Chapter 19 – Shuiyue City, Tianshui Academy

"Ah… this..."

Yu Tianheng hadn't expected his cousin to be found out so quickly, even though he always knew Yun Yibai was smart.

"Hehehe…" Yu Tianheng gave an awkward chuckle.

"Cousin, there's something I've been holding in for a long time."

"I just want to ask—why didn't you say anything back then when you were clearly this strong?"

"Were you trying to pull off some 'return of the king' moment or something?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

Smack!

Yun Yibai slapped the deep blue envelope against Yu Tianheng's chest.

"Stop reading so many novels. I'm not that bored."

"I don't care about meaningless arguments, and I don't waste time trying to wake people who pretend to sleep. I understand one thing very clearly: once someone reaches a certain level of power and status, even if they're wrong, they'll never admit it."

"And I never cultivated to prove anything to them. I cultivate for myself."

"With my talent, if I hadn't chosen this path of soul skills, I might still be just a Grandmaster-level Soul Master. Brother, in this world, soul power is the only thing that truly speaks."

Yu Tianheng fell silent, Yun Yibai's words stirring deep thoughts.

Yun Yibai had chosen all amplification-type soul skills, and despite starting with an innate soul power of only level 7, he had trained harder than Yu Tianheng—who had level 9 innate soul power—and even surpassed him in cultivation speed.

He couldn't help but recall the days when Yun Yibai buried himself in training and books… while he had been out playing, proud of his status as a direct descendant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

"How pathetic... Even someone less talented than me worked so much harder. What do I have to be proud of?"

Yu Tianheng smiled bitterly to himself.

He took a deep breath and refocused.

"So… are you going to the Five Elemental Academy Exchange?"

"This time it's being hosted by Tianshui Academy..."

"I'm going."

Yun Yibai responded before Yu Tianheng even finished his sentence.

"See? Would've saved us the trouble if you just said that in the first place!"

"Then we'll set off tomorrow. It's been a while since we saw Yu Tianxin, too. I wonder if that arrogant guy has changed."

The next day, a carriage left Heaven Dou City for Tianshui Academy, carrying Yu Tianheng and Yun Yibai.

Tianshui Academy was located in Shuiyue City, in the southern part of the Northern Province of the Heaven Dou Empire—one of the two major cities in the region. It even had a large Great Soul Arena stationed there.

Shuiyue City had a warm, humid climate—mild and comfortable year-round.

This year's Five Elemental Academy Exchange was being hosted by Tianshui Academy—a privilege the other four academy heads had fought hard to secure.

Tianshui had initially refused. But the other academies pointed out that in all the past exchanges, Tianshui had never once served as host. With some reluctance, they finally agreed.

However, Tianshui Academy was a girls-only school, and many of the visiting students were male. As a result, the academy rented an outside venue within Shuiyue City.

Tianshui Academy, though not massive, held significant influence locally. Combined with the fact that it had several Soul Saints in residence, the city lord gave them face and rented out Shuiyue's martial arena for the event.

Of course, the city lord wasn't just being generous. He knew the Five Elemental Academies were famous across the empire. So he made a deal with Tianshui's headmistress, Shui Rou:

Allow the public to spectate.

Charge admission.

Split the profits 50/50.

Shui Rou, seeing it wasn't a bad idea, agreed.

After more than ten days of travel, they finally arrived in Shuiyue City.

The city truly lived up to its name—its watery elegance reflected in every detail. The overall theme was a tranquil aqua-blue, giving it a fresh, ethereal atmosphere.

Buildings lining the streets were adorned in soft blue hues, making the entire city seem wrapped in a misty veil of water, poetic and romantic.

"This place is lively!"

Yu Tianheng remarked as they entered through the city gates, watching crowds of people come and go.

"Looks like word of the Five Elemental Academy Exchange has already spread. Most of these people are probably here for the excitement."

Of course, it had been advertised. The exchange event had, in some circles, become almost as popular as the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.

And since there would be battles, people were eager to attend.

Rich folks especially loved a good spectacle.

"See those kids in different-colored uniforms?"

Yu Tianheng asked, continuing,

"They're probably students from the other elemental academies.

Green is Divine Wind Academy, red is Blazing Fire, light blue is Tianshui, yellow is Elephant Armored, and our deep blue is Thunderclap Academy."

Yun Yibai nodded.

"I figured they'd arrive earlier than us, but I didn't think there'd be so many of them.

Looks like they came in droves—anyone with free time just formed a team and showed up."

Looking around, the two could see that roughly one-fifth of the crowd wore the various academy uniforms.

But of course, a crowd that large means conflict is inevitable.

Sure enough, less than ten minutes after entering the city, Yun Yibai and Yu Tianheng witnessed an altercation.

"What, you from Elephant Armored Academy want to start something?"

A student from Blazing Fire Academy shouted angrily, eyes full of defiance.

The Elephant Armored students scoffed dismissively. They were tall and burly, clearly physically dominant.

"You? From Blazing Fire?" one sneered.

"Come back when you've grown a few more inches, shorty!"

One particularly tall Elephant Armored student didn't hold back, his tone dripping with contempt.

The Blazing Fire students turned red with rage, fists clenched, ready to strike.

"You're way too arrogant!"

Just then, Divine Wind Academy students stepped up beside Blazing Fire—unwilling to let their allied academy suffer insult.

"Want a fight?"

"Let's see if your beefy bodies can even take one punch from me!"

The Elephant Armored students burst into laughter, their arrogance peaking.

But before the situation could explode, Shuiyue City's patrol guards arrived.

"This is a restricted area! No brawling allowed!"

"Tch, guess you're lucky today."

The Elephant Armored group's leader waved his people off, strutting away with disdain.

They didn't take the city guards seriously—because compared to high-level academy soul masters, these patrolling Soul Masters were weak.

"Elephant Armored Academy sure is cocky,"

Yu Tianheng said, crossing his arms.

"It's to be expected," Yun Yibai replied.

"They're backed by the Elephant Armored Sect, one of the Four Lower Sects, and their sect leader is a high-ranking Soul Douluo."

"Meanwhile, the Soul Douluo backing Blazing Fire and Divine Wind can't match that."