Qin Ming scratched his head, a little embarrassed. He had failed to explain the matter clearly to Yu Tianheng beforehand.
"There's no need for a sparring match. There wouldn't be much point in spreading word of it, either. Sorry for the trouble, Teacher Qin, but please tell the academy's higher-ups that we should all give it our best when the time comes. Whoever is left standing will go to the Soul Master Tournament."
According to the original timeline, Yu Tianheng would certainly have been weaker than those senior students who had cultivated for many more years.
But things were different now. Times had changed.
Yu Tianheng had a cheat, after all.
"Tian Heng, are you sure?"
"The team the academy leadership originally chose has an average age of around twenty. Their captain is even the legitimate son of a collateral branch of the imperial family. His name is Xue Luoge."
Xue Luoge's talent was nothing to scoff at either. He had already reached level thirty-nine.
Qin Ming remembered that the last time he saw Yu Tianheng, Yu Tianheng had only just reached level forty.
There might only have been a few levels between the two.
But looking at their overall strength, the members of Xue Luoge's team were all basically above level thirty-five.
That put Yu Tianheng and his teammates at a disadvantage.
"Don't worry, Teacher Qin. I'm confident. Since we're all from the same academy, we should get to know each other too, shouldn't we?"
Yu Tianheng wasn't about to be generous with this opportunity.
Otherwise, the series of plans that followed would be greatly affected.
After a long while, Qin Ming let out a deep sigh.
"All right. I'll ask the academy's higher-ups for approval. If they agree, they might arrange for you to compete within the next couple of days. Work on your coordination in the meantime."
"Don't worry, Teacher Qin. It won't be a problem."
In a sense, as long as an individual's abilities reached their peak, a team became optional.
When Yu Tianheng came out of Qin Ming's office, he saw Dugu Yan grinding Shi Mo into the ground.
The Black Tortoise had always been known for its defense, but now, before the Jade Phosphor Poison Dragon,
let alone having the strength to fight back, its shield had been smashed in just three blows.
If Dugu Yan hadn't held back, Shi Mo would probably have been seriously injured on the spot.
"Sister Yan, I was wrong."
Shi Mo struggled to his feet, bowing repeatedly in Dugu Yan's direction as he apologized.
He really couldn't understand why his brain had short-circuited and made him suggest sparring with Dugu Yan.
They weren't even in the same league, all right?
"Yan Yan, that's enough. No need to go any further."
Seeing that Dugu Yan was still preparing to continue "educating" Shi Mo,
Yu Tianheng hurriedly spoke up and stopped her.
"Hmph, Brother Tian Heng, I'm cementing my position as vice captain."
Dugu Yan tilted her little face up, wearing an expression that said, I didn't do anything wrong.
"What vice captain?"
Now it was Yu Tianheng's turn to be confused. How come he didn't know there was such a thing?
"Look, since you're our captain, I naturally have to be the vice captain!"
With that, Dugu Yan glanced toward Shi Mo and the other two. "Isn't that right?"
The sudden change in her tone made all three shudder.
The strength Dugu Yan had displayed had completely won them over. How would they dare utter half a word of dissent?
"Of course! Who but Sister Yan could take the vice captain's position?"
"Exactly, exactly! I'll wave the big flag for Sister Yan!"
"Sister Yan is awesome! Sister Yan is mighty!"
Watching the three switch sides, Yu Tianheng couldn't help putting a hand to his forehead and shaking his head.
Off to the side, Ye Lingling and Ning Rongrong covered their mouths and giggled.
"Enough chatter. In a couple of days, we'll probably have to compete against Heaven Dou Team One. Only the winners can go to the Soul Master Tournament, so make sure you're prepared."
"Boss, what's Heaven Dou Team One? Does that mean we're Heaven Dou Second Team?"
Looking at the "wisdom" in Shi Mo's eyes, Yu Tianheng sighed deeply and explained.
"There's another team at Heaven Dou Royal Academy besides ours. Their captain is Xue Luoge. You should have heard of him."
The moment they heard the name Xue Luoge, disbelief flashed across the faces of all three.
"Boss, are you sure? Is Xue Luoge really leading them? The monster whose Swan Martial Soul mutated into a golden eagle?"
After recovering from his surprise, Shi Mo fired off several questions in a row.
Yu Tianheng and the others hadn't spent much time at the academy, but it was different for Shi Mo and his companions.
Xue Luoge was one of Heaven Dou Royal Academy's top geniuses. Add to that his flamboyant manner and the imperial family backing him, and nobody dared provoke him.
He had also left an indelible fear in the hearts of Shi Mo and the others.
"Yes, it's him."
Yu Tianheng nodded gently, confirming Shi Mo's thought.
Shi Mo's face fell at once.
Even when he had just heard Yu Tianheng's level, and when Dugu Yan had been educating him,
he hadn't looked this dejected.
At first, he had thought that after taking an Immortal Herb, he too could reach the threshold of genius.
He could show what he was capable of at the Soul Master Tournament and make a name for himself alongside the boss.
And now look. Before they could even enter the tournament, they had to face Heaven Dou Team One, whose members were quite a few years older on average and many levels apart from them.
"Boss, I'm a little..."
Shi Mo wanted to cry but had no tears. His lips trembled, but in the end, he didn't say those two words.
"What are you afraid of? With me here, all you have to do is follow my arrangements when the time comes. Come with me in a bit. I'll give you some training, and I guarantee you'll shed your old bones and be reborn."
The three, who had been dejected moments ago, immediately perked up at the mention of training.
In their eyes, being trained by a genius meant they were basically not far from becoming geniuses themselves.
"Don't worry, Boss. I'm not scared one bit. I definitely won't embarrass you when the time comes."
Shi Mo held out a hand, looking very much as though he were swearing an oath on the spot.
"Yan Yan, you girls go get some rest first."
Yu Tianheng didn't forget to give them that instruction before leaving.
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling's old dorm room was still there, and the academy regularly sent people to clean it.
There was basically no problem using it to rest.
"Boss, where are you taking us?"
Looking at the scenery on the back mountain, Shi Mo felt an inexplicable chill run down his back.
Yu Tianheng didn't answer. He only stopped when they reached an open area.
The place was a little strange. The weeds on the ground seemed to have only sprung up in the past few years and were much shorter than those around them.
"Next, release your Martial Souls. Whether you withstand it head-on or dodge, try not to get hurt."
Before any of them could speak, a little crimson dragon suddenly coiled around Yu Tianheng's right arm.
The little dragon was wreathed in raging flames, and the scorching heat made the plants on the ground begin to wither.
"First Soul Skill: Meteor Sunset!"
As his voice fell, the sky above Yu Tianheng suddenly turned red, and meteors rained down toward the three of them.
Even restrained, the terrifying pressure of level forty-nine was enough to give the three of them a hard time.
Yu Feng could just barely dodge. Aside from a few scorch marks on his clothes, he was basically fine.
The Shi Mo brothers weren't so lucky.