About ten days had passed since Chen Yuan parted ways with Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan.
During these ten days, Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan had traveled to the Star Luo Empire. With the help of the Lovesick Heart-Rending Red, they successfully obtained the inheritance of the Po Clan from Yang Wudi.
For a family that had been refining medicine and poison for generations, the sight of a genuine immortal herb was beyond exciting. Therefore, when Dugu Bo proposed purchasing their family's records on immortal herbs, Yang Wudi didn't charge a single coin. Instead, he allowed Dugu Yan to copy all of their inherited knowledge.
Yang Wudi didn't want to taint the preciousness of immortal herbs with something as mundane as money. Immortal herbs were priceless treasures.
At the foot of the mountain near Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan had returned. Dugu Bo looked in high spirits. He had been detoxifying for ten consecutive days, and a portion of the toxins in his body had been expelled. Naturally, he felt better than ever.
Dugu Yan then spoke up, "Grandpa, you can stop here. I'll head back to the academy first to let Chen Yuan know the results of our trip and to collect some fresh blood. Also, I need to inform the academy. After all, I'm the vice-captain of the Heaven Dou Royal Team, and I've been absent for so long without notice. I need to report back."
Hearing this, Dugu Bo replied with a strong and confident tone, "Yanyan, in the past, I couldn't personally teach you due to my condition. But now that my health is improving, I'll have time to guide you myself. I think you should just quit being the vice-captain of the team. It's a waste of your time."
"In this Heaven Dou Royal Academy, I don't believe there's any teacher who can teach you better than I can. With the inheritance of the Dugu family and the Po Clan, your achievements will surpass mine."
Dugu Yan thought for a moment. Although she was tempted, she still had friends in the team and wanted to see things through until the end of the Spirit Master Tournament. She shook her head and said, "Grandpa, let's wait a bit longer. Once the Spirit Master Tournament is over, I'll focus on learning from you."
Dugu Bo didn't press further. His granddaughter had grown up and had her own thoughts. He respected that. He simply said, "Alright, I'll take my leave now."
After speaking, Dugu Bo soared into the sky and quickly disappeared into the horizon.
As for Dugu Yan, after returning to the academy, her first stop was Chen Yuan's residence. However, at that moment, Chen Yuan, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing were all cultivating in the simulated training environment.
Dugu Yan didn't find anyone, but she didn't leave immediately. Instead, she waited in the courtyard.
Not long after, before Chen Yuan returned, the Heaven Dou Royal Team—Yu Tianheng, Yu Feng, Osler, Shi Mo, Shi Grind, and Ye Lingling—arrived. Upon hearing that Dugu Yan had returned, they immediately came to find her.
When Yu Tianheng saw Dugu Yan, a stiff smile appeared on his face, and he spoke with concern, "Yanzi, you're finally back. Why were you gone for so long this time? We were all very worried about you."
Dugu Yan was still friendly with her teammates and explained, "I accompanied my grandfather on a trip to the Star Luo Empire. We just returned today. Thank you for your concern."
After a brief pause, she added, "By the way, Yu Tianheng, don't call me so intimately from now on. I'm afraid Chen Yuan might misunderstand."
Boom!
It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck Yu Tianheng. He froze, feeling an urge to roar at the heavens.
The other members of the Heaven Dou Royal Team exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of surprise and amusement. Yu Tianheng was the captain, and Dugu Yan was the vice-captain. They had hoped the two would get together, but since that wasn't happening, they didn't want to take sides. Still, the drama was delicious.
Yu Tianheng's face turned grim as he stared at Dugu Yan, stammering, "Yanzi, what do you mean by that?"
Dugu Yan calmly explained, "Exactly what I said. I'm afraid he might misunderstand. Chen Yuan and I are together now. Whatever feelings you had for me, you should let them go. I don't have feelings for you, and we'll never be together."
"Why?" Yu Tianheng's mind went blank, and his eyes turned red as he nearly shouted, "Yanzi, I won't deny that Chen Yuan is exceptional, but he's surrounded by women—Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing. Why would you fall for him too?"
Why? Dugu Yan pondered the question. Perhaps it was because of Chen Yuan's determination when he consumed the Ice and Fire Immortal Herbs and jumped into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Or maybe it was his generosity in giving her an external spirit bone comparable to a 100,000-year spirit bone without hesitation. Or perhaps it was the awe she felt when they first met. In any case, she liked him, and that was that.
Dugu Yan didn't explain further. Instead, she continued to reject him, "Yu Tianheng, I never agreed to your pursuit. Now that I have someone I like, I'm not stringing you along either. If you keep纠缠, things will get ugly."
Yu Tianheng was breathing heavily. He had always been the strongest among his peers, so he wanted the woman he chose to be the best as well. Dugu Yan was the woman he had set his sights on, and now she was rejecting him. How could he accept this?
At that moment, a voice interrupted, "What's going on today? Why are there so many people here?"
It was Chen Yuan. He, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing had finished their training and returned to rest, only to find a crowd gathered.
Suddenly, Yu Tianheng turned around, his face twisted with rage. In an instant, he activated his martial soul and charged at Chen Yuan, roaring, "You bastard! You already have so many women. Why are you seducing the one I want?"
Yu Tianheng's attack was sudden and swift. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Chen Yuan, his dragonized right arm wrapped in violent blue-purple lightning. He threw a punch at Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan reacted quickly, raising his right hand and easily catching the furious punch. Thanks to his Ice and Fire tempered body and the absorption of a 10,000-year spirit ring, Chen Yuan could handle Yu Tianheng with one hand without even using his martial soul.
"Senior, what are you doing? This isn't the place for a fight…"
Realizing his attack was ineffective and hearing Chen Yuan's calm voice, Yu Tianheng let out a roar and activated his third spirit skill, Thunder's Fury, increasing his thunder power by 100%.
Crackling blue-purple lightning spread from Yu Tianheng's arm toward Chen Yuan, carrying a destructive force. Yu Tianheng was intent on killing.
Within Chen Yuan's body, every muscle, organ, and tissue emitted a faint golden light, blocking at least half of the lightning. However, the remaining half still tried to wreak havoc on his body.
Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow. This was a good opportunity to test his recent insights. A dark glint appeared in his eyes, and his hair floated without wind as his aura turned eerie. The Dragon Pearl in his dantian released a surge of dark energy, devouring all the invading lightning.
After being devoured and refined, the foreign energy was converted into Chen Yuan's own spirit power. Although the increase was minimal, it was better than nothing.
This was Chen Yuan's realization—foreign energies like lightning, fire, and others could be devoured by dark energy. However, light energy was an exception, as it would only cancel out the dark energy.
Without the lightning, Yu Tianheng's strength was no match for Chen Yuan. As Chen Yuan gradually increased the pressure, Yu Tianheng's body tilted uncontrollably to one side.
Bang!
Chen Yuan kicked out, sending Yu Tianheng flying. He landed heavily on the ground and rolled more than ten meters away.
The difference in strength was on a completely different level…
(End of Chapter)
Word Count : 1,384
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