Chapter 105: Abandoned Piece Qin Ming, Mimicry Training Ground
Chen Xin stepped forward, the sword intent around him growing sharper and more cutting.
"More importantly, you don't understand Lin Yuan at all!"
"I've spoken with him. Though he is young, he has already cultivated spear intent!"
"That is an artistic conception that can only be comprehended through life-and-death combat and an extreme understanding of one's own martial soul!"
"For weapon-type martial souls, especially spears and swords, the most important aspect of cultivation is that indomitable momentum! That unbending edge that would rather break than bend!"
"And yet, as his teacher, you actually wanted to 'suppress' that edge?"
"Are you trying to ruin him?!"
"Once you grind down his sharpness, his spear will be crippled as well!"
Those words struck like a great bell tolling in the heavens, making Qin Ming's ears ring.
His face alternated between green and white. He opened his mouth only to realize he could not refute a single word.
Because Chen Xin was right.
He had used the doctrine of moderation meant for ordinary soul masters to guide an attack-type genius who embodied ultimate sharpness.
That in itself was a mistake.
Chen Xin shook his head, disappointment plain in his eyes.
"Reflect on yourself."
"Lin Yuan's temperament is far more mature than you imagine."
"Moreover…" Chen Xin gave Qin Ming a deep look, "The existence behind Lin Yuan may be someone even I… must look up to."
"His guidance is not something a mere Soul King like you needs to worry about."
"And besides…" Chen Xin delivered one final blow precisely to Qin Ming's sore spot.
"The 'genius' you pride yourself on being is nothing special in the eyes of true powerhouses."
"If I remember correctly, your fifth soul ring isn't even ten thousand years old, is it?"
Boom!
The damage wasn't serious, but the humiliation was immense.
Qin Ming's body trembled violently. The last trace of color drained from his face.
To ordinary soul masters, whether the fifth soul ring was a thousand-year or a ten-thousand-year might not seem vastly different.
But in the circle of true top-tier powerhouses—
If the fifth soul ring was not a ten-thousand-year, it meant insufficient talent. Insufficient foundation.
It meant Qin Ming's upper limit would at best reach level ninety-one or ninety-two. He would never touch the threshold of a Super Douluo.
For someone as proud as Qin Ming, that pierced straight into his heart.
If Lin Yuan had been present, he would definitely have marveled at how vicious Chen Xin's tongue could be.
After finishing his lecture, Chen Xin and Ning Fengzhi did not linger in the Education Committee Office.
After learning Lin Yuan's dormitory location from Meng Shenji, the two turned and left.
Silence filled the office.
Meng Shenji looked at their departing figures, then at Qin Ming standing there in a daze, utterly dispirited.
He sighed softly and patted Qin Ming's back.
"Qin Ming…"
"Go rest for a couple of days. Adjust your state."
Qin Ming nodded absentmindedly and walked out of the office.
Watching his slightly hunched back, a complex light flickered in Meng Shenji's seasoned eyes.
"Fifth soul ring is only a thousand years old…"
"Even Sword Douluo must look up to that background…"
Meng Shenji murmured to himself.
Chen Xin's words had not only awakened Qin Ming but also awakened him as well.
He had originally intended to cultivate Qin Ming as the academy's future pillar, gradually allocating significant resources to him. The matter had even been reported to the imperial family.
But now, it seemed Qin Ming's ceiling was already fixed.
And that Lin Yuan was the true hidden dragon in the abyss!
"Perhaps it's time to adjust the academy's resource allocation."
A decision was formed in Meng Shenji's heart.
Compared to a Qin Ming destined never to become a Super Douluo, Lin Yuan possesses a mysterious background, monstrous talent, and close ties to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
He was the true future of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Moreover, Qin Ming had already offended both the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Dugu Bo. There was no longer any need for the imperial family to invest in him.
Clearly, in Meng Shenji's eyes, Qin Ming had already become a discarded pawn.
Dugu Bo's Residence
"Grandfather, Lin Yuan has already been enrolled for so many days. Aren't you going to see him?" Dugu Yan shook Dugu Bo's arm.
Dugu Bo chuckled. "What? Didn't I just send someone to warn Qin Ming?"
Dugu Yan pouted. "That's different. You just said Sect Master Ning and Sword Douluo left the palace and headed toward the academy. They're definitely going to see Lin Yuan."
"Grandfather, aren't you anxious about the poison in your body? Lin Yuan's teacher said back then that Lin Yuan knew how to help us detoxify. That detoxification pill only lasts three years. It's already been nearly two."
"And now that Lin Yuan is here, aren't you curious about who his teacher actually is?"
Dugu Bo paused, then smiled.
"Very well. I'll go to the academy with you."
He truly was somewhat interested in the teacher behind Lin Yuan.
As for why he hadn't sought Lin Yuan earlier about detoxification—
The reason was simple.
Lin Yuan was too young.
Dugu Bo believed Lin Yuan's future achievements would be immeasurable, but at present, he was only eight years old.
Letting an eight-year-old brat detoxify him?
It sounded somewhat laughable.
Still, since his granddaughter insisted, it was time to show himself.
---
Heaven Dou Royal Academy Back Mountain Mimicry Training Ground
This was the academy's core zone, built at enormous expense. It could simulate various extreme environments suited for cultivating different martial souls.
At this moment, Lin Yuan stood within a mimicry environment called "Ancient Battlefield Ruins."
Broken walls surrounded him. Fierce winds howled. The air was thick with a stern, iron-blooded killing aura.
For martial souls with slaughter attributes, this environment was practically paradise.
Lin Yuan gripped the God-Killing Spear, his figure flashing like lightning through the ruins.
Every thrust of his spear was accompanied by a streak of black radiance. Wherever the spear tip passed, even the air tore apart with sharp, explosive sounds.
"Exhilarating!"
Lin Yuan halted and exhaled a long breath of turbid air.
He could feel that cultivating here was rapidly deepening his comprehension of spear intent.
"This Mimicry Training Ground truly has its merits. Whether for simulated combat or meditative cultivation, it's quite excellent."
Just as Lin Yuan was about to practice another set of spear techniques—
A low and respectful voice suddenly echoed directly in his mind.
"My lord."
"Two powerful auras are approaching."
"One carries an intense sword intent. Likely a rank ninety-six Super Douluo."
"The other is weaker but has reached the peak of rank seventy-nine as a Soul Saint."
It was Zhao Yun, hidden in the shadows, delivering his warning.
Lin Yuan's eyes sharpened, then the corners of his lips curved into a knowing smile.
Aside from Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Ning Fengzhi, who else could it be?
He put away the God-Killing Spear, straightened his slightly disheveled clothes, and transmitted back through their connection:
"Zilong, there's no need to be alarmed."
"Old friends have arrived."
—
End of Chapter