A few days later, early morning, at the back mountain of Blue Tyrant Academy.
"Can't find the feeling?" Yu Xiaogang's voice sounded across the lush, Blue Silver Grass–covered field.
"Teacher, why are you up so early today?" Tang San, seated on the ground, opened his eyes and greeted.
Yu Xiaogang gave a faint smile.
"I observed your cultivation yesterday. Distraction Control really isn't easy to train. Without perseverance and determination, it's nearly impossible to succeed—especially in the entry stage. But once you break through that first step, it actually becomes much easier afterward. Don't rush to control. What you must do first is sense."
Hearing this, Tang San felt he had grasped a faint trace of something. He quickly closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing, and emptied his mind. Gradually, the world around him seemed to grow quiet.
The fresh fragrance of plants became clear, insects chirped in his ears, and the breeze across his skin carried a touch of coolness.
But the feeling slipped away in moments. He could sense all these things clearly, yet the awareness was fleeting. Such short impressions could not let him truly perceive the world around him.
"Your Martial Soul can enhance all your attributes, including perception," Yu Xiaogang's voice reminded.
Tang San's body shook. He quickly summoned his Martial Soul. In that instant, his perception grew sharper. As three Blue Silver Grass strands extended outward, his consciousness spread, and he felt waves of warmth and intimacy radiating from the surrounding Blue Silver Grass.
It was as if they were speaking to him.
'What is this?' Tang San was confused, but he forced himself to focus on it.
The three Blue Silver Grass strands unconsciously reached toward others around them, trying to answer this inexplicable intimacy through touch.
"Success?" Yu Xiaogang's eyes brightened as he saw the three strands extend together.
But Tang San felt differently. Though the intimacy persisted, he couldn't establish a clear connection. The constant flow of vague emotions soon grew overwhelming.
Finally, he shook his head, and the feeling dissipated.
"Xiao San, looks like you've already glimpsed the path," Yu Xiaogang said with a small smile. "Still rough, but it's a good start."
Tang San looked up, surprised. The three strands of Blue Silver Grass had unknowingly stretched ahead and wound around three of the tallest Blue Silver Grass stalks.
His face froze, then lit with joy.
Though he didn't fully understand, he had unknowingly achieved the simplest level of dividing his mind three ways.
"Seems I've found the feeling," Tang San said with a smile.
Yu Xiaogang nodded, smiling. "Good. Stay here and practice. I won't disturb you further."
"Mm." Tang San nodded, watching his teacher leave before clearing his thoughts and sinking back into cultivation.
But soon his brows furrowed again. He opened his eyes.
"What's going on? Why can't I actively control it?" Tang San muttered in confusion. He realized that once he tried to actively manipulate the strands, he could no longer control three at once.
After thinking, he moved to a patch of ground with few Blue Silver Grass stalks to experiment.
But the intimacy vanished entirely.
'So it only works where there's a lot of Blue Silver Grass…' He recalled what Yu Xiaogang had said about Yang Yunhai's evolved Martial Soul granting him a perception ability that could communicate with Blue Silver Grass.
'So Yang Yunhai's Martial Soul level is already far above mine?'
Unbidden, the memory of his crushing defeat in the Soul Arena resurfaced. His fists clenched in unwillingness.
'Why? Why was the rare treasure given to Yang Yunhai and not me?' His gaze burned with indignation as he lifted his head to the sky.
'Heaven is so unfair!'
After a long time, he lowered his head again, forcing his emotions down.
'So what if his Martial Soul evolved? I have twin Martial Souls! This humiliation, and the grudge of Xiao Wu being hurt, I will repay one day!'
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang had sought out Qin Ming, under the pretense of discussing training, to ask how the Heaven Dou Royal Academy once trained their team.
Now appointed by Flender as Yu Xiaogang's assistant, Qin Ming answered truthfully.
As they talked, tap tap tap—Flender strode in, raising a brow. "Xiaogang, your nephew Yu Tianheng has come to see you."
Yu Xiaogang's eyes flickered. He stood slowly. "I'll meet him."
"Uncle, I want to speak with you alone." Yu Tianheng said the moment they met.
"Alright." Yu Xiaogang nodded, leading him into a room.
Once seated, Yu Tianheng's expression dimmed. "Uncle, I broke up with Dugu Yan."
Yu Xiaogang said nothing. He simply poured tea and pushed a cup toward his nephew, waiting.
Yu Tianheng drank it down, then, as if finding a confidant, poured out everything—the breakup, reporting Yang Yunhai's treasure to the clan, writing to request a soul bone, telling Yu Xiaogang about Yang Yunhai in Suotuo City, and how Dugu Yan eventually chose to leave him.
When he finished, he looked up at Yu Xiaogang's calm face. "Uncle, did I really do wrong?"
Yu Xiaogang shook his head slightly.
"No, Tianheng, you didn't do wrong."
"From the family's standpoint, everything you did was for its benefit. As a direct heir of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, that is your duty."
"And from the standpoint of feelings, Tianheng, remember this—there's only one bond in this world that cannot be chosen: blood kin."
"If you can't trust your own blood, then who else could you possibly trust?"
"Of course, from Dugu Yan's view, she wasn't wrong either. She was thinking of her team, and for you as well." Yu Xiaogang sighed. "The real mistake was mine. As Shrek's team leader, I shouldn't have approached you then. My sudden arrival created the misunderstanding that led you here."
"Uncle, please don't say that!" Yu Tianheng quickly objected. "It was between me and Yan Yan. If there's blame, it's mine. I failed her, made her lose hope in me, and left a shadow."
"Tianheng, don't blame yourself too much," Yu Xiaogang said gently. "Neither of you were truly wrong. In the end, it's just fate. If fate brings you together, all is well. If it doesn't, then forcing it is useless."
"Since it cannot be salvaged, let it go. Start anew instead of clinging to pain."
"Mm." Yu Tianheng nodded, then took a deep breath and fixed his gaze on Yu Xiaogang.
"Uncle, I want to join your team and train under you."
"You're certain?" Yu Xiaogang asked calmly.
"Yes." Yu Tianheng nodded firmly. "This academy was founded by Aunt Erlong. That already connects it to our clan. If you lead the team to a good result in the Soul Master Tournament, the clan will surely see you differently. With Grandfather's help, you and Aunt Erlong might even return. Uncle, I want to help you."
Yu Xiaogang fell silent, then said evenly, "I did not come here to return to the clan."
"You may join and train under me. But as for rejoining the clan—never mention it again."
A trace of sadness crossed Yu Tianheng's face, but he still nodded. "I understand, Uncle."
"Mm." Yu Xiaogang nodded slightly.
"Then I'll return to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy to withdraw formally. I'll come in the afternoon," Yu Tianheng said.
Yu Xiaogang simply nodded.
Not long after, Flender walked in, raising a brow. "How did it go?"
"Tianheng will join us this afternoon," Yu Xiaogang said with a nod.
"As expected of you!" Flender grinned, then straightened his face. "Of course, some credit goes to me."
Yu Xiaogang ignored him. "I still have things to do." He stood and left.
That afternoon, in the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Education Committee office—
"What? Tianheng, you're withdrawing?" Meng Shenji's face changed. "Why?"
"For personal reasons," Yu Tianheng bowed slightly. "Thank you, elders, for your care these past months. I've already explained things to the team. I'll be leaving shortly."
Meng Shenji's expression shifted, but since Yu Tianheng had made his decision, he could only agree.
"Clearly he's already found another academy," Zhi Lin said with a frown once Yu Tianheng had gone. "Otherwise, he wouldn't leave so suddenly. Most likely, like Qin Ming, he's gone to Shrek. After all, Yu Xiaogang is his uncle, and their team just happens to need another member."
Bai Baoshan's face darkened. "We nurtured him with so much effort, and now someone else reaps the fruit."
"Let him go," Meng Shenji sighed. "He is, after all, a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan member. What truly pains me is Qin Ming. We invested so many resources in him, cultivated him for years, and he left as well. To be honest, I am upset."
He still remembered personally helping Qin Ming obtain his 6th soul ring.
"Old Meng, don't worry too much," Zhi Lin said. "Don't forget—Xiao Hai and Yan Yan are still with us."
At that, Meng Shenji's mood eased. He recalled how he had promised to conceal Yang Yunhai's thunder attribute, keeping it even from Qin Ming. In hindsight, that had been very wise. A faint smile came. "True. With Xiao Hai, our first team won't fall behind. Once he returns, I'll hand over full authority to him."
"As for the new leader, my son will serve as his assistant. The Soul Master Tournament is coming. We must ensure no information leaks."
"But with Qin Ming and Yu Tianheng both going to Shrek, much about our team may already be exposed."
"At least it reminds us to be careful," Zhi Lin sighed.
Meng Shenji nodded. "We'll speak with Xiao Hai once he's back. I'll discuss the team's future with him directly."
Several days later, at Blue Tyrant Academy. After team training, Tang San turned to Yu Tianheng.
"Senior Tianheng, could you tell me more about Yang Yunhai?"
He had practiced for days, but still couldn't reach Yang Yunhai's level. Things like weaving vine armor or branching extensions had progressed a little, but the results were crude and impractical. With Yu Tianheng here, he hoped to learn more details.
"We're teammates. Of course I can." Yu Tianheng agreed without hesitation.
Ning Rongrong stayed silent, simply listening.
(End of Chapter)
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