation.

"Don't get so worked up. The more excited you get, the more convinced I am." Qin Yu tossed the joke over his shoulder and walked on.

"You little bastard!"

Hu Liena glared at his retreating back, grinding her teeth, but quickly caught up.

They entered the cafeteria one after the other, drawing plenty of attention.

One was a disciple of His Holiness the Pope, and the other was the mysterious Qin Yu. Since when had those two become close?

For a moment, everyone looked at Qin Yu with newfound respect.

After all, anyone who could walk alongside a disciple of His Holiness the Pope had to be someone important.

With Hu Liena still following him, Qin Yu stopped trying to shake her off. They sat at the same table and ate lunch together.

Of course, Qin Yu had something else in mind.

He had not forgotten the incident with the Three Musketeers three months ago. This was the perfect chance to get even.

"Senior, you seem to have some free time today. Didn't you go see Xie Yue?" Qin Yu asked.

"My brother went to obtain his third soul ring."

Hu Liena shook her head and gave a rueful smile. "I wanted to see him off today, but a task my teacher assigned held me up, so I missed him."

Since she had not seen Xie Yue, she was bored and did not want to return to Papal Hall too early.

After wandering around, she had come to tease Qin Yu—no, to see him.

"I see."

Qin Yu nodded.

Come to think of it, Xie Yue was indeed due to advance to Soul Elder around now.

"Senior, what's your cultivation level?" Qin Yu asked.

Hu Liena rested her chin on her hand and smiled at him. "Qin Yu, most people don't tell others their cultivation level."

"I was just curious."

Qin Yu smiled. "Sorry for prying, Senior."

"Level thirty-two Soul Elder."

Hu Liena smiled faintly.

"Hm?" Qin Yu paused, then looked at her with admiration. "That's impressive, Senior."

"You're the impressive one. In just half a year, you've already become a level-sixteen Soul Master." Hu Liena smiled at him.

Qin Yu was not surprised that she knew.

It was perfectly normal for someone with higher cultivation to see through someone with lower cultivation.

"Just lucky."

Qin Yu smiled and decided to play the modest one.

"I wish I could be as lucky as you." Hu Liena smiled at him. "Two levels of Soul Power in half a year—that's astonishingly fast."

Ordinarily, an average Soul Master doing regular training was doing well to gain a little over one level of Soul Power in a year.

A genius could gain two levels in a year.

Someone even more gifted might gain nearly three.

Qin Yu had gained two levels in half a year. His speed was remarkable.

Qin Yu opened his mouth to reply, but a voice suddenly cut across their conversation.

"Nana!"

The shout was loud enough to draw the attention of everyone else in the cafeteria.

Qin Yu and Hu Liena looked over to see Yan approaching with his lunch tray.

"It's Yan! He's here!"

"Heh, now this should be good!"

"Yan's one of the academy's famous geniuses. I heard he's close to becoming a Soul Elder!"

Plenty of people knew Yan.

Many of them also knew he had feelings for Hu Liena.

Now Qin Yu and Hu Liena were sitting together at the same table, having lunch.

Yan would have to be jealous.