After returning from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Xiao Xuan went back to Heaven Dou Academy.
He planned to use the academy's mimicry environments to break through to level forty Soul Power as soon as possible.
The entire Heaven Dou Imperial Academy nestled between mountains and water, with mimicry areas for every affinity scattered across it like stars on a chessboard.
Mimicry environments suited to hundreds of Martial Souls could be found here.
Yet across the mountains and fields, there was only one mimicry environment suited to the Lone Bamboo Martial Soul.
The reason it was so scarce ultimately came down to how ordinary plant Martial Souls like Lone Bamboo were in the Soul Master World.
Among the direct descendants of noble houses who could pass the nobility requirement and enter the imperial academy, who would inherit a perfectly ordinary bamboo?
In the entire academy, Xiao Xuan was the only one.
The lack of company suited Xiao Xuan just fine.
There were no noisy passersby, and no need to queue or fight for a spot.
One afternoon, sunlight filtered through the bamboo tops, casting flecks of light onto the bluestone ground.
Xiao Xuan sat cross-legged on the only slab of blue rock in the center of the bamboo grove, a restrained, steady presence emanating from him.
Before he knew it, four hours had passed.
Just as Xiao Xuan regulated his breathing and prepared to stretch his limbs, a jumble of dragging footsteps suddenly came from the pebble path at the end of the forest trail.
Tap, tap, tap.
Three young students in luxurious uniforms trimmed with dark gold strode into the bamboo grove.
The richly dressed young man leading them had slanted brows and narrow eyes. He folded his arms across his chest and raised his chin slightly, wearing some of the arrogance typical of a noble scion.
The young man stopped a little over three meters from the bluestone and looked down his nose at Xiao Xuan on the blue rock. In a stiff, cold voice, he called out:
"Hey, junior, your four-hour limit is up. It's time you gave up this mimicry spot."
Hearing the commotion, Xiao Xuan looked over.
The Heaven Dou Royal Academy did indeed have a written ironclad rule governing its mimicry grounds.
Ordinary students could use a public mimicry environment for no more than four hours a day, to prevent overbearing scions from occupying it all day and monopolizing the resources.
But this rule had only ever been strictly enforced at popular mimicry sites.
Xiao Xuan turned his head, glanced over the newcomers, and asked:
"This mimicry ground is exclusively for the Lone Bamboo Martial Soul. Are you sure you want to meditate here?"
"What a joke!"
The richly dressed young man scoffed, a cold, mocking smile curling his lips.
"The academy rules state clearly that all royal academy students may freely choose any mimicry ground. Naturally, we can choose this one for mimicry meditation too!"
The two followers beside him also burst out laughing, undisguised provocation filling their eyes.
Xiao Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly and looked past their shoulders toward the empty, open mountain slopes nearby.
The entire back mountain was vast and sparsely populated, with at least a dozen vacant, unclaimed spots in the vicinity.
These men had ignored proper mimicry environments and instead come all the way to this godforsaken bamboo grove to pick a fight, timing their arrival precisely for the four-hour limit.
It was clearly a premeditated move against him.
Seeing through their intentions, Xiao Xuan continued:
"I don't recall offending any of you three at the academy. Speak plainly. Who sent you?"
The three exchanged glances, and the richly dressed young man sneered.
"Kid, you've got a little cleverness after all! Since you already know, I'll be kind enough to give you a couple of pointers."
The young man stepped forward and snorted coldly.
"Think carefully about who you've been spending time with lately! The young noble ladies of Heaven Dou City aren't people a rootless newcomer like you is qualified to approach!
"If you know what's good for you, stay away from people you shouldn't be involved with, lest you break a leg walking at night!"
The attendant beside him chimed in with the same sarcastic tone:
"If academy rules didn't strictly forbid private brawls, you'd have been carried out of the academy long ago!"
Hearing this, Xiao Xuan raised an eyebrow.
"Was it Yu Tianheng?"
As soon as he said it, the three young men's expressions changed slightly. Then they burst into laughter.
"Well, well, looks like you're not quite as stupid as you seem!"
The richly dressed young man straightened his back, swaggering like a fox borrowing a tiger's might.
"Since you know Young Master Yu's name and understand his friendship with Miss Dugu, you should know when to back off!
"Young Master Tian Heng's background is beyond exalted. He's a direct-descendant genius and the orthodox heir of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect! Offend one of the Upper Three Sects, and you'll never have a chance to turn things around in the Soul Master World for the rest of your life!"
Xiao Xuan, however, showed no particular reaction.
From the moment he began associating with Dugu Yan, he had guessed that Yu Tianheng would target him.
But Yu Tianheng's methods were even more underhanded than he had expected.
As a direct descendant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, if he had openly issued a challenge, Xiao Xuan would have respected him as a man.
Sending a few insignificant small fry to disgust him under the cover of academy rules was truly beneath contempt.
As for servants who barked on command, teaching them a lesson would accomplish nothing of substance beyond needlessly covering himself in filth and triggering the academy's disciplinary measures.
When cutting weeds, one should remove the roots.
Xiao Xuan rose, walked straight through the gap between the three, and headed out of the grove.
Treated like air and utterly ignored, the three young men stood rooted to the spot, their faces flushing red and then turning pale.
Their assignment was to force Xiao Xuan to make a move, but he showed no intention of doing so.
"I thought you were supposed to be tough, but after all that, you're just a spineless coward! Did hearing about Young Master Tian Heng's background scare you?"
The richly dressed young man spat at Xiao Xuan's retreating back and jeered with feigned satisfaction.
Xiao Xuan still did not look back.
After leaving the bamboo grove, Xiao Xuan did not return to his dormitory. Instead, he went straight to the second floor of the academic affairs building.
The imperial academy had always imposed strict restrictions on students competing for cultivation resources, but rules were made for the mediocre.
In this Soul Master hall that revered combat strength, there was always a group of people who stood above the rules-the official members of the Heaven Dou Royal Team.
The academy rules stated it plainly: anyone selected for the Imperial Fighting Team's main lineup not only had unlimited access to mimicry cultivation environments around the clock, but also received several times the resource privileges of ordinary students!
At the end of the corridor, Xiao Xuan stopped before a heavy mahogany door bearing a plaque that read "Team Teaching and Research Guidance Office."
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
A clear, steady male voice came from inside.
Xiao Xuan pushed the door open and entered.
The walls of the spacious, tidy office were covered with diagrams of Soul Master battles.
Behind the desk sat a middle-aged man with a strong, agile build and a resolute face.
The man appeared to be in his early thirties. His black hair was neatly cut, his eyes were gentle as an ancient well, and a profound, restrained pressure faintly radiated from him.
The Heaven Dou Royal Team's head instructor-Qin Ming.
Seeing an unfamiliar face enter, Qin Ming set down the battle files in his hand and looked up.
"Student, what can I do for you?"
Xiao Xuan stepped forward, neither servile nor overbearing, and went straight to the point.
"Hello, Teacher Qin. I'm here to apply for an assessment and compete for a position as an official member of the Heaven Dou Royal Team."
"An official position on the team?"
Qin Ming's expression shifted slightly, and he asked Xiao Xuan for some information about himself.
When he heard Xiao Xuan say he was a new student who had enrolled less than a month ago, Qin Ming shook his head, at a loss for words.