These words were like a harsh slap to Yu Tianheng's face.
Yu Tianheng's expression instantly became extremely ugly, the veins on his forehead bulging.
Watching the intimate posture between the two, his mental state completely collapsed.
"Yan Yan!"
"You know how I feel about you!"
"Our families are well-matched, and I am the heir to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. We are a match made in heaven!"
Yu Tianheng pointed at Lin Yuan and roared hoarsely, "Why won't you give me a chance?"
"Or are you saying you really like this new kid?"
"In what way am I inferior to him? In terms of family background, strength, or my feelings for you, where did I lose to him?!"
Facing Yu Tianheng's hysteria,
Dugu Yan only spared him a faint glance and said without a second thought:
"Reasons?"
"He's handsome."
"He's strong."
"His talent is better than yours."
"And, he understands me."
"Are those reasons enough?"
"Heh..."
Yu Tianheng laughed out of pure anger, a somewhat hideous laugh.
"He's strong?!"
"Yan Yan, have you lost your mind?"
"How could a Spirit Grandmaster who just entered the academy be stronger than me?"
"I am currently a Level 31 Spirit Elder! And I possess the number one Beast Spirit in the world!"
Yu Tianheng's face was full of indignation and superiority.
In his view, Lin Yuan was only Level 20 before he left; even if he had some fortuitous encounter this month, he'd be a Level 20-something Spirit Grandmaster at most.
Comparing that to him, a Level 31 Spirit Elder?
That was like an ant trying to shake a giant tree!
Dugu Yan looked at the overconfident Yu Tianheng, her gaze turning somewhat strange.
He's fourteen years old and only Level 31, what's there to be proud of?
She was thirteen now and already Level 38.
"He really is stronger than you."
"And not just by a little bit."
"You!!"
Yu Tianheng felt deeply insulted.
He whipped his head around, staring fixedly at the silent Lin Yuan, his eyes a mix of Battle Intent and fury: "Lin Yuan!"
"Since Yan Yan thinks so highly of you, do you dare to step forward like a man?"
"Let's have a match!"
"If you lose, then get the hell away!"
"Stay away from Yan Yan from now on!"
"Do you dare?!"
Hearing this, Lin Yuan smiled and shook his head.
"Senior Yu Tianheng, first, let me correct you on one point."
"A fair maiden is a good match for a gentleman; there's nothing wrong with that."
"However..."
Lin Yuan's tone suddenly turned cold, carrying a heart-palpitating sense of pressure: "The way you look right now, exasperated and desperate, is truly ugly."
"Moreover, in your eyes, is Sister Yanyan an object that can be traded at will?"
"Is she a gambling chip?"
"Leave her if you lose?"
"By what right do you make decisions for her? What qualification do you have to treat her as part of a bet?"
"Is this what you call liking someone?"
"In my view, this is nothing more than your ridiculous possessiveness and self-righteous arrogance!"
Every word hit home.
The surrounding onlookers, Yu Feng and Oscar, put away their playful expressions and looked at Lin Yuan with surprise.
This kid's tongue... is so sharp!
And he's making so much sense!
Sure enough, hearing Lin Yuan's words, Dugu Yan's face instantly went cold, her gaze toward Yu Tianheng filled with disgust.
"Yu Tianheng!"
"Lin Yuan is right!"
"I am not your bet! Nor am I your private property!"
"This mindset of yours truly makes me sick!"
Yu Tianheng's face turned pale instantly, and he waved his hands in a flustered explanation:
"No... that's not it!"
"Yan Yan, let me explain! I didn't mean it that way!"
"I just... I just wanted to prove myself!"
"I wanted you to know that only the strong are worthy of you!"
However, Dugu Yan didn't want to hear his explanations at all.
She turned her head and winked at Lin Yuan, her gaze carrying a hint of cunning, a hint of charm, and a hint of expectation.
"Brother Lin Yuan."
"Since someone is insisting on offering their face for you to slap,"
"then you should grant his wish."
Dugu Yan leaned into Lin Yuan's ear, her breath like orchids: "As long as you win, Sister will give you a special reward~"
"The kind that's even better... than last time."
He originally had no interest in teaching Yu Tianheng a lesson, but as soon as he heard there was a reward, Lin Yuan was suddenly wide awake.
"Then I shall respectfully obey."
Saying so, Lin Yuan looked around and pointed to the spacious open ground: "Let's do it right here. Have the other students step back a bit so they don't get hurt accidentally."
Hearing this, a flash of joy appeared in Yu Tianheng's eyes.
"Good! You've got guts!"
"Lin Yuan, you brought this on yourself. When you lose later, don't go crying to Senior Dugu!"
Just as both sides' spirit power surged and a great battle was about to break out,
"Stop!"
An old but vigorous voice suddenly came from not far away, accompanied by a gentle yet irresistible surge of spirit power that instantly separated the aura between the two.
Everyone looked toward the source of the voice.
They saw three elders dressed in luxurious robes walking over quickly.
The one in the lead, with a thin build, was the Chief Committee Member Meng Shenji.
Behind him were the second-ranking Bai Baoshan, who was as fat as a mountain, and the third-ranking Zhilin, who had a reserved aura.
"Greetings, Committee Members!"
The students watching the commotion quickly bowed respectfully, and the originally noisy crowd instantly fell silent.
"Why are the three Committee Members here?"
"Now things are getting interesting. I wonder which side the committee will favor?"
The students whispered among themselves.
Meng Shenji looked at the confronting Lin Yuan and Yu Tianheng, his brow slightly furrowed, but a sharp glint flashed deep in his eyes.
How efficient was their intelligence network?
The moment the three of Lin Yuan's group stepped through the academy gates, they had received the news.
They had originally intended to come and greet this "precious treasure" of the academy to see what he had gained from his month of outside cultivation.
They hadn't expected to hear halfway there that Lin Yuan and Yu Tianheng had come into conflict over Dugu Yan.
"These three little fellows..."
Meng Shenji also felt a headache coming on.
The identities of these three were each more intimidating than the last.
Especially Dugu Yan and Yu Tianheng; their status in the academy was basically equivalent to a princess and a prince.
The former was Dugu Bo's granddaughter.
The latter was Yu Yuanzhen's grandson and the current primary direct heir.
And what about Lin Yuan?
He had close personal ties with the people of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and Dugu Bo. In terms of status, he was definitely not inferior to Yu Tianheng.
And that was only what Lin Yuan had shown so far. Meng Shenji had also heard rumors that Lin Yuan had a mysterious, powerful Master whom even Chen Xin didn't know.
The three Committee Members' information was outdated; Chen Xin now knew who Lin Yuan's Master was, but the three of them still didn't.
Both sides were precious; it would be hard to remain impartial!
"What is going on?"
Meng Shenji stood with his hands behind his back, his majestic gaze sweeping over the two: "Private fighting is forbidden in the academy. Have you forgotten?"
...