Xue Beng's gaze swept across the cafeteria, pausing briefly when he spotted Yu Tianming's table.
After a moment's thought, he walked over with his followers.
"Young Master Yu," Xue Beng addressed Yu Tianheng, his voice clear and his manner seemingly mild. "I heard your younger brother enrolled today?"
Yu Tianheng replied indifferently, "Greetings, Fourth Highness. This is my younger brother, Yu Tianming."
One did not strike a smiling face, so Yu Tianming nodded to Xue Beng as well.
As for bowing respectfully, that was out of the question.
Their standing was not the slightest bit lower than that of Xue Beng, the fourth prince.
In fact, it was higher!
Strictly speaking, as the young clan master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and its future leader, Yu Tianming should have held a status equivalent to the crown prince's.
His warm overture met with a cold shoulder, leaving Xue Beng a little embarrassed, but he still turned to Yu Tianming. "Skipping straight to the fourth year at six years old-just what one would expect of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's young clan master."
He paused. "I heard Earl Dingyuan's grandson provoked you this morning, Young Clan Master?"
Yu Tianming raised an eyebrow. "What, Fourth Prince? Are you here to plead for Li Hao?"
Xue Beng smiled and shook his head.
"No. He got what he deserved."
Seeing everyone's lukewarm reaction, Xue Beng did not grow angry. Instead, his smile broadened.
He glanced around at Yu Tianming and the other seven, his tone sincere. "You are all future pillars of the Heaven Dou Empire. If the opportunity arises, I hope we can spend more time exchanging ideas."
With that, Xue Beng tactfully left with his attendants.
"What an act."
Dugu Yan curled her lip.
"He is a prince, after all. He still has to keep up appearances," Yu Tianheng said mildly. "But our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has always remained neutral. There's no need to get too close to him."
Yu Tianming watched Xue Beng's retreating figure thoughtfully.
Though young, this Xue Beng was fairly smooth in his dealings, utterly unlike the wastrel portrayed in the original story.
It seemed Qian Renxue truly had yet to make her move, and Xue Beng had not begun his pretense either.
"Forget about him. Try this!"
Dugu Yan picked up a translucent pastry and placed it in Yu Tianming's bowl. "This dessert is made from ice crystal fruit. It's delicious."
Yu Tianheng smiled too. "Tianming, eat up. We don't get this many delicacies at home!"
That was not to say the food at home was bad. On the contrary, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's ingredients consisted of Soul Beast meat, medicinal herbs, and the like.
Though more beneficial for cultivation, they tasted rather ordinary.
Soul Beast meat alone was fine, but once medicinal herbs were added, the flavor became hard to describe.
And so.
Yu Tianheng preferred the academy cafeteria's food.
"Mm."
Yu Tianming smiled and nodded, turning his attention back to the table.
After lunch,
the eight of them went to the academy's training grounds together.
"Now that our team has another member, we should start learning to work together."
Yu Tianheng clapped his hands and looked at the other seven. "We have no classes this afternoon. How about a combat drill?"
"Sure!" Yu Feng was the first to respond. "This is a perfect chance to see Tianming's strength!"
The brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo were eager to try as well. "Let's show Tianming our Black Tortoise Martial Souls. Our defenses are no pushovers!"
A crafty gleam flashed through Dugu Yan's eyes. "Then let's split into two teams."
"Tian Heng, Tianming, and Lingling will be with me. Yu Feng, Osler, Shi Mo, and Shi Mo, you four will be the other team."
"That's not fair!"
Osler immediately protested. "You have two Power Attack System Soul Masters and Lingling!"
Yu Tianheng smiled and shook his head. "Stop fooling around, Yanzi. How about this? Tianming and I will each lead a team."
In the end, they settled on Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, and Shi Mo on one team, with Yu Tianming, Shi Mo, Osler, and Yu Feng on the other.
The two teams moved apart to discuss their tactics.
"Tianming, what do you think?"
Yu Feng asked.
Yu Tianming thought for a moment. "They have Sister Lingling's healing, so a prolonged battle would put us at a disadvantage. I suggest we finish this quickly. Concentrate our firepower on taking one of them out first to gain the advantage."
Since this was a drill, Yu Tianming did not intend to go all out. Otherwise, he would simply be stomping noobs.
"That makes sense."
Osler nodded. "Who do we take out first?"
"Sister Yanzi."
Yu Tianming did not hesitate. "She's a Control System Soul Master. She poses the greatest threat to you."
Osler frowned. "But Shi Mo will definitely protect her and Lingling. We'll have a hard time targeting her unless we take out Tian Heng first."
"Leave it to me."
A glimmer of confidence flashed through Yu Tianming's eyes. "I have a way!"
At Yu Tianheng's command, the battle officially began!
"Brothers, release your Martial Souls!"
Yu Tianheng shouted, "Rank nineteen Power Attack System Soul Master, Martial Soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon!"
"Rank nineteen Control System Soul Master, Martial Soul: Jade Phosphorous Serpent!"
"Rank seventeen Support System Soul Master, Martial Soul: Nine Heart Begonia!"
"..."
Yu Tianming and the others were all still only Soul Masters. Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan had the highest Soul Power among them, at rank nineteen.
Shi Mo, Shi Mo, and Osler all had rank eighteen Soul Power.
Yu Feng and Ye Lingling had rank seventeen Soul Power. The former was about to break through to rank eighteen, while the latter had only recently reached rank seventeen.
Approaching Soul Grandmaster at nine years old was already a very fast cultivation pace.
"Rank sixteen Power Attack System Soul Master, Martial Soul: Valstrax!"
Yu Tianming released his Martial Soul as well. The imposing Valstrax appeared behind him, a purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring shining dazzlingly.
"A Thousand-Year Soul Ring?!"
Though Dugu Yan and the others had already suspected as much, they still could not help exclaiming in shock at the sight of that purple First Soul Ring.
This was their first time seeing a thousand-year First Soul Ring.
"A thousand-year First Soul Ring-isn't this the first in the Soul Master World? You've blazed a new trail!" Dugu Yan exclaimed, covering her mouth.
"Let's begin."
Yu Tianming smiled faintly, deliberately reining in some of his draconic might.
"All right!"
Everyone came back to their senses.
"First Soul Skill, Thunder Dragon Claw!"
Yu Tianheng attacked first. Lightning coiled around his arm, and he raised his hand to blast a Thunder Dragon Claw straight at Yu Tianming without holding back in the slightest.
"Brother, if you won't show mercy, don't blame me for returning the favor!"
Yu Tianming joked.
Facing Yu Tianheng's incoming Thunder Dragon Claw, a crimson gleam flashed through his eyes.
Yu Tianming lifted his right arm slightly. A mass of condensed crimson Dragon Energy abruptly surged into his palm, making his powerful physique even more fearsome under its enhancement.
Bang!
The Thunder Dragon Claw collided with Yu Tianming's fist.
The instant lightning met Dragon Energy, the violent blue electrical light was forcibly devoured by the crimson Dragon Energy, dissolving with a sizzling hiss.
Yu Tianheng felt as though his Soul Power were a clay ox entering the sea, dissolved without a trace by that strange crimson Dragon Energy.
Then,
a tremendous force struck him.
Yu Tianheng staggered backward repeatedly from the impact, only stopping when Shi Mo caught him.
"Tianming, you brat, you're playing for real!"
A sharp pain shot through Yu Tianheng's right hand, and he sucked in a breath.
Yu Tianheng could tell that Yu Tianming was holding back, yet his strength was still outrageously great, more than he could bear.
"Rooar!"
With a clear, ringing dragon cry,
the Valstrax Martial Soul behind Yu Tianming suddenly blazed with light.
Countless crimson currents appeared across its silvery-white lance wings. Dragon Energy gathered wildly, and the metallic sheen along the wings' edges rapidly gave way to crimson.
The next moment.
The lance wings abruptly spread to their fullest extent, spewing streams of crimson Qi so dense they seemed tangible.
The resulting thrust sent Yu Tianming shooting into the sky, whipping up a fierce wind and leaving a ring of white air billowing where he had stood.