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"Hey everyone, did you miss me?" Yufeng stood up slowly, revealing a wide smile.
"Who would miss a chatterbox like you?"
Another familiar voice echoed as Oslo approached from a distance, clad in the Tian Dou Royal Academy's teacher attire with a badge pinned to his chest, signifying his position as a teacher.
"Man, you're still as annoying as ever," Yufeng remarked with a look of disdain, but he still walked over and threw an arm around Oslo's shoulders. "Weren't you supposed to go back and take over the family business? How'd you end up as a teacher?"
"Is it a crime to have hobbies?" Oslo shot back with a similar look of disdain but didn't shrug off Yufeng's arm. He greeted Tang San, Yu Tianheng, and the Shi mo brothers, "Long time no see, everyone."
"Oslo, have you been teaching at the Tian Dou Royal Academy for the past five years?" Tang San asked curiously.
"Not quite. I only started working here two years ago," Oslo replied with a wry smile. "It was actually my family's suggestion. With Tian Dou splitting, our clan sided with Emperor Qinghe. To show our loyalty, I had to take up this teaching post..."
Yufeng chimed in, "My family moved to Spirit City, so we didn't have to get involved in the political mess here in Tian Dou. Speaking of which, the head of the Tian Dou City Spirit Hall branch, Ling Yuan, is actually a distant relative of mine. By rank, I should call her Aunt."
The group chatted casually for a while. Once Ye Lingling and Zhu Zhuqing arrived, the former members of the Heaven Dou Imperial Battle Team were all present, plus one more: Gu Yuena.
The little girl insisted on joining in on the fun.
With no other choice, Tang San had brought her along.
When Yufeng and the others learned that Gu Yuena was only eleven years old yet already at the Soul Emperor level, they were at a loss for words.
Compared to Tang San, this girl was the real prodigy!
Soon after, at Tang San's suggestion, the group decided to visit Qin Ming. When they found him, he was busy training the new generation of the Tian Dou Royal Battle Team.
Compared to Tang San and his team, the current Tian Dou Imperial Royal Team had twelve members, all of whom had spirit power above level forty, though only one was a Soul King.
While their overall strength didn't quite match up to Tang San's group, it was clear that the team's capabilities had improved, a fact acknowledged by everyone present.
"Teacher Qin Ming, how have you been?"
Taking advantage of a break in the training, Tang San led the group over and greeted Qin Ming.
"Teacher Qin Ming!"
"Teacher Qin Ming is still as strict as ever."
"You look even more energetic than before!"
"Teacher Qin Ming, have you found a girlfriend yet?"
"We're all waiting to give you a wedding gift!"
"..."
Bombarded by the group's rapid-fire questions, Qin Ming was momentarily stunned but soon broke into a delighted smile. Striding forward, he exclaimed, "Tang San, it's you!"
"I never expected you all to have time to visit your old teacher."
"How could we not?" Ning Rongrong grinned, placing one hand on her hip before pulling out a soul card. "No matter what, you're our teacher, so we had to find time to visit. Here's a little gift from me—a small token of appreciation, just a million gold soul coins, nothing too grand."
Following Ning Rongrong's lead, the others began taking out their own gifts from their storage soul guides, whether it be soul tools or rare items not available in Tian Dou City.
Soon, Qin Ming found himself draped with gifts, making him chuckle in both amusement and exasperation.
Not far away, the members of the new generation of the Tian Dou Royal Battle Team gathered around, their gazes fixed on Tang San and his companions, eyes filled with admiration and respect.
"Tang San-senpai, can I have your autograph?" One bold female team member approached, her face flushed as she pulled out an autograph book and pen from her storage soul guide.
"Sure thing." Tang San smiled as he took the book and pen, signing his name before posing for a photo with her.
Seeing this, the rest of the team members eagerly gathered around, each asking the former members of the Tian Dou Royal Battle Team for autographs and photos.
It wasn't until Qin Ming had finished putting away the gifts that he approached with a stern expression, barking, "What are you all doing? Get back to training! If you don't achieve good results in this year's Continental Advanced Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, you'll disgrace your senior alumni!"
Instantly, the team members scrambled back to their training positions.
"Teacher Qin, don't be too harsh on them. Balance is key," Tang San advised, noticing the pressure Qin Ming was under. After all, the previous team had won first place in the Continental Advanced Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, and if this year's team performed poorly, it could lead to severe criticism.
"You're right; I've been a bit impatient," Qin Ming sighed. But he couldn't help it—Emperor Qinghe was in a hurry, which had led to the split of Tian Dou, with several smaller nations forming the New Tian Dou Federation. If the Tian Dou team lost to the New Tian Dou, it wouldn't just be the academy that faced criticism.
"But luckily, you're all back. Could you help train them?"
Tang San, Xiao Wu, Guang Ling, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing were still within the age limit to participate in the tournament if they wanted to, but Tang San wasn't interested in overpowering the younger generation.
Last time, they needed to win the tournament to expand their influence across the continent, but Tang San wasn't the type who enjoyed the limelight.
Moreover, as the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall, representing the Tian Dou Royal Academy in battle would be inappropriate, even though Tian Dou's current ruler also had roots in the Spirit Hall...
"Teacher Qin, we've just returned, and you're already recruiting us?" Huo Wu cracked her knuckles and stretched her neck. "How about this—you face us in a match so our juniors can learn something?"
Qin Ming's expression changed as he noticed the eager, curious gazes of the current team members. He coughed twice and said, "Ahem, I've recently caught a cold and am not at full strength, so maybe we shouldn't..."
The former members of the Tian Dou team were now either Soul Emperors or Soul Saints, especially Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Huo Wu, who were all close to becoming Soul Douluos.
Not to mention, Tang San had been able to hold his own against the Pope of the Spirit Hall even as a Soul King... Even if they held back and fought him to a draw, the new recruits wouldn't believe it.
And if they did believe it, that would be an even bigger problem. If the word got out, and challengers started lining up, he'd be the one suffering.
While Qin Ming was confident he could take on Ye Lingling, Ning Rongrong, and Bai Chenxiang, two of them were support-types, and one had focused solely on speed before graduating. Even if he won, it wouldn't be a fair victory.
"Teacher Qin, are you sure you're not just scared?" Yufeng asked suspiciously. A dignified Soul Saint, afraid of a little cold? He had to be avoiding the match!
"Cough, cough!" Qin Ming coughed again. "I really did catch a cold."
Oslo patted Yufeng on the shoulder and said, "Teacher Qin Ming really did catch a cold. I saw him buying medicine the other day—" This kid, Yufeng, didn't seem to understand tact. Or perhaps his character had become more straightforward after spending so much time adventuring outdoors.
Realizing what Oslo was hinting at, Yufeng gave a sheepish smile and dropped the subject.
Tang San chuckled, "Don't worry, Teacher Qin. I'll guide them a bit—it'll be a good review for everyone."
"Always the sensible one, Tang San." Qin Ming sighed in relief, a smile returning to his face as he called over the new members of the Tian Dou Royal Battle Team to receive Tang San and the others' guidance...
Afterward, Tang San, Xiao Wu, Guang Ling, Huo Wu, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Lan Yinzi, Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, Yufeng, Bai Chenxiang, Shimo, Shimo, Ye Lingling, and Qin Ming discussed the changes in the continent's situation, planning their future training and life strategies...
(End of Chapter)