Teachers and students alike had learned of the six-year-old genius who, with only level-fourteen Soul Power, had defeated three Soul Grandmasters in a one-against-three fight.
Early the next morning, Yu Tianheng and the others had just walked into their classroom at the academy.
They immediately drew everyone's attention.
These were all new students who had enrolled at Heaven Dou Royal Academy in the same year.
Their gazes held a mixture of surprise, admiration, and all sorts of other feelings.
Yu Tianheng ignored them, found an empty seat, and sat down.
"Boss, you really are the talk of the academy now."
Shi Mo had enjoyed being stared at by so many people before, too.
But back then, he had usually been forced by the senior students to bully his classmates.
Those looks had been completely different from the ones he was getting now.
"Focus on your cultivation. If you become a Titled Douluo someday, you'll get looks like these wherever you go."
Yu Tianheng's offhand remark instantly stirred the fighting spirit in Shi Mo and the other two.
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling sat not far from Yu Tianheng.
From the moment Yu Tianheng entered the classroom, Dugu Yan's gaze never left him.
The night before, her mind had been filled with the sight of Yu Tianheng fighting three opponents alone.
Just thinking about it made her heart race and her cheeks burn.
Was this what the books called liking someone?
Before long, a middle-aged man with an upright bearing who looked to be in his thirties.
"Hello, everyone. Starting today, I'll be your teacher. My name is Qin Ming."
The man wrote his name on the blackboard behind him.
His serious words made quite a few students hurriedly sit up straight.
Yu Tianheng couldn't help looking startled when he heard Qin Ming introduce himself.
As he recalled, Qin Ming was exceptionally talented.
He was considered one of the youngest Soul Emperors registered with Spirit Hall.
He was also among Shrek Academy's first graduating class.
He probably also knew about Yu Tianheng's uncle, whose Martial Soul Mutation had left his Soul Power stuck at the same level.
Yu Tianheng hadn't expected to meet him so soon.
Qin Ming's gaze also swept over Yu Tianheng.
For his first lesson as their teacher, Qin Ming merely gave a brief overview of the relationships between Martial Souls, Soul Rings, Soul Power, and so on.
He also covered the ranks attained as Soul Power increased.
These were things one had to understand after awakening a Martial Soul and beginning cultivation.
Listening to these most basic subjects, Yu Tianheng grew drowsy.
It wasn't until the end of class that Qin Ming suddenly spoke.
"Yu Tianheng, come with me for a moment."
Hearing this, Shi Mo and the others gave Yu Tianheng sympathetic looks.
After all, he had slept through the very first lesson. Given the attitude of Heaven Dou Royal Academy's teachers, Yu Tianheng was sure to get a severe scolding.
"Hang in there, boss."
"Don't worry, boss. We'll go wait for you in the cafeteria."
"Boss, is there anything you want to eat? Don't worry, there's no way anyone can snatch it before I do!"
Seeing the three of them acting as if they had been possessed by toadies, Yu Tianheng couldn't help twitching at the corners of his eyes.
After Yu Tianheng followed Qin Ming to his office, Qin Ming poured him a cup of tea and gestured for him to sit.
The way they interacted was more like that of friends.
"Tian Heng, I heard about your uncle when I was still at Shrek Academy. I didn't expect such a coincidence that we'd meet here. You really did something remarkable yesterday, fighting three opponents above your level."
Qin Ming took a sip of tea as he spoke.
Yu Xiaogang and the dean of Shrek Academy were good friends.
Qin Ming had also learned a few things about Yu Xiaogang from the dean.
After word spread yesterday about Yu Tianheng fighting three opponents alone,
he had been very surprised as well.
"You flatter me, Teacher Qin Ming. I only stepped in to teach those senior students a lesson yesterday because they were using their power to bully others."
Yu Tianheng's answer was neither servile nor arrogant.
"Then I won't beat around the bush. Tian Heng, would you be willing to let me be your teacher?"
Qin Ming knew full well that, judging by the talent Yu Tianheng had shown so far,
his future achievements would be boundless.
Having just graduated from Shrek Academy and joined Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he also needed to prove his abilities.
He was even confident he would witness Yu Tianheng become a Titled Douluo at an even younger age than the Clear Sky Douluo.
In fact, it was within his rights to choose any student he wanted at the academy.
But out of respect for Yu Tianheng, he still wanted to ask for his opinion first.
Yu Tianheng didn't give an answer right away. Instead, he thought it over for a moment.
His attention wasn't focused on Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
With the system as his cheat, developing his clan was what mattered most.
Seeing Yu Tianheng hesitate, Qin Ming spoke again.
"Don't worry, Tian Heng. I'll do everything I can to train you."
As if to win Yu Tianheng's trust, Qin Ming directly released his Martial Soul, the Blazing Fire Wolf.
Four Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet: yellow, yellow, purple, and purple.
The pressure of a level-forty-two Soul Ancestor immediately spread out.
But Yu Tianheng's expression didn't change much under that pressure.
His Martial Soul was subtly dispelling it.
"All right, Teacher."
A moment later, Yu Tianheng slowly nodded.
With a teacher, he could also avoid wasting time on unnecessary classes.
By the time Yu Tianheng arrived at the cafeteria, Shi Mo and the other two were sitting upright at the table, waiting.
The table was laden with delicious food.
"Why aren't you eating?"
Looking at the dishes, which hadn't been touched at all, Yu Tianheng asked in some puzzlement.
"Boss, don't lose heart. The teacher probably just wanted to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys."
"Yu Feng's right."
"..."
The three spoke one after another, looking ready to do their best to comfort Yu Tianheng.
"Oh, come on. Teacher Qin only wanted to talk to me about something. My uncle used to be Teacher Qin's teacher."
The three of them froze when they heard that.
"Damn! So we worried for nothing! I've been hungry forever."
Shi Mo grumbled, immediately grabbing a chicken leg and stuffing it into his mouth.
"Exactly, exactly. Boss, why didn't you say so earlier?"
"..."
At that, Yu Tianheng smiled and shook his head.
There wasn't much of interest in the days that followed.
With Qin Ming turning a blind eye, Yu Tianheng had no need to attend classes.
He usually spent most of his time cultivating and raising his Soul Power Level.
This behavior, however, infuriated Dugu Yan.
Since enrolling, the two of them had only eaten together once.
Dugu Yan couldn't even catch sight of Yu Tianheng day after day.
When she asked Shi Mo and the others, all they told her was that Yu Tianheng was cultivating.
"Lingling, do you think Tian Heng doesn't want to see me? Who spends every day doing nothing but cultivating?"
One evening, Dugu Yan lay on her bed and couldn't help saying it.
"He's so strong. He must work really hard at cultivating normally."
After hearing Dugu Yan complain so often, Ye Lingling tilted her head and thought for a moment.
Then she offered her own opinion.
"But he can't spend every single day doing nothing but cultivating! Isn't life boring like that?"
Dugu Yan kept muttering to herself.