As Expected, Dugu Bo Came Calling

The dust had settled on the arena stage.

All seven members of the Imperial Fighting Team lay sprawled on the ground.

Meng Shenji, the chief academic advisor, looked toward Qin Yun, who stood calmly at the center of the stage.

He had not expected the battle to end this way either.

Still, he announced loudly, "Qin Yun wins!"

As soon as he spoke, he cupped his hands toward Qin Yun.

"Young friend Qin, the match is decided."

"Please remove the poison from everyone at once. Don't let it damage their foundations."

After many years as a teacher, Meng Shenji still cared deeply for his students.

Qin Yun nodded slightly and did not make things difficult for them.

He stepped forward, following the courtesy of attending to the women first.

He first approached Dugu Yan, whose face was deathly pale and whose eyes burned with frustration, and the cool, aloof Ye Lingling.

His fingertips stirred, releasing a faint stream of elemental Soul Power.

It seeped into their bodies.

It broke down the arsine and helped repair their damaged meridians.

The numbness quickly faded, and strength returned to their limbs.

Color gradually returned to both women's faces.

Qin Yun then went to Yu Tianheng, the Shi Brothers, and the other three, removing the poison from each of them with clean, efficient movements.

Every trace of the poison was gone.

One by one, they pushed themselves to their feet.

Once the relief of surviving had passed, the bitterness and frustration of defeat returned. The mood within the team grew tense.

The Shi Brothers and Ye Lingling now looked at Qin Yun very differently.

He might have been arrogant, but he was undeniably strong.

Dugu Yan, a poison-type Soul Master, felt otherwise.

She was still far from convinced.

Her brows drew together. With a cold snort, she voiced her displeasure.

"Hmph. Winning like that proves nothing."

"You relied on secretly poisoning us the whole time. That was no fair fight!"

Unlike the headstrong Dugu Yan, Yu Tianheng of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan took a broader view.

As a gifted direct descendant of an established top sect, he understood how the strong conducted themselves.

He was straightforward and knew how to accept a loss.

He made no excuses.

Yu Tianheng took a deep breath and faced Qin Yun squarely.

"We weren't as skilled as you. A loss is a loss."

"You beat us fair and square. We have nothing to say."

"From now on, you're the captain of the Imperial Fighting Team. We'll follow your lead."

His frank words

immediately calmed the restlessness within the team. Meng Shenji nodded to himself.

He took the opportunity to settle what came next.

"Now that the team and its captain have been decided,

"Qin Yun, as the new captain, you'll have full authority over the team's training, trials, and tournament preparations."

"The academy and I will give you our full support and put our resources at your disposal."

Qin Yun remained composed despite being handed complete authority.

He did not rush to take the team out for trials as originally planned.

Instead, he gave his first order as captain.

"There's no hurry to go out for trials."

"Right now, the team's Soul Power is still too low."

"For the time being, everyone should focus on strengthening their foundations and training diligently. Build up your Soul Power first, and break through the Level 40 barrier as soon as you can."

"We can work on fighting together after that."

In the original story, the seven of them had gone to the Soto Great Soul Arena for their trials.

Qin Yun put a stop to that plan.

He still had business here and was in no hurry to go to Suotuo City.

Everyone present was taken aback.

No one had expected his first act as captain to be prioritizing their Soul Power instead of leading them into trials to establish his authority.

Their Soul Power Levels were already quite impressive by Heaven Dou Academy's standards.

But there was a real gap between them and Qin Yun at Level 44.

"All right. We'll follow your lead, Captain!"

Xue Qinghe had watched the entire match in silence, but her thoughts were already racing.

She raised her assessment of Qin Yun by another two levels.

She had observed him closely from start to finish, yet she still could not make sense of his Martial Soul.

All she had sensed were fluctuations of Soul Power.

She had not detected how he had spread the poison or even what kind of poison it was.

And according to the intelligence she had gathered,

Qin Yun had once displayed tremendous lightning power at the Soto Great Soul Arena, suggesting he possessed a lightning-type Martial Soul.

Yet today, he had used an invisible, uncanny poison. His methods were impossible to predict.

Lightning and poison were two utterly different powers, yet both had appeared in one person.

Xue Qinghe pondered this in silence.

The members of the Imperial Fighting Team were already formidable among their peers.

Yet they had been helpless against Qin Yun.

Opponents like them could never reveal the true extent of his abilities.

At the same time,

she wondered how she could bring this genius over to her side.

Despite the thoughts churning within her, Xue Qinghe maintained her warm smile.

She stepped forward and addressed Qin Yun.

"Brother Qin, your talent and strength are extraordinary."

"Please lead the team to a strong showing in this tournament and break Spirit Hall Academy's long-standing hold on the championship."

Qin Yun replied, "Leave it to me!"

Over the next few days,

Qin Yun made no move to return to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

His public reason was perfectly reasonable:

As the new captain, he needed to get to know his teammates, establish a team rhythm, settle their training plan, and earn their trust.

In truth, that was merely a cover.

His real purpose was to remain at Heaven Dou Academy and wait for someone to come to him.

Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo.

Dugu Yan had suffered a crushing defeat at his hands. Dugu Bo would never stand by and do nothing.

If Qin Yun returned to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, its two Titled Douluo, Sword and Bone, would be there.

Dugu Bo would never dare come to confront him.

Only by staying at Heaven Dou Academy, away from those two Titled Douluo,

could Qin Yun draw Dugu Bo out to demand an explanation on his granddaughter's behalf.

Qin Yun had deliberately crushed Dugu Yan in public, displayed his mastery of poison, and mocked her while offering pointers. Every step had been meant to attract Poison Douluo.

A single victory had never been Qin Yun's goal.

He wanted to use it as an opportunity to meet Dugu Bo,

then gain access to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, a place holding some of the continent's greatest treasures.

Sure enough, Qin Yun's patient wait and careful planning paid off.

Seven days later,

a cold, proud figure descended upon Heaven Dou Academy, bringing a chilling aura of poison with him.

The newcomer wore green robes. His presence was icy, and a faint poisonous mist seemed to swirl around him.

His eyes were sharp as a hawk's, and the aura around him warned everyone to keep their distance.

It was Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo fixed his gaze on Qin Yun nearby. An oppressive force swept out from him, and his voice turned cold.

He demanded in a low voice,

"Boy, I hear you gave my granddaughter pointers on poison in front of everyone the other day. You even claimed you could teach her to identify and control poisons?"

"You're awfully boastful for someone so young!"

"Do you know that my poison arts are among the finest on the continent?"

"And you dare claim you can teach my granddaughter? You truly have no idea of your place!"