51. The Whereabouts of Sun Jie

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'What would I do if I were Teacher Bai Yan?'

Think differently.

Quan Yi chose to analyze Teacher Bai Yan.

Information about Teacher Bai Yan flashed through his mind.

First of all, Bai Yan did not possess fire immunity, meaning she couldn't avoid being marked by the Seal of Rhinoceros. Only someone like Quan Yi, who had the fire-immunity attribute, could completely evade the imprint.

Due to this immunity, the fire-attributed soul skill of the Seal of Rhinoceros had no effect on Quan Yi, allowing him to face Bai Yan without fear. However, even with this advantage, Quan Yi's body still couldn't withstand the force of a close-range explosion.

Bai Yan, on the other hand, was not skilled in defense and lacked fire immunity. As long as Quan Yi managed to touch her, Bai Yan would be instantly defeated.

"Sigh... This is tricky." Quan Yi rubbed his temples. After analyzing Bai Yan's situation, he gained a deeper understanding of his own strength and the complexity of his first soul skill.

Even after thinking it over, he couldn't find a perfect solution.

Furthermore, Bai Yan's speed was limited by her cultivation level. Given Quan Yi's attack speed, landing a touch on his teacher was inevitable. Not to mention, Quan Yi had now mastered propulsion. Even if Bai Yan's speed increased tomorrow, Quan Yi was confident he could still handle her.

The break ended quickly, and Quan Yi still hadn't found a clear answer. However, he wasn't discouraged. Instead of chasing uncertain solutions, he chose to remain steady and respond to changes as they came.

After all, growing stronger was the ultimate goal.

Quan Yi stood up, slowly adopting the starting stance of his family's boxing technique. He began practicing the integration of Gang and Jian.

After a week of diligent practice, he had become increasingly proficient at transitioning between strength and precision.

The Quan family's boxing technique required seamless shifts between offense and defense—transitioning from rigidity to sharpness and vice versa at just the right moment. As his proficiency improved, the time required to complete a full sequence of movements gradually shortened.

This forced him to switch between Gang and Jian even faster.

Rather than slowing down, Quan Yi focused on ensuring his transitions kept pace with his movements.

Only by doing so could he continuously refine his control over his soul power.

Unexpectedly, this method provided Quan Yi with an unforeseen advantage—it became a foundation for developing self-created soul skills.

Realizing the benefits of precise soul power control firsthand, Quan Yi became even more invested in his family's martial arts. The ability to train both boxing techniques and soul power control simultaneously was an incredibly rare find.

As night fell, Quan Yi continued his training with the same intense focus.

Four years of relentless challenges had sharpened his ability to concentrate. Whenever he entered a state of cultivation, he could completely clear his mind of distractions, focusing solely on his body and movements.

Breaking past limits required a strong will. Any stray thoughts could disrupt his movements, reducing the effectiveness of his training and increasing the risk of injury. The same principle applied to his boxing practice.

Thus, he remained fully committed, never allowing himself even a moment of relaxation.

Later that evening, on the second floor of the cafeteria, Quan Yi arrived after finishing his training for the day.

To his surprise, he found Huo Wu already seated at a dining table with a prepared meal in front of her. It seemed she had just arrived as well.

Quan Yi waved his hand dismissively before quickly finishing his meal and sitting across from Huo Wu.

"How's your recovery?" he asked.

"I just consumed a lot of soul power, but after a short rest, I recovered. After that, I went to train in a mimicry environment."

Seeing the faint traces of sweat still dampening Huo Wu's clothes, Quan Yi confirmed that she was telling the truth.

It seems Huo Wu is just as dedicated to her training. Quan Yi silently approved.

Unlike him, Huo Wu didn't engage in nighttime physical training. However, this didn't mean she was slacking off—on the contrary, it was a sign of intelligence.

Although her Martial Soul was a beast-type, its strength didn't lie in physical prowess but in flame control. For her, refining soul power, enhancing precision, and practicing flame manipulation were the core aspects of training.

So at night, rather than exhausting herself with physical drills, Huo Wu would go to a mimicry environment to focus on soul power and soul skill training.

"You look more tired than usual," Huo Wu noted, carefully observing Quan Yi's face.

She had always seen him as an untiring workhorse—no matter how intense his training, he always seemed full of energy. Yet today, she could clearly sense fatigue in his eyes.

Quan Yi blinked in surprise. Am I?

Huo Wu's comment caught him off guard. He did a quick assessment of his body but found no serious issues.

The extra training session that afternoon shouldn't have been a problem, not with his resilience and the nourishment of soul beast meat. However, after Huo Wu pointed it out, he did feel a slight dizziness creeping into his head.

Could it be… mental exhaustion?

It suddenly clicked—he had spent too much energy refining propulsion, straining his mind more than his body.

Quan Yi was quietly impressed by Huo Wu's perceptiveness. He hadn't even realized it himself, yet she had picked up on such a subtle change.

But in truth, Huo Wu wasn't normally this meticulous, especially toward others. It was only when it came to Quan Yi that she unknowingly paid closer attention.

"Do you need to rest for a while?" she asked, a trace of concern in her voice. "You're already training at a high intensity, and now you're adding combat practice on top of that. Your body might not be able to keep up."

Huo Wu had a deep understanding of just how rigorous Quan Yi's regimen was. Ever since she started training alongside him, she had been shocked by his sheer endurance.

This level of training wasn't something an ordinary person could endure. On top of that, she knew Quan Yi didn't sleep—he substituted it entirely with meditation.

If it weren't for the fact that Quan Yi was the goal she was chasing, Huo Wu was certain she wouldn't have lasted even a week under such conditions.

"Thanks for your concern," Quan Yi said with a faint smile. "I'll take it into consideration. But you should also be mindful of your limits. You've only just started, and your body hasn't fully adapted yet."

Huo Wu's concern warmed his heart. Looking directly into her eyes, he softened his tone as he spoke.

"...Yes," she murmured, quickly lowering her gaze.

She immediately buried her head in her meal, avoiding his gaze as if flustered.

Huo Wu, who was usually bold and confident, found herself strangely uncomfortable when confronted with Quan Yi's direct kindness.

The two continued their meal in silence.

Their intense training had left them both ravenous, and they ate with little regard for etiquette. Huo Wu, who had once exuded elegance at their first meeting, now ate with an unreserved hunger.

But at the moment, she didn't care.

The people around them had long grown accustomed to their habits. Some well-informed individuals had even started piecing together information about them.

One was Huo Wu, the daughter of the president of Blazing Academy.

The other was Quan Yi, a soul master prodigy born with full innate soul power—rumored to have a background that shouldn't be underestimated.

The Quan family wasn't particularly well-known in the world of soul masters, as they were primarily a business-oriented clan. However, they maintained a low profile, making them a bit of an enigma.

That being said, the students on the second floor weren't fools.

For example, everyone still remembered the fight between Quan Yi and Sun Jie—the very battle that had made Quan Yi famous.

Rumor had it that Sun Jie, who was sent flying by Quan Yi's punch, had applied for early graduation and left the junior academy overnight. It seemed he had transferred directly to an intermediate academy, likely to avoid another encounter with Quan Yi.

The expected drama—where Sun Jie's family would retaliate and use their influence to suppress a rising genius—never came to pass.

Which only meant one thing:

Quan Yi's background was anything but simple.