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"Yan… Yan Yan, you broke through to Soul Ancestor?!"
Qin Ming's voice was filled with unconcealable shock. His pupils shrank as his gaze locked onto Dugu Yan.
His words were like a stone tossed into a calm lake, instantly creating a thousand ripples.
The members of the Royal Battle Team all stared with wide eyes, their faces etched with disbelief.
Even the perpetually composed Ye Lingling showed a look of astonishment.
Yu Tianheng's arm, wrapped around Dugu Yan, stiffened. He looked down at the girl in his embrace, a complex light flashing in his eyes.
"Yan Yan, did you really break through to Soul Ancestor?"
His voice trembled slightly, a mix of surprise and a subtle, hard-to-detect urgency.
Dugu Yan lifted her head, a proud smile gracing her lips, her eyes shining with confidence.
She stepped out of Yu Tianheng's embrace, stood tall, and scanned the crowd. Her voice was light and cheerful. "That's right, I really did break through to Soul Ancestor. And you'd better prepare yourselves for what's next."
Before she finished speaking, four soul rings rose from beneath her feet.
Yellow, yellow, purple, black—the four rings appeared in order, with the last one, a jet-black ten-thousand-year soul ring, radiating a heart-stopping pressure.
"A ten-thousand-year soul ring!" 御风 cried out first, his voice filled with unrestrained shock.
The composed brothers, Shi Mo and Shi Mo, exchanged a look, each seeing the same astonishment in the other's eyes.
Though they were defense-type Soul Masters, they knew exactly how rare and powerful a ten-thousand-year soul ring was.
Oslo stared intently at the soul rings at Dugu Yan's feet, his fists clenching unconsciously as a powerful surge of jealousy welled up inside him.
Qin Ming's expression grew grave.
As the Royal Battle Team's supervising teacher, he knew better than anyone the value of a ten-thousand-year soul ring.
Even he had only managed to barely absorb one for his sixth soul ring.
But Dugu Yan had actually accomplished it with her fourth!
Greed and urgency flashed in Yu Tianheng's eyes.
As a direct disciple of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, he naturally understood the significance of a ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring.
More importantly, Dugu Yan's soul power had advanced at an unbelievable, almost terrifying, rate.
"She must have a secret that not even the three great upper sects know about! If I can get my hands on it, not only will my strength soar in a short time, but I can also use it to solidify my position in the clan. By then, that guy, Yu Tianxin, would no longer be able to compete with me!"
At this thought, a gentle smile appeared on Yu Tianheng's face.
He took Dugu Yan's hand gently and said in a soft voice, "Yan Yan, you're incredible. But how did you do it? Can you tell me? I want to get stronger too, so we can walk this path together for even longer."
Hearing his sweet words, Dugu Yan blushed, her resolve wavering.
But being completely smitten, her hesitation lasted only a moment.
She leaned close to Yu Tianheng's ear and whispered, "Tianheng, this is very important. I can only tell you, and you must promise not to tell anyone else."
Joy flashed in Yu Tianheng's eyes. He quickly nodded and vowed, "Don't worry, I will never tell another soul. This will be our secret."
In his heart, however, his decision was already made.
The moment he learned the secret, he would report it to the elders of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
After all, this concerned his future position as the clan leader!
The other members of the Royal Battle Team were curious, but seeing Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan whispering intimately, they didn't dare to interrupt.
Both of them were backed by a Titled Douluo; they were just small fries who couldn't afford to offend them.
Qin Ming frowned, thinking to himself, "If Dugu Yan truly has a method for rapidly increasing soul power and absorbing ten-thousand-year soul rings, this is a massive opportunity for my alma mater, Shrek Academy. If I can bring this secret back to the academy, Shrek's power will grow immensely, and it will surely make a great name for itself on the continent!"
He was already scheming how he could get the secret from Dugu Yan.
Just as Dugu Yan was about to speak, a loud BOOM erupted from the ceiling of the VIP room.
A huge hole was blasted through the ornate roof, cutting Dugu Yan off.
"Who goes there?!"
Yu Tianheng shot to his feet, his face dark as he glared at the gaping hole above.
His eyes burned with rage as he said coldly, "How dare you break into the Royal Battle Team's VIP room? Are you looking to die?"
However, as the dust in the room settled, a figure slowly descended from the hole in the roof.
Dugu Bo landed, his cold gaze sweeping across everyone before finally resting on Yu Tianheng.
His voice was deep and filled with authority. "Oh? If you think you have what it takes, you're welcome to try."
Before his words faded, the terrifying pressure unique to a Titled Douluo engulfed the entire room.
Yu Tianheng and the others felt their bodies grow heavy as if a great mountain was crushing them, rendering them completely immobile.
The sound of their bones cracking echoed as they were slammed to the ground, their faces instantly turning deathly pale.
Even Qin Ming, a Soul Emperor, was powerless against Dugu Bo's pressure and was pinned to the floor.
He struggled to lift his head and said with a trembling voice, "Your Excellency, Poison Douluo, this is a misunderstanding! They are all Dugu Yan's teammates. Please, show mercy!"
But Dugu Bo's expression remained glacial.
He snorted, undisguised killing intent in his eyes.
He thought to himself, "A misunderstanding? If this old man hadn't arrived in time, Yan Yan would have already leaked the secrets of our school!"
Seeing Yu Tianheng and the others in such agony, Dugu Yan's heart softened.
She rushed to pull on Dugu Bo's sleeve, pleading softly, "Grandpa, please let them go. Tianheng only wants to become stronger; he has no ill intentions."
Dugu Bo looked down at his granddaughter, a flash of disappointment in his eyes.
He sent her a message using his soul power, his tone cold. "Yan Yan, you disappoint me greatly. Do you have any idea that what you were about to do would have gotten both you and me killed?!"
Hearing this, Dugu Yan's face turned white as a sheet.
She lowered her head, her eyes filled with confusion and pain.
Dugu Bo wasted no more words. With a wave of his hand, a powerful surge of soul power sent all the members of the Royal Battle Team flying.
Yu Tianheng and the others crashed heavily into the walls, spitting out mouthfuls of blood, clearly having sustained serious injuries.
"This is just a warning. If there is a next time, I won't mind making you all disappear forever."
After speaking these cold words, Dugu Bo grabbed Dugu Yan and flew away from the VIP room.
Back at Shrek Academy, Dugu Bo's face was still grim.
Dugu Yan stood timidly nearby, her head bowed, not daring to speak.
"Yan Yan, you have disappointed me so much," Dugu Bo sighed, his voice heavy with helplessness.
"If I had been even a step later, the Dugu family would have been history. Did you really think that little brat Yu Tianheng would keep your secret? He's only close to you for the power behind you—for me!"
Dugu Yan felt a sharp pain in her heart.
She looked up, tears glistening in her eyes, and whispered, "Grandpa, Tianheng… he's not that kind of person."
Dugu Bo shook his head, a hint of sorrow in his voice. "You're too young. You don't understand the wickedness of the human heart. I hope you learn your lesson from this."
Just then, Lan Minghua's figure appeared silently beside them.
"Ho, it seems something interesting has happened."
Hearing the familiar voice, Dugu Bo immediately stood up. "Master, this is all my failure as a teacher. If there is to be a punishment, let me bear it in Yan Yan's place."
"Grandpa…" Dugu Yan bit her lip, not realizing how much trouble she had caused.
"Dugu Bo, there's no need to be so tense," Lan Minghua said calmly. "Yan'er is still young; it's natural for her to make mistakes. However, since she trusts Yu Tianheng so much, then let her tell him the secret."
Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan were both stunned.
Lan Minghua picked his nose and continued, "I already considered this when I took Yan'er as my disciple. It doesn't matter if the secrets of the Immortal Herbs and the Ice Silkworm get out."
Dugu Bo instantly understood Lan Minghua's intention and nodded without another word.
Dugu Yan, however, bit her lip, a flicker of determination in her eyes.
Blinded by love, she still believed that Yu Tianheng would never betray her for the sake of his family's interests.
Seeing this, Lan Minghua merely smiled faintly.
(End of Chapter)