Chapter 84: Dugu Bo's Trail, Night Talk
Yu Tianlin waited late into the night. It was around 11 p.m. when he finally saw a group of familiar figures approaching the academy gate.
He had expected this. Spirit battles in the Heavenly Fighting Arena were held at night, so after finishing their team battles, the squad would naturally return very late.
From a distance, Yu Tianlin heard Yu Feng's loud voice first.
"Haha, tonight's team fight was hilarious. The other side could not beat Boss's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, so they actually focused all their attacks on Lingling, trying to take down the support type Spirit Master first. If they really managed to get close to Lingling, it would have been so funny to have a Rasengan suddenly explode in their faces."
Oslo chuckled. "They dare to rush Lingling? They are not even worthy of it. With the Shi brothers' two Black Turtle Martial Souls guarding her, their defense is too strong. They cannot even get near Lingling. She is steady as Mount Tai. They have no chance to do anything."
At this moment, a calm voice sounded. Yu Tianlin could tell it was Qin Ming. "Lingling should try not to attack if she can avoid it. The Rasengan skill is best kept hidden. It might play a key role at a critical moment."
Ye Lingling's clear voice followed. "Yes, Teacher Qin."
"You finally came back."
As the 7 members of the Royal Fighting Team approached, Yu Tianlin rose from the shadowed pavilion and spoke.
Because there were no lamps in the small pavilion and it was some distance away, although the squad sensed someone there, they did not recognize Yu Tianlin's figure immediately.
"Tianlin, it is you." Yu Tianheng was the first to react when he heard the familiar voice. "You are out of the clan already."
Seeing his elder brother, Yu Tianlin could not help sighing softly. "Yes, it has been almost a year since we last saw each other."
He had cultivated in the clan for 8 months, then spent 1 month traveling to the Star Luo Empire, 2 months staying with the Breaking Clan, and about another 10 days on the way back to Heaven Dou City. All added up, it was indeed close to a full year.
In a few days, it would be Yu Tianlin's 11th birthday.
"As for you guys," Yu Tianlin asked, "I heard you have been doing team battles in the Spirit Arena lately. How is it going?"
"Not bad. Very good results." Yu Tianheng laughed. "All of us have broken through to the third ring realm and are now taking part in Spirit Elder level spirit battles."
"Even though our Spirit Power levels are in the early thirties, generally lower than our opponents, our Martial Souls and Spirit Rings are better than theirs, so our win rate is quite good."
Only a small number of those who participated in spirit battles were there purely for training. Most went to win matches and earn money. To keep their win rates stable, Spirit Masters who fought in the arena often tried to suppress their level as close to the lower limit as possible. Yu Tianlin could easily imagine that the opponents the Royal Fighting Team faced were mostly around level 38 or 39.
Their levels were completely suppressed. Even with an advantage in Martial Soul and Spirit Ring quality, Yu Tianlin knew the actual fights could not be as easy as Yu Tianheng made them sound.
He asked a few more questions and soon learned about the current Spirit Power levels of each member.
Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and Shi Mo were all at level 34.
Shi Mo's younger brother, Shi Mo's "stone mill" counterpart, was at level 33.
Oslo and Yu Feng were both at level 32.
Ye Lingling had reached level 31.
"We have already told you our levels," Yu Feng said curiously. "What about you, Tianlin? Are you not going to tell us yours?"
"I," Yu Tianlin shrugged, "am level 32 right now."
"Level 32 already?" Oslo cried out in surprise. "I remember when we first met, Tianlin, you were 1 level lower than Lingling, but now you have surpassed her and caught up with me and Yu Feng."
Yu Tianlin had gained an extra level because he had absorbed a Spirit Ring above the normal age limit. Otherwise, his Spirit Power would only be about the same as Ye Lingling's. Since Ye Lingling was a support type Spirit Master, her cultivation was naturally slower. It was not strange for Yu Tianlin to catch up and then overtake her by a level.
"Boss, looks like you have a monster of a little brother."
Yu Feng patted Yu Tianheng on the shoulder, his expression full of exaggerated sympathy.
Dugu Yan also sighed. "I did not expect Tianlin's cultivation speed to be so fast. It seems we have to work even harder."
Qin Ming, who had been quietly listening to their reunion, finally spoke up. "Tianlin, let us talk more tomorrow. It is already very late, and everyone is tired after the team battle. Getting some rest is more important."
"Alright, that is fine." Yu Tianlin nodded to show he understood. "I will not keep you all. See you tomorrow, everyone."
At this point, he hesitated for a moment, then added, "But Sister Yan, could you stay for a bit? I have something to tell you."
After the others left, Dugu Yan looked at him with interest. "Tianlin, are you in trouble? Tell your sister, and I will help you settle it."
"It is like this, Sister Yan," Yu Tianlin said. "Can you take me to see Senior Poison Douluo? I have something very, very important to talk to him about."
He purposefully stressed the word "very" three times to show just how serious it was.
"You want to see Grandpa?" Dugu Yan was surprised that Yu Tianlin would make this request through her. After a brief pause, she nodded. "No problem. I can bring you to him. But Grandpa's whereabouts are always changing. We cannot find him whenever we want. You might have to wait for a while."
"Thank you, Sister Yan." Yu Tianlin bowed slightly. "I really do have something very important to discuss with Senior Poison Douluo. Please inform me as soon as there is any news of him."
Even though Dugu Bo's movements were unpredictable, Yu Tianlin knew that his activity range was likely around Heaven Dou City or the Sunset Forest. That was not far, so finding him should not be too difficult.
"Alright, it is settled then. If there is nothing else, I will head back now." As she turned to leave, Dugu Yan glanced meaningfully in one direction and smiled. "I will not disturb you two."
After Dugu Yan left, Yu Tianlin shook his head helplessly and looked in the direction she had glanced. "Sister Lingling, you can come out now."
The moment he spoke, Ye Lingling stepped out from the shadows in the distance and walked over.
Because she had just come back from spirit battles, Ye Lingling wore black leggings under her lake blue dress. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail instead of hanging loose, making her look especially youthful and energetic.
When Yu Tianlin met the squad earlier, he had not spoken to Ye Lingling at all, and she had remained quiet as well. He did not expect that after everyone left, she would secretly come back around.
However, Ye Lingling's ability to hide herself was clearly not very good. She had been noticed by Dugu Yan almost immediately.
Seeing Ye Lingling walk toward him, Yu Tianlin spoke first. "Sister Lingling, are you not tired after the team battle? Why did you not go back to rest?"
"I am fine. I did not fight in the front. I only stood in the back and used Nine Heart Begonia to heal everyone, so my body is not tired. I only consumed some Spirit Power." Ye Lingling said she was fine, then studied Yu Tianlin's face carefully. "But Tianlin, you look very tired."
Oh, I was still found out.
Yu Tianlin had been rushing on horseback for days. Of course he was exhausted. After arriving at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he had rested for a while and stabilized his condition, hiding the fatigue on his face. None of the squad members had noticed anything earlier.
Only Ye Lingling had seen through him.
"Alright." Although he wanted to keep denying it, seeing Ye Lingling's serious gaze, Yu Tianlin could only admit it honestly. "I have been riding every day, only stopping to eat and sleep, so I am really tired. But it is fine. After 1 or 2 days of rest, I will be back to normal."
"But how have you been recently, Lingling?"
"It is just training and fighting with everyone, and working hard on cultivating my Spirit Power. Nothing special," Ye Lingling replied softly. "I just did not expect your Spirit Power to surpass mine, Tianlin."
"I had some special experiences, so my cultivation speed is a bit faster," Yu Tianlin said. "In fact, Sister Lingling, you are already amazing. You reached the Spirit Elder realm at 13. That speed is almost the same as my big brother. You know, apart from me, my big brother is the fastest cultivator in the entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
When it came to cultivation, Yu Tianlin's eyes brightened a little. "Sister Lingling, in a few days, I will give you something good."
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