Night lay heavy outside. Crystals on the walls cast a gentle glow, lighting the room brightly. A long wooden table stood in the middle, steam rising from the bowls and dishes atop it.
Fang Lin looked around at where everyone was sitting. The Shi Mo Brothers sat on his left, Yu Feng sat in the middle beside Yu Tianheng, and Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan sat opposite them. The group had clearly grown much closer.
Fang Lin sat down on the stool beside Ye Lingling and dug into his food.
He had made do with a bite of dried meat that morning, and after holding out until now, his stomach had long since begun to cramp.
Bowls and chopsticks clattered. After eating most of his food, Yu Feng paused to catch his breath and turned to the Shi Mo Brothers.
"I wanted to ask this morning, Brothers Shi, you two look so alike and have the same Martial Soul. Do you have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?"
Yu Tianheng and the others all looked up.
Fang Lin was curious too. According to the original book, the brothers did have a series of combined moves, but their power seemed a little short of a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
Shi Mo, the older brother, put down his bowl and chopsticks and said in a good-natured voice:
"We don't have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, but there are several Soul Skills that Black Tortoise Martial Souls can use together as combination skills. Our second Soul Skill, Transform into Shield, is one of them. The turtle shell turns into a shield and increases our own defense by 100%. When combined, it provides an additional 10% boost to defense. If a third person with a Black Tortoise Martial Soul had the same Soul Skill as us, it could be strengthened further."
Shi Mo spoke calmly, but everyone's eyes narrowed slightly as they listened. Yu Feng's voice was full of amazement.
"Then if you counted everyone in your Black Tortoise Sect, how powerful could this combination skill become?"
The Shi Mo Brothers' combination skill seemed less powerful than a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, but if it could keep stacking, its upper limit was far higher.
Shi Mo scratched his neck and glanced at his younger brother, Shi Mo, who shook his head.
"We don't know either. I heard a sect elder say that once, seven Soul Saints led their disciples in using a combination skill to defend against a Titled Douluo together. I don't know exactly how many people there were."
Fang Lin clicked his tongue in amazement.
A sect that could name itself after the Black Tortoise was no ordinary force. The sects of Douluo Continent all had their own foundations, to one degree or another.
After the meal, everyone went their separate ways.
The Imperial Fighting Team's dormitories, training grounds, and logistical facilities were all on the mountaintop. Unlike the double rooms for Heavenly Supreme Level students, the team members each had a room to themselves. Their red-brick buildings stood in a neatly staggered row, their windows facing the lake and dense forest below the mountain.
The night was black as ink. Nearby, a large bird with black-and-white wings flew out of the dense forest halfway down the mountain and plunged into the lake, snatching up a lake fish seven or eight inches long in its hooked talons.
Ye Lingling gazed at the sight, lost in thought, unaware that someone had knocked on her door seven or eight times.
Outside, Fang Lin stepped back onto the stone steps by the door, hesitating over whether to leave.
The door clicked open a crack, revealing a figure in a long black dress. Her long, water-blue hair hung down on either side of her collar, its ends trimmed evenly.
"It's so late. What did you want to see me about?" Ye Lingling's voice was cool, with a trace of wariness.
"I wanted to know whether Nine Heart Begonia can treat hidden injuries to the body and meridians. The injured person is my father, a Soul Grandmaster in his thirties. I think the injuries are at least ten years old."
Fang Lin explained why he had come, a trace of frustration passing through his heart.
Just because I bought Whale Rubber, she can't think I'm a bad person, can she?
The prejudices in people's hearts really are a great mountain.
Ye Lingling's expression softened. "I can't do what you're asking, but my younger aunt might be able to."
As she spoke, Ye Lingling seemed a little embarrassed. Her right hand loosened its grip on the doorframe and dropped to her side.
"She's a level seventy-six Soul Saint. I've seen her use her Seventh Soul Skill to restore someone's foundation and rebuild injured meridians."
Fang Lin's heart stirred. As expected, only Nine Heart Begonia possessed such heaven-defying healing ability.
He wondered whether Ye Lingling could persuade her aunt to help, and what price he would have to pay.
Fang Lin voiced his thoughts. Ye Lingling fell silent for a long while, then slowly shook her head.
"I can't help you with that. If someone can persuade her to help you, it definitely can't be me. The people she's willing to treat either offer heavenly treasures in exchange, or she treats them to earn a favor from a powerful Soul Master."
"At the academy, perhaps only Teacher Qin and the education committee can help you."
Fang Lin was curious. From Ye Lingling's description, the relationship between aunt and niece seemed extremely poor, but Ye Lingling did not seem willing to say more. Fang Lin thanked her and chose to leave.
The next day.
On the training ground atop Heaven Dou Academy's mountain, the bluestone paving trembled slightly under pounding feet as two figures clashed.
Yu Tianheng shifted and turned, his punches and kicks fierce and his moves crisp as he constantly searched for an opening to attack.
Fang Lin, meanwhile, wielded a long saber, his footwork swift and unpredictable. Time and again, his blade moved before Yu Tianheng could act, blocking his dragon claws.
As the fight went on, Yu Tianheng frowned.
Not only did Fang Lin's speed keep pace with his, but every collision sent a heavy force up his arm. Fang Lin's strength was not much inferior to his own.
Neither of them used Soul Skills, relying only on the attribute boosts from Martial Soul Possession. Under such circumstances, the improvement a Tool Soul Master gained in physical quality was far inferior to a Beast Soul Master's, not to mention the difference in the quality of their Martial Souls.
How is this possible? A Tool Soul Master can match my strength and speed without using a boosting Soul Skill.
Yu Tianheng was puzzled. He had thought that even without Soul Skills, his physical advantage would let him defeat Fang Lin with his moves before long.
Two months. I can definitely surpass him within two months. Yu Tianheng gritted his teeth inwardly, and his attacks suddenly sped up.
Feeling the pressure, Fang Lin raised an eyebrow.
Why did he suddenly ramp things up?
Facing Yu Tianheng's fierce assault, Fang Lin did not dare be careless. His long saber sped up to match.
Their high-intensity exchange took a heavy toll on their stamina. After several hundred more clashes, Fang Lin was the first to stop and retreat.
"Let's stop here. Any later and we'll miss breakfast."
Having learned from yesterday, Fang Lin did not dare go to group training without breakfast again.
Qin Ming had specially prepared yesterday's meal. Ordinarily, everyone still ate at the cafeteria halfway down the mountain.
By the time the two arrived, Yu Feng, Ye Lingling, Dugu Yan, and the Shi Brothers were already eating.
Qin Ming had set an early time for them to gather, and despite the cafeteria's vast size, they were the only ones eating breakfast there at the moment.
During the meal, Yu Tianheng suddenly looked up at Fang Lin.
"When we fought just now, you were at least twenty or thirty percent stronger than last time. It's been less than half a month. How did you do it? Or were you not using your full strength before?"
Yu Tianheng had held the question in all the way there. He had considered two answers, but both seemed unlikely to him.
Seeing everyone's eyes turn to him, Fang Lin smiled faintly.
"Do you want the secret to how I strengthened my body?"
Yu Tianheng fell silent. He hesitated, wondering what he could offer in exchange if he asked outright for such a precious secret.
Beside him, the Shi Mo Brothers also looked expectant, but they were too embarrassed to ask directly.
While the others wrestled with the question, Yu Feng's eyes shone. He was a hair's breadth from dropping to his knees.
"Yes, Brother Lin! I dream about it!"
Agility Attack System Soul Masters had little room for error. If their bodies were stronger, his and his grandfather's strength could undoubtedly rise to another level.
Fang Lin smiled without answering. He went to the free counter, collected a serving of the cafeteria's Soul Beast meat soup, and set it in front of Yu Feng.
"Here you go. This is the secret to how I grew stronger."
Like Yu Feng, Yu Tianheng and the others had been specially recruited during this period. At most, they had been enrolled for just over a month, and none of them knew Heaven Dou Academy very well.
"The cafeteria actually has food that can improve your physical quality?"
Under everyone's questioning gazes, Yu Feng was the first to try a few mouthfuls.
"Ugh! What's that taste? Why is it so gamey?"
Yu Feng pulled a long face, his tongue almost sticking out, but Fang Lin held down his arm.
"Don't spill it. This is the academy's specially prepared Soul Beast meat soup. They only serve it once a week. It's got all its original flavor and is packed with nutrients."
Yu Feng hesitated.
"Brother Lin, does this really make you stronger?"
Fang Lin's expression was firm:
"It does. Heaven Dou people don't lie to Heaven Dou people. You have to drink the broth too. The secret to getting stronger is to cast aside your sense of taste."
Yu Feng knitted his brows, seemingly waging a battle with his sense of taste in his heart,
Yu Tianheng silently stood up and went to the counter for a serving of Soul Beast meat soup. The Shi Mo brothers followed right after him, each returning with a large bowl.
Dugu Yan glanced at the bowl of yellowish-brown broth in front of Yu Feng. Disgust showed on her face, and she did not move.
Ye Lingling looked as though she was tempted. She rested an elbow lightly on her knee and used it for support as she rose.
"Ye Lingling, I think I sprained my ankle climbing the mountain yesterday. Could you treat it for me?" Fang Lin coughed and led Ye Lingling out of the cafeteria.
Whoever else he offended, he could not afford to offend the healer. Fang Lin understood that much.