In the Royal Academy of Tian Dou.
In the luxurious lounge of the academy's team, there were eleven people scattered around, some standing, some sitting.
These people didn't look very old; they were all students of the academy.
They were the members of the current Royal Academy's team.
Among them were both official team members and substitutes, and everyone except Su Cheng was already present.
"Where's Su Cheng?" Yu Tianheng glanced at the members in the room and asked in a deep voice.
"He's with my grandfather; he should be back today." Dugu Yan said from the side.
Hearing this, Yu Tianheng couldn't help but feel a bit envious.
He couldn't understand how Su Cheng, at such a young age, could get along so well with someone like Dugu Bo.
Every time he saw Dugu Bo's expression, he felt a bit uneasy from the bottom of his heart.
"He won't come back to train with us."
The one speaking was a handsome young man, with lively eyes and a slightly frivolous tone.
This person's name was Yufeng, a sensitive attack-type soul master with a Wind Bell Bird martial soul, and he was already an official member of the first team.
He was not tall, with a head of golden short hair, currently leaning against the large crystal window on the south side of the room, looking relaxed.
"Not coming is normal. If you had Su Cheng's strength and age, you wouldn't come either."
Opposite Yufeng, on the other side of the crystal window, was a youth dressed in all black, with a face as beautiful as a woman's.
This person also had golden hair, and his tone was somewhat mocking.
"Oslo, are you saying I'm weak? How about we spar outside?"
"Tsk." Oslo, the black-clad youth, sneered disdainfully, "You, a flying type soul master, want to spar with me, a ground type soul master? You're shameless. If you have the guts, go spar with Su Cheng. What's the point of arguing with me here?"
Oslo's martial soul was a Ghost Leopard, and as an agile attack-type soul master, he happened to be restrained by Yufeng.
"Alright, I'll see what this so-called genius can do. He's so arrogant." Yufeng sneered and said, leaping from the window and standing up straight.
It was evident that there was more than just the team leader, Qin Ming, who was dissatisfied with Su Cheng's frequent absences.
When Su Cheng fought against Ji Yuan that day, Yufeng was also not present.
He thought that with his flying ability, even if he couldn't win, he could still stand undefeated.
Hearing his words, Oslo smirked triumphantly.
This guy with wings on his martial soul always acted carefree, which had been bothering him for a long time.
"I'll watch you get plucked clean later."
At this point, the others in the room also had various expressions.
Most of the substitute members had a low-key attitude and didn't want to get involved in such discussions.
The two brothers from the Shi family, with straight noses and square mouths, and a sturdy and steady aura, were sitting on the ground against the wall, meditating and ignoring the outside world.
Ye Lingling, standing alone in the corner, glanced lightly at Yufeng, then lowered her eyelids, without making any sound.
Dugu Yan frowned slightly. Su Cheng had shown her kindness, and she didn't want such a meaningless conflict to happen, so she was prepared to intervene.
At this moment, however, a clear voice suddenly rang out, tinged with a strong smell of gunpowder.
"Do you even qualify?"
It was Ning Rongrong who spoke.
She was currently a substitute member of the team, but none of the official team members dared to underestimate her.
With her current level of soul power, it would be effortless for her to become an official member in the future.
After becoming a Soul Sage, the medicinal power of the Immortal herb had further enhanced her strength, and in recent times, her soul power had been increasing at an extremely fast rate.
However, she had been focusing on cultivation during this period, and usually kept a low profile.
But after hearing Yufeng's words just now, she couldn't help but speak up, rebuking him on the spot.
Yufeng also knew Ning Rongrong's identity and frowned, intending to retort.
"Alright, let's calm down." Yu Tianheng intervened at this point, "Teacher Qin will be here soon, and it's meaningless to argue before then."
In fact, he didn't have any dissatisfaction with Su Cheng's absence from training on a regular basis.
During this time, the two of them had also sparred, and although he was a bit higher in level, with his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul, he was no match for Su Cheng.
Not to mention that Su Cheng's cultivation had been advancing by leaps and bounds recently, and he was about to surpass him, not far from becoming a Soul Ancestor.
Yu Tianheng's character was not strong, nor did he have the arrogance of a member of a prestigious family.
In fact, he was quite envious of Su Cheng's free and easy behavior.
This was also closely related to his upbringing.
Although he was the eldest son of the main line of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, he received limited attention within the family.
Moreover, there were some conflicts within the family, and the factional struggles were serious. Even the family head's words didn't carry much weight.
Although Yu Tianheng had good talent, there were others in the family with talents not inferior to his own.
The superiority of his status did not bring him more confidence; on the contrary, it gave him immense pressure.
At this moment, the door of the team lounge suddenly opened, and a person walked in from outside.
As this person appeared, all the members of the team in the room stood up and bowed to him.
"Teacher."
The person who walked in from outside was a middle-aged man, looking around thirty years old, with an ordinary appearance and simple clothing, with only his eyes particularly bright.
This person was none other than Qin Ming, the guiding teacher of the first team of the Royal Academy.
After entering the room, Qin Ming nodded slightly to everyone and quickly scanned the room.
With a slight frown, he looked at Yu Tianheng.
"Su Cheng isn't here again today?"
Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan subconsciously glanced at each other, both showing a trace of concern in their eyes.
Qin Ming was strong, a peak Soul King in his early thirties, deserving of everyone's respect. It was an honor for them to have him as their guiding teacher.
But Su Cheng was also strong. Judging from his current progress, it wouldn't take him a year to advance to Soul Ancestor, making him the core combat force of the team.
If the two of them had an unpleasant situation, it would not be good for the team.
But their ideologies seemed to be conflicting, and this was not a sustainable situation.
"Teacher Qin, my brother was busy yesterday and may not have returned to the academy yet."
In the silence, Ning Rongrong took the initiative to defend Su Cheng.
Qin Ming glanced at her but didn't say anything.
Dugu Yan also spoke up, "Yes, Teacher Qin, Su Cheng's absence shouldn't affect our team training, right? We can just replace him with a substitute member. As long as I control the field, and Lingling assists, it should be enough."
Qin Ming's face sank upon hearing this and rebuked, "Yan Zi, as the vice-captain, how can you have such an attitude? Can you just casually change players during matches? If you don't take training seriously and cooperate well, you will encounter even greater setbacks in the future!"
Seeing this, Yu Tianheng quickly intervened, "Teacher Qin, the situation is like this. Su Cheng's self-improvement speed is faster on his own. Compared to being with us, he may gain greater improvements. From this perspective, it may even be more beneficial for the overall combat effectiveness of our team in the future."
Qin Ming deeply glanced at everyone and sighed.
His tone became heavy, and deep emotions appeared in his black eyes.
"Before I went to school, my teachers always taught me the principles of team cooperation, to share the joys and sorrows with my partners. Even if they were punished, I would actively bear it with them. I'm glad that you're willing to speak up for Su Cheng today, but his behavior disappoints me."
"Your previous school?"
Hearing Qin Ming's words, the students in the room couldn't help but be curious.
They really didn't know which academy the highly talented Qin Ming, had come from.
"Yes, my previous school, the place where I was taught to grow."
Qin Ming was about to explain further when a sound of the door opening suddenly sounded.
Everyone in the room turned their heads to look.
They saw Su Cheng walking into the room.
Seeing everyone present, he seemed a little surprised.
After a slight pause, he bowed to Qin Ming and said, "Teacher Qin."
But Qin Ming didn't show appreciation. Instead, he snorted.
The next moment, the members of the Royal Academy's team in the room all felt their hearts contract for a moment, and a strong shock caused everyone to show a trace of astonishment on their faces.
Only Su Cheng, facing Qin Ming directly, had a thin layer of sword intent with a faint sword qi spontaneously emerging around him.
After a faint ripple, it immediately disappeared, as if nothing had happened.
Su Cheng looked calmly at Qin Ming and asked softly, "What's wrong, Teacher Qin?"
Qin Ming narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at him deeply.
He didn't intend to harm Su Cheng just now. That snort was just to intimidate him.
But although the sonic wave had low power, its speed was extremely fast, and its penetrative force was extremely strong. Soul masters with insufficient cultivation wouldn't even know where to start with their defense, and they would inevitably fluctuate their breath before doing so.
However, just now, it seemed that the protective layer around the youth had passively emerged, and it instantly dissolved his invisible attack.
There wasn't even the slightest breath fluctuation during the process, which caught him off guard.
Before, Qin Ming had only heard a few members of the Academic Committee boasting about Su Cheng's talent, and had never seen him take action in person, so he didn't take him too seriously.
Today, however, he realized that he had definitely underestimated Su Cheng.
This was not something that a Soul Elder should be capable of.
Not to mention a Soul Elder, even an Soul King would not be able to do this, at least not so effortlessly.
"Your strength is indeed good, but that's not a reason for you to skip team training," Qin Ming stared at Su Cheng and said in a deep voice.
As someone who came from Shrek Academy, he firmly believed in the concept of teamwork.
"I will raise the standards, and ordinary individuals won't meet my standards, and I might even raise the threshold to a level that ordinary people cannot reach.
But once you cross that threshold, regardless of whether your talent and strength are strong or weak, you have to act together with others, become a whole, and there's no special treatment."
"You're right," Su Cheng also looked at Qin Ming and nodded, "I feel very sorry for this matter as well. I did indeed delay the team's training progress before."
Upon hearing Su Cheng admit his mistake, Qin Ming's expression softened, and he pointed towards the others in the room.
"In that case, come over here first, and don't act alone in the future."
Qin Ming's tone softened, but the others in the room were quite surprised.
Those who didn't know much about Su Cheng could be easily persuaded, but those who had a lot of contact with him before, like Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan, were surprised.
Especially Ning Rongrong, her face was full of incredulity.
She knew what kind of person Su Cheng was.
How could he change his plans just because of a few words from a guiding teacher?
At this point, they heard Su Cheng speak again.
"Teacher Qin, I won't come over for now."
Qin Ming, who had just turned away, turned back again.
Su Cheng smiled apologetically at him.
"I'm sorry for delaying the team's training before. But luckily, it's not too late to mend the fold. The team has only been established for a month, and there's still a long training time ahead. I've decided to transfer to the Second Team of the Royal Academy, so as not to take up the spot of the First Team anymore."
"What?"
"Junior Brother, think it through."
"Su Cheng, don't be impulsive."
"..."
When Su Cheng said this, Qin Ming hadn't said anything yet, but Yu Tianheng and others were already in a panic.
Oh no, the big thigh is leaving!
The worst-case scenario has happened.
Qin Ming was also momentarily stunned.
He found himself not knowing what to say at this moment.
If the other party didn't plan to stay in the first team anymore, what position did he have to discipline him?
After a moment of silence, he finally spoke, "Changing teams is not just a matter of will. The first team has already been established, and the Academic Committee needs to consider it."
Su Cheng smiled, "It's okay. In fact, I just came from the Academic Committee. I just came here to say hello to you all. You can continue your normal training."
Today, before coming to the team lounge, Su Cheng had already gone to the Academic Committee.
With the Royal Family's guest, Dugu Bo, as a guarantor, and with the promise that he would stay for the next competition if he didn't make it to the finals this year, and taking up a less important spot in the second team wouldn't affect the first team's guarantee, how could the members of the Academic Committee not agree?
The matter seemed straightforward to Su Cheng.
Since he had already made a decision, there was no need to delay any further.
Regardless of how Qin Ming intended to manage the team in the future, that was his own approach.
Since he didn't plan to stay here anymore, it was better to leave now than to delay. After all, there was always going to be a departure.
Although Su Cheng didn't plan to stay here anymore, Qin Ming was obviously not pleased.
"Su Cheng, I advise you to think it over carefully. The first team has a guaranteed spot, and you can directly enter the finals of the Soul Master Grand Competition. Going to the second team is purely wasting your talent. Do you still want to rely on your teammates in the second team to make it to the finals?"
Su Cheng looked at him with some surprise.
"Teacher Qin, is it appropriate for you to speak like this? Although talent is important for any Soul Master, it can be compensated for by hard work. Moreover, if a Soul Master's future achievements rely solely on talent, then I would like to ask you, what is the use of a teacher like you?"
Seeing Qin Ming's furrowed brow, Su Cheng continued, "Teacher Qin, it's not meaningful for you to say these things to me. I've already decided to go to the second team."
Su Cheng glanced at the other team members and nodded gently, "Senior brothers and sisters, keep up the good work."
After saying that, he turned and left the team lounge.
After he left, Yu Tianheng and the others looked at each other, and then there was silence.
"He's gone, he's gone."
Seeing that the morale of these students seemed a bit low, Qin Ming cleared his throat and, with a shock of soul power, instantly woke them up.
"I can tell you frankly that one person's strength is limited. With Su Cheng's attitude, he will never achieve anything in the competition. You all need to pull yourselves together."
Before he finished speaking, another figure also left the team lounge.
"Huh?" Qin Ming was stunned.
"It's Rongrong." Dugu Yan gestured to Yu Tianheng.
Yu Tianheng smiled bitterly. Losing two key players at once would make it difficult to face the Star Luo Royal Family team.
As for the team from the Martial Soul Hall Academy, he had never thought about defeating them in the first place.
Su Cheng had just left when he heard footsteps behind him.
Turning around, he saw Ning Rongrong's figure.
"Why are you here? Did Teacher Qin say something?"
"It's not Teacher Qin," Ning Rongrong came to Su Cheng's side, calmed her breath, and looked at him, "I'm also going to the second team with you."
Su Cheng was momentarily surprised, then thought for a moment.
The members of the second team were all relatively weak, which he knew very well. They might not even reach Soul Ancestor level during the competition.
Now that Ning Rongrong had improved significantly after taking the immortal herb, and was about to enter a period of rapid advancement, she could definitely contribute to the team.
Thinking of this, he looked at Ning Rongrong's fair face.
"If you want to come to the second team, that's fine. At least you won't be a substitute player, and you'll definitely be able to fight all the time. But you won't be able to guarantee entry into the finals, and the process might not be easy. It depends on how far we can progress in our cultivation."
"It doesn't matter, I didn't want to be guaranteed anyway. Even if I get into the finals, I won't be able to beat the Martial Soul Hall Academy team." Ning Rongrong smiled.
Su Cheng nodded.
"For you, it's also a kind of experience. Now that you're evolving your martial soul, you need to work hard in cultivation. Don't waste your talent. In less than half a year, I should be able to reach Soul Ancestor level. If there are any opportunities before the competition, reaching the finals will be a piece of cake."
The so-called "opportunity" he mentioned was the Ten Thousand Year Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone.
Ning Rongrong didn't know what Su Cheng was thinking, but after hearing his words, she was surprised, opening her mouth wide and looking at him in astonishment.
"You don't need to look like that," Su Cheng chuckled at her expression.
"Don't think that coming to the second team means slacking off and doing poorly. Since I've been looking forward to participating in the competition, I'm definitely aiming for the championship. Coming to the second team is a kind of experience for both you and me. Since we can't go to the Five Element Academy, let's show them what we've got in the competition. There's less than three years left. Let's work hard."
Ning Rongrong nodded in agreement.
"No matter what, we have to defeat the first team to let that coach see what we're made of. Just now, he was in the lounge boasting that you definitely won't achieve anything."
"He can think whatever he wants, it's none of our business. Besides, the real challenge is the Martial Soul Hall Academy team, not them."
As he spoke, Su Cheng couldn't help but think of Qian Renxue's face.
This year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament had an age limit requiring participants to be under twenty-five years old.
Qian Renxue was eligible to participate in this competition after returning to the Martial Soul Hall.
If she really participated, Su Cheng was confident that he could limit her, but it would be impossible for him to fight multiple opponents at once.
However, he had an instinctive feeling that she might personally participate in the competition.
Normal Little Snow might not, but...
Su Cheng recalled the appearance of that black-clothed figure calling him "Little Brother Su Cheng," and couldn't help but shiver.
That person had a bad temper and an unpredictable style. It was hard to say what she would do.
. . .
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