After the Championship, Everyone's Path

On the third day after returning to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, the training grounds were not open.

Yu Feng circled halfway around the door to make sure the lock was on, then turned to Qin Ming and asked, "Are you worried we'll damage the space?"

"I'm afraid you'll hurt yourselves." Qin Ming held the doctor's diagnosis in his hand. "Dong Jian needs to rest his back, Tian Heng's right arm can no longer perform continuous Thunderclap Bursts. Li Man's mental state has recovered well, but she still can't control the formation for long periods. Osler has a leg injury, how many more people do you want to train with?"

Yu Feng put his hands back into his sleeves. "I was just asking."

Nine people were led into a small conference room at the end of the teaching building. In the past, Qin Ming would take out information on the opponents here and draw a few tactical arrows on the wall. Today, there were three stacks of documents on the table, the thickest of which came from the Education Commission.

"The arrangements after the championship." Qin Ming separated the documents. "The academy hopes you will stay on campus for a while to mentor the next team. The Empire is holding a victory celebration banquet, and some people may ask if you are willing to accept missions. Those with sect affairs at home can apply to return. You will fill out the training routes yourself."

Yu Feng flipped through the three stacks of documents, picking out the thinnest one, only to find it also filled with conditions. "Can I choose any of them?"

"Some questions are optional, while others are unavoidable once you attend the celebration banquet."

Yu Tianheng took the form for the sect's return visit and flipped through it very slowly. Dugu Yan noticed his expression, reached under the table, and touched the back of his hand.

"Will you go back to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?" she asked.

"I need to go back," Yu Tianheng said. "I've been away for too long. My family will want to hear about my Fourth Soul Ring and the Soul Master Tournament sooner or later."

What about after that?

"I'll see what my family decides, and then I'll see what I'm willing to accept." Yu Tianheng didn't emphasize the last sentence. He was a member of the family and also the captain of the Imperial Fighting Team. In the past, these two identities could go hand in hand, but now they might not always lead to the same path.

Shi Mo was carefully studying the academy's retention policy. "It says here that those who stay will be responsible for guiding the basic training of the Defense System. What do you think, bro?"

Shi Mo took the paper. "Teaching a child to stand is no problem, but our teamwork is still lacking. Just because we can hold our own on the field doesn't mean we can do it on a different field."

"You can stay for a while before leaving," Qin Ming said. "You don't need to sign a lifetime contract today."

Li Man placed a blank route form beside her. Dong Jian sat next to her, not rushing to ask her what to fill in.

The supervisor sent by the Education Commission arrived shortly afterward. He first congratulated everyone on winning the championship, and then mentioned that the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy wanted to use the videos and formations of several classic matches for teaching in the next session. Yu Tianheng said that they could discuss open tactics, and Dong Jian and Li Man exchanged a glance.

"Do you also need the complete set of information on Mountain-Suppressing Dragon Bamboo?" Li Man asked.

"If possible, the academy would certainly like to admit them," the steward said with a smile. "It would save young Soul Master from many detours."

Qin Ming pushed the document back a little. "We can talk about publicly disclosed formations. Undisclosed content is not within the scope of this review."

The manager looked at him and said, "Teacher Qin, these are all the fruits of the academy's training."

"The trainees are trained here," Qin Ming said. "Every step they figure out on their own, they won't lose their right to choose just because they won the championship."

Yu Tianheng continued, "I agree to organize the basic arrays from number one to number five. The details will be confirmed by the person actually carrying them out. Any content involving personal health secrets will not be handed over."

Dong Jian glanced at the team leader. Qin Ming didn't continue arguing for them, and the supervisor didn't contradict him on the spot. He wrote a few words in the record book, leaving the dispute to be decided by the Education Commission.

The room was quiet for a moment. Ye Lingling put down another form. "I can stay on as an instructor in the treatment department. But the Nine Heart Begonia's abilities are special; you can't use my treatment volume as a standard that everyone can practice. I also want to go to a real medical clinic; there, injured people don't wait for the referee to stop the game first."

Dugu Yan held up her card. "I need to go back and get my right arm checked according to the schedule set by my grandfather. I have to avoid that time for the Imperial Banquet and missions."

"Can't we ask for leave for the palace banquet?" Yu Feng asked.

"If you can invite them, then invite them. If you can't, don't expect me to force-feed them into your poison sac." Dugu Yan said, glancing at Yu Tianheng. "If you're willing to speak up for me, I won't object."

Yu Tianheng said, "I have arms, and I can speak for myself."

After everyone had finished laughing, they realized that this discussion was much slower than the previous formations, and Qin Ming did not urge them to fill out all the forms immediately.

When it was Osler's turn, he said he wanted to fight a few more matches against Agility Attack System who excel at continuous pursuit. Yu Feng immediately raised his hand. "I want to try flying for a longer time in complex air currents. I haven't learned enough from those matches with Godwind last time."

"Can the two of you travel together?" Qin Ming asked.

"Yes," Osler, looking at Yu Feng, "As long as he doesn't fly so high that I have to look up and search for him for ages every time."

"I'll have to wait for you until your leg heals," Yu Feng retorted.

After listening to everyone, Dong Jian finally revealed his plan. He wanted to leave the familiar training grounds at the academy and find places unsuitable for Circular Rotation, such as rocky outcrops, slopes, and wetlands, to continue experimenting with unclosed Momentum Shift.

"I won't immediately teach it as a new combat technique," he said. "Right now, many movements rely on the body to memorize them; if someone else were to take the first step, they might not even be able to."

The manager noted down the words "personal experience" but did not ask any further questions about specific techniques.

Li Man elaborated further. "I want to test the formation in a place where ordinary people work together. Bridge protection, transportation, and temporary rescue are all options. There are only seven teammates on the competition stage, and some of them might not understand Soul Skill or even the numbers we call out. I want to know if the formation can still be used in such a place."

Dong Jian turned to look at her. Yesterday, when they came out of the forest, they had agreed to travel together. Now that they were actually sitting at the table, he realized that their routes were not exactly the same.

Qin Ming asked, "Have you all discussed this?"

Li Man shook her head. "I only said I wanted to travel together. The route hasn't been decided yet."

Dong Jian continued, "First, list them out individually, then find the overlaps."

Qin Ming nodded in satisfaction, offering no comment on which was better. Yu Tianheng also refrained from using his position as team leader to give anyone specific instructions.

Before the meeting adjourned, Qin Ming had everyone check the recovery period given by the infirmary. Shi Mo and Shi Mo's diagnoses stated to avoid consecutive hard collisions in the short term, Osler shouldn't practice multiple sudden stops while still having a strain, and Yu Feng's wing root required extended stretching training. After reading his section, Yu Feng couldn't help but ask, "Can this only be known to the doctor?" Qin Ming pointed to the door. "You don't have to tell anyone, but you have to remember it yourself."

Li Man, holding the recovery form, raised a detail: when the academy showcases Imperial Fighting Team formations in the future, if the championship final is used as the standard training video, it must also be stated that many players were playing with injuries at that time. Deleting fatigue and injuries, leaving only the beautiful combos, could easily lead later viewers to believe that high-intensity, continuous teamwork requires no rest. Ye Lingling expressed her willingness to write a general set of precautions that do not involve personal medical records.

Yu Tianheng added this suggestion after the teaching permit. Seeing that the group was working methodically, the manager finally stopped thinking of them as young Soul Master who had just won the championship and only wanted to receive glory. Dong Jian kept writing down the restrictions that Li Man had mentioned, and when he finished writing, he found that there wasn't a single number about the power of the Soul Skill on his paper. Qin Ming glanced at it, didn't correct it, and instead kept the paper as a reference for future public teaching.

At the end of the meeting, the steward produced another document bearing a seal, his tone becoming much more polite. "There's one more thing. The three champion Soul Bone are currently sealed at the academy. The Royal Archives requests to borrow them for a demonstration study. Experts will be in charge to ensure they are not damaged."

Ye Lingling frowned first. "There's no holder, and no compatibility assessment has been done. Who is this demonstration for?"

"This requires approval from above," the manager said.

Dugu Yan slammed the document down on the table. "We won the championship, so does the reward go to someone else for research first?"

Qin Ming didn't let the argument escalate immediately. He carefully put away the sealed list. "Verify it first, then discuss lending it out. Who contacted it, what they did, and where the records went must all be documented in writing."

Yu Tianheng looked at the nine people and said, "Everyone, review the reward information tonight. We'll all listen to the evaluation tomorrow. No one should sign for it first."

When the meeting ended, there were already freshmen waiting outside the classroom to see the champion team. Yu Feng pushed open the door and saw more than a dozen pairs of eyes looking at him, so he couldn't help but straighten his back.

"Don't perform for them yet," Osler advised.

"I'm just going out."

Dong Jian was a little slow to get up. Li Man picked up the blank route map he had left on the table and handed it to him; there wasn't a single place written on it.

Li Man flipped the unwritten itinerary to the side of the map, and waited for Dong Jian to steady himself before asking, "Where are you going to fill in first?"

"Wait until you bring out yours too."

That could take a long time to discuss.

Anyway, Teacher Qin locked up the training ground today.

Li Man suppressed a laugh and followed him out the door. Behind them, the steward flipped through the loan application documents again; the ink on the seals was still fresh. The cabinet where the three Soul Bone were stored was going to be more lively tomorrow than any competition.