Chapter 25: Challenging Yu Tianheng to a Duel

That hidden sleeve arrow was quite the seasoned veteran. Everyone from Yu Xiaogang down to the gatekeeper had been pointed at by it. Li Xun never imagined he would one day receive such a distinct honor.

Knowing exactly where the killing intent originated, Li Xun circulated the chakra within his body, his second martial soul beginning to stir. He possessed hidden weapons of his own.

"Xiao San... let's go..."

Just as the two were about to make a move, Yu Xiaogang's voice rang out. Hearing his teacher’s call, Tang San gave Li Xun a deep, lingering look; had it not been for his concern regarding Qin Ming, he would have struck right then and there.

Watching the master and disciple walk away, Li Xun felt as if seven thousand grass-mud horses were stampeding through his heart. Since transmigrating, he had often teased the duo, but he had never harbored any intention of taking their lives. As for snatching resources? Wasn't that exactly what every transmigrator was supposed to do? Those resources were lying there, currently unclaimed; did everything Tang San was destined to acquire in the future automatically belong to him?

As his cultivation grew higher, contact with Tang San would eventually be unavoidable. Given Tang San's vengeful nature, he had already offended him... It seemed he needed to plan ahead.

"Li Xun, I am not finished with you! Once we return to the academy, I will issue you a challenge to avenge the humiliation you brought upon my uncle!" Just as Li Xun’s thoughts were swirling, Yu Tianheng gritted his teeth, pointed at him, and turned to chase after Yu Xiaogang.

Li Xun felt his knuckles tighten.

"Ahem, Xiao Xun, don't take it to heart. Tianheng was just flustered for a moment. As his teammate, you should try to be understanding," Qin Ming said, sensing the heavy atmosphere and attempting to mediate.

"Teacher, they were the ones who provoked me first," Li Xun replied, casting a calm glance at Qin Ming. "I will wait for him at the academy."

"Xiao Xun..." Qin Ming tried to say something more, but Li Xun ignored him and led Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan back the way they came. Had he not been wary of Tang Hao lurking in the shadows, he would have loved to carve the word "miserable" all over the three of them right then and there.

...

At the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy’s training grounds.

Li Xun had been training here for the past few days. Through his recent exploration, he had gained a deeper understanding of his abilities. As his soul power reached level 23, the plants spawned by his first soul skill, "Birth of the Tree World," had grown to a meter in height, with a thickness comparable to an adult's wrist. While their size hadn't increased significantly, their quantity had more than doubled. Enhanced by his soul power and second soul ring, the original dozens of saplings had grown to over one hundred and fifty. Furthermore, the plants had inherited the resilient properties of the lone bamboo, requiring immense effort to chop down even with an axe.

Most gratifying, however, was the rapid growth brought about by his second soul skill. Previously, his ninjutsu required a two-second growth time for the saplings; now, that had been shortened to one second, and the chakra consumption was lower as well.

"Brother, Yu Tianheng is back. Are you really going to challenge him?" Ning Rongrong hurried over to where Li Xun was practicing.

Li Xun slowly opened his eyes. The reason he had been training here was precisely to wait for Yu Tianheng’s return. The other party’s actions had pushed his patience to the limit. Besides, Li Xun needed someone to test the extent of his synergy between soul skills and ninjutsu. Although he possessed Wood Release, his chakra was still at the Genin level. Yu Tianheng was the perfect candidate.

"When have I ever lied to you?" Li Xun gave Ning Rongrong a gentle flick on the forehead.

"Ouch! I'm just worried about you! Yu Tianheng is already level 29, almost at level 30," Ning Rongrong said, rubbing her head in annoyance. She had only seen Li Xun fight once, and that was against students of his own level. But Yu Tianheng was different—he was a genius of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and rumors said he was a seeded player who could represent the academy in future tournaments. His strength went without saying.

"Do you have so little faith in your big brother's strength?" Li Xun rose slowly and looked toward the perimeter of the field.

Yu Tianheng had reached the edge of the grounds, followed by a crowd of students eager to watch the spectacle. The news of Li Xun’s challenge had already spread. It had started when Qin Ming, failing to dissuade them, sought out the Education Committee member Meng Shenji, hoping to cancel the duel to ensure harmony between the clans and the stability of the team. Unexpectedly, Li Xun didn't even show face to Meng Shenji. Left with no choice, Meng Shenji had urgently contacted Ning Fengzhi. Upon hearing the news, Ning Fengzhi arrived at the academy overnight, but after meeting with Li Xun, he simply stated that his disciple's wishes came first and departed.

There are no secrets in this world, and the actions of two such influential figures were naturally noted by others. After some digging, the truth of the matter had leaked out.

Dugu Yan bypassed Yu Tianheng and quickly approached Li Xun. "Little Brother Li Xun, are you sure about this?" Her feelings were complicated. Yu Tianheng had been pursuing her for the past two years; though she hadn't agreed, she was not entirely indifferent. If things had progressed slowly, they might have had a future. But recent events made her realize that Yu Tianheng’s character wasn't as noble as he had portrayed.

"Don't worry, Yan-jie."

Li Xun nodded at Dugu Yan and walked slowly toward Yu Tianheng. He dared to issue the challenge because he was confident. No matter how strong Yu Tianheng was, he was only a level 29 Great Soul Master; Li Xun could remain invincible relying on ninjutsu alone.

"Anyone want to place a bet?" Seeing that Li Xun and Yu Tianheng were about to clash, Oslo shouted out. His call immediately sparked widespread interest.

"How are the odds?" a grizzled voice asked.

"Yu Tianheng: fourteen years old, level 29 soul master, martial soul Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon—four to one payout. Li Xun: eight years old, just obtained his second soul ring, martial soul Wooden Sculpture—one to two payout," Oslo rattled off quickly.

Meng Shenji looked at Oslo with a faint smile. "Alright, I’ll bet one gold soul coin on Li Xun. Send me my winnings to the Education Committee office later."

"Education Committee? Chief... Meng..." Oslo turned to see who was behind him and jumped in fright. "Chief... I was just joking, heh heh."

"It's fine, I was serious."

Ignoring the crestfallen Oslo, Meng Shenji frowned as he looked at Li Xun and Yu Tianheng. He was against this duel. Both were geniuses of their respective clans, filled with pride; no matter who lost, they would find it difficult to remain peacefully at the academy. For the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, this would be a massive loss.

Yu Tianheng walked slowly until he was ten meters from Li Xun. "I heard you were waiting for me?"

Li Xun nodded. "I've been waiting for many days."

"Heh, what gives you such confidence? Your thousand-year soul ring? Let me tell you a secret: the reason I returned late is because I went to obtain my third soul ring." Yu Tianheng made a mocking gesture of whispering. He admitted that Li Xun’s talent exceeded his own, and the thousand-year soul ring even made him slightly jealous. But even a genius needed time to grow. Today, he would shatter Li Xun’s confidence to curb his growth.

"Oh, that’s great. You’re at level 30 now, so you won't cry when you get beaten, right?"