"Ye Yu, you must be a Spirit Grand Master by now, right?"
Beneath the cascade of Ye Lingling's deep-blue hair, her serene eyes gazed quietly at Ye Yu. A soft smile appeared on her delicate and refined face as she responded in her cool, calm voice.
As Dugu Yan's close friend, Ye Lingling naturally knew—
About a year ago, Dugu Yan's cultivation had suddenly soared.
Originally, she was a Rank 20 Spirit Master about to break through to Rank 21 Spirit Grand Master.
But somehow, she had leapt straight to Rank 30, and advanced into a Rank 31 Spirit Elder.
Of course, Ye Lingling had asked Dugu Yan how her cultivation could jump so dramatically.
Dugu Yan's answer had been—
Her grandfather, Dugu Bo, had accidentally obtained several precious ten-thousand-year ginseng kings.
He gave one to her, and another to Ye Yu.
Ye Yu used it to find the key to evolving his martial soul again and went into closed-door cultivation.
Based on how much Dugu Yan's cultivation had increased, Ye Lingling estimated that Ye Yu would have also risen to somewhere around the twenties.
"Heh, that's a bit low."
Ye Yu chuckled and shook his head.
"I've broken through a whole realm beyond that."
"And this time, Ah Yu successfully evolved his Blue Silver Vine martial soul again—it's now the Blue Silver Spirit Jade Vine!"
Beside him, Dugu Yan giggled proudly, her voice full of confidence.
"A Spirit Elder?"
"And Ye Yu's martial soul evolved again?"
Ye Lingling was momentarily stunned, murmuring in disbelief.
She remembered that Ye Yu had once theorized that spirit ring origins could be used to supplement and evolve his Blue Silver Vine martial soul.
So he had been tirelessly searching for the ideal plant-type spirit beast—
To better enhance the martial soul, and possibly even evolve it.
That's why Ye Yu had held off on absorbing spirit rings for so long, keeping his spirit power suppressed at Rank 10.
Back in class—
This had been a frequent topic of gossip.
Many classmates had scoffed at him—
Dismissing Ye Yu as delusional, a dreamer.
Blue Silver Grass evolving even once was already a miracle.
They said it was dumb luck, a fluke!
From then on, he should've just focused on cultivation.
To still dream of further evolution?
Ridiculous.
If martial souls were that easy to evolve, wouldn't every street corner be filled with powerhouses?
But now, Ye Yu had not only become a powerful Spirit Elder—
He had even successfully evolved his martial soul again.
Surely, after this, no one would dare to mock Ye Yu anymore!
Ye Lingling felt genuinely happy for him.
"Ye Yu, congratulations."
Seeing Dugu Yan holding Ye Yu's arm, her radiant and heroic beauty brimming with pride and joy—
A pang of bitterness rose in Ye Lingling's heart.
Still, she forced a faint smile and opened her pink lips, offering heartfelt congratulations in her cool voice.
But deep down, she felt deeply saddened.
Why?
I was the one who met him first... so why doesn't Ye Yu love me?
I want so badly to be by his side, to openly share in his happiness and success...
After regrouping, Ye Yu, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling arrived at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy—
And were placed in a new class.
Due to Ye Yu's year-long training at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, they had now been promoted to the third year of the Intermediate Division.
As Ye Yu entered the classroom with Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling—
The noisy class instantly fell silent.
Dozens of eyes turned to look at Ye Yu—
Some mocking, some amused, and some full of pity.
At a glance—
Ye Yu noticed a tall, striking young man, around fifteen or sixteen years old. He was dressed in luxurious blue robes, had a tall, upright build, golden hair, and a handsome, commanding presence.
"Ah Yu, that's Yu Tianheng."
As Ye Yu looked at him, Dugu Yan leaned in and whispered in his ear.
At that moment, a boy next to Yu Tianheng whispered as well—
"Boss, that's Ye Yu."
Hearing this, Yu Tianheng smirked coldly, crossed his arms, and stared at Ye Yu with an openly provocative gaze.
"Ye Yu, you finally had the guts to come back!"
"You were absent for an entire year."
"Dugu Yan kept saying you were in closed-door cultivation, claiming you'd found a way to help us evolve our martial souls."
"But in my eyes? You just knew I was pursuing Dugu Yan, and you felt inferior—too ashamed to show your face here!"
"After all, you're nothing but a trash with a Rank 1 innate soul power and a Blue Silver Grass martial soul. Just a peasant-born loser."
"But Yu Tianheng here is the grandson of Thunder Douluo from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—the future clan leader!"
"Compared to Yu Tianheng, you're dirt under his feet."
"With that kind of difference, how do you even have the nerve to come back instead of hiding at home and crying?"
Because Yu Tianheng was the grandson of Yu Yuanzhen, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's patriarch—
His background alone made him the subject of endless flattery after entering Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
Once word spread that he was pursuing Dugu Yan—
Many sycophants scrambled to help him court her, and to slander Ye Yu in the process.
At that moment, one of them stood up and jeered with smug disdain.
But Ye Yu couldn't be bothered to respond.
Without a word, he raised his hand and summoned his Blue Silver Spirit Jade Vine martial soul, using it like a whip.
Crack!
A loud snap echoed as the vine lashed across the boy's face—
Leaving a long red welt and sending him screaming as he flew backward, crashing hard into the desk near Yu Tianheng and landing in a heap.
There's an old saying: "Even when beating a dog, you look at the owner."
That lackey had been standing up for him—yet Ye Yu struck him without hesitation.
Yu Tianheng's face darkened as he stood up and barked coldly—
"Ye Yu, I admit what he said wasn't pleasant."
"But to attack a classmate over a few words? Isn't that going too far?"
But Ye Yu didn't even look at him.
Instead, he swept his eyes across the classroom, then sneered—
"I'm back."
"Believe it or not, I was in closed-door cultivation this past year, evolving my martial soul."
"But to think that in my absence, there were shameless people trying to steal my girlfriend."
"She already told you she has a boyfriend—yet you still clung to her, refusing to give up."
"And the rest of you? Groveling to curry favor, harassing her, belittling me."
"Well, I'm here now."
"Didn't you all call me trash? Said I was just some Rank 1 Blue Silver Grass waste?"
"Fine. I'll say this loud and clear: Anyone who looks down on me—thinks I'm trash—meet me on the training grounds!"
"Let this so-called 'waste' see how strong you really are."
"Just don't end up proving that even trash like me is better than you!"
With those cold words, Ye Yu turned and left the room, taking Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling with him.
He hadn't expected that while he had been risking his life undergoing Ice and Fire Body Tempering at the Yin Yang Well—
Such things had happened.
His girlfriend had been relentlessly harassed by Yu Tianheng—
And pestered by bootlicking sycophants.
He himself had been mocked behind his back.
Back then, he had no power.
So even when insulted, he endured it.
But now? He had strength—and a powerful background.
Endure?
Then what did he nearly die for, gambling his life for every opportunity?
If he still held back now—then all that training had been for nothing!
This time, every last one of them would pay.
Through this, he would completely shed the image of his former weakness.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin