Chapter 49: Separate Paths and Enhanced Research
Watching Hu Yanshi being carried off the arena, Yu Tianlin could not help feeling a ripple of emotion.
The three upper clans were far ahead of the other sects because they each had a Titled Douluo overseeing them. That alone ensured their place at the top of the seven great sects.
However, aside from the three upper clans, the strongest experts the remaining sects could field were only Titled Douluos, though there were quite a few of them. For example, Dragon Duke Meng Shu had founded his own sect, and he possessed a Martial Spirit Fusion Skill with Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang. That combination was extremely powerful, yet even their sect was not listed among the seven.
The Elephant Armor Clan, on the other hand, had defeated many competitors to secure its place within the seven major sects. Its foundation was obvious. Putting everything else aside, its defensive ability was truly frightening.
Thousand Birds was a powerful thrusting technique. Under normal circumstances, when Yu Tianlin struck an opponent, it should have been like piercing a sheet of paper, barely encountering any resistance and directly penetrating through the body instead of blasting the target away.
The fact that Hu Yanshi had been sent flying instead proved his defense was astonishing.
Yu Tianlin had only managed to break through the two layers of defensive protection on Hu Yanshi's body and drive half of his palm into the man's side. He had not fully pierced through. Because of that, the remaining momentum of his high-speed charge could not be properly released. All that force had nowhere to go except into flinging Hu Yanshi off his feet.
After defeating Hu Yanshi, Yu Tianlin did not plan to stay on the arena until his Spirit Power was completely exhausted. He defeated one more student, a Blazing Academy Spirit Master with the Fire Leopard Martial Spirit, and then voluntarily stepped down.
Next up was Shui Bing'er.
To Yu Tianlin's mild surprise, she was very popular among the Five Elements academies, with many people cheering for her. That put her opponent in a difficult position. With so many eyes on him, he could not bring himself to unleash his full strength, and in the end he was pushed off the stage by Shui Bing'er.
Winning three matches in quick succession, Shui Bing'er still looked energetic and could likely have gone for a fourth straight victory. However, she had already completed the task assigned by her teacher and had no intention of continuing. So, she simply chose to withdraw from the arena.
Once both of their matches ended, Yu Tianlin and Shui Bing'er left the noisy playground behind and returned to the quiet lakeside where they had first met.
There was no intense training this time. Instead, both of them relaxed, sitting by the water and chatting about the things that interested them.
They were both the youngest in their respective academies. Most of the students in their year were several years older, and the age gap made it hard to find common topics. On top of that, their talent created a natural distance between them and their classmates. Many people admired them, but few could truly see them as equals.
As a result, both of them were often alone. In that sense, they were the same kind of people.
Coincidentally, Shui Bing'er had a younger sister, while Yu Tianlin had an older brother. Sometimes, neither of them understood what their sibling was thinking. Through their conversation, Shui Bing'er shared her feelings as an elder sister, while Yu Tianlin spoke about his headaches as a younger brother. By comparing their perspectives, they both gained a deeper understanding of their own families.
Time slipped by quietly as they talked. Before they knew it, the sky had already darkened. It was rare for Thunder Academy to have such a clear night. The clouds had scattered, and the sky was filled with stars.
Lying on the lawn and gazing up at the starry sky, Yu Tianlin stretched lazily and said, "That's enough for today. It's getting late. You should go back and meet up with your classmates."
"Mm."
Shui Bing'er answered softly, but she did not move. She simply hugged her knees and sat there, clearly a little reluctant to leave.
Seeing the atmosphere grow slightly awkward, Yu Tianlin added, "It's not like this is goodbye forever. Skywater Academy isn't that far. When I have time, I can come and visit you."
"Forget it," Shui Bing'er replied with a small smile. "Skywater Academy is full of girls. It's not convenient for you to come. Let me come find you instead."
Yu Tianlin thought about it and felt there was some logic to that. He nodded.
"That works too."
"Then it's decided." Shui Bing'er stood up and looked down at him, her gaze meeting his directly. "When I come to find you, you are not allowed to be missing."
"I will not," Yu Tianlin said quietly. "I will always be here, unless I am on vacation."
"Got it."
After they made their promise, Shui Bing'er finally relaxed. She waved and turned to leave.
"Six days of training and one day of fighting. This exchange really was exhausting. I need to rest properly when I get back."
Watching her figure gradually disappear into the distance, Yu Tianlin finally stood up from the lawn. Unlike before, he now looked a bit troubled as he scratched his head.
What is wrong with me?
Did I fall for Shui Bing'er?
But she is only ten years old.
Yu Tianlin quickly chased that thought away.
It was not that exaggerated. They had only spent seven days together. At most, they could be considered a little fond of each other.
Forget it, no need to think about this right now. Time to head back.
Because the sky was clear and full of stars, there was no chance of rain tonight. That meant there would be no lightning strikes. Yu Tianlin did not bother going to the lightning rod in the southeast corner. Instead, he returned directly to his single dormitory room.
After closing the door behind him, Yu Tianlin immediately began his next experiment: stacking Thousand Birds with dragon transformation.
He released his Martial Soul and entered Spirit possession. His right arm transformed into a dragon claw, and he began gathering lightning there, attempting to unleash Thousand Birds in his draconic state.
The process went surprisingly smoothly. Blue white lightning burst out, and the familiar chorus of a thousand birds chirping filled the room once again.
"Not bad, they really can stack."
Feeling the violent electric current coursing through his dragon claw, Yu Tianlin showed a satisfied smile.
"Dragon transformation increases attack, defense, and strength by one hundred percent. Thousand Birds increases attack by one hundred percent and speed by fifty percent.
"When stacked, that is two hundred percent attack, one hundred percent defense and strength, and fifty percent speed. If I add Thunder Dragon Claw on top of that, attack power increases by another one hundred percent."
Thunder Dragon Claw could also be superimposed. Dragon transformation was a bodily transformation. Thousand Birds activated his internal activity from within. Thunder Dragon Claw was an external lightning coating. Since all three worked in different ways and did not conflict, they could naturally be combined.
However, Yu Tianlin's expression soon shifted.
After activating Thousand Birds in his transformed right arm, he suddenly realized that the powerful current he was using did not feel like his limit anymore.
"Is it because the dragon transformation enhanced all the attributes of my arm, greatly increasing its tolerance for lightning?"
Yu Tianlin frowned slightly, a thoughtful light flashing in his eyes.
"In other words, I can still increase the intensity of the current?"
Once that idea appeared, he could not suppress the urge to test it.
He began to slowly increase the strength of the lightning in his right palm. Strangely, as the current intensified, the noisy chirping sound gradually faded, and the originally blue white lightning started to deepen in color.
When Yu Tianlin pushed the current to the absolute limit that his right dragon claw could endure, the crackling "thousand birds" sound disappeared completely.
The formerly blue white lightning turned into a deep, pure dark blue.
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