"Quit talking fucking tough. If you've got the guts, tell Lei Long to get his ass over here. I'll teach him how to behave myself," Yu Tianheng replied disdainfully.
Lei Long was just a minor character. If he dared show up, Yu Tianheng wouldn't mind stepping on that idiot to make a name for himself at Heaven Dou Royal Academy and lay the groundwork for what came next.
Seeing that they couldn't win a war of words against Yu Tianheng, Chen Feng and the others had no choice but to slink away.
The fight ended there, but the commotion it caused afterward was considerable.
Because of the four people's identities, word of the fight spread through Heaven Dou Royal Academy as swiftly as if it had grown wings.
From the first eyewitnesses' embellished accounts, to the exclamations passed from student to student, to a legendary tale revered by students below level thirty.
Yu Tianheng's name instantly became a hot topic at the academy, known to everyone.
Elsewhere, Lan Lingmeng had finished a day of cultivation and was planning to relax over a good meal when she heard the students around her chattering.
"Have you heard? Yu Tianheng defeated three three-ring Soul Elders by himself!"
"Yeah, it's unbelievable. Those were Soul Elders!"
Lan Lingmeng's heart jolted. She hurried over to the crowd and stopped a student. "Is that true? Yu Tianheng defeated three Soul Elders?"
The student nodded repeatedly. "Absolutely! It just happened, and everyone saw it!"
"Huh? You're Senior Lan Lingmeng! I didn't expect to see you here!" The student she had stopped looked surprised.
"Sorry to ask, but what exactly happened? Why did Yu Tianheng attack those three Soul Elders out of the blue?" Lan Lingmeng asked.
The student hid nothing and told Lan Lingmeng the story he had heard.
In short, after Lei Long came out of seclusion, he learned that Lan Lingmeng had taken the initiative to befriend Yu Tianheng. His pride took a hit, and, deeply displeased, he decided to send people to warn Yu Tianheng to stay away from her.
But Yu Tianheng wasn't a pushover for others to bully. Without another word, he went straight on the attack.
Relying on the power of his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, Yu Tianheng fought one against three and easily dealt with the three Heaven Dou Grade students Lei Long had sent.
When Lan Lingmeng learned the truth, her eyes widened, her face filled with astonishment, and her hands clenched involuntarily.
The image of Yu Tianheng's harmless appearance surfaced in her mind. It was hard to imagine that he possessed such astonishing strength.
Before the astonishment had faded from her face, a surge of wild joy swept through her. Lan Lingmeng's lips curled upward as she thought, I was right about him! Yu Tianheng's potential is so astonishing that his future will surely be limitless.
A determined gleam flashed in her eyes, and she silently vowed, I must win him over! If I can put a talent like him to use, he'll surely lend me a hand in the future.
Lan Lingmeng straightened her clothes and set off in the direction Yu Tianheng had left, her steps light and confident.
Meanwhile, at Lei Long's residence.
Lei Long was sitting in meditation, cultivating his Soul Power and trying to break through the bottleneck at level forty.
As he cultivated in earnest, one of his trusted subordinates rushed in, his face deathly pale and his voice trembling as he reported, "Young Master Lei, terrible news! Chen Feng, Zhao He, and Liu Ning were beaten up in public by that brat Yu Tianheng!"
Lei Long sprang to his feet, his eyes widening in disbelief. He roared, "What did you say? The people I sent were beaten up in public? How could that happen?"
"It's absolutely true, Young Master Lei!"
"Where are those three?"
"They're right outside, Young Master Lei."
"Let them in!"
Lei Long then had Chen Feng and the other two brought inside.
The three were in a miserable state, wrapped in bloodstained bandages. Though their lives were not in danger, their faces were all pale, and they were clearly badly injured.
Lei Long raised an eyebrow. "What exactly happened? Tell me the truth!"
Chen Feng and the other two lowered their heads, not daring to meet Lei Long's gaze, and quietly recounted everything in detail.
Lei Long's face turned bright red as he listened, and veins bulged on his forehead like a volcano about to erupt.
He paced back and forth across the room, each step making the floor thud as he cursed nonstop. "This Yu Tianheng has no regard for me at all! When have I, Lei Long, ever suffered a loss like this at this academy?"
Thinking of how badly his subordinates had been beaten, he felt his face burn as if he had been slapped several times in public. By now, everyone at Heaven Dou Royal Academy had to be laughing at him.
Suddenly, Lei Long stopped in his tracks, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes. "Hmph, does he think he's something special just because he defeated three of my men? I'll show him what happens when he offends me! This time, I'll take action myself and make him kneel and beg me for mercy in front of every teacher and student at the academy!"
With that, his imposing presence abruptly soared, shaking the air around him until it hummed. He strode toward the training ground, ready to settle the score with Yu Tianheng.
Seeing this, the underlings who worked for Lei Long hurried after him to cheer him on.
Before long, Lei Long arrived at Yu Tianheng's residence. Yu Tianheng was nowhere to be seen, but Lan Lingmeng was there, making him even more displeased.
Lei Long stared fixedly at Lan Lingmeng, as if trying to find an answer in her. His breathing grew quick and heavy, every breath he exhaled tinged with resentment and jealousy.
"What's so great about Yu Tianheng? Why do you, Lan Lingmeng, take the initiative to befriend him again and again, yet treat me with such indifference? Just because he's the young master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan? I'm no worse! I'm the son of a marshal of the Heaven Dou Empire, the most talented young Soul Master of my generation, with the potential to reach Titled Douluo in the future. How am I inferior to Yu Tianheng?"
He roared wildly in his heart. The flames of jealousy burned fiercely in his chest, scorching his reason to the brink of collapse.
Looking at Lan Lingmeng, Lei Long felt a sharp pang in his heart. The love he had once hidden there had now been twisted beyond recognition by jealousy.
Images of Yu Tianheng and Lan Lingmeng spending time together kept appearing in his mind. The more he thought about them, the angrier he became, until he wanted nothing more than to find Yu Tianheng at once and wipe him from Lan Lingmeng's world entirely.
He swore that if he had the chance to fight Yu Tianheng, he would show him no mercy whatsoever. If he didn't beat him until he was crawling around the floor looking for his teeth, he would write his name, Lei Long, backward.
As for whether attacking Yu Tianheng would offend the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan behind him, Lei Long didn't care in the least.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was strong, but it was not invincible. It had to show the Heaven Dou Empire some consideration. Besides, he only wanted to beat Yu Tianheng up and teach him a lesson, not kill him. In the end, it was just a fight between juniors, so presumably the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Titled Douluo wouldn't interfere.
Otherwise, that would be an elder bullying a junior.