Tang Hao glanced at the extremely tense Xiao Wu.
He spoke casually.
"Don't be nervous."
"If I wanted to kill you, you would already be dead."
"I came here for Xiao San this time. As for you..."
"Go back to the Star Dou Great Forest."
Tang Hao's words did not dispel Xiao Wu's wariness.
She kept her eyes on him.
Clearly, she did not believe a Titled Douluo could see her without being tempted.
Even if he already possessed nine Soul Rings and could not add another, he could still obtain a Soul Bone by killing her, thereby gaining two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Skills.
To say he was not tempted...
That was utterly impossible!
Tang Hao offered no explanation.
Instead, he looked at Tang San and spoke slowly.
"I originally intended to let you study under Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang. At the very least, it could help you develop an independent, self-reliant character."
"And you could learn more things that I couldn't conveniently teach you."
"But now..."
"Yu Xiaogang left Shrek Academy of his own accord, only to be politely turned away by Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
"Apart from Blue Tyrant Academy, no advanced Soul Master academy would accept him with his meager Soul Power Level. His instruction of you... can end ahead of schedule."
Tang San froze at his words.
"You mean..."
Tang Hao stood and said steadily, "For the next while, I'll teach you myself."
"As for Yu Xiaogang, I overestimated him."
"What about Xiao Wu?!" Tang San asked urgently. "What do you mean by making her return to the Star Dou Great Forest?"
Tang San paid no attention to Yu Xiaogang.
Instead, he began worrying about Xiao Wu, whom Tang Hao had mentioned.
He truly could not understand the statement that Xiao Wu was to be sent back to the Star Dou Great Forest.
"She knows." A measure of seriousness appeared on Tang Hao's face. "You dared to leave the Star Dou Great Forest before becoming a Titled Douluo. If not for Xiao San and his mother, you wouldn't be able to keep those abilities of yours."
"Go back."
"Return to where you belong."
Xiao Wu lowered her head in silence.
Although Tang San still did not understand.
Her identity as a Soul Beast would be exposed sooner or later.
After hesitating for a moment.
Xiao Wu finally nodded. She gave Tang San a reluctant glance, then pushed off with her toes and quietly leaped away toward the Star Dou Great Forest.
Tang San gazed in the direction Xiao Wu had left, without questioning his father's decision.
With feudal thinking in his mind, he could not bring himself to defy his parents' words.
Tang Hao picked Tang San up.
He flew in the exact opposite direction from Xiao Wu.
Meanwhile.
Yu Xiaogang felt as though he had been struck by lightning upon receiving Qin Ming's reply.
"What did you say?"
"I can't enter Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"
Qin Ming looked somewhat apologetic. "Grandmaster, your level really is a little low."
"Even if I agreed to bring you back to the academy, the faculty members wouldn't agree to let a Soul Master who hasn't even reached Heaven Dou Grade teach classes."
Qin Ming had phrased it very tactfully.
Any randomly chosen member of the Imperial Fighting Team had a higher Soul Power Level than Yu Xiaogang.
How could someone like that become a teacher?
What qualifications did he have to teach students how to cultivate?
"How about..." Qin Ming ventured. "How about working hard for a while and breaking through to Soul Ancestor first?"
"With four rings, it would be easier for me to make your case to the academy."
Yu Xiaogang stood there.
He felt as though someone had slapped him across the face, yet he was powerless to strike back.
If he could break through to Soul Ancestor, he would have done so long ago.
Why would he need to let Qin Ming humiliate him like this?
"Forget it."
"I'll leave once Xiao San and Xiao Wu return."
Yu Xiaogang was like a deflated balloon. Qin Ming spoke again, piercing his last shred of stubbornness like a needle. "Grandmaster, you don't need to wait."
"Someone just came with a message."
"Tang San and Xiao Wu have already been picked up by their parent."
"That person also left a message for you."
"Yu Xiaogang, what a fine disciple you've taught!"
The Imperial Fighting Team no longer had any desire to continue their training journey.
They set off that very night to return to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Every member of the Imperial Fighting Team wore varying degrees of sadness on their face.
Yu Tianheng no longer had his former swagger. Dejection lingered between his brows, and he looked utterly dispirited. Not a trace of light remained in his once high-spirited eyes.
Walking along the paths of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he only felt that the surrounding voices were rather noisy.
Dugu Yan kept her distance from him.
She, too, had her head lowered, thinking about who knew what.
Qin Ming led everyone to the Education Committee.
Several faculty members were meeting with Heaven Dou Prince Xue Qinghe inside. Qin Ming knocked and entered, and Xue Qinghe took in all the dejected expressions of the Imperial Fighting Team behind him.
With a refined expression, Xue Qinghe looked toward the faculty members.
"What is this?"
Chief Meng Shenji was thin, with white hair and beard. Rather than explain, he looked at Qin Ming to learn what had happened. "Teacher Qin, what is this?"
Qin Ming glanced back at the dejected Imperial Fighting Team.
"It's nothing."
"They simply met an opponent at the Great Soul Arena and lost the match."
"Their path has been too smooth. Encountering a setback like this is actually a good thing for them."
Looking at Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan at the front, Xue Qinghe felt his interest stir. "Oh? Even you lost? Who were your opponents?"
Xue Qinghe might not have known the others' strength in detail.
But he knew Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan.
One was a top genius of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, and the other was Poison Douluo Dugu Bo's only granddaughter.
These two could be considered the strongest students in Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
To defeat both of them...
Just how powerful must their opponents have been?
An entire team of Level 39 Soul Elders?
"They were my juniors at my former academy."
"They're all around twelve or thirteen years old."
A hint of pride lay hidden in Qin Ming's eyes. "Losing this match is a good thing for Tian Heng and the others. At least it lets these youngsters see that beyond the heavens lie higher heavens, and beyond every great person stands someone greater."
Hearing their ages, Meng Shenji was so startled that he nearly rose to his feet.
"What?!"
"They were defeated by a group of twelve- or thirteen-year-old Soul Masters?"
"Did the other side have more people?"
Hearing this, Yu Tianheng, who stood at the very front, looked even more ashamed.
"No."
"On the contrary, we had more people."
"It was nine against seven. We deserved to lose."
At these words, the Three Faculty Members looked toward Qin Ming almost simultaneously. Qin Ming nodded, confirming the answer.
Xue Qinghe rose gracefully, bearing quite a resemblance to Ning Fengzhi in his manner.
"It's all right."
"Victory and defeat are common fare for soldiers."
"But Teacher Qin, since these students are so powerful, why not invite both them and their teachers to Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"
Hearing Xue Qinghe's question, Qin Ming said with some excitement, "Your Highness the Crown Prince thinks so too?!"
"I did intend to invite the teachers here."
"But the Dean... couldn't bear to part with Shrek Academy, which he had worked so hard to establish."
"So he politely declined my request."
Xue Qinghe shook his head, seeming to understand. "I see."
"May I ask what rank of Soul Master this Dean is?"
Before you continue