Chapter 161: Battle Against Tianshui Academy
Under the corrosion of the soul threads, the light within Shi Nian's soul slowly faded, though a faint smile lingered on his face.
He had studied illusionary spiritual realms for years without ever understanding their true nature—until now. At last, he saw it clearly: those intricate soul threads were the very medium that birthed the illusion. Unfortunately, he'd realized it too late.
In just a few seconds, Luo Ling completed the invasion of Shi Nian's soul. He mercilessly penetrated into the man's consciousness.
Amid a final, piercing scream, Shi Nian's every secret unfolded before Luo Ling—his research on the Seven-in-One Fusion Technique, his work on the Broken Dream martial spirit.
After skimming through the knowledge, Luo Ling's expression dimmed in disappointment.
Because Shi Nian couldn't see the soul threads, his research was limited to his martial spirit's own abilities—of little value to Luo Ling.
Retracting the invasion, Luo Ling swung his scythe casually, slitting Shi Nian's throat. The old man, already mentally and physically drained, fell lifeless in an instant.
With a wave of dark energy, Luo Ling's corrupt power melted the body into a pool of blood, from which a shimmering, seven-colored spirit bone surfaced.
A left arm bone. Luo Ling glanced at it briefly, then calmly stored it in his soul guide.
It wasn't even worth his interest.
…
After returning to Heaven Dou City, Luo Ling went straight to the Great Spirit Arena.
The match between Heaven Dou Royal Academy and Tianshui Academy was about to begin.
Thankfully, he hadn't missed it.
When team leader Sun Buyu saw Luo Ling arrive, he paused in surprise. The young man had skipped nearly every match so far.
The other Heaven Dou members exchanged looks of curiosity and amusement.
Shi Mo grinned knowingly. "Luo Ling, are you joining today's match? Our opponents are from Tianshui Academy—nothing but beautiful girls!"
Standing nearby, Dugu Yan shot him a glare, ready to retort, only to hear Luo Ling answer calmly, "Yes. I want to see Tianshui Academy's strength. I've heard they're an all-female team."
The other teammates were caught off guard.
Luo Ling made no attempt to hide his motives—he was there to see beautiful women, plain and simple.
Shi Mo chuckled. "Looks like we're men of similar taste!"
Luo Ling's appearance drew immediate attention from the crowd. Though he'd only fought twice in over twenty rounds, his performances had left a deep impression.
In the distance, within Tianshui Academy's rest area, a young girl with a delicate oval face gazed toward him with admiration.
It was Shui Yue'er, younger sister of Tianshui's captain, Shui Bing'er.
Twisting a strand of her wavy, aqua-blue hair between her fingers, she said excitedly, "Look! Luo Ling from Heaven Dou Royal Academy showed up!"
Her words drew all of Tianshui's girls to glance toward Heaven Dou's area.
"It's really him!" exclaimed another girl with short, sapphire-blue hair.
Shui Yue'er's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "Do you think he came to watch our match? Or… will he actually be fighting today?"
"Fighting? You idiot! Yue'er, can you stop swooning for five seconds? Are you even part of Tianshui Academy?" scolded a voice beside her.
The speaker was a young woman who looked surprisingly similar to her—long, ice-blue hair cascading down her back, elegant and beautiful, her fair skin and cool expression giving her an almost ethereal charm.
It was Shui Bing'er, her elder sister.
"Big Sis, don't pinch! That hurts!" Yue'er winced, pouting.
"Good. If it hurts, remember it next time," Shui Bing'er sighed, releasing her grip. Her gaze, too, drifted toward Luo Ling.
Even she had to admit that Luo Ling was remarkable—not just his overwhelming strength, but also his near-perfect appearance.
Silver hair, crimson eyes, and a refined, noble temperament. And he was the only Soul King competing in the tournament. His appeal to the female spectators was undeniable.
It wasn't just Yue'er—most of the team members harbored some level of admiration for him.
"Alright, enough daydreaming! Don't let a handsome face distract you. If Luo Ling really enters the match, that's bad news for us," Shui Bing'er said sternly, scanning her team with exasperation.
"Luo Ling's a Soul King. He's only fought twice, but we already know his scythe spirit is devastatingly powerful. He can also grant flight to his teammates, and his spiritual power is unusually high. Against him, our odds are slim."
"Our only real chance lies in our trump card—the Martial Spirit Fusion Skill. We'll have to use it unexpectedly before he figures it out. That's when we can turn the tables."
After a moment of thought, Shui Yue'er asked softly, "Do we really have to beat Luo Ling, Sis? Our points are already enough to advance…"
Her sister's eyes narrowed sharply before she rapped her knuckles against Yue'er's head. "What nonsense! This is a tournament—you fight every battle with everything you've got!"
Yue'er clutched her head, grumbling under her breath, clearly ignoring the lecture.
Shui Bing'er sighed. "Yue'er, think about it. Our academy is composed entirely of female students. We already stand out in the eyes of others. Don't you want to prove that we're more than just pretty faces?"
She smiled faintly and added, "If we manage to defeat the Royal Academy, Luo Ling will definitely remember us."
Her tone carried a hint of playful persuasion—and it worked. Yue'er's eyes gleamed with excitement, and even the other girls looked suddenly more motivated.
Shui Bing'er blinked in surprise. She had only meant it as a joke but hadn't expected such an effect.
Apparently, Luo Ling's charm on women truly knew no bounds.
After all, every Tianshui girl was a beauty in her own right—and yet, here they were, blushing over one man.
Though Luo Ling couldn't hear their conversation clearly, his heightened senses picked up the faint excitement among the group—and the telltale gazes directed toward him.
Their warmth didn't escape his perception.
Dugu Yan, watching this unfold beside him, puffed her cheeks in annoyance. She crossed her arms and told Sun Buyu, "I'm joining this match too!"
The original plan had been for Shi Mo to fight, but seeing her expression, he immediately stepped back in silence.
Sun Buyu didn't object, and thus the lineup for the match was officially decided.
(END CHAPTER)
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