Shi Mo's hands applied just the right amount of pressure. It was a real shame he didn't open a massage parlor.
"Brother, I'm your younger brother, after all. Even if Boss agreed, you should have given me this chance!"
Shi Mo wasn't about to be outdone and began to argue.
Looking at the three chattering away before him, Yu Tianheng smiled and said, "You'll have plenty of chances to show what you can do when the time comes. It's not as if a single match will decide everything. I won't step in unless I have to. Just remember what I taught you during your special training these past few days."
Hearing Yu Tianheng agree to let them show what they could do, the three became even more attentive.
At noon the next day, everyone arrived at the rest area prepared for the tournament.
Since the academy itself was outside the city, the journey wasn't very long.
None of them were tired in the slightest. They were even eager to go watch the qualifiers.
The Heaven Dou Team was the Heaven Dou Empire's seeded team and didn't need to take part in the cumbersome qualifiers.
They even had the privilege of a bye in the first round of the advancement matches.
They only needed to compete alongside the other seventeen teams in the second round.
As for the bye system, put simply, the two highest-ranked teams could receive a bye, but they couldn't receive one twice in a row and had to compete at least every other round.
"I heard Blazing Fire Academy has a little chili pepper who's really strong. She's already reached level thirty-three, and even some level thirty-six Soul Masters on her team are no match for her."
As he spoke, a somewhat lecherous smile appeared on Yu Feng's face for some reason.
"A little chili pepper?"
Yu Tianheng asked, frowning slightly.
"That's right, Boss. I heard her name is Huo Wu. She was something of an exception when she was selected for the team. At her age, I reckon she'll still be able to compete in the next Soul Master Tournament."
"Boss, we're going to watch the qualifiers first. Do you want to come with us?"
Shi Mo asked as he put down Yu Tianheng's leg.
"You might as well go take a look and learn a little about them. I won't be going."
Yu Tianheng waved his hand. He already knew the basics about these teams.
There was no need to waste his time like that.
After the three left, Yu Tianheng stretched and decided to wander around Heaven Dou City.
Ever since he had entered the academy, he had been absorbed in cultivation and had barely gone out.
Now he finally had some time.
When he opened the door, Yu Tianheng was a little surprised to find that Ning Rongrong, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling had arrived outside at some point.
"Brother Tian Heng, we were just about to play rock-paper-scissors to decide who had to knock. Are you going to watch the matches too?"
Ning Rongrong smiled sweetly and clung to Yu Tianheng's arm like a little koala.
"Those matches aren't very interesting. I'm planning to go out for a stroll. Want to come?"
As soon as he finished speaking, all three girls answered together.
"We do!"
Before long, an exceptionally beautiful sight appeared in Heaven Dou City.
A tall, straight-backed young man walked arm in arm with two girls, each beautiful in her own way, while another stood beside them.
Most of the contestants in the Soul Master Tournament, as well as those from the academies who had come along to watch,
were in their teens or twenties, just the age to be interested in the opposite sex.
At the sight, they all shot Yu Tianheng hostile looks.
Dugu Yan's alluring charm, Ye Lingling's cool aloofness, Ning Rongrong's cuteness.
All three were budding beauties.
"What kind of luck does that kid have? He's so young, and he already has beauties like that with him."
"Once those three girls grow up, they'll definitely be beauties who could topple cities and bring kingdoms to ruin. Why are they all clinging to him?"
"Comparing yourself to others will make you die of envy! I'm having that dream today!"
"..."
Listening to the waves of chatter around them, Dugu Yan tightened her hold on Yu Tianheng's arm.
She raised her chin, her face full of pride.
She had always worried that Yu Tianheng was progressing too quickly for her to keep up, but now she could finally set her mind at ease.
Ning Rongrong had always been treated like the apple of her father's eye, and he had barely let her leave home.
Now her eyes lit up at the sight of Heaven Dou City's bustling streets.
She pestered Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan to take her shopping everywhere.
Yu Tianheng had no interest in shopping, so he simply waited by the shop entrance.
"Today I'll teach you how to behave!"
Suddenly, a wave of heat swept toward him.
Reacting instinctively, Yu Tianheng took two steps back and turned sideways to dodge the flames.
He turned to see a shapely girl in a short red spaghetti-strap dress glaring fiercely at him.
The shorts she wore beneath it accentuated her long, fair legs to perfection.
She was clearly a lovely beauty, but the anger and disgust in her eyes made Yu Tianheng feel she lost quite a few points.
"You attacked me without a word. Shouldn't you be the one learning how to behave?"
Yu Tianheng wasn't angry and spoke calmly.
"Me? You're so young, yet you're parading around with three girls! What kind of tricks did you use to deceive them? Forget it. Today I'll carry out heaven's justice! Remember this! My name is Huo Wu. If you have a problem with that, you can come find me at Blazing Fire Academy anytime!"
Huo Wu let out a shout, and a faint orange-red shadow gradually emerged behind her.
The shadow was identical to her in shape, but it looked utterly illusory.
"Xiao Wu, just teach him a little lesson. Don't make too much trouble."
Behind Huo Wu stood a young man who looked a few years older than her.
He was burly, with his arms folded across his chest, and there was a hint of disdain in his voice.
"Brother, don't try to stop me today! Even if I can't compete, there's a substitute who can take my place! What I despise most is scum like him who toys with people's feelings!"
Huo Wu paid no heed to her brother Huo Wushuang's words. She wanted nothing more than to skin Yu Tianheng and tear him apart on the spot.
"First Soul Skill: Flowing Fire Bomb!"
As her voice fell, the fire shadow turned into a red afterimage and sped straight toward Yu Tianheng.
Beneath the raging flames burning on its surface lay a vast amount of Soul Power.
Yu Tianheng could tell that the fire shadow would probably explode as soon as it touched him.
The onlookers, who had originally been enjoying the spectacle, scattered when they saw Huo Wu was serious, afraid they would become innocent fish caught in the fire.
"I knew that kid was no good!"
"Wouldn't one beautiful girl like that have been enough? He just had to have three. Serves him right!"
"Tsk, tsk. Doesn't this mean I have a chance?"
"..."
Watching the fire shadow draw closer and closer, Yu Tianheng parted his lips.
"First Soul Skill: Thunder Dragon Tyrant Body!"
However, after releasing his Soul Skill, he made no move at all.
He simply stood there, immovable as a mountain.
"Boom!"
The fire shadow exploded, blasting a large crater in the ground.
Dust filled the air, obscuring everyone's view.
Huo Wu snorted coldly.
"That's the price you pay for toying with people's feelings."
With that, she prepared to leave with Huo Wushuang.
"Oh? Seems that price isn't much after all. Blazing Fire Academy isn't much either."