After Cai Yue'er left, peace returned to the carriage.
Tang Wulin leaned against the window, resting with his eyes closed, his long Blue-Gold hair shimmering alluringly in the sunlight. Gu Yue sat beside him with a book on the Star Luo Empire's history in her hands. She appeared to be reading, but her thoughts had long since drifted elsewhere.
Just then, a flurry of chatter came from the next carriage.
Since the soundproofing between the carriages was far from perfect, Tang Wulin and the others heard those voices clearly.
"Have you heard? Monster Academy has sent their ace to this year's Star Luo Empire Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament!"
A young voice spoke excitedly.
"Of course I have! It's Long Yue! The Long Yue they call a 'genius unseen in a thousand years'!"
Another voice chimed in, "I heard Long Yue has already reached rank 79! A Seven-Ring Soul Sage! How old is he? And he's already a Soul Saint!"
"Rank 79?! Seriously? That's ridiculous!"
"It's absolutely true! I heard it from my cousin's friend at Monster Academy. Long Yue's martial soul is the Mountain Dragon King, and his bloodline is incredibly powerful. He's going straight for the championship!"
"We're done for. Looks like we're going to be cannon fodder again. With Long Yue there, who can compete with Monster Academy?"
The chatter next door grew louder, filled with admiration, envy, and profound awe.
Tang Wulin opened his eyes, his brows drawing together slightly.
"Long Yue... rank 79?"
He repeated the name quietly.
The name was not unfamiliar to him. Before they arrived, Mu Ye had mentioned that Long Yue was a genius from Monster Academy with tremendous strength. But he had never expected Long Yue to have already reached such heights.
Rank 79, a Seven-Ring Soul Sage.
That was