"Huff… huff…"
Crack—Crack—BOOM!
Accompanied by the rhythm of his breathing, bursts of thunder echoed around Yun Yibai. Even without entering Martial Soul Possession, arcs of lightning danced naturally across his skin.
No one knew how much time had passed when he finally opened his eyes.
Feeling only slight changes in his body, he muttered to himself,
"At this pace, breaking through to Level 30 shouldn't be far off."
"The Breath of Thunder… five years in, and I've only just touched the threshold?"
Yun Yibai couldn't help but recall the suffering he endured to reach this point.
After conceiving the concept of Thunder Breathing, he has been trying to develop it ever since.
But while the idea was sound, practicing it was a whole different beast.
Even as a lightning-attribute soul master, he had taken a lot of punishment in the process.
This self-created technique was designed to enhance explosive bursts of power. At this point, he could use it to some extent, but it wasn't very refined. After all, skills like this needed not just soul power, but also physical strength to support them.
"By now, Yu Tianheng should've been attending Heaven Dou Imperial Advanced Soul Master Academy for a while…"
"I wonder if punching that smug face of his still feels as satisfying as it used to."
He grinned at the thought, though to be fair, Yu Tianheng had landed a few hits of his own back in the day.
Heaven Dou Imperial Advanced Soul Master Academy.
"Gotta admit, it's impressive. Typical of a noble academy — so extravagant it's beyond what normal people can imagine."
Yun Yibai chuckled lightly as he looked at the ornate academy gates.
He probably qualified for admission himself.
But he had refused.
Just like when he had resolutely left the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, Yun Yibai believed in one thing:
"Better to be the head of a rooster than the tail of a phoenix."
With his current identity, if he had enrolled here, he would've been nothing more than a background character — just a tail.
After all, he didn't have a Titled Douluo grandfather or a Soul Douluo father.
Right now, he was just a Level 28 Grand Soul Master.
"Restricted area — stop right there!"
As Yun Yibai approached the entrance, the academy guards blocked him immediately.
But he wasn't worried in the slightest.
After all, what's the point of having a background if you don't use it?
He took out a family token — one that only true-blooded members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan possessed.
Every soul master with this martial soul had one, though they came in varying ranks.
"You're with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?"
The guards at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy weren't clueless.
"Yeah. I'm here to see someone."
The two guards exchanged a look, then moved their spears aside.
"Go on in."
"But don't wander. Some areas are off-limits."
Yun Yibai nodded and stepped inside.
As the semester had just started, the academy campus was still buzzing with activity.
Students wandered around in small groups or explored alone, trying to get familiar with the place that would shape their next few years.
"Bunch of young masters and noble brats…"
"Heh, not like I'm not one myself,"
Yun Yibai laughed at the thought.
A second earlier he'd been mentally mocking them as pampered greenhouse flowers — then remembered his bloodline.
He approached a nearby student — a tall, honest-looking guy — and asked,
"Hey, do you know where I can find Yu Tianheng?"
The boy, a bit taller than Yun Yibai, paused in surprise, a flicker of doubt crossing his face. But he still answered,
"Yu Tianheng? Of course, I know him! He's kind of a big deal around here. Why are you looking for him?"
Yun Yibai was pleased — the guy wasn't arrogant or snobbish like he'd expected.
"He only just enrolled, right? And he's already that famous?"
While it wasn't shocking that Yu Tianheng became well-known, Yun Yibai hadn't expected it to happen this quickly.
The student laughed with clear admiration in his voice.
"Of course! He's already made a name for himself. Just last week, as a first-year, he made a splash in the academy's battle arena — beat an upperclassman who was a Soul Elder!"
"That's a Soul Elder, man!
Overnight, everyone knew his name.
And with his background as a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan heir?
There's no avoiding his reputation."
As he spoke, envy and longing flickered in the boy's eyes.
Yun Yibai guessed the student might be a down-on-his-luck noble. Otherwise, his expression wouldn't show admiration, but jealousy or resentment.
"But who are you, anyway? Why are you looking for him?"
"I'm his cousin."
"Ah! You're from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan too?
My apologies, sir!"
The student's expression changed instantly, his tone becoming much more respectful.
"Do you know where he is?"
Yun Yibai asked directly. He wasn't interested in small talk.
After all, this world runs on a simple rule: survival of the fittest.
"Perfect timing, sir. In about an hour — at 1 PM — Yu Tianheng has a match scheduled with a senior in the arena."
"Thanks."
"No trouble at all!"
After a bit of polite conversation, Yun Yibai left.
"Another duel, huh…?"
"Wasn't Yu Tianheng the kind of kid who liked flirting with girls when we were younger?"
"Back then, I was the one challenging him to fights. Since when did he become a battle maniac?"
Yun Yibai was a bit thrown off — but he was thinking in old patterns.
Yu Tianheng had just started at a new school.
How much time could he have spent flirting?
At most, the girls were just drawn to him — admiring him for proving himself with real combat power.
Maybe even someone like Dugu Yan was among them...
After asking for directions to the arena, Yun Yibai arrived half an hour early and took a seat in the front row.
The crowd steadily grew larger, and as expected, most were here just to watch the show.
Yun Yibai had gotten there early, so his seat was close to the front — but in a school like Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, front-row seats weren't exactly free for the taking.
With nothing better to do, Yun Yibai closed his eyes to meditate and focus his soul power.
"Hey! Kid! That seat's not for someone like you!"
A loud, arrogant voice suddenly rang out.
Yun Yibai was pulled from his meditation.
His eyes snapped open, golden lightning flickering across his pupils for an instant.
The moment their eyes met, the arrogant student flinched — visibly startled.
Two years in the Grand Soul Arena of Heaven Dou City had forged a powerful aura around Yun Yibai — both in presence and pressure — something this kid couldn't possibly match.