Chapter 21 – The Elephant Armored Sect’s Hidden Backing

"As for you—"

Yu Tianxin shifted his gaze to Yun Yibai.

"I heard you left the clan a few years ago and transferred to Aunt Erlong's Blue Tyrant Academy."

Although he had known Yun Yibai for a while, Yu Tianxin hadn't learned of his departure from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan until much later—after he'd already been at Thunderclap Academy since the age of eleven.

"Back then, I thought highly of you."

"I wonder… are you still someone worthy of that respect now?"

Yun Yibai responded calmly:

"Guess you'll find out soon enough."

"So? Aren't you going to invite us in?"

Yu Tianxin moved aside, allowing them to enter.

Inside the room, the three sat down. Yun Yibai, treating himself like one of the hosts, casually poured himself a cup of tea—then made tea for the other two as well.

Yu Tianheng sprawled on the sofa, sipping his tea before glancing at Yu Tianxin and saying,

"By the way, Yibai and I saw some unpleasant things after entering the city."

"Oh?"

Yu Tianxin, who carried himself with an elegant and refined demeanor outside of battle, gently set his teacup down and asked in a composed tone.

(Hmph, no surprise—it's Yun Yibai's brew. Excellent as always.)

"Well, it went like this…"

Yu Tianheng proceeded to describe the incident on the street—how students from Elephant Armored Academy were harassing girls from Tianshui Academy.

"Is Elephant Armored Academy always like this?"

Yu Tianheng didn't know much about them, but he assumed Yu Tianxin would—since he studied at Thunderclap Academy, which frequently interacted with the other elemental schools.

"This year's gathering… Elephant Armored Academy does feel different,"

Yu Tianxin admitted.

He was only fifteen, and his knowledge was limited—but Thunderclap Academy's senior instructors had been through many such events before.

"According to our vice dean, Elephant Armored Academy wasn't this arrogant in previous years."

Yun Yibai chimed in,

"There's no such thing as a change without cause. If they weren't this arrogant before, it just means they didn't have the confidence to be."

"You mean… Elephant Armored Academy only dares to act like this now because they've found some kind of powerful backer?"

Yu Tianheng's expression turned serious.

He was thinking: perhaps Elephant Armored Academy—or more likely, the Elephant Armored Sect behind it—had found an ally strong enough to rival even the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

As for the possibility of the Elephant Armored Sect becoming that strong on its own, Yu Tianheng dismissed it outright. Their sect leader Hu Yan Zhen was only in the Soul Douluo realm, far from reaching Titled Douluo status.

"I'm only suggesting that it's one possibility,"

Yun Yibai said calmly. He neither confirmed nor denied it.

"Elephant Armored Academy…"

Yu Tianxin chuckled coldly.

"They've been getting way too full of themselves lately."

Meanwhile, on the 11th floor of the same hotel…

"Grandfather, I've passed along all your instructions,"

said a tall, dark-skinned young man with a single ponytail, standing respectfully before a large, imposing middle-aged man sitting on the couch.

"But… are we going a bit too far with all this?"

He spoke of now, not the future—meaning he didn't oppose the methods entirely, just questioned the current timing.

"Hahaha! Lier, if I don't make a show of strength now, how can we prove our loyalty and sincerity to that side?"

"But won't this offend all the other elemental academies?"

"Heh. Haven't I told you already?"

The large man—Hu Yan Zhen, the Sect Master of the Elephant Armored Sect—grinned.

"The only one here who's even worth my concern is Thunderclap Academy, because of their backing from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. The rest? Nothing more than chickens and dogs."

"And soon enough, even the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan won't be a threat. Hmph."

"Now is the perfect time for our Elephant Armored Sect to show the Pope of Spirit Hall where our loyalties lie."

"If we can earn the Pope's favor, we might just rise to stand alongside the Upper Three Sects ourselves."

"Lier—this year's Five Elemental Academy Exchange—make sure you perform worthy of Elephant Armored Academy and the Elephant Armored Sect."

"Understood, Grandfather!"

Hu Yan Li clenched his fists with determination.

Back on the other side, the reunion between Yu Tianheng, Yun Yibai, and Yu Tianxin had just about wrapped up.

"Let's go. I'll take you to meet the rest of Thunderclap Academy's official team."

Yu Tianxin led them down the hall, knocking on several doors until they finally arrived in a meeting room where Thunderclap Academy's competing students were gathered.

He faced the group and said,

"The academy already informed you all: two additional participants will be joining us for this year's Five Elemental Academy Exchange."

"This is my cousin Yu Tianheng, and my maternal cousin Yun Yibai."

"Both possess the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon as their Martial Soul."

Hearing this, the students from Thunderclap Academy nodded slightly.

They already knew the story—this was a political move. The upper levels of the clan had sent people to "polish" their resumes, so to speak.

What could they do about it? They were just ordinary students, so they had no choice but to accept it.

"Hello everyone, I'm Yu Tianheng. Rank 33, Assault System Battle Soul Elder."

"Yun Yibai. Rank 33, Assault System Battle Soul Elder."

"Wait—you're already Rank 33?!"

Yu Tianheng was stunned.

He'd asked Yun Yibai before, but the guy had always dodged the question.

Yun Yibai shot him a look. He hadn't said anything earlier because he hadn't wanted to.

Now, he wanted the Thunderclap students to know:

He was not weak—and not someone to underestimate.

Even Yu Tianxin was taken aback.

He was fifteen years old and had reached Rank 36, the result of intense cultivation.

Yet this cousin, two years younger and with lower innate soul power, had nearly caught up to him.

The other Thunderclap students didn't know their personal history.

They assumed:

These two must be geniuses from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

Then, another student stepped forward.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ming Lang, team captain for Thunderclap Academy at this year's exchange.

I'm 21 years old, Rank 42 Assault System Battle Soul Ancestor.

Martial Soul: Yaksha Thunder Hawk.

Including the student on sentry duty, we're fielding a total of ten official participants."

"I'm Chen Enze…"

"I'm…"

The rest introduced themselves one by one.

After the greetings, Yun Yibai turned to Ming Lang:

"Captain Ming, would you mind giving us a quick overview of the Five Elemental Academy Exchange?"

"Of course."

"Within the Heaven Dou Empire, ever since the establishment of the Five Elemental Academies, this exchange has been held for many generations."

"In reality, it's just a way for each academy to flex its muscles."