Qin Ming asked with some confusion what you had been up to.
Dugu Yan brushed it off vaguely.
Qin Ming didn’t press further.
He turned to discuss the current team battles—they had already won many consecutive matches, and the betting odds had become quite favorable.
The fighting arena would likely arrange extremely powerful opponents for them next.
Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and the others nodded without much concern.
They had played so many matches in Suotuo City without any real challenge.
The Suotuo City Fighting Arena was just a fighting arena within a principality’s city, while the Heaven Dou Fighting Arena was located in the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire.
The gap between the two was immense.
Dugu Yan truly couldn’t understand why Teacher Qin Ming had brought them to such a small place for training.
You happily munched on the pastries in the room, not listening at all to what Qin Ming was saying.
Soon, the next opposing team lineup was announced.
Your Royal Fighting Team, ranked as Silver Fighting Spirits, was actually matched against an Iron Fighting Spirit team.
Everyone’s expressions turned somewhat contemptuous after hearing this.
They didn’t take this team seriously at all—the disparity in soul power levels between the two sides was indeed quite significant.
This was a guaranteed win.
Qin Ming, on the other hand, gave you a meaningful warning to be careful, not to be overconfident, but also not to deliver killing blows.
Soon, the match began.
Dugu Yan and the others went down to watch the competition.
You continued munching away foolishly, completely unaware of what was happening.
Qin Ming just glanced at you and didn’t care about your behavior.
In his eyes, you were a fool, not really his student.
Dugu Yan being with you was somewhat of a waste.
You were eating with great enjoyment when suddenly a shadow appeared before you—it was Dugu Yan.
Their match was over and they had returned.
They were all wounded, and Ye Lingling’s soul power was exhausted too, so she couldn’t heal her teammates for the time being.
Teacher Qin Ming had just chatted with his former mentor for a while and had also put his arrogant, confident students in their place with some harsh lessons.
He was now quite pleased.
He earnestly taught you all not to be discouraged by a single failure—you were still geniuses.
Just not as genius as the monster students in Shrek Academy.
Outside the simulation, Fang Yuan silently completed the rest of that sentence for him.
Seeing the current simulation progress, Fang Yuan already felt a headache coming on.
The simulated version of himself had far too low an intelligence quotient, with extremely slow action efficiency.
He still hadn’t gone to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to obtain the immortal herbs.
Fang Yuan no longer held any expectations for this simulation.
Dugu Yan was quite dissatisfied, but Qin Ming didn’t care about his students’ emotions.
His main focus was now on Shrek Academy.
After learning that his mentor was leading junior students to participate in this year’s High-Level Soul Master Tournament but was troubled by the lack of slots, Qin Ming wanted to use the Heaven Dou Royal Academy’s quotas and resources to train Shrek’s students and let them compete…
Qin Ming felt this arrangement would wrong Dean Flender, after all, Shrek Academy was Dean Flender’s life’s work.
In the end, Shrek Academy’s teachers and students reluctantly agreed to this plan.
Ultimately, they agreed that two months later, Shrek Academy’s students would enter the Heaven Dou Royal Academy as exchange students.
Qin Ming no longer took the Heaven Dou Royal combat team members out for training.
He hurried back to Heaven Dou City to persuade the three educational commissioners.
When you all returned after being away for so long, Dugu Bo immediately came to see his dear granddaughter Dugu Yan.
Dugu Yan had been spoiled since childhood and immediately complained without hesitation, telling him everything that happened in Suotuo City.
Upon learning that his granddaughter had been beaten, Dugu Bo was furious and originally wanted to go teach that Tang San who had hurt his granddaughter a lesson.
Dugu Yan also mentioned that Tang San and the others from Shrek Academy would be coming to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy as exchange students.
Dugu Bo then changed his mind and decided to wait for them in Heaven Dou City.
Dugu Bo also noticed you and saw you playing with the gem ornaments at your waist with clear, innocent eyes.
He shook his head helplessly.
Though you were a bit foolish, what could he do since his granddaughter liked you?
Moreover, according to the rules of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda soul masters had to be protected by their partners.
Even with all his doting on his granddaughter Dugu Yan, Dugu Bo understood that having you protect her was simply impossible.
Dugu Yan didn’t mind.
She cupped your jade-like face, pinched it, and asked what you were thinking about.
Because when you were bored, your mind would wander, thinking about all sorts of random things—but it just looked like you were spacing out.
Your thoughts hadn’t returned yet.
Upon hearing Dugu Yan’s question, the words slipped out of your mouth involuntarily: “Immortal herbs.”
Outside the simulation, Fang Yuan felt a surge of excitement as he finally saw progress on the plan.
If he couldn’t obtain the immortal herbs this time to evolve his martial soul and break through level seventy-nine,
then this simulation’s score would definitely be even worse.
A poor score meant even worse starting conditions for the next simulation—it was a vicious cycle.
Dugu Yan was a bit puzzled.
Looking into your clear, bottomless amber eyes, she asked, “What are immortal herbs?”
“They’re Grandfather Dugu’s immortal herbs!” Your mind only remembered simple information.
“It seems like they’re in the Sunset Forest, inside the medicine garden.”
After hearing your words, Dugu Bo’s expression instantly turned serious.
The strange spring in the medicine garden in the Sunset Forest could help suppress the toxins in his body, and it contained countless rare herbs—unfortunately, he didn’t know their specific uses.
There might even be herbs among them that could cure him and his granddaughter.
This concerned his very life and that of his family, so Dugu Bo had never told anyone about the medicine garden’s existence and had even set up a poisonous miasma outside it.
How did you know about it?
Dugu Bo questioned you, but you were dull and slow, unable to explain anything.
He was about to press you further when Dugu Yan immediately stepped in front of you and defended you.
“A Yuan can’t explain it in his state, and he’s your grandson-in-law—how could there be any problem?
Maybe I accidentally mentioned it to him before?”
Dugu Yan knew she had never told you about the medicine garden, but she chose to lie to her grandfather to protect you.
Dugu Bo also knew his granddaughter was most likely lying, but he didn’t want to make things difficult for her or make her sad, so he ultimately didn’t press you further.
You, however, finally remembered your goal again and tightly gripped Dugu Yan’s slender hand, saying you wanted to go to the medicine garden.
Dugu Yan asked you again what immortal herbs actually were.
You thought about the uses of immortal herbs and honestly replied: enhancing soul power, improving aptitude, and even evolving martial souls…