"Oh, I see."
The middle-aged man's voice grew noticeably quieter, and his enthusiasm faded considerably.
Translated, what he had just said amounted to this.
I have no strength, but I know theory.
But the crux of the problem was this.
Was theory without strength to back it up really reliable?
He probably did not even know what to watch out for when washing his hands with a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, did he?
Yu Xiaogang's face darkened as he watched the change in the middle-aged man's expression.
He could clearly tell that this middle-aged man was looking down on him!
But then he thought of Tang San, Flender, and the others behind him.
Forget it. I, the Grandmaster, will endure this for now. Once I become famous, I will settle the score good and proper with these people who look down on me!
"Well, sir, I need to consult our dean about your circumstances. As it happens, your esteemed companions' levels are too high, so I need to consult the dean about them as well."
"Why don't you all come with me?"
Although he could reject this flat-top outright, what if he angered those powerful figures behind him?
They were clearly together, and their relationship seemed very close.
So nothing could have been more appropriate than tossing this matter straight to his dean to resolve.
"Hehe, Xiaogang, it seems they really value your theoretical knowledge. Otherwise, they wouldn't have their dean handle this personally."
Flender walked up to Yu Xiaogang and patted his old friend's shoulder.
It seems this Blue Tyrant Academy isn't like Heaven Dou Royal Academy. They do have some discernment.
"Yes, it seems the academy we chose really is quite good."
Yu Xiaogang nodded his flat-topped head. Clearly, after hearing Flender put it that way, he believed it too.
The middle-aged man turned his back. If not for the fact that Flender and the others possessed Soul Saint-level strength...
He really would have suspected that something was wrong with Flender's brain.
In Yun Tian's dormitory at Skywater Academy, Skywater City.
"Yun Tian!"
"You're really going too far! How could you treat me like this?!"
Shui Bing'er's voice sounded as though she had suffered some tremendous injustice.
"Didn't I just accidentally kiss you at the Soto Great Soul Arena and feel your... Mmph, mmph!"
Yun Tian hurriedly covered Shui Bing'er's mouth, his gaze cautiously shifting toward Shui Qingwu, who stood beside them holding a teacup and staring at him and Shui Bing'er in utter bewilderment.
"Ahem, well, should I step outside for a moment?"
Shui Qingwu set down her teacup. She had been through this stage herself. It was only a kiss; she had been far more forward than Shui Bing'er back then.
Otherwise, how could she have given birth to Shui Bing'er so young?
Besides, if it was Yun Tian, it was not out of the question for her daughter at this age.
"Well, Dean, nothing happened between Bing'er and me. She was just confused, confused."
Good grief, your mother is still right here! How can you just say everything?!
"Pah!"
Shui Bing'er knocked away the hand Yun Tian had clamped over her mouth and wrapped both arms around Shui Qingwu.
"Mom, don't you think he's going too far? Breaking through to Soul Emperor and going to the Far North to hunt for a Soul Ring is such a big deal, yet he didn't even tell us!"
"But I didn't kill anything, did I? Besides, I only went to investigate a few things."
Yun Tian shrugged helplessly.
He had only just returned from the Far North when he ran into Shui Bing'er blocking his dormitory door.
"See? You've already gone to investigate, so your next step is definitely going there to hunt!"
"If you go alone to somewhere as dangerous as the Far North to hunt Soul Beasts, things could easily go wrong, you know?"
Shui Bing'er planted both hands on her hips, her face wearing an expression that said, "I'm only doing this for your own good."
"What enviable love! If only Bingbing would treat me like that!"
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice rang out in Yun Tian's mind.
Still, he did not have it bad either. Every time they met, Bingbing wanted nothing more than to kill him.
As the saying went, hitting was affection and scolding was love. Since Bingbing wanted to kill him, she must love him to death!
"All right." Shui Qingwu set down the teacup in her hand and pushed away her daughter, who was clinging to her.
"Little Tian, why didn't you tell us you had broken through to level 60? Hunting for your sixth Soul Ring is no small matter."
"The Far North is an extremely dangerous place. Were you really going to hunt Soul Beasts there all by yourself?"
Shui Qingwu's eyes were full of worry.
She had already grown accustomed to the signs of Yun Tian's Soul Power advancing so quickly.
"Dean, I really wasn't planning to hunt Soul Beasts alone. I'm not stupid."
Originally, Yun Tian really had planned to hunt Soul Beasts by himself and have Tian Meng keep watch.
But after thinking it over, he had decided against it. That fellow was just a little unreliable.
"That's good, then."
Shui Qingwu breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "Have you decided what sort of Soul Beast you'll absorb for your sixth Soul Ring?"
"Yes, I've decided. An Ice Prison Demon Dog, around forty to fifty thousand years old."
At his words, Shui Qingwu's hand froze again as she lifted her tea.
"Forty to fifty thousand years?"
Shui Qingwu repeated it in disbelief.
"Yes." Yun Tian nodded.
"Little Tian, have you gone mad?"
Shui Qingwu pressed her hand to Yun Tian's forehead. Only after confirming that he did not have a fever did she continue.
"Fifty thousand years. Do you know what that means? Even a Soul Douluo's eighth Soul Ring is generally only that old."
"Besides, a fifty-thousand-year Soul Beast has terrifying strength. Ordinary Soul Douluos are no match for one, and on top of that, it's in the Far North, where it has a natural advantage."
Yun Tian did not immediately argue. The concerns Shui Qingwu voiced were perfectly normal.
Anyone else would have reacted the same way.
"Don't worry, Dean. I've already found someone."
Hearing Yun Tian's words, Shui Qingwu could not help freezing.
What sort of friend could help you kill a fifty-thousand-year Soul Beast?
Surely your friend isn't a Soul Douluo?
"No matter how talented your friend is, there's no way they could help you hunt down a fifty-thousand-year Soul Beast."
Shui Qingwu naturally took the friend Yun Tian mentioned to be someone his own age.
At that age, however talented they were, they could only be a Soul Ancestor, right?
That would not even be enough to fill the gaps between a fifty-thousand-year Soul Beast's teeth.
"Once he gets here, your concerns will disappear."
Yun Tian finished speaking with a smile, then stood up.
"That's all for now, Dean. I'll go bring my friend over first."
With that, Yun Tian walked straight out of the dormitory, climbed onto Sang Biao, and disappeared from Shui Qingwu's sight in the blink of an eye.
"That child."
Shui Qingwu rubbed her brow. For now, she could only let the matter rest and try to persuade Yun Tian again when he returned.
Just then, she caught sight of her daughter out of the corner of her eye.
Shui Qingwu turned her head and found her daughter hugging her legs with both arms, her head lowered.
"Bing'er, what's wrong?"
Shui Bing'er raised her head, her eyes filled with a profound sense of the gulf between them.
"Mom, I'm clearly a few years older than Little Tian, but he's already level 60 now, while I'm only level thirty-nine."
When the two of them had first met, their Soul Power Levels had clearly been the same.
In just six years, she had been left so far behind.
"Don't compare yourself to Little Tian. Besides, you're not doing badly yourself. How many people on the entire continent are level thirty-nine at your age?"
Shui Qingwu gently stroked Shui Bing'er's beautiful hair as she comforted her.
"All right, don't sulk. Tell Mom, when you were in the lounge at the Soto Great Soul Arena, where did you touch Little Tian?"
Shui Qingwu suddenly leaned closer, looking at her daughter with eyes eager for gossip.