Chapter 33: The New Surpasses the Old

Qin Shou nodded in satisfaction, then waved at the girl beside him, Green Luo, and said, "You're not going to spill anything about this, right? I've got something to take care of tonight. I'll make it up to you another day."

Green Luo frowned slightly. "What exactly are you planning to do? Don't tell me you're calling in your family to handle this?"

Qin Shou chuckled. "Please, it's just a minor annoyance. A no-name brat like that isn't worth involving my family. I've got a professional team taking care of it."

"As for which team—well, I'm afraid I can't tell you that just yet. After all, you haven't officially become my woman. This operation is strictly confidential."

"But if you agree to be mine, I might just be generous enough to let you in on the plan. Right now? Not happening."

With that, Qin Shou strode off confidently. He had done this sort of thing many times before. As long as things were handled cleanly, even the academy couldn't do much about it. Backed by powerful connections, he had no fear of consequences.

His face twisted with anger, and his jaw clenched so tightly that it throbbed with pain—half his face was still swollen.

"Hmph. You dared hit me? You've got no idea how dangerous this world is. You're clueless about how dark people's hearts can be. Gu Yechen, right? You'd better prepare to lose an arm as payment."

Meanwhile, after leaving the library, Gu Yechen first headed to the Royal Academy's cafeteria and treated himself to a hearty meal. Then he returned to the dorm room he had just been assigned.

It wasn't as luxurious as Jiu Ying's private villa. This was a standard two-person shared student dorm. His roommate was already there.

Calling him a roommate might be a stretch—they were both classified as Tianwei-level students, roughly at the 25th soul power rank.

The difference was that Gu Yechen, as a member of the advanced class, wasn't subject to regular discipline, while his roommate was in the standard class and had to follow a daily schedule.

The roommate's name was Tian Qiu. Because they weren't yet close, Gu Yechen kept to himself and focused on his own matters.

He sat at his desk, reviewing the books he had borrowed. He read fast, but what came quickly could also fade quickly. The knowledge he had absorbed today needed time to sink in. Glancing at the time—it was nearly midnight. He needed to go out and endure his martial spirit's nightly backlash.

Before leaving, he said to his lazy-looking roommate, "Tian Qiu, I've got something to take care of tonight. Don't lock the door, alright? I'll be back later."

This dorm had been arranged by Jiu Ying, but she'd forgotten to give Gu Yechen a key. He had no choice but to rely on his roommate to keep the door unlocked for his late-night returns.

"Mm, got it," Tian Qiu replied without even looking up.

He had a decent face but was extremely laid-back. He always spoke lazily, never left his bed unless necessary, and even ate his meals sitting on it.

Gu Yechen didn't pry. Some people just preferred a relaxed lifestyle.

The days passed in this mundane rhythm. During the day, Gu Yechen studied and cultivated. At night, he slipped out in secret. Tian Qiu even began to suspect Gu Yechen had a lover outside—why else would he sneak out every night?

Of course, Gu Yechen never explained, just vaguely said he had urgent matters to attend to.

Qin Shou, meanwhile, hadn't caused any further trouble. Even when they crossed paths, it was a brief glance with no intention to fight. But it was obvious that Qin Shou was holding back some devious plan.

Three months flew by.

Gu Yechen not only caught up on his soul master studies but also began auditing normal classes and researching mimicry-based cultivation techniques.

With the simulated training environment provided by the Royal Academy, Gu Yechen advanced from level 20 to level 25—his own rough estimate. His martial spirit even allowed him to surpass traditional cultivation boundaries.

This rapid progress stunned his roommate Tian Qiu.

In just three months, Gu Yechen had gained five levels—an astonishing rate of growth.

Today, Tian Qiu was finally taking things seriously and asked earnestly, "Yechen, are you really at level 25 now? How did you train so fast? Don't tell me… you have innate full soul power?"

Gu Yechen waved it off with a casual smile. "Nah, I wasn't born with full soul power. Maybe I've just been lucky."

Over time, the two had grown more familiar. Tian Qiu had once told Gu Yechen that his parents had died serving the Empire. They were both soul masters who had been awarded the title of viscount by the royal family before perishing on the battlefield. Since then, Tian Qiu had been directionless, living in a constant state of melancholy.

But upon seeing Gu Yechen's growth, Tian Qiu couldn't help wanting to learn the secret.

"Luck? I don't buy it," Tian Qiu shook his head. "I may be lazy, but it took me a full year just to go from level 24 to 25. You did it in three months? That's not luck—that's something else."

"You're hiding something, aren't you?" He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Gu Yechen top to bottom—but found nothing.

He couldn't understand it. At sixteen, he was only level 25 and couldn't even break into level 26. Meanwhile, Gu Yechen had closed the gap in just a few months. Was he really still a so-called prodigy?

After a long pause, Tian Qiu awkwardly muttered, "You… you're not doing something shady at night, are you?"

He suspected Gu Yechen might be practicing some kind of forbidden technique. After all, there were soul masters in the world who advanced using unconventional and often dangerous methods.

There had even been a Titled Douluo who cultivated poison arts. His early growth was lightning fast, though it slowed dramatically later.

Maybe Gu Yechen was doing something similar—perhaps a "yin-harvesting, yang-supplementing" forbidden art?

Seeing his roommate's suspicious gaze, Gu Yechen felt helpless. He sighed and offered a half-truth: "It's like this. I sneak out at night to look for soul-enhancing herbs in the mountains."

"You know this academy is built in a remote area. There are plenty of spiritual herbs down the slopes. I was lucky enough to find a Vermilion Lotus that boosted my soul power significantly on first use."

It was true—certain herbs could enhance cultivation, though their effects diminished with repeated use. The first dose was always the most potent.

Still, the idea of herb-hunting at midnight sounded pretty flimsy. But aside from that explanation, Tian Qiu had no better theory.

Wide-eyed, Tian Qiu gasped. "No way! You never used any herbs before that? You reached level 20 purely on your own? You hit that at thirteen years old? Damn… your talent is terrifying."

Ironically, Gu Yechen's attempt to cover things up only made Tian Qiu more convinced he was a genius.

Sigh…

Tian Qiu muttered, "Back at the junior soul master academy, I was considered top of the class. But compared to you, I'm nothing."

"I've decided. From today on, I'm going to start training seriously. I may not be able to surpass you, but I won't let this freak catch up to me without a fight."

"Uhh…"

Gu Yechen blinked in confusion. What does he mean by not letting me catch up? Isn't that basically saying the younger generation should never surpass the older?

Truthfully, Tian Qiu had no idea that Gu Yechen had lost seven entire years of cultivation. He couldn't even qualify for Shrek Academy, whose strict requirements disqualified anyone over twelve or under level 21.

Gu Yechen had just turned twelve three months ago. Even if he applied for Shrek, he'd be rejected outright.

He wasn't some monstrous genius.

He was just… a buried one.

(End of Chapter)

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