Aside from the three before him, the rest could truly only be considered ordinary students.
None of them were particularly outstanding in any respect.
"Don't worry, Teacher Qin. I've already discussed it with my family, and they've agreed."
Ye Lingling's little face was taut, her expression unusually serious.
In the end, Qin Ming could only give a rueful smile and wave his hand.
"Don't forget to cultivate after you leave the academy."
He then rose and left, his desolate retreating figure giving off the loneliness of an empty nester no matter how one looked at it.
After Qin Ming left, Dugu Yan happily took Ye Lingling's hand.
"Lingling, it's wonderful that you're coming with us! Tian Heng only ever has eyes for cultivation, so otherwise I'd have no one to play with."
After the two girls packed up, they followed Yu Tianheng back to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Dugu Yan took Ye Lingling straight to the courtyard residence where she had lived before.
She called it a convenient way for the two of them to look after each other.
"Lingling, I have something for you."
As he spoke, Yu Tianheng took the Nine-Leaf Snow Lotus he had found beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well out of his Soul Tool.
"What is this?"
Seeing waves of cold mist drift from the snow lotus, Ye Lingling hesitated to reach out and take it.
"This medicinal herb is a perfect match for your Martial Soul. Once you take it, it might have some unexpected effect."
"Thank you."
It was the first time Ye Lingling had received something from Yu Tianheng, and a blush crept unbidden across her cheeks.
"Tian Heng, what about mine?"
Seeing that even Ye Lingling had received a gift, Dugu Yan blinked her big, sparkling eyes twice and asked.
Yu Tianheng shook his head helplessly. He had searched everywhere at the time, but the only medicinal herb compatible with her had been extremely poisonous.
To prevent anything from happening to Dugu Yan, he had ultimately left it unpicked.
"Huh?"
When she realized Yu Tianheng hadn't prepared anything for her, Dugu Yan's little head drooped.
Her whole body seemed to lose its spirit.
"But I do have something that isn't a medicinal herb. It might suit you even better."
With that sudden turn of events, Dugu Yan's mood rose and fell like a roller coaster.
"What is it?"
Yu Tianheng didn't answer. Instead, he picked up a knife nearby and cut his fingertip.
A drop of essence blood emerged into the air and immediately seemed to come alive.
It transformed into a tiny red dragon that coiled around Yu Tianheng's fingertip.
"Your Jade Phosphorous Serpent can be considered a lesser form of dragon. My Martial Soul is a dragon, so my essence blood should be very beneficial to you."
As soon as he finished speaking, the blood-red dragon flew to Dugu Yan's shoulder and curled up there, as if guided by something.
Dugu Yan couldn't resist reaching out to play with the little dragon.
"Both of you should absorb the medicinal herb and the essence blood as soon as possible. This is the best time. If you wait until you're at level forty or fifty, the effect might not be as good."
After leaving their courtyard residence, Yu Tianheng hadn't even had a moment to rest.
A guard came running in.
"Young Clan Leader, Miss Ning is here."
Hearing this, Yu Tianheng couldn't help raising an eyebrow.
Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Ning Rongrong for some time.
"Let her in."
Ning Rongrong had visited once half a month ago. When she heard that Brother Tian Heng had secretly gone out to have fun without her,
she had sulked by herself for a long time.
Now that she had seen Yu Tianheng, she kept pouting, her arms folded across her chest, unwilling to speak to him.
The word "tsundere" was practically written across her face.
"It seems someone doesn't want to talk to me. I guess I can't give her the gift I prepared, either."
Yu Tianheng sighed helplessly and pretended to turn around and go back to rest.
"Hey, wait! You haven't even taken it out. How do you know whether I want it?"
Ning Rongrong spoke up of her own accord, but she didn't want to forgive Yu Tianheng just like that.
She stood there, torn back and forth, looking utterly adorable.
Yu Tianheng smiled and rubbed Ning Rongrong's head.
"I had something important to deal with a while ago. That place was dangerous, and I almost didn't make it back. Of course I couldn't take you along."
After hearing his explanation, most of Ning Rongrong's anger vanished.
"Then you have to take me with you next time. Even if it's somewhere dangerous, I want to go with you."
Ning Rongrong's eyes were full of determination, without the slightest hint that she was joking.
"All right. Take a look at the gift I prepared for you and see if you like it."
With a turn of his hand, Yu Tianheng took the Aromatic Silk Beauty out of his Soul Tool.
Looking at the flower before her, pink from top to bottom and giving off waves of fragrance,
Ning Rongrong was momentarily stunned.
This was the first time anyone had given her flowers.
"I love it. I love anything Brother Tian Heng gives me."
Ning Rongrong threw herself into Yu Tianheng's arms, her eyes welling with tears of emotion.
"Rongrong, this flower is called the Aromatic Silk Beauty. It's an extremely rare medicinal herb. Find some time to take and absorb it. It might allow your Martial Soul to evolve into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda."
At his words, Ning Rongrong's pupils contracted.
In theory, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could evolve.
But to this day, no such case had ever appeared in the sect.
Even a genius like her father couldn't do it.
Could I really do it?
As if he could see the worry in Ning Rongrong's eyes, Yu Tianheng gently stroked her back and comforted her.
"I believe you can do it, Rongrong. Even if this medicinal herb doesn't work, I'll find you other herbs in the future. When the time comes, I'll make sure your Martial Soul evolves into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda."
But who would have thought that, instead of cheering up, Ning Rongrong would burst into tears?
In her eyes, Brother Tian Heng must have gone to such a dangerous place for her sake,
risking his life to bring this medicinal herb back.
Yu Tianheng hadn't expected his words of comfort to have the opposite effect.
It took him over an hour to soothe Ning Rongrong.
"Brother Tian Heng, I'll try it here at your place. If I really succeed, I'll go back and give Dad a surprise."
Holding the Aromatic Silk Beauty, Ning Rongrong entered the seclusion room Yu Tianheng usually used.
Yu Tianheng wasn't in a hurry to use the remaining medicinal herbs.
Instead, he first had a guard report on the clan's progress during his absence.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's population had now surpassed ten thousand.
With the support of the clan's resources, many clansmen who had only recently undergone Martial Soul Awakening had now basically broken through to level ten.
They had obtained their own First Soul Rings.
Following Yu Tianheng's instructions, all of those Soul Rings had been selected to be around four hundred years old.
Although the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had only one Titled Douluo holding down the fort,
the sect's overall strength had risen by more than one level compared to before.
The numbers of Soul Ancestors, Soul Kings, and Soul Emperors had even doubled outright.