Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
Main Training Grounds.
After ruthlessly mocking Yu Tianheng's bootlickers—
Ye Yu turned and left Intermediate Division, Class 1 of Grade 3, with Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling following close behind. They headed straight to the open training field outside to wait.
Before long—
That same group of boys and girls Ye Yu had just humiliated came storming out of the classroom, their faces red with anger, marching toward the training grounds.
"You worthless trash! You're not even on the same level as Yu Tianheng—what are you pretending for?!"
"I want to see exactly what kind of ability a loser like you has!"
"You think I'd lose to you? What a joke!"
Standing together with Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling—
Ye Yu became the target of all sorts of foul-mouthed insults from these students who were eager to flatter Yu Tianheng.
"Who wants to teach this trash a lesson?"
Someone in the group asked loudly.
"I will!"
"Me too!"
One voice after another rang out, everyone eager to step up and "teach Ye Yu a lesson."
In their eyes—
Ye Yu was just a Blue Silver Grass spirit master with innate Rank 1 spirit power.
Even if he'd somehow been lucky enough to evolve his martial soul once—
What could Blue Silver Grass possibly evolve into? It was still trash in their eyes.
As for his claim that he'd undergone closed-door cultivation and evolved it a second time?
They didn't believe it for a second.
After all, martial soul evolution was the stuff of legends.
To evolve even once required unbelievable fortune.
To say it happened again?
Laughable.
Meanwhile, more and more students from the academy—those who had been walking nearby or playing around the training field—began to gather.
After asking what was happening—
They found out that the famous Dugu Yan's so-called "trash boyfriend" had returned, and was trying to prove he wasn't trash.
Everyone immediately perked up.
This was going to be a show.
On the outer edge of the crowd—
Four figures stood quietly watching: two tall and burly youths, and two boys dressed in white and black, respectively.
They gazed toward Ye Yu in the distance.
"Hey, Shi Mo. Do you guys really think this Ye Yu evolved his martial soul again?"
The white-robed youth, Yu Feng, stroked his chin in curiosity.
He was from the Wind Chime Bird Clan.
Although his clan wasn't top-tier among spirit clans—
Its patriarch was still a high-ranking Spirit Sage.
Yu Feng was friendly with Yu Tianheng, but he wasn't the kind to suck up.
Beside him were Oslo of the Ghost Panther Clan, and the Shi Mo–Shi Mo brothers from the Black Tortoise Clan—all with similar mindsets.
"I think it's probably true," Shi Mo rumbled, scratching his head.
"We know Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan well."
"They're not the type to fall for someone just because they talk smooth."
"And Ye Yu actually managed to win over Dugu Yan. I heard he even became the disciple of Poison Douluo himself—that's no small feat."
"As hard as it is to believe, I think he really did evolve his martial soul again."
At that moment—
Watching the crowd of brownnosers jostling to show off for Yu Tianheng, Ye Yu sneered inwardly, arms crossed.
Then he spoke flatly:
"Come at me. All of you."
What?!
No one expected Ye Yu to say that.
The group that had been shouting over each other just seconds ago suddenly froze.
Every eye turned toward him, filled with disbelief and growing rage.
Was this guy serious?!
Even many of the surrounding students watching the drama unfold gave him weird looks—
Was he just putting on a show?
He'd better not get beaten into the dirt...
Even Yu Tianheng was stunned at first by Ye Yu's arrogance.
But soon, a mocking smile curled on his lips.
"This Ye Yu... he's out of his mind."
"Even if you're a bit talented, challenging everyone?"
"I wouldn't dare guarantee a win in that situation."
"And to act like this in front of Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling?"
"What are you going to do if you get beaten half to death and Dugu Yan has to bail you out?"
"How are you going to face anyone then?"
Still... this works out nicely."
"A commoner is still a commoner."
"Sooner or later, Dugu Yan will see the truth—that she and I are the perfect match."
"You bastard! You're dead meat!"
"Wind Baboon, Possession!"
After a brief silence, one male student roared in fury and activated spirit possession.
His body grew taller, muscles bulged, arms lengthened, and a thick coat of green fur covered his body.
A white and a yellow spirit ring rose beneath his feet, circling around him.
"Scarlet Flame Wolf, Possession!"
"Black Iron Hammer, out!"
"Earth Lizard, Possession!"
Shouts filled the air as over a dozen students from Class 1 activated their martial souls—some using tool-type spirits, others undergoing beast possession.
Their spirit rings varied:
One white, one yellow
Or two yellow
Then, they charged straight at Ye Yu.
Yet Ye Yu didn't even move to shield Dugu Yan or Ye Lingling.
He simply raised his right hand.
In a brilliant burst of light that shimmered like a deep blue starlight, laced with a faint violet hue—
A vine, thick as an adult's wrist, emerged.
Its body gleamed like blue crystal, threaded with golden veins and specks of starlight.
Ice-blue and crimson-red patterns coiled along its surface, with lightning markings etched into its bark.
This was—
The Blue Silver Spirit Jade Vine.
Its broad, fleshy leaves and dense root system surged forth—
Rapidly sprouting new tendrils, which spread outward at blinding speed.
Meanwhile, under the subtle concealment of the Blue Silver Domain—
Three spirit rings—two yellow, one purple—rose up beneath Ye Yu's feet and began rotating around him.
"What?!"
The moment they saw the rings—
The group charging Ye Yu halted mid-run, eyes wide with horror.
Their faces were pale with shock.
H-How was this possible?!
Wasn't this guy just a Rank 10 Spirit Scholar a year ago?
Even if he'd absorbed some spirit rings, at most he should've been a Spirit Master.
How in the world was he already a Spirit Elder?
And it wasn't just them—
Even the surrounding spectators, including Yu Feng, Oslo, the Shi Mo brothers, and Yu Tianheng, all turned grim.
Shock rippled across every face.
With his martial soul summoned—
Ye Yu looked at the stunned attackers and sneered.
Then he activated his soul skills:
First Soul Skill: Undying Root!
Second Soul Skill: Starlight Absorption!
As his first and second rings lit up—
The Blue Silver Spirit Jade Vine shot downward into the ground, extending an explosion of roots deep into the earth.
From below, the roots moved like serpents, burrowing and expanding in all directions—racing toward the incoming enemies.
Once in position—
Dozens of thick, glimmering vines burst out from underground like beasts emerging from their den.
In an instant, they transformed into a dense forest of vines—
A Blue Silver Forest.
Like crystalized blue jade, each vine shimmered with the brilliance of the stars.
Tough, radiant, and immeasurably numerous, they surged forward and swarmed the panicked group of attackers—
Wrapping around them in a chaotic, impenetrable net.