"Tch, Brother Lin is pretending to be weak again. He clearly hasn't even used half of his strength."
Xiao Wu immediately complained after hearing Xiao Lin's words.
However, while it was just a casual remark from Xiao Wu, Qin Ming and the others looked at Xiao Lin with serious expressions.
Qin Ming: Could it be that Xiao Lin's third soul skill is even more powerful?
After all, his first soul skill was already incredibly overpowered, and his second skill boosted speed by 60%, which was also remarkable.
As an excellent teacher and a Soul Emperor, Qin Ming could naturally understand the effect of Xiao Lin's second soul skill. But even so—
It was hard to believe that Xiao Lin hadn't used his third soul skill, and that his displayed combat strength was still less than half?
Keep in mind, Yu Tianheng's fourth soul skill was already enough for him to challenge a Soul King!
Could Xiao Lin's third soul skill be a full-attribute enhancement like Yu Tianheng's?
The three professors present had even sharper eyes. They seemed to notice that Xiao Lin had used his soul skills while consuming very little soul power.
Was that what Xiao Wu meant?
Since Xiao Lin's second soul skill seemed relatively normal (just exceptional), it didn't immediately suggest his third soul skill was outrageous.
They suspected the true advantage lay in the fact that Xiao Lin barely consumed soul power and likely had strong defensive abilities.
In that moment, the professors, including Zhi Lin, felt they may have found the true seven-dimensional warrior that Elder Yao had identified on the Wuhun data panel.
It was as if Heaven itself favored Tian Dou Royal Academy.
Upon hearing Xiao Wu's evaluation of Xiao Lin, Ning Rongrong bit her lip slightly.
What did she mean "he didn't even use half his strength"?His first soul skill boosts attack by 400%—that one skill alone was already more powerful than several of her father's!
And seeing Xiao Lin's second soul skill boost speed…
Ning Rongrong could already guess that Xiao Lin's third soul skill must enhance strength.
While his second skill wasn't absurdly overpowered, it still qualified as a top-tier skill. Factoring in the third…
Ning Rongrong realized: Xiao Lin was someone whose first soul skill was so broken, it carried the rest of his kit into an even more broken state.
No wonder he didn't choose straightforward attack skills.
After all, no typical attack skill could compare to Xiao Lin's basic attacks, already amplified by that insane boost.
Even a Titled Douluo could use this kind of skill combo effectively.
Not a single soul skill was wasted.
At that moment, Ning Rongrong also noticed—not only Xiao Lin, but Tang San and Xiao Wu seemed to follow the same philosophy.
No wonder her father once said, "That so-called Master Xiao Yan changed the future of all soul masters on the continent."
Ning Rongrong knew well: Xiao Lin's second soul skill was already millennium-level, so the third would surely offer even more terrifying boosts—maybe even offensive potential.
Yu Tianheng's loss was justified…
Oh right—Yu Tianheng wasn't captain anymore.
As Ning Rongrong's thoughts began to drift, her delicate face slowly turned a faint shade of pink.
Xiao Wu had no idea what everyone else was thinking, but if she knew that even Qin Ming and the professors underestimated Xiao Lin's third skill, she'd laugh out loud.
Because when Xiao Wu said Xiao Lin hadn't used half his strength—she was only talking about his second soul skill.
As the match came to an end, Xiao Lin helped the heavily injured Yu Tianheng up, draping his arm over his shoulder.
"Xiao San," Xiao Lin called out.
"I know. First soul skill—Blue Silver Regeneration Bracelet."
Tang San summoned Blue Silver Grass. A yellow soul ring lit up, and a streak of blue light flew toward Yu Tianheng, forming into a bracelet woven from Blue Silver Grass on his wrist.
In no time, a powerful life force surged into Yu Tianheng's body through the bracelet.
A gentle green light radiated from his skin, and in less than three seconds, Yu Tianheng slowly awakened.
He opened his heavy eyelids and saw Xiao Lin holding him.
After a moment of complicated emotions, Yu Tianheng gave a bitter smile.
"Thank you, Xiao Lin. I lost."
He then braced himself and stepped away from Xiao Lin's support, trying to stand on his own.
"No need to thank me. You're still part of the Royal Fighting Team, after all,"Xiao Lin replied with a laugh and leapt off the stage to stand beside Tang San and Xiao Wu.
"Tang San… you can heal too?"
Qin Ming and the others were stunned as they witnessed Tang San's true first soul skill, falling silent.
They had thought Tang San was an assault or control type, but it turned out…
He was actually a support-type healer.
A support-type soul master who defeated Dugu Yan head-on?
These were monsters.
No—monsters among monsters!
Qin Ming immediately gave the trio a very high evaluation. At that moment, even Ma Hongjun and Oscar from Shrek Academy seemed… dull in comparison.
What am I even teaching here anymore…?Qin Ming felt a bit bitter. Still, he called back the students who had been sent to guard the gate.
"Ahem!"
As the students re-entered and saw the injured Yu Tianheng and the perfectly fine Xiao Lin, surprise and mixed emotions crossed their faces.
No way… Captain Yu Tianheng lost?
And Xiao Lin's completely unscathed?
"Tianheng!"
Dugu Yan, seeing his injuries, cried out and rushed over to support him.
She had always liked leaning on Yu Tianheng, but for the first time, she realized that even the invincible Tianheng could become this frail.
He even had to lean on her to stay steady.
"Ahem, am I invisible here?"
Qin Ming cleared his throat and asserted his presence as a teacher.
"Here's the situation. Our Royal Fighting Team—both members and captain—lost completely. So, training is doubled from now on. No objections, right?"
He turned and shouted at the team, seeing their complicated emotions.
"…No objections…"
"Alright! Don't be so listless. So what if you lost? It's not like you can't still improve!"
Qin Ming raised his voice, releasing soul power to jolt the students back into focus.
Once they had recovered a bit, he announced the match results:
"We lost all three matches. So from now on, Xiao Lin and his team are official members of the Royal Fighting Team."
"Xiao Wu, with her speed overwhelming Oslo, will serve as his substitute—though Oslo will usually fight, Xiao Wu will be our hidden trump card."
"Tang San, a support-type healer who beat Dugu Yan, will replace Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling as the team's main support and control-type. He'll also serve as a hidden trump card—and from now on, he's our vice-captain."
"Xiao Lin, who defeated the strongest version of Yu Tianheng head-on, will be the new captain of the Royal Fighting Team. Like Xiao Wu and Tang San, he'll usually remain in reserve."
"No objections, right?"
Qin Ming laid out the new structure in one breath, then looked around the team, reading their subtle expressions.
"No! I object! Why can't Tianheng be vice-captain?!"
Dugu Yan immediately shouted, glaring at Tang San.
She absolutely refused to accept that Yu Tianheng had lost both the captain and vice-captain roles.
"Hmph. Tianheng is strong, but I don't believe he can definitely beat Tang San. If he's not convinced, they can spar to settle it,"Qin Ming said coldly.
He had a sharp eye. Just from Tang San's three soul skills, he knew that even if Tang San couldn't beat Yu Tianheng directly, he could easily outlast him.
And with less than two years until the Advanced Academy Tournament, Tang San would surely reach Soul Ancestor rank and become twice as powerful. But Yu Tianheng's progress wasn't guaranteed.
"Thank you, teacher. I will not take the vice-captain position. Tang San's strength surpasses mine,"Yu Tianheng said.
Feeling the healing power Tang San had just used—even stronger than Ye Lingling's—he understood he no longer had the upper hand.
In pure healing ability, Tang San was superior. And maybe…
He wasn't even imagining it—Tang San's healing felt like it could reach even greater levels.
(End of Chapter)