Time flew by. Over the next month, Gu Xuan's schedule became essentially fixed. In the mornings, he would practice in the training hall to refine his team coordination with the others; in the afternoons, he would head to the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena for combat.
Occasionally, he would find time to have long conversations about life with Xue Qinghe. It must be said that Gu Xuan handled his relationship with Xue Qinghe exceptionally well. Midway through the month, he even took the team to his private garden. On that day, Xue Qinghe happened to be away, so they enjoyed the space without disturbing him.
Xue Qinghe also visited the academy a few times, letting everyone know that Gu Xuan was on good terms with him. After all, the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was the Crown Prince's teacher. As the grandson of Gu Rong, it was perfectly natural for Gu Xuan to have a close relationship with Xue Qinghe.
However, regarding the visits to Xue Qinghe's forest garden, everyone except Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling felt it couldn't compare to Prince Xue Xing's Doutian Manor.
Gu Xuan was quite happy with this outcome. It meant he could take Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling there alone in the future while letting the others head off to Doutian Manor.
During this month, an interesting event occurred. Yu Tianheng approached Gu Xuan privately to propose a fair competition for Dugu Yan's affections. He truly liked her, and before Gu Xuan arrived, he was the only male who had a good relationship with her.
By "good," it meant their bond had surpassed that of ordinary teammates; they were more than friends, but not yet lovers.
Gu Xuan wasn't surprised. Yu Tianheng was, after all, a person who dared to love and hate openly.
Gu Xuan offered a rehearsed response. He admitted he was interested in Dugu Yan but stated that since they hadn't known each other long, he couldn't yet be certain if it was true love.
After agreeing to a "fair competition" with Yu Tianheng, Gu Xuan ramped up his efforts. For someone like Gu Xuan, who had lived two lives and had been baptized by countless online relationship tips in his previous world, capturing the heart of a young girl was an effortless task.
Gu Xuan knew how to maintain boundaries while ensuring Dugu Yan felt his genuine affection. To be honest, for someone like Dugu Yan, who had never been in a relationship, a person like Gu Xuan was far more magnetic.
Precisely because of this, Dugu Yan began to feel that she and Yu Tianheng were better suited as friends, whereas being with Gu Xuan gave her the actual feeling of being in love.
Dugu Yan had never officially been with Yu Tianheng; she only had a favorable impression of him. Now, with Gu Xuan as a better option, their interactions gave her a wonderful, unique feeling.
A month is neither long nor short. By the end of it, Dugu Yan had essentially given her heart to Gu Xuan. Now, she and Yu Tianheng only maintained a close friendship.
Although Dugu Yan lacked experience in romance, her values were very solid. This was evident in the original records as well; once she chose someone, she would remain loyal and never leave.
Gu Xuan could only offer a silent apology to Yu Tianheng in his heart. However, he felt no guilt. During this period, Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan were indeed just good friends.
If the two had already been together, he wouldn't have done this. He admitted to being a person who appreciated beauty, but he had a bottom line.
He understood the principle that one does not covet a friend's partner.
Moreover, through a month of intimate interaction, Gu Xuan truly discovered Dugu Yan's virtues. His heart shifted from approaching her with a calculated purpose to genuinely liking her. This affection was sincere because he could feel that he was special to her as well.
This dynamic of demand and response made Gu Xuan feel very comfortable. At the very least, he knew his efforts were not in vain.
Besides this, Gu Xuan also had several interactions with Xue Beng. Since Xue Beng also studied at the academy, meeting him was unavoidable.
Previously, Gu Xuan had almost no contact with him; they had seen each other a few times but never spoke.
Through these few encounters, Gu Xuan realized that Xue Beng was indeed very calculating. Currently seventeen years old with Rank 28 soul power, his displayed talent was mediocre, but his mind was deep, forced by the pressure from his elder brother, Xue Qinghe.
Xue Beng acted like a typical profligate playboy toward outsiders and those without powerful backgrounds. However, he didn't act that way toward Gu Xuan or Yu Tianheng. Even while pretending to be a fool, he wasn't actually stupid.
Overall, Gu Xuan's interactions with Xue Beng were pleasant. However, because Gu Xuan was outwardly close to Xue Qinghe, Xue Beng didn't reveal too much. He maintained his Playboy persona, frequently inviting them to Doutian Manor to indulge in pleasure.
Gu Xuan, having the benefit of an omniscient perspective, knew that the current Xue Beng was enduring humiliation while waiting for his chance. He didn't expose anything; the less he disrupted the major plot points for now, the better.
Returning to the topic of Gu Xuan, after a month, he had completely integrated into the Emperor Team. Due to his strength, talent, and superior command abilities compared to Yu Tianheng, Qin Ming organized a competition to officially re-elect the captain and vice-captain.
Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and the others raised no objections. Such positions were meant to be held by the most capable.
Naturally, Gu Xuan emerged victorious and became the Captain of the Emperor Team, with Yu Tianheng serving as Vice-Captain.
This was undisputed. Yu Tianheng was indeed strong; with the power of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, even Dugu Yan was no match for him.
Dugu Yan's poison was formidable, but it required an immediate effect to work. Yu Tianheng, being familiar with her, would never give her that opening.
Using his powerful lightning, Yu Tianheng could block Dugu Yan's initial wave of attacks, hold his breath, and close the distance. Once he was close, Dugu Yan had already lost.
Her melee skills weren't weak, but she couldn't compare to a Power Attack Type soul master.
Speaking of poison, Gu Xuan hadn't yet mentioned that he could help Dugu Yan detoxify. However, he had conversed with her enough to clearly understand the characteristics of her Jade Phosphor Serpent poison and the limitations it placed on her.
Gu Xuan was waiting for a perfect opportunity to reveal his ability to help her, aiming to maximize the benefits.
He liked Dugu Yan, but he knew the hardships that lay ahead in the future. Therefore, he had to ensure every advantage was maximized to guarantee his own rapid growth.
As for whether Gu Xuan was confident in detoxifying her, if he had just transmigrated and only relied on the original records, he wouldn't be. He had no medical or pharmacological knowledge from his previous life.
But things were different now. Back when he was recruiting the Breaking Clan, Gu Xuan had personally studied systematic pharmacology and alchemy under Yang Wudi. Now that he understood Dugu Yan's situation, solving her poison would be no problem at all, even if Dugu Bo's case remained more complex.
Of course, this was contingent on him securing the Immortal Herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Before this, when he sought out Yang Wudi to learn, the old man only said he was willing to teach, not that Gu Xuan would definitely master it. After all, this was the foundation of the Breaking Clan and not something to be shown to others easily.
However, Gu Xuan was a diligent student and showed incredible talent. Yang Wudi was a man of passion, and with his clan withered, there was no one left with talent like Gu Xuan's.
Later, with the financial support of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Yang Wudi was able to focus on his own research. Seeing Gu Xuan's genuine interest and talent, he stopped holding back and taught him everything.
He did, however, make Gu Xuan sign a written agreement promising not to pass these techniques to others lightly, as they were the lifeblood of the Breaking Clan.
Gu Xuan naturally agreed. He only learned this for the sake of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well; he had no intention of stealing someone else's livelihood.
Thus, Gu Xuan could now be called a master of pharmacology. Whether in compounding medicine or alchemy, he might not yet surpass Yang Wudi—who had decades of experience—but he was certainly a master in his own right.
(End of Chapter)
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