"Oh, right," Electrolux suddenly remarked, "what are you planning to do about that little dragon soul in your spiritual sea?"
"The Silver Dragon Wolf?" Zhu Ziyang froze, falling into deep thought. Truthfully, he hadn't given it much consideration.
"That little dragon sacrificed herself to become your soul ring, yet her soul remained intact. I find that... quite fascinating," Electrolux said. "According to my earlier theory, her soul should've dissipated into the world upon sacrifice, transforming into a soul skill. But that didn't happen. Whether this anomaly is a trait of hundred-thousand-year soul beasts or a side effect of the sacrificial process... it's worth studying."
"Well..." Zhu Ziyang scratched his head, unsure how to respond.
"No rush," Electrolux said kindly, seeing Zhu Ziyang's awkwardness. "You've got time to figure it out. Her soul is still weak. It'll likely take five to ten years of nurturing before she can awaken."
He added with a grin, "Actually, her current state has given me an idea—something that might add a bit more excitement to your world."
"Oh?" Zhu Ziyang's eyes lit up with curiosity.
"Haha~ Don't get too eager. It's just a vague concept right now. Once I've worked out the details and proven its feasibility, I'll let you know."
"Alright then." Zhu Ziyang shrugged, letting it go.
With the conversation over, Zhu Ziyang exited his spiritual sea and sat quietly on his bed, dazed for a moment before collecting himself and closing his eyes to sleep.
Why not continue cultivating?
Simple—he had just emerged from over a month of intensive meditation. A break was necessary. After all, cultivation requires balance. Push too hard, and the effects might be counterproductive.
The next morning, Zhu Ziyang slept in—something that rarely happened. It wasn't until Jiang Nannan walked into his dorm with breakfast that he finally woke.
After eating, the two headed to class together.
"Huh? Where's Tang Ya? Didn't she come with you?" Zhu Ziyang asked as they left the dorm building.
"Beibei's back. She went ahead to the classroom with him," Jiang Nannan replied.
"Beibei's already back? That was fast," Zhu Ziyang was clearly surprised.
"Xiaoya said Beibei's family had already found a suitable soul beast for his third ring. All they needed was for him to break through to rank 30," Jiang Nannan explained. "So once he did, he returned home directly instead of wasting time looking for one himself."
"Ah, I see." Zhu Ziyang nodded in understanding. "That's the power of a clan with thousands of years of legacy. Fixed soul ring paths do have their advantages."
"They really do," Jiang Nannan agreed, thinking back to the difficulties they'd faced while searching for her third ring.
Class 1 – First-Year Classroom
To Zhu Ziyang's surprise, someone clearly not from their class was sitting among them—Xu Sanshi.
After the freshman assessment, Xu Sanshi had been placed in Class 2, which specialized in defense and agility. He was now sitting beside Xue Weiwei, chatting enthusiastically, while she smiled and nodded along.
"Ziyang, long time no see!" Beibei greeted him warmly as Zhu Ziyang returned to his seat.
"Long time indeed," he replied with a nod. It had been over two months since they'd last seen each other. "Oh, and congratulations on reaching Soul Elder."
"Thanks," Beibei said sincerely. Then his eyes lit up with a fighting spirit. "Ziyang, care for a rematch? I want to see how far the gap between us really is now."
"Sure, I'm in," Zhu Ziyang accepted without hesitation. "When?"
"After class. In the Duel Arena. How about it?" Beibei's excitement was palpable after receiving the confirmation.
News of Beibei challenging Zhu Ziyang spread like wildfire through the first-year classes. Before long, nearly every student—and even several teachers—were buzzing with anticipation.
Zhu Ziyang, as the champion of the freshman assessment, was already well-known for his Soul Elder-level strength. Beibei, though only third in the assessment, wielded the legendary Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul. Rumors had it that he, too, had just reached Soul Elder and obtained his third ring. The matchup between two first-year Soul Elders quickly became the talk of the academy.
When class ended, the hallway outside Class 1 was swarming with students, all trying to peek inside.
"Why are there so many people? Don't tell me they all heard about the match between my brother and Beibei?" Jiang Nannan asked, wide-eyed. "This many? Did the whole first-year come?"
"Hehe~" Tang Ya beside her looked sheepish. "I only told Xu Sanshi… didn't expect the whole grade to find out."
"Ngh… Xiaoya, what am I going to do with you?" Jiang Nannan glared at her, half exasperated, half amused.
Tang Ya could only offer an embarrassed laugh in return.
"Make way, please!" Zhu Ziyang and Beibei exchanged a helpless glance and laughed. Then, working together, they parted the crowd and called out.
As soon as their voices rang out, the students near the door immediately stepped aside. No one wanted to block the path of the most powerful freshman.
Zhu Ziyang and Beibei made their way toward the Duel Arena, trailed by Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya. Behind them was a massive crowd of first-years—at least two to three hundred strong. The commotion drew students from other years too, who joined out of sheer curiosity. By the time they reached the arena, the crowd had grown to nearly four hundred, including students in white, yellow, purple, and even black uniforms.
Faced with such a turnout, the Duel Arena staff wasted no time arranging the match and getting everything ready.
The two young men stood face-to-face in the arena. A referee arrived and took his place between them.
The duel was about to begin.
"Hey, who do you think's going to win—Zhu Ziyang or Beibei?"
"Is that even a question? Of course it's our class monitor!"
"Exactly! He's the champion. Back in the freshman assessment, not even two Beibeis could take him down. What chance does one have?"
"But I heard Beibei's reached Soul Elder too. And his martial soul is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon! I heard once its user hits the third ring, their strength skyrockets!"
"Pfft! Doesn't matter. Our monitor's going to win!"
"…"
"Oh no, Nannan, I regret it now…" Tang Ya muttered nervously, her expression darkening as she heard the chatter around them.
"That's what you get for running your mouth," Jiang Nannan smirked. "Now you're reaping what you sow."
"Ugh! Stop laughing!" Tang Ya grumbled. "How can you be so sure Zhu Ziyang will win? Beibei's already level 32!"
"Just watch. My brother's been growing stronger too." Jiang Nannan smiled with pride.