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The next day.
Ye Lan and Xiao Xue arrived early at Royal Combat Team One's exclusive training grounds.
Of course, this wasn't because Ye Lan was an early riser; rather, it was because Xiao Xue had forcefully woken him by knocking insistently on his door.
As it was Xiao Xue's first day joining the team, she was determined not to leave a bad impression on the members of Royal Combat Team One.
Before long, Oslo and Yu Feng came strolling over, yawning lazily.
Last night, the two of them had quite a bit to drink while cozying up with the senior girls!
The pair hadn't walked for long before they spotted two blond figures in the distance.
Isn't that Captain Ye?
Why has he come to the training grounds today as well?
Also, who is that standing next to Captain Ye?
She is nothing short of an angel on earth!!!
Oslo and Yu Feng screamed wildly in their hearts:
Captain Ye, you are a true god in our eyes!!!
After their shock subsided, they recalled the image of Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan coming to blows.
They cast an even more sympathetic glance in Ye Lan's direction.
Captain Ye's days ahead probably wouldn't be as simple as a chaotic battlefield of love; it was going to be an absolute purgatory!
"Captain Ye, good morning~" Oslo waved and called out as he drew closer.
Yu Feng asked, "Captain Ye, and this is?"
"Oslo, Yu Feng. This is your new teammate, Xiao Xue," Ye Lan said.
"Xiao Xue, this is Oslo, and the other is Yu Feng," Ye Lan introduced them to Xiao Xue.
Although Ye Lan knew that Xiao Xue was already aware of the identities of everyone on Royal Combat Team One, he still conscientiously introduced the members to her for the sake of maintaining her persona.
As the sun ascended, the members of Royal Combat Team One arrived at the training grounds one after another.
Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Dugu Yan, and Ye Leng Leng rarely arrived all together.
The gazes of Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan clashed continuously, the air thick with tension and smelling of gunpowder.
Ye Leng Leng, walking between them, constantly tried to block their confrontational lines of sight.
Zhu Zhuqing had sharp eyes and spotted her teacher from a great distance.
Summoning her martial soul, the black-eared kitten instantly accelerated, transforming into a fleeting afterimage as she dashed towards Ye Lan.
Upon seeing Zhu Zhuqing's blur of motion, Ning Rongrong hastily summoned her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda to grant herself and Ye Leng Leng a speed boost.
Zhu Zhuqing was already too far away, beyond the range of her soul skill, so she was unable to enhance her speed.
However, Ning Rongrong had barely taken a few steps.
Dugu Yan's fingernail grazed Ning Rongrong's skin in an instant.
The subtle paralyzing poison instantly reduced Ning Rongrong's speed by more than half.
"Dugu Yan!!!" Ning Rongrong exclaimed in fury.
Dugu Yan smiled and said, "Rongrong, big sister is going on ahead."
Ye Leng Leng, however, spoke up, "Yanyan, stop fooling around. Quickly cure Rongrong's poison."
"Alright," Dugu Yan obediently detoxified Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong huffed coldly, "Hmph, for Sister Leng Leng's sake, I'll forgive you!"
As she finished speaking, Ning Rongrong's second soul skill also landed upon Dugu Yan.
Watching the two in harmony, Ye Leng Leng nodded with satisfaction.
The three of them then ran towards Ye Lan together.
"Zhuqing, this is Xiao Xue. She is a new member of our Royal Combat Team One," Ye Lan said, ruffling Zhu Zhuqing's hair.
Xiao Xue's gaze lingered on Ye Lan's hand before she looked elsewhere, pretending not to have seen him affectionately patting Zhu Zhuqing's head.
"Xiao Xue, this is my first student, Zhu Zhuqing," Ye Lan introduced.
"Zhuqing, I'm Xiao Xue," Xiao Xue said, carefully observing Zhu Zhuqing.
Previously, in her identity as Xue Qinghe, she would not have done something so inconsistent with her status.
But now, as her female self, Xiao Xue had no such inhibitions. She wanted to properly get to know all the girls connected to Ye Lan.
Xiao Xue's line of sight paused on Zhu Zhuqing's curves for a full second.
Hmm!
Bigger than me again...
"Hello, Sister Xiao Xue," Zhu Zhuqing said. Upon seeing Qian Renxue, she too was stunned by her beauty.
Although the appearances of Dugu Yan and Ning Rongrong were already extraordinary, Qian Renxue's face was simply a perfect work of art.
Hearing Zhu Zhuqing call her "sister," Xiao Xue smiled warmly.
Xiao Xue dotingly ruffled Zhu Zhuqing's hair as well.
Who wouldn't love the well-behaved Zhu Zhuqing?
On the other side, Ning Rongrong, Dugu Yan, and Ye Leng Leng had run up to them.
"Zhuqing, who is she?" Ning Rongrong asked, looking at Xiao Xue with curiosity.
"Rongrong, this is our new teammate, Sister Xiao Xue," Zhu Zhuqing introduced.
"This is my best friend, Ning Rongrong," Zhu Zhuqing said, pulling Ning Rongrong forward.
Ning Rongrong's gaze shifted between the matching blond hair of Ye Lan and Xiao Xue.
They look so good together...
After seeing Xiao Xue's chest, Ning Rongrong finally breathed an inward sigh of relief.
Finally, someone who isn't oversized!
The figures of Dugu Yan, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ye Leng Leng were enough to give her a complex.
Ning Rongrong happily grabbed Xiao Xue's right hand, vowing to win another ally for Zhu Zhuqing!
"Sister Xiao Xue, just call me Rongrong."
Xiao Xue replied cheerfully, "Rongrong!"
Xiao Xue thought to herself: It's so fascinating to interact with Ning Rongrong in a different identity.
Ning Rongrong's heart was melted by Xiao Xue's angelic smile.
Afterward, Ning Rongrong held up Xiao Xue's hand and gestured toward Dugu Yan.
Her gaze seemed to say, 'Hmph, just you wait, you wicked woman!'
With the arrival of Dugu Yan and Ye Leng Leng, all the members of Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Team One had gathered.
Ye Lan then formally introduced Xiao Xue to everyone.
"Let me introduce our new partner from now on, Xiao Xue!!"
Ye Lan led the applause, and most of the team members joined in.
Yu Tianheng, however, looked at Ye Lan with suspicion, his gaze seemingly asking, "Captain Ye, are you certain you weren't just swayed by her beauty?"
Xiao Xue?
I've never even heard of her.
Ye Lan coughed twice and explained, "Don't be fooled by the fact that Xiao Xue is a year younger than me."
"In truth, Xiao Xue's strength is quite terrifying!"
"Even I am not confident that I could defeat Xiao Xue!"
If Xiao Xue were to fully unleash her martial soul at level forty, her strength would likely be comparable to that of a Soul Emperor.
But if Xiao Xue only used her Seraphim Sword, I have a hard time estimating her power.
She should be at least a Soul King, right?
Oslo said, "Captain Ye, are you for real? Even if Xiao Xue is a Soul Grandmaster, her joining our team is still your decision, isn't it? There's no need to put yourself down like that."
Yu Feng nodded vigorously. "The Vigorous Gorilla King from yesterday is still at home recuperating!"
Ye Lan nodded toward Xiao Xue.
Xiao Xue bowed and said, "Hello everyone, I'm Xiao Xue. My martial soul is the Seraphim Sword, and I am a level forty-two Soul Ancestor!"
Oslo and Yu Feng were left dumbfounded.
They were four or five years older than Xiao Xue, but they hadn't even reached the rank of Soul Ancestor yet?!
This little angel was already a Soul Ancestor?!!
Yu Tianheng, on the other hand, felt his dragon's blood surging; he was extremely eager to test the strength of a Soul Ancestor.
Captain Ye said Xiao Xue was even stronger than him. Was that really true?
Ning Rongrong looked as if she had discovered a priceless treasure and instantly hugged Xiao Xue.
She said excitedly, "Sister Xiao Xue, please carry me in the future!!"
Her expression was just like that of a soft support character who had found the strongest player on the team to depend on.
Then, as if remembering something, Ning Rongrong quickly let go and hugged Zhu Zhuqing again.
"Zhuqing, although Sister Xiao Xue's strength is more terrifying, I still want Zhuqing to carry me more!"
"Pfft!"
The crowd was amused by Ning Rongrong's fickle behavior of latching onto the strongest person.
Ye Leng Leng said, "Xiao Xue, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am also a support member of Royal Combat Team One, Nine Heart Begonia, Ye Leng Leng."
It was only after hearing Ye Leng Leng's voice that Xiao Xue noticed her.
After seriously studying Ye Leng Leng for several seconds, Xiao Xue was captivated by her unique aura.
Although she couldn't see Ye Leng Leng's face clearly, Xiao Xue was certain that if she were to lift her veil, it would absolutely stun everyone.
"Leng Leng, hello. I look forward to working with you," Xiao Xue said.
After seeing Xiao Xue's perfect features, Dugu Yan instantly felt an immense threat from her.
Her disposition was just too similar to Ye Lan's.
And both of them had golden hair.
If Dugu Yan didn't know that Ye Lan had no sister, she would have truly believed that Ye Lan and Xiao Xue were siblings.
Moreover, in Dugu Yan's eyes, Xiao Xue was on the same level as Ye Leng Leng.
Each had her own unique characteristics, but both possessed a beauty that seemed too perfect for the mortal world.
Dugu Yan shot a resentful glance at Ye Lan.
My idol is such a philanderer!
I haven't even managed to handle Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, and now an even more threatening Xiao Xue has appeared!
Dugu Yan composed herself and extended a slender right hand.
"Xiao Xue, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Xiao Xue lightly shook Dugu Yan's hand and said:
"Me too."
At that moment, Xiao Xue was still quite bothered by Dugu Yan's earlier affectionate behavior toward Ye Lan.
Seeing that everyone had gotten to know Xiao Xue, Ye Lan began to lay out the new round of training plans for the team.
"Tianheng, besides continuing your physical training to improve your close-combat abilities, you can begin cultivating your second soul skill, 'Thunder's Wrath'!"
"The difficulty of cultivating 'Thunder's Wrath' is an order of magnitude higher than that of 'Thunder Dragon Claw'!"
"You must learn to control multiple units of lightning separately. This will allow you to diversify your lightning attacks."
After speaking, Ye Lan summoned eight strands of Blue Silver Grass from his palm.
He didn't use the 'Eight-Faced Exquisite Heart'; instead, he used only his single-core brain, constantly switching threads of thought.
Each of the eight strands of Blue Silver Grass moved independently, displaying different postures.
The team gasped in amazement. This level of control over a martial soul was a real eye-opener for them.
No wonder Ye Lan's combat power was so formidable; it turned out that he was strong in every single aspect.
That included both his hardware and his software!
Ning Rongrong exclaimed, "Ye Lan, have you also learned the 'Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart' for distracted control?"
The others looked at Ning Rongrong with confusion, curious about the 'Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart' and distracted control she mentioned.
Ye Lan explained, "Distracted Control is a secret technique of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect that allows a soul master to divide their attention to manage the entire battlefield."
"At its highest level, the 'Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart' can simultaneously support seven people, applying the seven most suitable enhancement soul skills according to each person's situation."
"However, my control of the Blue Silver Grass just now was not due to the 'Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart,' but simply because the frequency at which I control it is fast enough."
"A control frequency of sixteen times per second already allows me to manipulate the Blue Silver Grass very smoothly."
"You truly live up to your name, Captain Ye!" Oslo praised.
Yu Tianheng nodded and said, "I understand. I will do my best to give each bolt of lightning its own consciousness!"
"Good!" Ye Lan nodded, looking at the highly motivated Yu Tianheng.
He then began to assign training plans to the others.
"Shi Mo and Shi Mo, your performance in the last battle was excellent. It could be said that you were one of the keys to defeating the Shrek team."
"However, to better deal with Tang San's 'Eight Spider Lances' and his poisonous Blue Silver Grass in the future, you can begin training your poison resistance at this stage. Without using your soul power to resist, let Yanyan's Jade Phosphor Serpent poison you while Ye Leng Leng continuously heals you."
"This process will be very painful, but if you persevere, you will gain an unimaginably high level of poison resistance!"
"Yes, Captain Ye!"
"Yanyan, you can train your close-combat skills with Shi Mo and Shi Mo. Their close-quarters fighting abilities are very strong!!"
"Understood, Idol!" Dugu Yan nodded.
"Leng Leng, keep an eye on Shi Mo and Shi Mo, and don't let any accidents happen. Yanyan's poison is still quite terrifying. Although it hasn't reached the level of ultimate poison, it's still a high-grade poison attribute, much stronger than the poison on Tang San's Blue Silver Grass."
Ye Leng Leng nodded, indicating that she would be careful.
"Additionally, Leng Leng, after Shi Mo and Shi Mo finish their poison resistance training for the day, you can join Ning Rongrong to train in the physical arts for support-type soul masters."
Ye Leng Leng's eyes lit up. The support training Ye Lan mentioned must be the survival skills training he had given to Ning Rongrong, right?
She hadn't expected that just from her mentioning it to him once before, Ye Lan had kept it in mind!
"Alright!" Ye Leng Leng's tone was tinged with happiness.
Then, Ye Lan looked at Oslo. "Oslo, start your weighted speed runs now!"
"During this phase, you are not to take off the weight rings even when you sleep!"
Ye Lan took out a set of heavy weight rings from his Nine Star Orion Ring and tossed them in front of Oslo.
Clang!
Oslo jumped back half a step in fright. Yu Feng burst out laughing upon seeing Oslo's devilish training regimen.
"Don't you laugh either, Yu Feng. You can't escape it!"
"There's a set of weight rings here for you too. You are not to take them off during regular training."
"Huh??" Yu Feng cried out in anguish.
Yu Feng's smile didn't disappear; it simply transferred over to Oslo's face.
With Yu Feng suffering alongside him, Oslo suddenly felt that it wasn't so painful after all.
"Rongrong, stop hiding behind Zhuqing!!"
"During this time, I will continuously check on your training plan! Now that you have the 'Nine Heart Begonia,' you can no longer use the excuse that your injuries haven't recovered."
"As long as you have a single breath left in you, Leng Leng can bring you back to life."
"I know, Teacher," Ning Rongrong answered pitifully.
Finally, Ye Lan looked at Xiao Xue and Zhu Zhuqing.
Qian Renxue had been playing the part of Xue Qinghe for so long that her actual combat experience was exceptionally limited, likely only gaining some experience fighting soul beasts when acquiring soul rings.
Therefore, he decided to have Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Xue spar with each other!
Ye Lan took out two wooden swords from his Nine Star Orion Ring and handed them to the two girls.
"Zhuqing, Xiao Xue, you both use swords!"
"I believe that with your talent, you will soon be able to compete with each other and both improve your swordsmanship!"
"When you practice your swordsmanship, neither of you is to use your martial soul or soul power."
"Okay!" Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Xue agreed.
Watching the two of them duel with swords was a great pleasure for Ye Lan, and this was definitely not because of their peerless beauty and graceful sword dance!
It was genuinely because Xiao Xue and Zhu Zhuqing's aptitude for the way of the sword was too high.
Zhu Zhuqing's swordsmanship was distinguished by a single characteristic: speed!!
Her sword forms were fast!
Her strikes were fast!
Her transitions were fast!
The wooden sword danced in Zhu Zhuqing's hand, creating an impenetrable defense. Every strike was like a viper's bite—cunning and fierce, aimed directly at Xiao Xue's vital points!
Xiao Xue's swordsmanship, in contrast, was characterized by one word: orthodox!
Her strikes were powerful and heavy, clean and decisive!
With simple changes in her footwork and sword posture, she could block countless of Zhu Zhuqing's sharp attacks.
And whenever Xiao Xue swung her sword, it seemed as if Zhu Zhuqing was actively moving into its path, forcing her to change her attack.
The two went back and forth, learning from each other, and their sword skills improved with incredible speed!!
Ye Lan was mesmerized by their sword dance.
If he weren't unsuited for using a sword, it would have definitely been his first choice!
But who told him to possess an external soul bone as monstrous as the 'Ancient Beast's Touch'?
The Ancient Beast's Touch was equivalent to giving Ye Lan eight infinitely regenerating, extra-long arms for free.
You must understand, even the deity Nezha only had three heads and six arms.
Counting the 'Eight-Faced Exquisite Heart' ability from the Ancient Beast's Touch, Ye Lan was essentially a being with nine heads and ten arms!
(End of chapter)