Lingling, Come With Me
Yan Zu watched her retreating figure and shook his head helplessly.
Dugu Bo laughed, "Let her go. Yanyan is stubborn; once she's made up her mind, nothing can change it."
But she's right, the Soul Master she knows is indeed quite good.
Yan Zu sat down again on the stone bench, with Little Jade lying at his feet, listening quietly.
"Grandpa Dugu, actually, there's another matter I'd like to ask for your help with today," Yan Zu said, getting to the point.
"What is it? Just say it," Dugu Bo said readily.
"My teacher and fellow students at the academy all evolved their Martial Soul and their strength greatly improved after taking the pills I refined," Yan Zu said. "But now they all need to acquire new Soul Ring. The most crucial one is that my teacher needs his Eighth Soul Ring, which I estimate requires Soul Beast that is at least 70,000 to 80,000 years old. I would like to ask you to take everyone to Sunset Forest for Soul Hunting in a month. I expect that the Sword Douluo from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School will also be joining us."
Dugu Bo's eyes lit up. "Your Martial Soul have all evolved? You guys are really a bunch of Little Monster." He vividly remembered the pain of Martial Soul Evolution. These young people were able to endure such pain and complete the evolution; they must be people of unwavering determination.
"Since Sword Douluo is going, how can I not go? Don't worry, kid, I'll definitely participate."
Dugu Bo nodded. "Then it's settled. I'll take you on Soul Hunting a month from now. As for that Soul Master Yanyan mentioned—"
A smile flickered in his eyes, "If it really is that person, then your team will be incredibly powerful, but also very interesting."
Yan Zu asked curiously, "Does Grandpa Dugu know who it is?"
"I can guess." Dugu Bo smiled mysteriously. "That girl doesn't have many friends in Heaven Dou City. There are only a handful who are powerful enough and willing to lower themselves. But let her tell you who they are herself."
The two chatted for a while about cultivation and pills. Yan Zu handed Dugu Bo several pills suitable for him, including the Universe Mind-Calming Pill and the remaining Dragon-Patterned Body-Tempering Pill. After instructing him on how to take them, he took his leave.
Stepping out of Dugu Bo's mansion, the sun was shining brightly.
He looked up at the sky, but his mind was preoccupied with something else.
Yu Tianheng's reaction, though unexpected, made him see some things more clearly. In this world, not everyone can let go of prejudice and pride and accept new possibilities.
But that doesn't matter.
True partners are those who understand each other and trust one another. They cannot be forced or coerced.
"Little Jade, let's go back to training," Yan Zu said.
"Yes!" Little Jade nodded vigorously, "Little Jade wants to become stronger with her brother!"
A man and a beast walked towards the Blue Tyrant Academy in the morning light.
Meanwhile, at the Blue Tyrant Academy, adaptive training was in full swing.
On the training field, Xiao Wu was familiarizing herself with the abilities of the Moonlight Jade Rabbit Martial Soul. Her movements were as agile as moonlight, and even in the sunlight, the power of moonlight could be faintly seen flowing around her. After a short Teleportation, she landed at the edge of the field, slightly out of breath.
"Moonlight Teleportation consumes a lot of resources, but it's definitely very useful," Xiao Wu muttered to herself.
On the other side, Zhu Zhuqing was practicing the Star Netherworld Spirit Cat's new abilities. Her figure darted swiftly through the shadows of the training ground, sometimes leaping out of one shadow and sometimes disappearing into another. Although the energy wings on her back were still ethereal, they already provided her with extra speed and turning ability.
Ning Rongrong was practicing how to control the auxiliary effects of the Ten Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. She tried to use the Breath-Concealing Art of the Nine Yin Manual to only reveal seven layers of the pagoda, but this was not possible at the moment. Rongrong only hoped that after mastering the Breath-Concealing Art in the future, she could be able to conceal the Ten Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's true nature, otherwise it would be "very troublesome."
Oscar, meanwhile, was studying his Creation Food Cauldron Martial Soul. He discovered that he could now not only make three Sausage at a time, but also three different kinds of Sausage at once, which was undoubtedly more flexible in actual combat.
Liu Erlong stood at the edge of the training ground, watching his disciples' progress with eyes full of satisfaction.
"A month from now, once everyone has acquired their new Soul Ring, this team's strength will reach a whole new level," she murmured to herself. "Two years from now, in the grand tournament—our Blue Tyrant Academy is truly about to make history."
As the sun sets, training concludes.
The group gathered together, exhausted, but their eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Hasn't Yan Zu returned yet?" Xiao Wu asked.
"It should be soon," Liu Erlong said. "Everyone, go back and rest first, and continue training tomorrow. We also need to start learning the Soul Spirit Contract Method. Starting tonight, everyone must study it for at least one hour every day."
"Yes, teacher!"
The crowd dispersed, and the training ground returned to tranquility.
Meanwhile, in another corner of Heaven Dou City, Dugu Yan stood in front of a simple courtyard, took a deep breath, and knocked on the gate.
"Who is it?" A cool female voice came from inside the courtyard.
"It's me, Dugu Yan."
The courtyard gate opened, and a girl dressed in black with a cool and aloof demeanor stood inside. She looked to be around seventeen or eighteen years old, tall and slender, with a beautiful face but a cold expression, and her long black hair was simply tied back.
"Yanyan? What brings you here?" The girl asked, somewhat surprised.
Dugu Yan looked at the girl before him, a determined smile on his face, "Lengleng, I have something I'd like to ask for your help with. No, I should say, I want to introduce you to an opportunity, an opportunity that will allow you to unleash your full potential."
Ye Lingling, a young girl, is a member of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team, the inheritor of the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul, and one of the top Healing System Soul Master on the continent—she frowned slightly.
What opportunity?
Dugu Yan walked into the courtyard, closed the door, and looked at Ye Lingling earnestly. "Join a team, a team that will surely shock the continent in the future. And there, there is someone who can truly understand you, support you, and perhaps bring you even more surprises in the future."
For the first time, a ripple appeared in Ye Lingling's eyes.
She looked at her friend, who possessed a cool and aloof demeanor, like a solitary orchid in a secluded valley, her eyes filled with anticipation and certainty.
Ye Lingling remained silent, a slight ripple appearing in her clear, deep eyes. While the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul granted her ultimate healing abilities, it also brought her profound loneliness and heavy responsibilities.
She was used to being protected at the back by the team, and she was also used to the gazes of others, whether of awe, covetousness, or simply as a "treatment tool."
An invitation like that from Dugu Yan, who openly stated that he could see her "full potential" and wanted to introduce her to a partner who could "understand and support her," was something she had never experienced before.
"A team that shocked the continent?" Ye Lingling's voice remained cold, but there was a barely perceptible tremor at the end. "Yanyan, you know my situation. The inheritor of the Nine Heart Begonia, my fate was already sealed." She was referring to the destiny of "only two remaining in one generation," and the loneliness that came with it.
"That's precisely why you need a team that truly understands you and values more than just your healing abilities!" Dugu Yan stepped forward and grasped Ye Lingling hand. "Lengleng, trust me this once. That place, that man named Yan Zu —he's very different. He has a unique charm that makes those around him unconsciously trust him, follow him, and—become better. I see so many possibilities in him." She didn't reveal the core secrets of elixirs and Soul Spirit, but the sincerity and admiration in her words were undeniable.
Ye Lingling gazed into Dugu Yan's eyes for a long time before gently exhaling, "Alright, Yanyan, I believe you. I'll go take a look."
"That's wonderful!" Dugu Yan exclaimed with delight. "I'll take you to the Blue Tyrant Academy first thing tomorrow morning!"