Yu Tianheng took the IOU, glanced at it with satisfaction, and casually stuffed it into his pocket. "Remember what you said today. If you don't repay it by the due date, you won't be able to bear the consequences."
"Also, I really don't like you. Don't let me see you at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy again, or I'll beat you up every time I see you. Understand?"
"I understand," Lei Long replied, humiliated.
"Then get lost!"
Lei Long felt like he'd been granted a pardon and scrambled away, secretly lamenting his fate. One million Gold Soul Coin was an astronomical sum; how was he ever going to repay it?
Although I was in distress, I was ultimately spared from death, which was a stroke of good luck amidst misfortune.
Some distance from the Blue Lightning Martial Arts Hall, Lei Long's men found Lei Long, only to find him covered in blood and looking extremely disheveled, as if he had been severely beaten. They were immediately filled with doubt.
But they dared not ask.
They simply helped Lei Long leave.
After returning to his residence in Heaven Dou City, Lei Long ordered someone to find a healing Soul Master. After some simple treatment, Lei Long recovered somewhat, but he was still seriously injured and would not be able to fully recover without several months of rest.
Afterwards Lei Long summoned all his men who had sustained his injuries and warned them, "No one is allowed to utter a word about what happened today, or I will make them disappear."
"Also, Yu Tianheng is too eccentric; don't provoke him unless you're absolutely sure you can handle it."
Upon hearing this, the group of subordinates confirmed their earlier suspicions: Lei Long's severe injuries were definitely inflicted by Yu Tianheng.
Unexpectedly, even though Lei Long has become Four-Ring Soul Ancestor, he still can't beat Yu Tianheng. The other party truly deserves to be the most outstanding disciple of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan in this generation.
Seeing his subordinate's look of sudden realization, Lei Long's lips twitched.
"Alright, snap out of it!" Lei Long continued, "Now that I've broken through level 40 and become Four-Ring Soul Ancestor, I've long met the graduation standards of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Therefore, I've decided to leave the academy and join the Imperial Army. Find some time to go to the academy and complete my graduation procedures. I need to recuperate, so I won't be going."
"Yes, Young Master Lei." The subordinate acknowledged the order and left.
After everyone left, Lei Long's face instantly darkened, becoming extremely ugly.
Lei Long's hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white. "Why!" he roared inwardly, "How can I let him trample me under his feet like this!"
That sense of resentment burned like a raging fire in his chest, making his heart scorch and ache.
He was unwilling to have his talent looked down upon, unwilling to live in the shadow of failure, and even more unwilling to be humiliated by Yu Tianheng in this way.
The thought of the humiliation of kneeling and kowtowing earlier, and the enormous debt of one million Gold Soul Coin he had just incurred, made the veins on Lei Long's forehead bulge instantly. He gritted his teeth and muttered, " Yu Tianheng, if I don't avenge this, I, Lei Long, swear I'm not human! One day, I will make you know the price of being my enemy!"
"One million Gold Soul Coin! I'll make sure you have the life to take them, but not the life to spend them!"
"So what if he's the young master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan? In the end, he's just Soul Master in his thirties. There are plenty of people in this world who can kill you. I refuse to believe that no one dares to lay a hand on you!"
To be honest, Lei Long would never be willing to give up his hatred like this, but after suffering two crushing defeats at the hands of Yu Tianheng, he no longer dared to deal with him personally, but he could still find someone else to do so.
As for the debt of one million Gold Soul Coin, Lei Long considered it a worthless piece of paper, completely invalid. As long as Yu Tianheng died, the matter would be settled.
Therefore, Lei Long decided to have someone assassinate Yu Tianheng in secret to eliminate this major threat.
However, the specific implementation method still needs careful consideration.
Meanwhile, Blue Lightning Martial Arts Hall, Yu Tianheng tested the Martial Dao skills of Mu Qing, Mu Zi, and others.
Currently, Mu Qing's strength is at the fifth level of the Flesh Refining Realm, while Mu Qing is at the seventh level of the Skin Refining Realm, and the others are around the fifth level of the Skin Refining Realm.
How so?
This cultivation speed isn't exactly slow, but it's not much faster either.
It's fine for dealing with ordinary people, but it's simply not enough against Soul Master with two or more Soul Rings.
If things continue like this, it will be difficult for these people to play a significant role in the future.
To be honest, the reason why Yu Tianheng taught these people Martial Dao and gave them martial power was not because he had nothing better to do or was acting out of kindness. His main purpose was to build a powerful force that could completely obey him, so as to prepare for future chaos.
As things stand, it will take at least several decades for Mu Qing to mature. According to the original story, the continent will descend into chaos in a dozen years, with various forces waging war against each other.
Among them, the strongest was the Spirit Hall, led by Bibi Dong, while the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, one of the Upper Three Sects, was the first major force to be destroyed.
As the young master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Yu Tianheng is determined to change everything, no matter what.
Therefore, one must find ways to enhance one's own strength and the strength of one's family before things develop.
We don't aspire to dominate the continent, but at the very least, we must have the power to protect ourselves.
After a moment's thought, Yu Tianheng decided to expand the martial arts school, recruit more disciples, and then select talented individuals from among them to strengthen his influence.
With this thought in mind, Yu Tianheng immediately had someone summon Mu Qing.
Before long, Mu Qing rushed over, entered the hall, and bowed to Yu Tianheng, saying, "Master, you wanted to see me?"
Yu Tianheng stood up, paced slightly, his eyes filled with determination and resolve, and said, " Mu Qing, I've called you here today because there's an important matter I need to discuss with you. I plan to expand the Blue Lightning Martial Arts Hall Academy and recruit more disciples."
Upon hearing this, Mu Qing's eyes flashed with surprise, but she quickly regained her composure and listened attentively to Yu Tianheng's thoughts.
Yu Tianheng continued, "You are my first disciple and the Grandmaster of the Blue Lightning Martial Arts Hall. Therefore, I have decided to entrust this arduous task to you and appoint you as the head of the Blue Lightning Martial Arts Hall Academy."
Mu Qing was flattered and immediately stepped forward, bowing and saying, "Master, what are your orders?"
Yu Tianheng said, "The simplest way for the Blue Lightning Martial Arts Hall to expand its scale is to recruit more disciples."
"But not just anyone can enter the Blue Lightning Martial Arts Hall. After thinking about it for a while, I have some ideas. Listen to them."
"First, the Blue Lightning Martial Arts Hall does not accept people who have awakened their Martial Soul. As for why, you should know."
After hearing this, Mu Qing nodded slightly. The Blue Lightning Martial Arts Hall teaches Martial Dao rather than methods for cultivating Martial Soul, so it does not need to recruit Soul Master who possess Martial Soul, and they are unlikely to come anyway.
"Secondly, Blue Lightning Martial Arts Hall does not accept children of noble families."
Noble children often come from prominent families and possess inherited Martial Soul, making them unsuitable for Martial Dao cultivation. Martial arts schools might consider accepting such individuals if they fail to awaken their Martial Soul, are not recognized by their families, and want to prove themselves, but such people are extremely rare.