A faint smile touched Ning Fengzhi's lips.
"Then whoever trained them understands combat very well."
Xue Qinghe's eyes briefly moved toward the quiet figure sitting on the bench.
"Arthev."
Ning Fengzhi followed his gaze.
"That is the boy you mentioned earlier?"
"Yes."
Xue Xing raised an eyebrow.
"The substitute?"
"Technically," Xue Qinghe replied.
Ning Fengzhi chuckled softly. "Technically?"
Xue Qinghe's smile deepened.
"His official position is substitute. But his actual role is rather different. He has been supervising the Royal Team's physical conditioning and rebuilding their combat fundamentals."
Ning Fengzhi's expression became more interested.
"A young man overseeing the physical training of a whole team ?"
"Not merely overseeing it," Xue Qinghe corrected. "He designed most of it."
Sword Douluo's eyes shifted toward Arthev.
"Designed it?"
Xue Qinghe nodded.
"Have you heard of the theory he calls the 'Vessel Theory'?"
Ning Fengzhi shook his head. "No."
"It proposes that the body itself is a limiting factor in soul-ring absorption. If the physique is strengthened beyond its natural limits, increasing muscle density, bone density, organ resilience, meridian tolerance, and overall endurance, then the body can withstand a soul ring of an age previously considered impossible for that cultivation rank."
Ning Fengzhi's expression slowly became serious.
"You mean the soul master's physical body can be deliberately strengthened to accommodate a higher-year soul ring?"
"Exactly."
Sword Douluo finally spoke.
"That contradicts the established understanding of soul-ring absorption."
"It does," Xue Qinghe agreed calmly. "The theory directly challenges the conventional limits proposed by the Grandmaster."
Ning Fengzhi's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The Grandmaster's research is not without merit. For decades, the accepted understanding has been that a Soul Master's corresponding ring should generally remain within the range his body and spirit can safely withstand. Pushing too far risks death."
"Arthev does not dispute that," Xue Qinghe replied. "His argument is that the limitation is not purely a matter of soul power. It is also a matter of physical capacity."
Ning Fengzhi looked back toward the arena.
"And you believe this theory?"
Xue Qinghe's expression remained composed.
"I believe evidence deserves more attention than theory."
He glanced toward Yu Tianheng, who was still standing in the arena.
"Yu Tianheng is currently a Soul Ancestor."
Ning Fengzhi nodded. "Yes."
"Then you should know that his fourth soul ring should have been considered extremely dangerous at his cultivation level."
Ning Fengzhi's eyes sharpened.
"Wait."
Xue Qinghe smiled faintly.
"His fourth ring came from a 10,000 year, Wyvern soul beast."
Ning Fengzhi's fingers stopped against his teacup. Sword Douluo's gaze became considerably sharper.
For a moment, neither Ning Fengzhi nor Chen Xin spoke.
"Ten thousand?" Ning Fengzhi repeated quietly.
"Ten thousand years," Xue Qinghe confirmed.
Prince Xue Xing, who had been listening beside them, finally joined the conversation.
"I was skeptical myself when I first heard it."
He looked toward Tianheng with an almost satisfied expression.
"I thought the boy had simply been reckless."
Ning Fengzhi turned toward him.
"And he survived?"
"Not only survived."
Xue Xing gestured toward the arena.
"Look at him."
Yu Tianheng was breathing steadily. There was sweat on his forehead and dust across his uniform, but there was no sign of the physical collapse that should have accompanied such a dangerous absorption.
Xue Qinghe's voice remained calm.
"He absorbed the ring successfully. His body accepted it."
Ning Fengzhi stared at Tianheng for several seconds.
"Then the theory has already passed its first test."
"More than one," Xue Qinghe replied.
His gaze shifted toward the three Education Committee Directors seated nearby.
"The Directors were present during the team's transformation. They have personally observed their physical conditioning, recovery, and combat performance."
Meng Shenji gave a small nod.
"It is not a theory we accepted blindly, Sect Master Ning. We watched the results ourselves."
Bai Bao added quietly, "Their physical capabilities have improved far beyond what we initially considered possible."
Zhulin's expression remained solemn.
"And the most frightening part is that Arthev appears to regard their current condition as merely the foundation."
Ning Fengzhi's eyes returned to the boy on the bench. His gentle expression held genuine curiosity.
"So that is the kind of genius you were referring to, Qinghe."
Xue Qinghe smiled.
"His strength is only one part of it.He thinks differently."
Ning Fengzhi looked at him. The Crown Prince's gaze remained fixed on Arthev.
"He doesn't simply accept the limits everyone else has accepted. He questions why they exist, identifies what actually creates them, and then tries to remove those restrictions."
Sword Douluo's eyes narrowed.
"A dangerous way of thinking."
"Potentially," Xue Qinghe agreed. A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"But occasionally, dangerous thinking produces extraordinary results."
Ning Fengzhi looked once more toward the quiet substitute sitting in the dugout.
"I think I would like to speak with that boy."
Xue Qinghe gave a soft chuckle.
"You may find the conversation rather... unconventional."
Xue Xing glanced between them.
"Unconventional?"
The Crown Prince's smile became slightly wider.
"Arthev has a habit of explaining extraordinary things as though he were discussing the weather."
Ning Fengzhi laughed softly.
"Now I am even more curious."
Back in the dugout, Yu Tianheng dropped onto the bench beside Arthev and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"How did I do, Coach?"
Arthev didn't immediately answer. His pen continued moving across the page.
"Your footwork was efficient. Your center of gravity remained stable during the grapple. Your third-skill activation was properly timed."
Tianheng grinned. "Sounds good."
Arthev finally looked up.
"You wasted approximately fourteen percent of your stamina on unnecessary verbal provocation."
Tianheng's grin vanished. "Fourteen?"
"Fourteen point three."
"...That's disturbingly specific."
"I was counting."
Tianheng sighed and leaned back.
"Fine. I'll work on it."
Arthev closed his notebook.
"Good."
A tiny, almost imperceptible smile appeared on his face.
"Otherwise, acceptable."
-----------
The disappointed groans of the Colosseum crowd over the eight-minute draw had barely faded when Director Meng Shenji's voice echoed across the stadium once more.
"The second tactical exhibition match!"
He reached into the glowing lottery box and pulled out the next two wooden tokens.
"Blazing Academy's Huo Wu versus Thunder Academy's Lei Tian!"
The crowd immediately came alive again. Fire against lightning. One side built around control and displacement, the other around speed and aerial offense.
Down in the dugouts, Huo Wu rose from her seat and rolled her shoulders. Her long red hair caught the sunlight as she stepped toward the arena.
"Finally," she muttered. "Something worth watching."
Her brit Huo Wushuang chuckled. "Try not to enjoy yourself too much."
Huo Wu glanced at him. "I'm going to enjoy this."
Across the arena, Lei Tian walked out from the opposite tunnel with a confident grin. Small sparks danced between his fingers.
"Don't worry, little miss," he called, stretching his arms. "I'll try not to singe that pretty hair of yours."
Huo Wu's expression immediately hardened.
"You won't even touch my shadow, bird-boy."
Lei Tian laughed. "We'll see."
"Match begin!"
The referee leapt backward.
SCREEECH!
Lei Tian's Martial Soul erupted around him. His arms stretched into enormous electrified wings, and with a powerful downstroke, he shot 30 feet into the air.
"Thunder Eagle!"
His yellow and purple soul rings flashed beneath him.
"Second Soul Skill: Thunder Rain!"
Dozens of lightning bolts formed above the arena and came crashing downward like spears.
In the Royal Team dugout, Yu Tianheng narrowed his eyes.
"Aerial bombardment. Ground fighters hate it."
Dugu Yan folded her arms. "Unless the ground fighter has a way to make the sky irrelevant."
Arthev continued watching without looking up from his notebook.
Huo Wu didn't panic. A dark, fiery silhouette appeared behind her.
"Second Soul Skill: Fire Displacement!"
WHOOSH!
Her body blurred into red light.
The lightning struck where she had been standing, but Huo Wu had already exchanged places with her Fire Shadow.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The fiery phantom was torn apart by the falling lightning, only to reform moments later.
Lei Tian's confident expression vanished.
"What?!"
Huo Wu looked up at him.
"My turn."
Her Fire Shadow raised both hands. Its first soul ring illuminated the arena.
"First Soul Skill: Fire Weapons!"
A barrage of blazing javelins materialized around the phantom.
FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
The projectiles shot upward.
Lei Tian cursed and immediately folded his wings, diving sideways as the flaming weapons ripped through the air around him.
"She's forcing me down!"
"Keep moving!" his instructor shouted from the Thunder dugout. "Don't let her control your altitude!"
Lei Tian gritted his teeth.
"Got it!"
He suddenly folded his wings completely and dropped.
The spectators gasped as he plummeted straight toward Huo Wu.
"There!"
His body accelerated.
"Third Soul Skill: Thunder Talons!"
Lightning gathered around his hands, forming enormous, crackling talons.
Huo Wu remained completely still. Lei Tian's grin returned.
"Got you!"
He was only a few meters away.
Huo Wu's lips curled upward.
"That's what you think."
Her third soul ring blazed.
"Third Soul Skill: Defying Flame Ring!"
BOOM!
A brilliant crimson ring erupted from her body. There was no explosion of fire. No scorching heat.
Instead, an invisible force seized everything within its range and violently expelled it.
FWOOSH!
Lei Tian's expression changed instantly.
"Wait, what?!"
His entire body was hurled backward.
"WAAAAAH!"
He flew across the arena, cleared the boundary wall, and crashed into the spectator stands.
THUD!
The referee immediately raised his arm.
"Ring-out! Winner, Huo Wu!"
The Colosseum erupted.
Huo Wu calmly brushed a strand of red hair from her face.
"Too predictable."
In the VIP section, Prince Xue Xing nodded with obvious satisfaction.
"Excellent. The Blazing Academy has produced a fine vice-captain."
Ning Fengzhi smiled as he watched Huo Wu return toward her dugout.
"Her control is impressive. She allowed Lei Tian to believe he had forced her into a corner."
Xue Qinghe nodded. "And she never actually needed to overpower him."
"Exactly." Ning Fengzhi lifted his teacup. "She controlled his options until he chose the outcome she wanted."
Sword Douluo Chen Xin's gaze remained fixed on the arena.
"Her third soul skill is troublesome."
Xue Xing glanced toward him. "Because of its power?"
"Because it doesn't need power."
Chen Xin's eyes narrowed.
"Most defensive techniques can be overcome by greater force. That skill doesn't compete with the opponent's strength. It simply changes their position."
Ning Fengzhi gave a quiet laugh.
"Which makes it particularly effective against opponents who rely on brute force."
Xue Qinghe's expression remained calm, but his eyes briefly shifted toward the Royal Team's dugout.
"Arthev would probably call it efficient resource utilization."
Ning Fengzhi followed his gaze.
"Does he often describe combat in such terms?"
"Almost everything," Xue Qinghe replied.
Prince Xue Xing chuckled.
"That boy certainly has an unusual way of thinking."
Ning Fengzhi's smile deepened.
"Unusual, perhaps. But useful."
His eyes returned to the arena.
"And after seeing what happened to the Royal Team, I suspect we will be hearing that name quite often this week."
Down in the Heaven Dou dugout, Arthev calmly turned a page in his notebook.
"Efficient use of repositioning," he said. "The displacement negated the aerial advantage entirely."
Yu Tianheng glanced toward him.
"You sound impressed."
"I am."
Dugu Yan raised an eyebrow.
"That's practically a standing ovation from you."
Arthev ignored her.
"The Thunder Eagle relied too heavily on maintaining distance. Once Huo Wu removed that advantage, his remaining options became predictable."
Tianheng nodded thoughtfully.
"So if we'd fought her..."
"You would have a problem."
Tianheng's expression tightened.
"Thanks."
"You are welcome."
Dugu Yan snorted.
"He's getting better at giving compliments."
Arthev closed his notebook.
"I did not compliment him."
"See?" Dugu Yan grinned. "Progress."
To be continued...