Chapter 29: The Emperor Battle Team
Heaven Dou Royal Academy, a quiet bamboo grove.
Seven young men and women with distinct appearances sat around a square stone table, drinking tea. Plates of fruit and snacks were spread out before them. Unlike other students, none of them wore the academy's signature pale yellow uniform.
Yet no one passing by found it strange.
Instead, they all kept their distance, afraid to get too close.
Seated at the center of the table was a tall, black-haired young man. His features weren't exactly handsome, and his face was mostly expressionless—as if his facial muscles were permanently stiff.
Beside him leaned a young woman, resting lazily on his shoulder. She had short, deep-purple hair and a strong, confident aura. Strangely, her eyes were a bright green, giving her an uncanny yet alluring charm. She wasn't exactly stunning, but there was something bewitching about her presence. At the moment, she was pouring tea for the young man, who sat with eyes closed, seemingly resting.
"Yan'er, what do you think Teacher Qin Ming called us here for? School doesn't officially start until the day after tomorrow. We're not like those idle good-for-nothings who hang around campus all day."
The one speaking was a handsome young man with short golden hair. One leg was propped up arrogantly on the stone table, clearly a wild and carefree type. As he spoke, he caught a glimpse of a student passing by and gave him a look—scaring the poor student into speeding up his pace and leaving in a fluster.
The purple-haired girl shot him a glance full of disdain. "How should I know? Also, if you don't put that leg down soon, you can forget about keeping it."
"Alright, alright, I'll put it down, okay?"
The golden-haired youth gave in with a bitter smile and lowered his leg.
Just then, another young man dressed in black, also with blond hair, spoke up with a teasing tone, "Did you hear? That bastard Xue Beng got beaten up by two new students this afternoon."
"Haha, Panther, is that for real? That would be hilarious! I've been itching to smack him for ages, but my old man won't let me. If not, I'd have done it long ago," a blue-clothed youth chimed in.
Meanwhile, the final member of the group, a girl dressed all in black with a veil covering her face, stood silently at the edge of the clearing, staring into the distance.
These seven were the official members of Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Emperor Battle Team.
Captain: Yu Tianheng.
Martial Soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
Level 39 power-attack type Battle Soul Master.
Soul rings: Yellow, Yellow, Purple.
Vice-Captain: Dugu Yan.
Martial Soul: Jade Phosphor Serpent.
Level 38 control-type Battle Soul Master.
Soul rings: Yellow, Yellow, Purple.
Member: Shi Mo.
Martial Soul: Black Tortoise.
Level 38 defense-type Battle Soul Master.
Soul rings: Yellow, Yellow, Purple.
Member: Shi Mo (yes, same pronunciation, twin brother).
Martial Soul: Black Tortoise.
Level 37 defense-type Battle Soul Master.
Soul rings: Yellow, Yellow, Purple.
Member: Yu Feng.
Martial Soul: Wind Chime Bird.
Level 36 agility-type Battle Soul Master.
Soul rings: Yellow, Yellow, Purple.
Member: Oslo.
Martial Soul: Ghost Leopard.
Level 36 agility-type Battle Soul Master.
Soul rings: Yellow, Yellow, Purple.
Member: Ye Lingling.
Martial Soul: Nine-Hearted Begonia.
Level 35 support-type Tool Soul Master.
Soul rings: Yellow, Yellow, Purple.
While the group bantered and relaxed, Qin Ming arrived with Zu Zong and Xiao Wu.
The moment they saw him, the team members all stood up to greet him, even the usually silent girl in black.
"Teacher, you look even more handsome than a few days ago!"
"Teacher, come, come—I already brewed your tea!"
At that moment, Ye Lingling—the quietest among them—suddenly spoke up, "Who are those two?"
Strangely enough, her Nine-Hearted Begonia martial soul was resonating, giving her a faint sense of familiarity. That feeling came from the blue-haired boy.
Ye Lingling's words instantly caused a ripple through the group—not because they were overly interested in the newcomers, but because she had spoken at all.
Even though they'd trained and lived together for a long time, most of the team had barely ever heard Ye Lingling speak.
Qin Ming looked slightly embarrassed. Surrounded by his eager students, he had almost forgotten the main reason he was here.
"I almost forgot! Let me introduce you—these two are the newest members of our Emperor Battle Team: Zu Zong and Xiao Wu."
"Everyone, go ahead and introduce yourselves."
Qin Ming's words clearly stirred dissatisfaction among most members of the Emperor Battle Team.
Except for Ye Lingling, whose icy expression remained unchanged as always, the rest all looked visibly displeased.
Geniuses often had their own sense of pride. In their eyes, the seven of them were already a perfectly balanced team. The sudden arrival of two unknowns, especially ones who looked only twelve or thirteen years old, was nothing short of unwelcome.
What use was a pretty face? It was obvious to them that these two had gotten in through connections. This wasn't the first time such a thing had happened—previous cases had all been chased out by them.
"Teacher Qin Ming, don't tell me this is another case of some 'big shot' sneaking their young master and princess into the team?"
The one who spoke was Dugu Yan.
Among the seven, she was the most disdainful of spoiled noble brats. Her grandfather was a titled Douluo whom even the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire had to show respect to, so she had no need to hold back in her words.
Looking at the purple-haired girl with green eyes, Zu Zong thought to himself, "So this is the same Dugu Yan from the original story—the one who never gave Tang San a second glance."
To be honest, Dugu Yan was quite pitiful in the original. Her boyfriend's clan was wiped out, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well got taken over by Tang San's crew, and her grandfather, Dugu Bo, went all-in helping Tang San.
In the end, not even a single herb was left for the grandfather and granddaughter—everything went to the Shrek Seven Devils. It was truly ironic.
Zu Zong didn't mind being ignored—it didn't faze him. But Xiao Wu, standing beside him, was already annoyed. She puffed up her cheeks and stomped the ground with her long legs.
"Hmph! You're the ones who got in through connections! Xiao Zong and I were admitted based on strength!"
Dugu Yan raised an eyebrow. Now that was interesting.
Usually, people went silent in front of her. Just the name of her martial soul—the Jade Phosphor Serpent—was enough to scare children into silence.
But this girl actually dared to talk back?
Dugu Yan licked her lips, amused. "Little sister, if you want to join the Emperor Battle Team, you'd better prove you've got what it takes. Otherwise, why don't you go home and drink milk with your little boyfriend? Hahaha."
That did it.
Xiao Wu's competitive streak exploded on the spot.
"Ah! I'm going to beat the crap out of you, you old hag!"
Old hag?
Everyone present broke into a cold sweat. Even Ye Lingling, who rarely reacted to anything, twitched the corner of her mouth.
Zu Zong (rolling his eyes): If she's an old hag, then what does that make you—a hundred-thousand-year-old ancient rabbit?
Xiao Wu (angrily): "Ugh! You wooden block! Whose side are you on!?"
"Old... old hag? You're asking for it!" Dugu Yan's mouth twitched as well.
She'd called the girl "little sister" just a moment ago, only to be called "old hag" in return?
Sparks flew in their eyes. It was clear that neither would back down until they'd fought it out.
As the leader of the Emperor Battle Team, Qin Ming felt his head throb. One headache was bad enough—now he had two.
He let out a helpless sigh. "Seriously… what a bunch of problem children."
(End of Chapter)
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