For Wang Li, running was hardly a form of exertion at all. The reason he did not refuse or argue was because Qin Ming came from Shrek Academy. If Qin Ming had fully learned Flender's methods, then refusing would only make things worse.
If Wang Li refused, Qin Ming would criticize him first and then still make him continue running. Since that was the case, he might as well accept it. Running was much easier than listening to a long lecture.
Wang Li came to Tiandou Royal Academy mainly for Dugu Yan and Dugu Bo. Everything else was trivial and unimportant.
One lap, two laps, three laps, four laps, five laps…
By the time Wang Li finished five laps and returned to the training field, he still looked completely relaxed. Apart from a light sheen of sweat, there was no sign of heavy breathing or exhaustion.
Qin Ming had been watching him closely, which only deepened his confusion. First twenty laps, then another five laps, and still Wang Li had not been pushed to his limit.
He had to admit that he had underestimated Wang Li. Anyone who could reach level twenty-five soul power at the age of nine could not be judged by common standards.
However, without forcing Wang Li to his limit, it would be difficult to proceed with further teaching. Qin Ming thought it over. Continuing to make him run might take an unknown amount of time, so he decided instead to use an opponent Wang Li absolutely could not defeat to push him to his limits.
Thus, he spoke calmly:
"All right, Wang Li, come back for now. Move your body a bit, and don't sit or lie down immediately. Today is your first day of class. Your first real combat opponent will be Yu Tianheng."
Wang Li was somewhat surprised. He had not expected Qin Ming to arrange such a difficult opponent on his very first day. Still, he also wanted to see the true Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul, so he did not refuse and agreed at once.
"Teacher, I understand."
The other students all showed expressions of eager anticipation. Yu Tianheng was the undisputed number one among them. His domineering lightning-attributed beast martial soul alone was enough to weaken an opponent's morale before the fight even began.
Only Dugu Yan stepped forward to speak up for Wang Li. In her view, this was extremely unfair. She said:
"Teacher, Wang Li just finished running twenty-five laps, and he's only a Great Soul Master. Yu Tianheng is already a Soul Elder. There's no way to compare the two!"
Qin Ming was a little surprised. Dugu Yan usually kept to herself and rarely interacted with others, yet she had now spoken up for Wang Li several times on his very first day. He did not know why, but he still explained in a serious tone:
"If you were outside the academy and someone a full major realm above you wanted to kill you, would running away really solve the problem?"
"Only real combat is the ultimate standard for testing a person's strength. You should be glad that here in the academy, you can fight powerful opponents and powerful martial souls. These combat experiences are things that will benefit you for a lifetime."
Qin Ming's words made sense, but Dugu Yan still felt uncomfortable. Originally, her impression of Wang Li was simply that he was "interesting." Now, it had risen to the level of someone she genuinely felt sympathy for.
At this moment, Yu Tianheng, Wang Li's opponent, also stepped forward. His stiff face forced out a smile as he spoke:
"It's just a sparring match. I'll definitely hold back. Yan, I'm not going to go all out against a junior who's only a Great Soul Master."
…
A few words of debate did not affect the gradual start of the match.
Qin Ming and the other students all withdrew from the center of the field. In the middle, only Yu Tianheng and Wang Li remained.
When Qin Ming saw that both were in position, he shouted loudly:
"Prepare yourselves. Summon your martial souls!"
Wang Li's martial soul manifestation was fairly ordinary. After summoning it, blue silver grass wrapped around his body, and two yellow soul rings appeared, floating up and down around him.
Yu Tianheng's transformation, on the other hand, was truly explosive. Crackling sounds rang out all over his body, his muscles bulged, his hair stood on end, and blue-purple lightning flickered unpredictably around him.
That alone already looked like a normal martial soul possession, but what followed was far from normal. His right sleeve exploded apart, and his entire right arm expanded by one or two sizes. It no longer looked like a human arm, but rather a dragon's claw.
This was the special characteristic of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul. Upon reaching level thirty and obtaining the third soul ring, part of the body would undergo dragon transformation, gaining true dragon power.
The optimal combination of yellow, yellow, and purple soul rings circled around his right arm, making him look overwhelmingly domineering.
After completing his martial soul possession, Yu Tianheng shouted boldly:
"Wang Li, be careful. My Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is the number one assault-type beast martial soul in the world, and I am a level thirty-two assault-type Soul Elder!"
He then took the initiative to attack. As an assault-type soul master facing a control-type soul master, attacking first was the natural choice. He did not immediately use a soul skill, however, and as he had said, he was holding back.
Wang Li's gaze sharpened. In his eyes, Yu Tianheng's attack style was nothing special. He was simply relying on the power of his martial soul and his strong physique to charge straight forward.
However, the streaks of blue-purple lightning drew Wang Li's attention. Fire restrained plant-type martial souls, and lightning also restrained them. In fact, lightning restrained all living beings to a certain extent.
Today would be a good chance to test just how difficult a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon soul master really was to deal with. Wang Li thought to himself that only through actual combat could he devise effective countermeasures.
With that in mind, Wang Li activated his first soul skill. The blue silver grass around him surged wildly, and thick blue silver vines emerged. Controlling them with divided focus, Wang Li split the vines into three groups: one surged forward, one lay in wait, and one prepared to rotate in.
Facing the incoming blue silver grass, Yu Tianheng sneered. He swung his right arm and threw a punch. The blue-purple lightning flared violently, turning the blue silver grass into charred remains in the blink of an eye.
"That's all there is to it," Yu Tianheng thought.
But immediately afterward, the blue silver grass attacked again. He froze for a moment, but did not take it seriously, throwing another punch as large amounts of lightning crackled.
Any blue silver grass that came close to him was shattered by the lightning. Once, twice, three times… yet the blue silver grass just kept coming without end.
Yu Tianheng was starting to feel irritated. Whether it was Wang Li consuming more soul power to regenerate the blue silver grass, or Yu Tianheng consuming more soul power to generate lightning, the answer was obvious.
Being dragged into endless entanglement was actually more disadvantageous for Yu Tianheng. Lightning flickered in his eyes as he roared:
"First soul skill, Thunder Dragon Claw!"
This time, violent lightning gathered around his right arm. Large amounts of blue-purple electricity condensed without being released. When the blue silver grass surged forward again, he swung his arm fiercely.
Boom! Boom!
The raging lightning shot out, the blue-purple flashes stinging the eyes. When the lightning gradually dissipated, within seven or eight meters in front of Yu Tianheng, not a single strand of blue silver grass remained.
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