Selling my ass?

The hotel.

Yu Tianheng and the others lay on the sofas like eggplants wilted by frost.

They were utterly crushed!

Against Wei Fan, they felt powerless. They had not even unleashed a single Soul Skill before that bastard blasted them flat.

It was so fucking frustrating!

"Cough, cough..."

Ye Lingling coughed twice and slowly opened her eyes, emerging from unconsciousness.

As a support-type Soul Master, she was the last member of the Imperial Fighting Team to regain consciousness.

"Lingling, you're awake?"

Dugu Yan, a fellow woman, came over.

"What happened to me?"

Ye Lingling was a little dazed. Her last memory before passing out was of fighting the Elephant Armor Team in the Great Soul Arena. How had she ended up in a hotel?

"How are you feeling?"

Dugu Yan asked with concern.

"Weak!"

Ye Lingling felt limp all over, her mind muddled and groggy.

"We lost!"

"Wei Fan put you to sleep as soon as the fight started, then blasted you while you were asleep. Of course you feel weak."

Dugu Yan gave a bitter smile.

"We lost?"

"I'm sorry. I dragged everyone down."

Ye Lingling apologized to the others.

We lost?

How did we lose?

She had no idea at all. She had woken up and found herself in the hotel.

She had contributed absolutely nothing to that battle!

"Lingling, you don't need to apologize! We failed to protect you."

"That bastard Wei Fan is too much of a monster. We couldn't put up any resistance."

"..."

All of Dugu Yan's earlier confidence had vanished. That battle had completely shattered their self-belief.

Only after actually facing Wei Fan had she realized how terrifying he was!

After hearing Dugu Yan's account, a barely perceptible smile appeared at the corners of Ye Lingling's lips.

She did not feel upset in the slightest.

On the contrary, her admiration for Wei Fan grew even stronger.

The Academic Affairs Council, Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Bang!

Meng Shenji slammed his hand on the table.

When he learned of the Imperial Fighting Team's crushing defeat, he nearly keeled over from rage.

It was too fucking miserable!

An entire team had been taken down by Wei Fan alone.

Disgraceful!

"Qin Ming is an idiot!"

"We sent him out with the Imperial Fighting Team to gain experience, not to go running off to Elephant Armor City."

"Didn't he know Wei Fan was there?"

Bai Baoshan, the Academic Affairs Council's second seat, was just as furious.

After defeating the Divine Wind Team, why not bypass Elephant Armor City and head straight for the Thunder Team?

The Thunder Team's captain, Yu Tianxin, was nowhere near the Imperial Fighting Team's Yu Tianheng. Defeating both the Divine Wind and Thunder academies in succession-

Wouldn't that have given them something to show off?

Instead, they just had to make such a stinking mess of things!

Their Heaven Dou Royal Academy was practically becoming a fucking joke.

"Chief, I never imagined that boy Wei Fan would be so strong. This wasn't simply beating seven opponents in succession. This was a team Soul Fighting match!"

"That boy is an absolute monster. No wonder the Blazing Fire Academy shamelessly tried to recruit a water-attribute Soul Master."

"I heard he even displayed a terrifying ice attribute in this match against our Imperial Fighting Team. We'd never heard anything about that before."

"Wei Fan has plenty of secrets!"

"Chief, should we try recruiting Wei Fan again? I hear the boy is utterly money-mad."

"If we offer him enough benefits, surely he'll come?"

"If Wei Fan really joins our Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he could very well bring us our first overall championship and break the curse of our academy being eliminated in the first round of the finals."

"..."

The Academic Affairs Council members discussed it animatedly.

Wei Fan had truly beaten them into submission with this battle. One person taking on an entire team-such terrifying strength was hard to imagine.

"You all make good points, but who should handle this?"

Meng Shenji had also considered recruiting Wei Fan, but none of them old fellows could swallow their pride.

Princess Xue Ke had personally tried recruiting him on behalf of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy before. That alone showed how difficult succeeding would be.

If Wei Fan rejected them, what would become of their dignity?

"Qin Ming, obviously!"

"Yes, it has to be him!"

"That boy Qin Ming let the Imperial Fighting Team suffer a crushing defeat and brought shame on our Heaven Dou Royal Academy. This is his chance to make amends."

"I also agree that Qin Ming should recruit Wei Fan!"

"Qin Ming is in Elephant Armor City right now. Whether it's timing, location, or personal connections, he's the obvious choice!"

"Chief, send Qin Ming a message directly. Tell him to go all out. Whatever conditions Wei Fan sets, we'll agree."

"..."

"Mm, that makes sense!"

"I'll issue Qin Ming an absolute order right now. He must recruit Wei Fan."

Meng Shenji made his decision immediately.

How had he forgotten someone so important?

He really was getting senile!

Elephant Armor City.

"Motherfucker!"

Qin Ming was dumbfounded when he received the order.

They wanted him to poach Wei Fan for the Imperial Fighting Team?

The Blazing Fire Academy and Thunder Academy had both tried.

And how had that turned out?

They had run straight into a wall!

Even Princess Xue Ke, bringing so many fine things from the Imperial Palace to recruit Wei Fan for the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, had failed.

And now they expected him to do it alone?

How the fuck am I supposed to recruit him?

Sell my ass?!

Wei Fan would have to be into that shit first!

And they even made it an absolute order?

To him, this was not an absolute order to recruit Wei Fan. It was an order for him to die.

Worst of all, they had blamed the Imperial Fighting Team's defeat on him.

His tactical arrangements had been impeccable. Yu Tianheng and those other little brats simply could not carry them out. How was that his fault?

This is fucking ridiculous!!!

Clearly, those members of the Imperial Fighting Team were just too weak.

No!

That monster Wei Fan is too strong!

Qin Ming grumbled inwardly as he walked, asking for directions along the way until he finally arrived at Wei Fan's doorstep.

He could curse his superiors all he wanted, but the work still had to be done!

They had issued an absolute order. Could he really refuse to come?

"Wei Fan, I came to discuss something with you."

Qin Ming got straight to the point.

"You want to discuss something?"

"Come on, let's talk over a meal."

"I just finished cooking. I was waiting for you!"

Qin Ming was stunned!

He was waiting specifically for me?

Wei Fan is so welcoming. He doesn't act like a genius Soul Master at all.

And he even cooks for himself. Doesn't that get in the way of cultivation?

Before Qin Ming could react, Wei Fan had already pressed him into a seat at the dining table.

"Don't just stare. Eat!"

"Don't worry, it isn't poisoned!"

"Would I hurt my own friend?"

"..."

Unable to refuse such hospitality, Qin Ming picked up his chopsticks!

As he ate, his heart kept beating an uneasy rhythm. This was his first meeting with Wei Fan, so why did it feel as though they had been friends for over a decade?

Still, he did not dwell on it. The closer they became, the better his chances of recruiting him.

"Wei Fan, I came here to..."

"Eat first!"

"How can you have the strength to talk on an empty stomach? We'll chat after we eat!"

"I came here to..."

"Try this pot of turtle stewed with donkey cock first!"

Eight bowls of rice later...

"Burp..."

Qin Ming swore he had never been this stuffed in his life!

Fortunately, he was a Soul Emperor with a beast martial soul. An ordinary person's belly would probably have burst.

"Wei Fan, I came to ask whether you'd be interested in joining our Imperial Fighting Team."

Qin Ming stopped beating around the bush.

After all that circling, he had eaten eight bowls of rice without managing to finish a single sentence.

Wei Fan raised an eyebrow. Sure enough, someone had come to recruit him again!

Wei Fan had already guessed as much when Qin Ming came through the door. Although the terms each academy offered were quite tempting-

Their appetites were not up to scratch!

"You came without bringing anything?"

Wei Fan was a little displeased.

He had treated Qin Ming to his "turtle stewed with donkey cock," but had seen nothing in return.

Whether it was Blazing Fire, Thunder, or little Princess Xue Ke, everyone who came to recruit him brought generous gifts.

Qin Ming really did not know how to handle things!

"I did!"

"Look at my muddled head. I forgot to take it out earlier."

Qin Ming gave a couple of awkward laughs.

He had spent the whole journey grumbling about those old fellows on the Academic Affairs Council assigning him such a miserable task, and had genuinely forgotten about this.

Coming empty-handed to recruit Wei Fan was certainly rather embarrassing!

Especially when he had even mooched a meal off him!

He rummaged inside his Soul Tool...

And grew even more embarrassed!

There was not a single fucking gift worth presenting. What the hell was he supposed to give him?

He had already said he had something. If he could not produce it, this whole affair would be ruined. Wei Fan had been chatting so enthusiastically with him earlier. He had only just seen a glimmer of hope-was it about to be snuffed out again?

Just as he was at a complete loss, his hand suddenly found something round inside his Soul Tool.

Reluctant though he was, he finally steeled himself and took it out!