Chapter 72: Lightning Palm and Compassion
A month passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the monthly holiday for Heaven Dou Royal Academy arrived.
Dugu Yan packed her things, left the academy, and returned to the estate in Heaven Dou City where she lived with her grandfather, Dugu Bo.
This past month had felt far more interesting to her than before.
The arrival of Lin Mo and Ye Lingling in her class had indeed brought a lot of freshness. Even the atmosphere during their usual training had become more lively.
However, during this past month, the most depressed person in class was probably Yu Tianheng.
It all began on the day of the entrance assessment.
After Yu Tianheng and Graphite lost a two on one match to Lin Mo, Yu Tianheng was far from convinced. He always felt that he had simply been careless at the start, fallen into Lin Mo's trap, and suffered a loss because of it.
So 2 days later, after making sure he had adjusted himself to his best state, he sought Lin Mo out for another private spar.
The result, naturally, was another loss.
After that defeat, Yu Tianheng was almost ready to accept reality. He had already realized that he truly could not beat Lin Mo, who was much younger than him.
But what he had not expected was that, before he could fully recover from that blow, Lin Mo actually took the initiative to seek him out several times in a row for more sparring matches.
At first, Yu Tianheng refused.
What a joke. If he already knew he could not win, why would he keep walking into a beating? He was not some kind of masochist.
But in order to persuade him, Lin Mo even took the initiative to impose restrictions on himself, saying that Charmander would only use its second Spirit Ability, the one that greatly boosted its own strength, a single time during the spar.
Hearing that, Yu Tianheng quickly did the math in his head.
If Charmander could only enhance itself once, then although it would still be very strong, he should at least be able to fight it to a draw, or perhaps even gain a slight advantage after activating his third Spirit Ability, Thunderous Fury.
After all, his spirit power Rank was there for all to see. The 100% increase in lightning power and 50% increase in spirit power granted by his third Spirit Ability was no joke.
Thinking it through, it really did seem like a fight he could manage.
And with his competitive streak running deep in his bones, plus the thought that such battles might give him a chance to break through his cultivation Bottleneck, he reluctantly agreed.
Once he agreed, there was no turning back.
For the next 20 odd days, as long as training class ended early or there was any free time at all, Lin Mo would appear on time and drag Yu Tianheng to the sparring field.
It was not that Yu Tianheng had never thought of refusing again, but first, he had been the one who initially sought Lin Mo out for a rematch, and Lin Mo had agreed without hesitation back then.
Second, every time he showed even a trace of unwillingness, the look in Lin Mo's eyes would start to suggest something very much like, "You are not scared, are you?"
That made Yu Tianheng feel so stifled that he could not bring himself to refuse.
Of course, the most important reason was that Yu Tianheng could clearly feel that, after these intense battles where he had to fight with everything he had, his spirit power cultivation did indeed become slightly faster than usual.
With such a clear benefit right in front of him, he was both too embarrassed and too unwilling to reject it outright.
So, during those 20 odd days, he had half willingly become the regular sparring partner for Lin Mo and Charmander.
Inside the Dugu Residence, everything was quiet.
Dugu Bo was in his study sorting through some medicinal herbs when he suddenly sensed something. A smile immediately appeared on his face.
With a flicker, his figure vanished from the spot.
The next moment, he appeared directly in front of Dugu Yan, who had just stepped through the main gate.
"Yanyan, you are back!" Dugu Bo looked at his granddaughter, his face full of affection.
Usually, his temperament was solitary and eccentric. Only in front of his granddaughter would he show such a side.
"Grandpa."
A smile also appeared on Dugu Yan's face when she saw him.
The grandfather and granddaughter chatted as they walked into the house.
Dugu Bo looked her over and asked with concern, "How was this month at the academy? Have you adjusted well? Did anything interesting happen?"
Dugu Yan thought for a moment. She first shook her head, then nodded.
"Most of the time, it was the same as before. Classes and training."
"But 2 very interesting newcomers joined our class."
"Oh?" Dugu Bo raised a brow, instantly becoming interested.
He knew his granddaughter's temperament well. There were not many people who could make her feel they were interesting enough to mention.
"Tell me. What is so interesting about them?"
"The newcomers are a boy and a girl," Dugu Yan said. "The girl is called Ye Lingling. She is the successor of this generation's Nine Heart Begonia, and she is about my age. Her spirit power is already Rank 28."
"Nine Heart Begonia?" Dugu Bo nodded slightly. "That Martial Soul is indeed extraordinary. It is just a pity that only one successor can appear in each generation."
"That old fellow from the Ye Family is fortunate to have an heir."
He paused, clearly more interested in the other person.
"What about the boy?"
"That boy..." Dugu Yan paused for a moment, as if organizing her words. "His strength is somewhat terrifying."
"During the entrance assessment, with a cultivation of Rank 29, he easily defeated Yu Tianheng and Graphite working together."
"Hm?" The relaxed expression on Dugu Bo's face tightened slightly. "Yu Tianheng?"
"That is the brat the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan shoved into your academy, right? I remember he already broke through Rank 30 and became a Spirit Elder."
"Yes." Dugu Yan nodded with certainty. "Even with the advantage in cultivation, the two of them still lost to him alone, and they lost... without any suspense."
Hearing that, Dugu Bo's interest deepened even further.
Being able to defeat someone of a higher Rank, especially a Spirit Elder with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit, meant this was no ordinary genius.
But what Dugu Yan said next was what truly shocked him.
"Grandpa, compared to his cultivation and battle record, his actual age is even more unbelievable."
Dugu Yan looked at Dugu Bo and said each word clearly, "His name is Lin Mo, and he is only 9 and a half years old this year."
"A Rank 29 Spirit Grandmaster at 9 and a half?!"
Dugu Bo's pupils contracted slightly, and a look of genuine shock appeared on his face.
Even with his experience and composure, he could not help but be shaken by that combination of age and cultivation.
That kind of talent was not just beyond expectation. It was downright monstrous.
He had lived most of his life and had never heard of any force producing a genius of this level.
Not even the other families and clans among the Upper Three Clans could be an exception to that.
However, what Dugu Yan did not tell her grandfather was this:
During this past month, she had clearly noticed that Lin Mo's gaze would always sweep over her now and then, intentionally or otherwise.
That gaze was strange.
It was not like Yu Tianheng's or the looks of other boys, filled with admiration or affection.
What that look carried instead was more like... compassion and pity, something she could not quite understand.
It was as though he were looking at something deserving of sympathy, and that made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
She, Dugu Yan, did not need anyone's compassion or pity.
.....
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