Chapter 39: The Shift in Liu Erlong's Mindset, the Heritage of the Three-One Sect! A Lovesick Girl! Truly Handsome!

Watching Lu Yu’s retreating figure, Liu Erlong stood dazed for a long moment before shaking her head with a bitter smile.

Could this be called a blessing in disguise?

She had first received news that shattered her heart, yet simultaneously gained the assistance of a powerful individual.

Clenching her fists, Liu Erlong murmured to herself, "Yu Xiaogang, Flander sent word last time that you had taken on a disciple?"

"I suppose you intend to have him participate in the Spirit Master Tournament, don't you?"

"When the time comes, I will have the students of the Blue Lightning Academy defeat your disciple on that stage!"

Liu Erlong's mindset had quietly shifted, but little did she know... the claim Lu Yu made about Yu Xiaogang becoming an Elder of the Spirit Hall was actually only half-true.

Yu Xiaogang had indeed obtained an Elder Token from the Spirit Hall, but the catch was...

That Elder Token had been given to him by Tang Hao!

Far away in Nuoding City, Yu Xiaogang could never have imagined that one of the two women he held so dearly in his heart was already drifting away from him.

And all of this was a consequence of his previous disparagement of Lu Yu, along with his repeated attempts to use Lu Yu as a negative example...

After leaving the Blue Lightning Academy, Lu Yu exited the city, shed his black robes, and returned to the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.

Why did he dare to boast to Liu Erlong that he could cultivate a second-ring Spirit Master into the third-ring realm—or even a third-ring master into the fourth—within two years?

The reason was simple...

He possessed numerous cultivation techniques that did not belong to this world!

As the sole survivor and heir to the San-Yi Sect after its destruction, Lu Jin naturally possessed the entire legacy of the sect.

Having doted on Lu Yu and viewed him as his successor, he had imparted all of the San-Yi Sect’s teachings to him.

These techniques varied in power, but even the weakest among them was several times stronger than the cultivation methods of the Douluo Continent!

By teaching students according to their individual aptitudes and selecting the most suitable techniques for each, he could increase their cultivation speed by more than tenfold.

In reality, Lu Yu’s actions were not just to spite Yu Xiaogang; his primary goal was to cultivate his own faction.

At the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, his identity was far too sensitive. If he were to start recruiting followers openly without joining any major power, it would likely invite unnecessary trouble.

This was why he chose to change his appearance, first causing Liu Erlong to lose faith in Yu Xiaogang, and then seizing the opportunity to propose the training of her students.

Lu Yu understood deeply that until he reached the hundredth level and ascended to godhood, the power of a single individual would always be limited.

Even if he were invincible in the current world, he could not handle every single task himself.

***

Over the following month, as Lu Yu had yet to obtain his fourth spirit ring and his "Triple-Reverse" and "Golden Light Incantation" had hit a bottleneck, he focused his efforts on cultivating the Lightning Method while simultaneously delving into the second stage of the Spirit Summoning Talisman.

Between his training sessions, Lu Yu would occasionally sit by the lake at the foot of the mountain, sometimes sharing a few words with Ye Lingling.

Dugu Yan, on the other hand, would constantly drift toward Lu Yu’s dormitory, leading the entire academy to gossip about their supposed romance.

As the month passed, the matter of the Heaven Dou Empire sending a delegation to the Star Luo Empire was finally brought to the table.

The so-called Imperial Delegation was a team of nearly a hundred people, with representatives sent separately by the Heaven Dou Imperial family, the five Elemental Academies, and the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.

The imperial family accounted for the largest share, with over forty spirit masters—all of whom were at least fifth-ring Spirit Kings—led by Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, who also served as the leader of the delegation.

The five Elemental Academies each sent seven student representatives and varying numbers of accompanying instructors.

If all went as planned, these student representatives would be the core members of their respective teams during the All-Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament.

The most eye-catching of all, however, was the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.

They had only sent one student representative and one instructor, yet both carried significant weight!

The student representative was Lu Yu.

The accompanying instructor was Meng Shenji.

One was hailed as the greatest genius of the current Heaven Dou Empire, while the other was the Chief of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy’s Education Committee—an eighth-ring powerhouse!

At the gates of Heaven Dou City, the atmosphere was exceptionally lively today. The gate area had been cordoned off, leaving a large open space surrounded by commoners and nobles who had gathered to watch the spectacle.

Xue Qinghe had already arrived with his entourage, and the five Elemental Academies followed one after another.

The onlookers whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with both awe and envy.

When the gaze of the crowd fell upon the team from Tianshui Academy, the men’s eyes grew particularly intense.

Tianshui Academy had three requirements for enrollment: first, one must possess a water-attribute spirit; second, they only accepted female students; and third, they accepted none but beauties!

Furthermore, Tianshui Academy never hired external teachers; the faculty was composed of graduates who chose not to leave the academy.

As a result, everyone in Tianshui Academy, from teachers to students, was a beauty.

Among the five Elemental Academies, the Elephant Armored Academy also had unique enrollment criteria...

First, one’s body weight had to be at least three hundred pounds!

Second, one had to possess a defense-type spirit!

One side consisted entirely of beauties, while the other was entirely made up of heavyweights, creating a stark contrast.

Beyond these, the Blazing Fire Academy, the Kamikaze Academy, and the Thunderclap Academy were much more conventional, as they had only one enrollment condition: possessing a spirit that matched the element represented by their respective academy.

The imperial delegation and the teams from the five Elemental Academies had all arrived, yet the representatives from the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy were nowhere to be seen, which began to stir dissatisfaction among many.

Huyan Li, the team leader of the Elephant Armored Academy, let out a cold snort. "I heard that the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy only sent one student representative. This Lu Yu is truly arrogant, making so many of us wait for him!"

Standing beside him was Huyan Zhen, whose physique was like a small mountain.

The Elephant Armored Academy was an affiliate of the Elephant Armored Sect, one of the four sects subordinate to the seven major sects of the Heaven Dou Empire. Huyan Zhen was the current sect master, the leader of the Elephant Armored Academy’s delegation, and Huyan Li’s grandfather, possessing spirit power at the eighty-ninth level.

Hearing Huyan Li’s remark, Huyan Zhen glared at him. "Shut your mouth! Even His Highness the Crown Prince hasn't spoken yet; who are you to comment?"

Huyan Li shrunk his neck and dared not say another word.

The surrounding crowd cast strange looks toward them.

The fact that Huyan Zhen had personally led the Elephant Armored Academy team this time left many wondering what exactly they were planning.

Just then, the onlookers suddenly erupted into a commotion, all eyes turning toward the city gate.

The members of the delegation, who had been waiting for quite some time, turned to look. Two figures—one old and one young—were walking slowly toward them.

The old man was lean, with a gentle smile on his face.

The young man was as elegant as jade, dressed in a simple white outfit, looking as if a celestial being had descended to the mortal world.

"So handsome..."

In the Tianshui Academy team, a petite girl with short, light-blue hair and a somewhat naive expression widened her eyes, which were filled with stars.

Beside her, a tall girl with long, deep-blue hair who bore a seven-tenths resemblance to her glared and said, "Stop daydreaming!"

"Sister... he really is so handsome!" the short-haired girl chirped, her large eyes sparkling.

The long-haired girl looked at Lu Yu and, for a moment, found herself unable to argue.

Well... he really was handsome!