Yu Tianjun awakened, two princesses met, and no academy could compare to home (3k bonus update)

When Yu Tianjun awoke from a week of deep meditation, his whole body felt wonderfully refreshed.

"My meridians have widened, my spiritual power has grown stronger, my affinity with elemental particles has improved, and my martial soul origin has deepened. Is this the effect of devouring evil soul power?"

Yu Tianjun yawned, stood up, and said to Yu Yuanjue before him:

"I thought everyone would be guarding me. Was it just you, Grandfather?"

Yu Yuanjue wore an odd expression. "Everyone was here at first, but you attracted far too many guests."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Yu Tianjun blinked. "I haven't invited anyone over lately."

"You didn't invite them, but they could come on their own."

Looking helpless, Yu Yuanjue pointed toward the Heavenly Dragon Sect's front courtyard outside the secluded cultivation chamber.

"Princess Xu Jiujiu of the Star Luo Empire arrived six days ago, with a Nebula Douluo in tow."

The old man then pointed toward the city lord's residence:

"Princess Vina of the Heaven Dou Empire arrived three days ago, with Snake Lance Douluo behind her."

"Both princesses want to see you. After they met, the atmosphere became even stranger. They're perfectly courteous on the surface, but no one knows what they're plotting underneath."

"Xu Jiujiu claims she came to settle the bounty for the Spirit Devouring Fierce Blade and wants to speak with you face-to-face."

"Princess Vina came with an imperial survey delegation. They're assessing the strength of soul master sects in northwestern Heaven Dou, seeking potential partners for the royal family."

"From the looks of it, neither will leave without seeing you. Just how capable are you?"

Yu Tianjun raised his eyes, inadvertently revealing a thoughtful seriousness, then soon said:

"I've never had any dealings with Xu Jiujiu. The Star Crown lineage has no need to hunt souls in the Far North, so she probably did come to settle the bounty for the Spirit Devouring Fierce Blade. Perhaps she also wants to probe Sister Luo Chen's abilities and mine."

"Vina... we had a pleasant chat a few days ago. Perhaps she learned I'd added Sister Luo Chen's name to the bounty hunters and came to ask about it. Or perhaps she was passing through and decided to visit a friend, only to run into Xu Jiujiu, leaving the two locked in a standoff."

Yu Tianjun's imagination still fell short. He never imagined that the Heaven Soul Emperor had specially assembled a survey delegation for the sake of his daughter's reputation.

But he could hardly be blamed. After all, he came from a modest household.

"Whatever their aims, we're the ones with the headache now."

Yu Yuanjue said, "Xu Jiujiu is quite composed, remaining perfectly at ease in a foreign country. That makes things difficult for us. She's staying at the Heavenly Dragon Sect now. If anything happens to her, we'll be held responsible."

Yu Tianjun nodded in understanding, then asked, "What about Sister Luo Chen? Is she back?"

"She returned yesterday and spoke with both princesses, but couldn't persuade either to leave."

"All right."

"Xu Jiujiu is visiting the Earth Dragon Sect now, while Vina is at the city lord's residence. Which will you see first?"

"Who said I was going to see them?"

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't invite them, and neither is at our sect right now. I have no reason to go looking for them."

"If I have time to visit them, I'd rather ask Sister Luo Chen how her mission went."

Looking utterly unconcerned, Yu Tianjun smiled as he helped Yu Yuanjue sit down and said:

"My grandfather's health is certainly more important than theirs. Come on, your saintly Qilin grandson has made fresh preparations to root out your lingering affliction."

"What your father or mother has can't compare to what you have yourself. Our Heavenly Dragon Sect may not match the two royal families, but that doesn't make us inferior. No matter how close we are to outsiders, they can't compare to our own family."

"You still haven't recovered. What kind of person would I be if I went off to visit someone else?"

The corners of Yu Yuanjue's eyes reddened at once. He smiled and said, "I was just wondering who you'd visit first after coming out of seclusion."

"Those two princesses are not only heavenly beauties, but very talented as well. I think either would be worthy of my grandson."

"Especially Vina. I think she has feelings for you."

Yu Tianjun shook his head outright. "Oh, come on. Vina is no simple girl. She has twin martial souls, and her second martial soul is her brain. Need I say more?"

Yu Yuanjue instantly grew wary. "She's a disciple of the Body Sect?"

The Body Sect had a declaration that resounded throughout the soul master world: all body soul masters under heaven belonged to the Body Sect.

The brain was a top-tier body martial soul, and its second awakening would be at least silver rank. If the Body Sect knew about Vina, they would never let her slip away.

"I don't know whether she is now, but she certainly will be."

Yu Tianjun was exceptionally clearheaded now, his heart calm as he said, "With her, the Heavenly Soul Royal Family can forge deep ties with the Body Sect. If they win the Body Sect over, the Heaven Dou Empire's strength will surge overnight."

"When that happens, a marriage alliance between a princess and a young sect master would hardly be unusual. Right now, I only regard Vina as an ordinary friend. I have no intention of crossing that line."

Yu Yuanjue asked earnestly, "Is that truly what you think? If you like her, fight for her! Our Heavenly Dragon Sect may not match the Body Sect, but we're not afraid of trouble. Who cares whether there's a marriage alliance? Who under heaven could compare to our family's Qilin son?"

"At worst, cook the raw rice into a done meal and have a little Qilin. Even if the Heaven Soul Emperor refuses to acknowledge it, he'll have to pinch his nose and accept it. They won't be losing out."

"Just listen to where you've taken this..."

Yu Tianjun chuckled despite himself. "If I truly liked her, why would I need such methods? All I'd have to do is reveal my Ultimate Dark Qilin at Shrek, and the Sea God Pavilion Master could help me go to her door and propose. Or I could simply stop asking Vina to conceal my strength."

"I genuinely have no such feelings. That day, I saved Vina, not the other way around."

"I've saved plenty of people in passing. Am I supposed to marry every one of them?"

Yu Yuanjue nodded in agreement at that. Yu Tianjun had saved many commoners during years of disaster.

"What about Xu Jiujiu, then? You aren't interested in her either? The Star Crown Sect's martial soul lineage has quite a few impressive qualities."

"I haven't even met her. What interest could I have? If you insist on talking about interest, I'm very interested in her purse."

"All right, but that girl looks quite shrewd to me. Making money off her may not be easy."

"We'll see how my luck goes." Yu Tianjun smiled and opened his palm. Deep violet soul light coalesced, then spread into the image of a Dark Qilin.

Compared with last time, the aura of the Dark Qilin's image was several times more solid and concentrated.

Yu Yuanjue raised his brows. "So this is the fruit of deep meditation? Your martial soul's bloodline and origin have grown stronger, manifesting as greatly improved physical strength and spiritual power, allowing you to fight longer."

"It seems your Dark Qilin absorbed the refined essence of the Evil Phoenix's soul power, strengthening its own bloodline."

"If this continues, your martial soul may even have a chance to evolve."

The Dark Qilin possessed him, and Yu Tianjun became a sovereign of darkness, commanding its very source. A wisp of ghostly violet flame sprang up at his fingertip.

"Really? I also feel that my meridians have widened a little, making it easier to compress soul power. Perhaps if this continues, it could solve the slow cultivation speed of ultimate darkness."

"That may be an effect of refining the Evil Phoenix's soul power. Once you've finished refining it, that effect will disappear."

"That would be a shame. Let's keep applying pesticide, then. I haven't used it in a while. I rather miss it."

"That martial soul of yours... I never imagined cultivation could be done this way..."

Yu Yuanjue sighed from the heart.

"What's done is done. There's nothing wrong with pesticide. It's cheaper than heavenly treasures."

As Yu Tianjun spoke, he activated his martial soul origin. The Dark Qilin spat out a ball of Azure Lotus Flame, which slowly drifted between them.

Yu Yuanjue narrowed his eyes, spread open the dark markings on his palm, and forced out the Evil Phoenix's soul power.

"Let's begin. I reckon a few more sessions will produce noticeable results."

"But this method takes a great toll on you. We'll make each course of treatment seven days. We can't delay your cultivation for my sake."

"All right. Bear with it."

"Go ahead... urgh..."

The golden crow set, and the jade rabbit rose.

The grandfather and grandson's second healing session lasted five hours, draining Yu Tianjun's freshly restored soul power once again.

It had lasted a quarter longer than the previous session. Deep meditation truly had its merits.

"You, honestly... I told you not to push yourself too hard, and now you're exhausted again..."

"Throughout my life, I, Tianjun, will be second to none. If they won't retreat, how could I?"

Soaking in a medicinal bath in his family's bathhouse, Yu Tianjun still looked somewhat pale, his exhaustion showing through.

Without question, the seven great Qilins had once again achieved a resounding victory in their righteous gang beating of the Evil Phoenix.

Only this time, the Evil Phoenix had called for help midway through the fight. New evil soul power had emerged, taking the form of a Bone Dragon.

A new evil soul had appeared. How could he stop moving forward?

In the end, Yu Tianjun exhausted his soul power. For now, his elbow strikes could not overcome the veteran dragon-and-phoenix combination.

"I have a feeling that the evil dragon soul power refined this time will also benefit the Qilin bloodline. Perhaps once my cultivation reaches Soul Ancestor, my control over the five elements will take a great leap forward and undergo a transformation."

Yu Tianjun spoke while swimming on his back, exercising his body without neglecting the absorption of the medicine.

"All right, as long as you know what you're doing."

Yu Yuanjue poured in a fresh batch of medicinal liquid made from hundred-year and thousand-year spiritual ingredients. His eyes held no regret over the resources, only care and trust for his fine, saintly grandson.

Hesitation crossed the old man's face. At last, he resolved to speak. "Tianjun, you can grow safely within the sect, but you're destined not to remain confined to one corner of Dragon City."

"Dragon City, or even the northern Heaven Dou Empire, is vast enough for a genius like your brother. But it's still too small for you."

"From the moment I agreed to let you venture out, you inevitably entered the sights of the continent's foremost powers. Today, it's princesses from two nations. In the future, the entire continent will be watching."

"When a tiger cub roars in the valley, the hundred beasts tremble; when a young falcon tests its wings, wind and dust surge around it. How much more so for a Qilin that stands alongside dragons and phoenixes? The Heavenly Dragon Sect can no longer keep you hidden."

Yu Tianjun switched between several swimming strokes and asked with a smile, "You want to send me to an academy, Grandfather? Rather than passively accepting a choice, we should choose for ourselves?"

Yu Yuanjue said softly, "After learning about Shrek's inner workings from Little Ling, I was deeply disheartened. There's no need for you to deliver yourself to their doorstep. They can't offer better conditions than we can, even if they once had three soul masters with ultimate attributes."

"We're people of the Heaven Dou Empire. To speak honestly, I don't want you enrolling in an academy in the Sun Moon Empire. The Heavenly Soul Imperial Academy would be best, and the Star Luo National Academy is also a good choice. You could shatter Shrek's undefeated legend, but I will never force you."

"For an exceptional genius, entering an academy isn't just about learning soul fighting. It's also about making friends who can walk alongside you, displaying the bold spirit of youth in an arena watched by the whole continent, enjoying the glory that is rightfully yours, and forging the confidence that with you there, victory is assured—that you are number one under heaven."

"Whatever you decide, even if you want to study soul tools at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, I'll send you there to further your education. Go out and make your mark. The Heavenly Dragon Sect will always stand behind you."

After hearing this, Yu Tianjun pondered for a long while before saying, "Whatever I choose, I'll take care of your injuries first. However good an academy may be, it can't compare to home."