Yu Longyue had been gone for a long time, but Qiangu Zhangting's body was still trembling involuntarily, his face pale as paper.
His heart was full of resentment, but before Yu Longyue's overwhelming strength, he felt a helplessness he had never known before.
The gap in their strength was difficult to bridge.
Was this what made a God Level Martial Soul special?
Innate Soul Power at rank twenty-the extra ten ranks were all bestowed by the gods.
Qiangu Zhangting stood where he was, his hands still trembling, anger and humiliation intertwined in his heart.
If I had a God Level Martial Soul too, would any of this be different?
That little prodigy was far too lucky. Could he be someone blessed by the gods?
But no matter what excuses he found, this defeat only strengthened his determination to surpass Yu Longyue.
Even though he was only a Soul King, Qiangu Zhangting had found a goal on the road ahead.
"If I can't even surpass someone my own age, how am I worthy of being the Qiangu Family's finest genius?"
"Yu Longyue, just wait."
Qiangu Zhangting withdrew his Battle Armor, ignored the murmurs around him, and turned toward the tower.
Yu Longyue had utterly defeated him and made him lose so much face that it was no different from a hard slap across the cheek.
The Spirit Pagoda staff and the Soul Masters present had all witnessed the scene. Their eyes filled with surprise and awe, and they began discussing it among themselves. Surely, news of what had happened would soon spread; after all, the two each represented their respective family factions.
Yu Longyue's strength had far exceeded everyone's expectations. The young master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan not only possessed a God Level Martial Soul, but his strength was also astonishing.
Before everyone's eyes, even the finest of the Qiangu Family's younger generation had come off worse against him.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's little prodigy truly lived up to his name.
Watching from the shadows, Leng Yaozhu and Gu Yue had naturally seen it all.
"Gu Yue, I have to say, you really do have a good eye for people. But as your teacher, I'm a little worried about whether you can handle him-or rather, win his heart."
"Teacher, he and I are just friends." Gu Yue's pretty face turned red. She had never expected Leng Yaozhu to say something like that at a time like this. "We just happen to attend the same academy right now. It's not like you said."
Leng Yaozhu looked at the blush on Gu Yue's face, a flicker of understanding passing through her eyes.
"Just friends? Sometimes, feelings start with friendship."
Gu Yue's face grew even redder. A little uncomfortable, she changed the subject. "Teacher, let's go back first. Today's lessons aren't over yet, and you still haven't made preparations for your cooperation with them."
Leng Yaozhu smiled faintly and did not press the matter.
"All right. But before that, I still have something to report to the Pagoda Master. Go back and wait for me."
"All right, Teacher."
Qiangu Dongfeng, the Spirit Pagoda's Pagoda Master, was standing before an enormous floor-to-ceiling window, looking down over the entire Spirit Pagoda.
"I'm very curious. Weren't you very wary of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan? Why did you agree to deeper cooperation this time?"
Behind him, Leng Yaozhu looked at Qiangu Dongfeng's back and spoke calmly.
Qiangu Dongfeng slowly turned around.
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is powerful, and Elder Bei has left Shrek forever. Though that has weakened their family, we aren't without the strength to contend with them. There's no need to offend the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan," Qiangu Dongfeng said mildly. "There's money for everyone to make. Who would turn their back on it?"
"Let's treat this as a show of sincerity from our Spirit Pagoda to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, as well as an apology for the minor conflict we had with them a few years ago."
Leng Yaozhu said nothing, merely watching him in silence and waiting for him to continue.
Soon, Qiangu Dongfeng went on, "The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is a family of merchants at heart. They've changed their line of work. Ever since suffering two catastrophic disasters, they've remained neutral, but ultimately, after Elder Bei's death, their family and Shrek no longer walk the same path."
"What makes you say that?"
Qiangu Dongfeng took out a file and placed it in front of Leng Yaozhu, gesturing for her to read it herself.
Skeptical, Leng Yaozhu picked it up and looked through it, only to find that it contained everything about Yu Longyue.
Now the truth was clear.
So, had Yu Longyue been guarding against Qiangu Dongfeng all along?
"I know the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has always cooperated with Shrek in secret. But the current clan leader, Yu Qitian, never joined Sea God Island as one of its elders, and his son, despite his outstanding talent, didn't enter Shrek until he was thirteen."
"I wonder, have you heard that his son, Yu Longyue, ran away from home and fled Shrek City when he was around six and a half?"
Leng Yaozhu nodded. She had indeed heard about that.
"I suspect Yu Longyue himself refused to go to Shrek, putting it off until now, when he had no choice but to brace himself and enter."
"Yu Longyue is also the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's future heir. Once he takes over, with an experience like that behind him, he probably won't have any goodwill toward Shrek at all."
"You can tell that from the path he's taking now." Qiangu Dongfeng sat down in his chair, looking as though everything was in the palm of his hand, and spoke leisurely. "He received an elite education, and his merchant family's style forced Yu Longyue onto the path of a merchant. That's how he managed to earn so many Federation Coins at such a young age."
"Naturally, he couldn't have done it without his family's help. But if making money were that easy, I imagine the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would have produced who knows how many Yu Longyues by now. So while many people look down on him, I see him differently."
Qiangu Dongfeng narrowed his eyes, his tone changing slightly.
"This youngster is anything but simple. He took this path and built a platform on such a scale, getting off to such a smooth start. In the shortest possible time, he covered the entire network's sky with one hand, bringing it under his control. He controls all the information on the network. Do you know what that means?"
"It means he possesses information from the entire continent and has the most advanced intelligence-gathering system," Leng Yaozhu replied. "That's also why we're cooperating with him. He has a ready-made, mature team under him, made up entirely of people who aren't powerful Soul Masters-technical experts who are skilled at using technology."
"I'm still curious how he found these people. Could his family have helped with that too?"
Qiangu Dongfeng nodded. "But you have to admit, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's reputation is useful. Even now, no one dares make trouble. After all, it's an ancient family with a legacy spanning twenty thousand years. Though they live in seclusion, they haven't cut themselves off from society."
"The enemy of our enemy is naturally our friend. If we can use this opportunity to create a rift between Shrek and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, so much the better."
Leng Yaozhu said nothing else, merely adding quietly:
"But your grandson had a conflict with Yu Longyue in the Spirit Pagoda today, in front of everyone."
"Hmm?" Qiangu Dongfeng raised an eyebrow.
"He's here. You can hear his explanation yourself. I'm leaving." Without giving him a chance to react, Leng Yaozhu vanished in the blink of an eye.
A few seconds later, there was indeed a gentle knock at the door.
Qiangu Dongfeng frowned deeply, suddenly feeling that some things were outside his control.
"Come in."
The door slowly opened, and Qiangu Zhangting walked in. His face was still somewhat pale; clearly, his earlier clash with Yu Longyue had put him under considerable pressure.
"Grandfather." There was a trace of respect in Qiangu Zhangting's voice as he walked up to Qiangu Dongfeng and stopped before him.
Qiangu Dongfeng scrutinized his grandson, his tone carrying a hint of reproach:
"You had a conflict with Yu Longyue?"
Qiangu Zhangting nodded. He knew there was no need to hide anything from his grandfather. "Yes, Grandfather. I just had a conflict with Yu Longyue."
"Tell me the details. What do you think of him?"
"Strong," Qiangu Zhangting said instinctively, then added, "Very strong. All I can say is, he's worthy of being the possessor of a God Level Martial Soul. Even now, I still have no feeling in my hands... Even without Martial Soul Possession, his strength was far beyond mine."
Qiangu Zhangting gave him a detailed account of everything that had just happened.
To his surprise, Qiangu Dongfeng's expression turned somewhat grim, but his tightly furrowed brows soon relaxed.
"Don't provoke him again. Remember to build a good relationship with him."
Qiangu Zhangting was taken aback.
"Grandfather?"
Qiangu Dongfeng gave him another look and said meaningfully, "He loves food and hates work by nature, so his character is bound to be somewhat bad, but he still has many good points. A few years ago, for instance, I couldn't find a single opening with him. As I was fretting over it, I soon realized something."
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is merely remaining neutral. If that's the case, why should I make another opponent for myself? Think about it carefully. How many years has it been since they last came out of seclusion?"