Upon hearing that it would be three months before they could head to Heaven Dou City, Yu Tianming wasn't in a hurry. He said to Yu Yuanzhen, "Grandpa, then I'll head back for now."
His small courtyard was very close to Yu Yuanzhen's residence, and in no time he returned to his own room.
Ah Zhu and Ah Zhi were chatting casually. When they saw Yu Tianming return, Ah Zhu said, "Ah Zhi has reached level 19. This girl envies my spirit skills and wants Young Master to help her hunt a spirit ring too."
Ah Zhi also moved over to sit beside Yu Tianming, leaning gently against him. Her face flushed slightly as she whispered, "I just don't want to fall too far behind Sister. That way, I can always stay by your side, Young Master."
Her words were quite suggestive, but maids in this world didn't have personal freedom. She was considered Yu Tianming's property. If she became stronger, it would only increase the value of his assets.
Thinking of his upcoming trip to Spirit City, Yu Tianming pinched Ah Zhi's cheek and said, "Three months from now, Heaven Dou City will host the preliminaries of the Advanced Spirit Master Academy Soul Duel Tournament. You'll both come with me to see our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Lanba Academy."
"If Ah Zhi can break through to level 20, we'll go hunt a spirit ring in Sunset Forest near Heaven Dou City. If not, we'll figure something else out."
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
At the training grounds of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—
Ah Zhu had entered spirit possession, transforming into a half-human, half-serpent form. Two bulges appeared on her forehead, her deep red hair draped across her chest, a crimson tail snaked behind her, and faint scales shimmered on her skin.
She shouted to Yu Tianming, who was ten meters away, "First spirit skill—Flame Flash Assault!"
She turned into a mass of deep red flames, bursting forth at astonishing speed and shooting toward Yu Tianming.
This first spirit skill allowed her to turn into flames and leap a short distance. As a mobility-type skill, its damage wasn't high and could be disrupted by certain energy attacks. However, when paired with her second spirit skill and a spirit bone ability, even touching the enemy would cause flames to continuously burn them—much like a miniature Amaterasu from Douluo.
The moment Ah Zhu took off, Yu Tianming sensed her trajectory and shouted, "Wind and Lightning Guard!" He unfurled his wings early, drifting aside like a falling leaf under the power of wind and lightning, narrowly avoiding her flame-formed lunge.
He deliberately avoided flying this time, choosing to train his ground combat skills.
As he drifted aside, the dragon head on his shoulder charged with lightning, then unleashed two golden lightning spheres just as Ah Zhu returned to her human form.
But Ah Zhu seemed to anticipate this. She immediately transformed back into flame and dodged to the side. She didn't dodge toward Yu Tianming because that would've put her right in the path of the lightning spheres.
Back and forth they went, trading blows, but after a long while, neither could gain the upper hand.
After some time, Ah Zhu flickered out of her flame form and turned back into her human shape, supporting herself on her knees and panting. "Young Master, you win again."
Yu Tianming smiled and helped her up. "I just used less spirit power than you and outlasted you. When you become a Spirit Sage at level 70, with no cooldowns or energy costs below seven rings, who knows how things will turn out?"
Ah Zhu sighed. "Young Master, you tease me again. If I can become a Spirit King in this life, I'd already be content. How could I dare dream of reaching Spirit Sage?"
Yu Tianming didn't answer and instead turned to Ah Zhi. "Help support Ah Zhu. We'll be heading to Heaven Dou City shortly."
Every time the continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Soul Duel Tournament hosted its preliminaries, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would attend as spectators. Unlike the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, which always stayed in Heaven Dou City, and the Clear Sky Clan, which used to watch from the Star Luo capital before secluding itself, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan alternated between the two empires' capitals.
This year, it was Heaven Dou Empire's turn. The clan had long prepared dozens of luxurious carriages. Yu Tianming, Yu Yuanzhen, and Yu Luomian rode in one; Ah Zhu, Ah Zhi, and a few other female spirit masters shared another.
Behind them were over ten carriages carrying gifts and servants. As for Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng, they stayed behind in the sect to continue their cultivation.
Once everyone was assembled, the carriages lined up like a slow-moving, elongated train.
Heaven Dou City, being one of the largest and most prosperous cities on the Douluo Continent, was surrounded by granite walls over a hundred meters tall.
From a distance, the flags fluttered atop the walls, and the flow of carriages and people below looked like two orderly lines of ants entering through the side gates.
The main city gate was tightly shut, towering at several dozen meters high and wide enough for six riders to pass through side by side. There were two smaller gates on each side, about five meters high and wide, used by everyday traffic.
The soldiers on patrol wore full armor and held long spears. They had already been informed, so before the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's convoy arrived, the main gate slowly opened. Two rows of soldiers waited in formation to maintain order as the convoy approached.
As the carriages prepared to enter, Yu Yuanzhen noticed a massive notice posted on the bulletin board next to the city gate.
"Now Hiring: Due to expansion, Lanba Advanced Spirit Master Academy seeks ten Spirit Ancestors (level 40+)—higher levels preferred. Excellent pay and benefits."
This announcement took up the entire board. Posting something this large during the high-traffic Soul Master Tournament season clearly wasn't cheap.
Yu Luomian chuckled and said, "This is from the academy my daughter started. Like Spirit Hall, it only recruits civilians. Once it's established, it'll be a great asset."
Though the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan wasn't as wealthy as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, it was still a powerful force. Yu Yuanzhen didn't object and said, "Then we should go take a good look at how this academy is doing."
After entering the city, the convoy didn't head toward Lanba Academy but proceeded straight to the Heaven Dou Palace.
Before even reaching the palace gates, a man dressed in a resplendent robe of red and yellow, holding a scepter and wearing a crown, came out to greet them.
It was none other than Emperor Xue Ye. Seeing him display such humility, Yu Yuanzhen quickly stepped forward and shook his hand. "Your Majesty, how could I let you come greet me in person?"
"Having the Thunder Crown himself here brings great honor to Heaven Dou. How could I not greet you personally?" Xue Ye turned to Yu Tianming beside him and said, "This young man must be the prodigy of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. In time, he's sure to become another Super Douluo. My son, Xue Qinghe, is about the same age—he can give you a tour of the Heaven Dou Palace."
Yu Yuanzhen laughed. "Tianming, be sure to get along with Qinghe."
A gentle and refined young man nearby stepped up and enthusiastically took Yu Tianming's hand. "Brother, let me show you around the Heaven Dou Palace."
Yu Tianming didn't know if this was really Xue Qinghe or if it was Qian Renxue in disguise. He only knew that Xue Qinghe had been replaced at nine years old, and even if the real one wasn't dead yet, he wouldn't live much longer.
Seeing how enthusiastic the boy was, Yu Tianming also grabbed his arm and responded warmly, "This is my first time here. Brother, you must show me all the beautiful sights of Heaven Dou City."
To any outsider, they would've seemed like the closest of brothers.
(End of Chapter)
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