It has been three days since the incident.
During these days, Tianlin has been attending classes as usual. Now that his status as the personal disciple of Sword Douluo has become widely known throughout the academy, no one dares to provoke him without reason.
Tianlin is content with this newfound peace. He has no interest in dealing with the unruly young nobles. Instead, he often seeks out the future members of the Emperor Team for sparring.
These seven individuals share Tianlin's dislike for dealing with arrogant and privileged students, so they naturally formed a small group. With Tianlin joining them, they have become a group of eight—or rather, nine, as Gu Ran has also recovered from his injuries and returned.
Back at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Gu Ran had already acknowledged Tianlin as his leader. He had little choice—after all, Tianlin had managed to win over their you miss, Ning Rongrong.
Gu Ran's talent is slightly inferior to that of the seven members of the Emperor Team, but not by much. They accepted him without hesitation, much to Tianlin's surprise. What shocked him even more was Gu Ran's attitude toward Yu Tianheng, the one who had injured him. Not only did Gu Ran bear no resentment, but he even admired Yu Tianheng greatly.
After all, Yu Tianheng had defeated him in a fair fight, without resorting to tricks. Gu Ran was convinced of his loss and understood the importance of being part of a strong group. Following a powerful team would only make him stronger; otherwise, he would eventually fade into obscurity.
Tianlin greatly appreciated this mindset.
After spending some time with Yu Tianheng, Tianlin also discovered that he was a decent person—strong, loyal, and principled. Although Yu Tianheng could be somewhat arrogant, he could back it up. Moreover, his arrogance didn't extend to those of equal status, which is why the other members of the Emperor Team recognized him as their leader.
Most importantly, Yu Tianheng was dedicated. It was said that from the moment he arrived at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he had set his sights on Dugu Yan. Despite his status, which would allow him to have countless women, he rejected all others. Even though Dugu Yan had yet to accept him, he remained faithful, showing no interest in other women. The oft-cited saying, "Dragons are inherently lustful," did not apply to him.
This might have something to do with Dugu Yan's background. Yu Tianheng likely wanted to gain the support of Dugu Bo. Tianlin could understand this, but he could also see that Yu Tianheng's feelings for Dugu Yan were genuine and not purely self-serving. This was in stark contrast to a certain irresponsible lecher from Shrek Academy.
Dugu Yan, the only woman in the original story who remained indifferent to Tang San from beginning to end, spoke the least to Tianlin. She was the quintessential ice queen. However, in Tianlin's opinion, she wouldn't be able to resist Yu Tianheng's advances for much longer.
The turtle brothers, Shimo and Shimo, were the ones Tianlin got along with best. They were straightforward and honest. To them, Tianlin, while talented, was still young. As senior students, it was only natural for them to look after their juniors.
In Tianlin's previous life, people like this were simply called nice guys.
As for Ye Lingling, there was no need to say much. She had helped Tianlin and had a mature personality. Despite Tianlin's combined mental age of nearly thirty, he still felt like a younger brother in her presence.
The two agility systems Soul Masters, Yu Feng and Oslo were interesting as well. Yu Feng was reserved and didn't stand out much, while Oslo was flamboyant, always fussing over his hair.
This was the future Emperor Team. They had already made a pact to participate in the upcoming Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament and win the championship.
Tianlin and Gu Ran's arrival was welcomed by the team. Not only were their talents exceptional, but they also filled gaps in the team's composition.
Originally, the Emperor Team had only one power-attack Soul Master, Yu Tianheng. The addition of Tianlin and Gu Ran significantly enhanced their versatility and compensated for their lack of offensive power.
Even in the original story, Shrek's team prepared four substitutes to deal with the complexity of the tournament. A team of only seven members was simply not enough.
That day, after finishing his morning theory class, Tianlin was about to leave when he noticed something strange. The moment he stood up, the surrounding students instinctively moved away from him, as if frightened.
"What's going on?" Tianlin was utterly confused.
Not only that but as he walked through the academy, every student he encountered avoided him like the plague, as if they had seen a grim reaper.
When he arrived at the training grounds, the only people unafraid of him were the seven members of the Emperor Team.
The twin brothers hurried over to him, visibly anxious. "Xiao Tian, I have to say, your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan is way too ruthless!"
"Ruthless? Senior, what are you talking about?" Tianlin was completely baffled.
"You don't know?" Ye Lingling explained, "Two days ago, Orf and Aldo withdrew from the academy. On their way back to the Barak Kingdom, they were attacked by an unknown assailant. Aldo was gravely injured, and Orf lost his remaining ear. Now, rumors are spreading that this was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's revenge."
Tianlin immediately denied it. "Impossible. Our clan settles grudges on the spot. We would never resort to such underhanded methods."
"I believe you," Yu Tianheng said. "The fact that they weren't killed, and Orf only lost an ear, is proof enough. Whoever did this didn't want to escalate the situation into a full-blown conflict."
"Since the Ao family was in the wrong to begin with and there's no direct evidence linking the attack to your clan, the Barak Kingdom's royal family has chosen to let it go. But…"
"But the seeds of hatred and suspicion have already been planted, haven't they?" Tianlin interjected. "Given the motive and the capability to attack Orf, all fingers point to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. And the fact that his ear was cut off makes it impossible for us to clear our name!"
Tianlin's expression darkened as his mind raced. The timing of the attack, so soon after the incident at the academy, suggested that the perpetrator had immediate access to information about what had happened.
Aside from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, the other suspects included the three academy elders, Dugu Bo, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
However, Tianlin quickly ruled them out. The three elders had no reason to instigate a conflict between the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and the Barak Kingdom. Dugu Bo and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had no interest in meddling in such matters.
"Wait—it's her!" Tianlin quickly identified the culprit: Xue Qinghe, or rather, Qian Renxue.
She had both the motive and the power.
This incident served multiple purposes for her: sowing discord between the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and the Barak Kingdom, tarnishing the clan's reputation in the eyes of Emperor Xue Ye, and isolating Tianlin within the academy.
If Tianlin's guess was correct, she would soon come to check on him. Her concern in his moment of isolation would surely move him, leading him to trust and even feel indebted to her.
Unfortunately for her, Tianlin was far from immature. While his physical age was seven, his mental age was at least twenty-seven.
Tianlin also realized that the Spirit Hall might take further action against the Barak Kingdom's Ao family. In the original story, the first kingdom the Spirit Empire conquered was the Barak Kingdom. Aside from Spirit Hall's overwhelming power, there were likely internal factors at play, such as collaborators.
This allowed Tianlin to retaliate in the future. After all, while the Ao family was powerful, they were merely nobles, not part of the royal family. This distinction provided Tianlin with plenty of opportunities to strike back.