Chapter 26: A Dark Horse Suddenly Emerges! How Could It Be Her? Something Is Wrong!
A tall and thin old man in a dark green robe, with matching green hair and eyes, stepped onto the platform.
This old man was Dugu Bo!
On the high platform, Prince Xuexing restrained his arrogance a little and greeted him with a polite smile:
"Your Majesty, I didn't expect you would be interested in these little student competitions!"
Though he always acted the part of a proud noble, he didn't dare to be disrespectful in front of a Titled Douluo.
Years ago, Prince Xuexing had once saved Dugu Bo's life, so Dugu Bo responded courteously:
"My granddaughter is also participating in this competition. I came to watch her."
While the two exchanged words, Meng Shenji stood up and officially announced the start of the competition.
Soon after, more than a dozen academy teachers stepped onto the stage and began drawing lots publicly.
The rules of the college competition were simple—
Teachers would draw names in public, and students would battle accordingly. The losers would be eliminated, and winners would advance until a final champion was determined.
Only the champion would receive rewards—
Second and third place winners gained no benefits.
The influential people on the high platform didn't pay much attention to the early rounds.
Even students with real strength could be eliminated early due to bad luck, and at most, people would express some regret.
That said, although only the champion officially received rewards, the top-ranked competitors were often noted by the royal family and quietly granted more cultivation resources the following year.
That was an unspoken rule.
But because Heaven Dou Royal Academy had so many students, if they fought one by one, the competition would take days to complete.
So, students with higher cultivation received certain privileges—
First round: Only one-ring students competed.
Two-ring students advanced directly.
Second round: First-round winners battled against two-ring students.
Three-ring students advanced directly.
Third round: Winners of the previous rounds faced off against the three-ring students.
Four-ring students advanced directly into the top 16!
But in the entire Heaven Dou Royal Academy, four-ring students were rare—
Most were over 25 years old, from commoner backgrounds, staying in the academy to receive resources before mandatory graduation.
As for five-ring students?
There were none.
The tournament progressed quickly, and by the afternoon, the second round was complete.
Among over 6,000 students, nearly 3,000 were first-ring Spirit Masters—and they were nearly all eliminated.
Roughly 3,000 more were two-ring Spirit Masters—about half of them were also eliminated.
Only a little over 100 students had reached three-ring cultivation.
This reflected just how mediocre the average cultivation level at Heaven Dou Royal Academy truly was.
Which is exactly why the Heaven Dou royal family placed such high value on Lu Yu—
An eleven-year-old three-ring Spirit Master!
Of course, the main reason for their enthusiasm was this:
Lu Yu had never gone to the Spirit Hall for certification after awakening his martial spirit.
As such, the Spirit Hall had no knowledge of his true strength.
Otherwise, they would've long since tried to win him over.
After all, the Spirit Hall, being a sanctuary for Spirit Masters, could offer terms far beyond those of Heaven Dou Royal Academy!
But Lu Yu knew well the hidden dangers within the Spirit Hall.
The old enmity between Spirit Hall and the two empires ran deep.
Before he had the strength to protect himself, he didn't plan to wade into those muddy waters.
—
In the third elimination round, Lu Yu's opponent was a one-ring student who had advanced purely through luck.
Lu Yu punched him off the platform in an instant.
Fourth round—a two-ring Spirit Master. Also defeated with one punch.
Fifth round—another two-ring Spirit Master.
Lu Yu still didn't use his spirit and finished the match in one blow.
And so...
Lu Yu fought his way into the top 32, defeating even three-ring Spirit Masters without ever using his martial spirit!
This performance drew attention from everyone present—
He quickly became one of the most watched competitors in the entire competition.
A mysterious student with unknown origins who could crush three-ring Spirit Masters without activating his spirit—how could he not cause a stir?
Several of the big names on the high platform also began taking notice.
Dugu Bo recognized Lu Yu and was visibly surprised.
Clearly, he hadn't expected that, after three years, their next meeting would be in such a setting.
Even Dugu Yan was surprised. She had also entered the top 32 with ease—without ever needing to use her third spirit skill.
—
By the end of the first day, the sky had darkened, and the crowd dispersed.
The finals would begin early the following morning.
The students began discussing the likely champions—and some even started taking secret bets.
The favorites were:
Two veteran four-ring students
Yu Tianheng, heir of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect
Dugu Yan, one of the academy's top two beauties
And of course…
Lu Yu—
The mysterious dark horse, with unknown origins, who made it into the top 32 without ever using his martial spirit!
While others were secretly whispering about these favorites, Lu Yu had already returned to the lakeside at the foot of the mountain.
To him, this tournament was nothing more than a minor exercise—
There was no real challenge in it.
The only opponents that might interest him were those two veteran four-ring students.
Lu Yu set a goal for himself:
> Win the championship using only physical strength and martial spirit, without relying on the Golden Light Curse, Thunder Techniques, External Spirit Bone, or the Tongtian Scroll!
---
Tap... Tap...
As he sat quietly in the grass by the lake, Lu Yu suddenly heard light footsteps.
Turning his head slightly, he saw the girl in the black dress approaching silently.
She sat beside him, looking at the lake—saying nothing.
Lu Yu was slightly stunned.
This girl had always been elusive, walking soundlessly and hiding all traces of her presence.
But this time...
He heard her footsteps.
Or—
Did she do that on purpose?
Lu Yu shook his head and laughed softly. He said nothing and didn't greet her, simply watching the lake quietly.
Suddenly, his gaze froze.
A faint blue light flashed in his eyes—
From his perspective, a talisman was being drawn in the air right in front of him!
The God-Summoning Talisman—Level Two!
But it came to a halt just after forming the upper structure of the rune.
Even so, Lu Yu was shocked.
He had struggled with this talisman for three years.
Only after arriving at Heaven Dou Royal Academy had he finally grasped Level One—and now, he was brushing up against Level Two?
Was it thanks to this balance between rest and practice?
The tranquil environment?
Or perhaps...
Lu Yu turned his head slightly, eyes glinting.
Could it be... her?
This girl was odd in every way.
Could she be influencing him in some unseen manner?
Now that he thought about it, when he had his first breakthrough—
She had been hiding nearby, watching from the shadows.
After thinking a while, Lu Yu finally asked:
"What's your name?"
The girl continued to stare at the lake, her voice cool as she answered:
"Ye Lingling."
Lu Yu froze.
Ye Lingling?
The Nine-Hearted Begonia Spirit Master?
How could it be her?!
Wasn't she supposed to be a three-ring Spirit Master?
This...
Something was off.
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(End of this chapter)