Wallace quickly squatted down and began checking Yu Tianheng's injuries. He found that Yu Tianheng had merely passed out from the impact of the flame explosion, and aside from some burns on his body, there was nothing life-threatening.
He immediately let out a sigh of relief. With the medical facilities of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, these minor injuries would be healed in just a few days.
"Leng Leng, did you sense that?!"
Just as Xu Yang retracted his Martial Spirit, stretching lazily as he walked toward the rest area, Dugu Yan suddenly spoke with a grave expression to Ye Lengleng beside her.
"Sense what? The battle looked perfectly normal. Yu Tianheng lost to Xu Yang going all out. Didn't you see the cold sweat on Xu Yang's forehead?" Ye Lengleng looked puzzled. But when she turned her head, she found that Dugu Yan had already completed Spirit Possession without her noticing.
"Leng Leng, my Martial Spirit is the Jade Phosphor Serpent. Serpents are extremely sensitive to temperature. After Xu Yang summoned his Sun Martial Spirit, the temperature in the entire arena started rising. Especially after he used his second Soul Skill, the rate of increase doubled. It's just that the battle ended too quickly for anyone to notice!" Dugu Yan said seriously.
"Then, Yan, you mean…" Ye Lengleng had a vague idea but still looked confused.
"Xu Yang's strength is far beyond what he showed. From my perception, the temperature contained within that Sun Martial Spirit is terrifying. I'm afraid that the sweat on his forehead just now wasn't from exertion, but from restraining the power of his Soul Skill so it wouldn't seriously harm Yu Tianheng."
As the granddaughter of Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, Dugu Yan had her own understanding of Lightning- and Fire-attribute Soul Masters. After all, these two attributes were natural counters to Poison, and she had received specialized training from her grandfather on how to combat them. That was why she could clearly sense the terrifying power within Xu Yang's Martial Spirit.
But this only made her even more intrigued by Xu Yang.
"…"
Ye Lengleng turned to look at Xu Yang again, now calm and composed, and couldn't believe it. She found it hard to imagine that this boy—two years younger than them—was actually this dangerous.
Noticing Ye Lengleng's gaze, Xu Yang waved with a cheerful smile, then turned back to mentally replaying the battle just now.
To be honest, he felt a little foolish. Why did he engage Yu Tianheng, a Beast Spirit Master, in close combat? He should have taken full advantage of the Sun Martial Spirit's superiority. But thinking about it again, the real issue was the lack of Soul Skills. In the early stages, he was still forced to rely primarily on melee combat.
In the battles that followed during combat class, Xu Yang no longer took part. He sat on the sidelines watching the matches, and to be honest, the skill levels varied widely.
The strong had genuinely high combat literacy—integrating physical techniques, Soul Power, and Soul Skills into a complete fighting system that let them fully unleash their strength. People like Dugu Yan and Oslo, for instance, all had their own distinct combat styles.
But the weak… were truly weak. Most just stood in place and traded Soul Skills, easily giving their opponents opportunities. These were often fallen minor nobles from remote regions.
Watching all this, Xu Yang came to deeply appreciate the advantages of belonging to a powerful faction or family. These groups had an in-depth understanding of their own Martial Spirits, and their Soul Skill combinations were often flawless.
Take the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit, for example. Its first three Soul Skills were practically set in stone: Thunder Dragon Claw, Thunder God's Wrath, and Raging Thunderstorm. These three formed a perfect synergy—covering long-range, melee, area-of-effect, and buff effects. Combined with the raw physical might brought by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's innate power, they had almost no equal among peers.
Other examples included the Star Luo Royal Evil-Eyed White Tiger and the Zhu Clan's Netherworld Spirit Cat. These kinds of Martial Spirit systems were common across the Douluo Continent.
At that moment, Xu Yang felt very fortunate that he was taken as a disciple by Ning Fengzhi right after awakening his Martial Spirit. Backed by the foundation of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, he avoided countless detours. Otherwise, he'd probably still be stuck in some entry-level Soul Master academy studying basic Martial Spirit theory and groping for his own fighting style.
After combat class ended, Xu Yang noticed that many students began skipping class. The teachers didn't stop them—and upon asking, he found out why: the ones skipping were all from powerful noble families. These students already had inherited training methods and techniques from their families, and the academy's teaching didn't quite suit them. Even if they didn't attend class, they could still pass the academy's assessments.
Once Xu Yang understood this, he didn't hesitate at all. He immediately chose to skip class and headed straight to the academy's library.
He had already browsed through most of the Soul Master training books within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, selecting the ones that suited him. The rest didn't feel useful, so he didn't read them. Now, coming to the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's library, he hoped to find books the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School hadn't collected—things like alternative meditation techniques or illustrated guides to immortal herbs.
After all, Soul Masters had existed on the Douluo Continent for countless years. The knowledge of immortal herbs couldn't possibly be limited to the Breaking Clan or Chrysanthemum Douluo. Other forces must also have some records—it's just that such items were too rare, so the records gathered dust.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School did have some notes on immortal herbs, but sadly, it was only a fragment. It contained descriptions of only two herbs: the Jade Bone Fruit and Bone Cleansing Flower—both of which refined the body and improved innate talent.
So Xu Yang wanted to see if the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy had any useful discoveries in this area. As for meditation techniques, he wasn't too hopeful. After all, how good could the ones stored in a public library be? The technique he currently cultivated was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's meditation method—one of the most advanced on the continent. It might fall short of Xuan Tian Gong in terms of Soul Power cultivation, but it far surpassed it in mental power.
And for Support-type Soul Masters, mental strength was the most important attribute.
With his student ID token, Xu Yang entered the library without obstruction. Inside were many students quietly seated, deeply engrossed in reading.
"Seems like there are plenty of smart people among the students."
After letting his gaze sweep across the room, Xu Yang headed deeper into the library. As he passed a private reading room, he unexpectedly saw someone familiar—Xue Qinghe, the disguised identity of Qian Renxue.
Logically, Qian Renxue should be busy plotting to kill her two royal brothers at this time.
So why was she here?
Thinking about it, Xu Yang pushed open the door and walked in. Looking at the reading Qian Renxue, he asked in confusion, "Junior Brother, what are you doing here?"
"Of course, I was waiting for you, Senior Brother," Qian Renxue closed the book in her hands, lips curling into a smile as she looked up at him. "Besides, I am also a student at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. Not just me—my two brothers are also enrolled here."
"Waiting for me? Junior Brother, are you joking?" Xu Yang gave an awkward smile and carefully sat across from her. He could feel that being remembered by her was definitely dangerous.
"I'm not joking. Senior Brother came to Heaven Dou City but didn't come to see me, so I had no choice but to come and find you!" Qian Renxue's face was full of smiles, but her eyes flickered with a dangerous light, making it clear at a glance that she was not someone to be trifled with.