Early the next morning.
Liu Erlong hurriedly rushed to Moon Pavilion.
The guards tried to stop her, but she forcefully barged in. After asking for Zhou Sheng'an's room, she stormed straight in.
"Bang…!"
Inside the room, Tang Yuehua and Zhou Sheng'an were poring over ancient texts.
Seeing Liu Erlong enter, both of them looked up at her simultaneously.
Tang Yuehua frowned slightly. "Who are you?"
Liu Erlong's frown deepened. Though Tang Yuehua didn't recognize her, she certainly recognized Tang Yuehua. This woman was a stunning beauty, full of charm—someone even Emperor Xue Ye had desired but failed to obtain.
And now she was alone in a room with Zhou Sheng'an?
Was she not afraid of rumors?
And Zhou Sheng'an—didn't he worry about bringing trouble upon himself?
Liu Erlong felt uneasy. She faced Tang Yuehua with a cold expression and said in a deep voice, "I am Liu Erlong of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, also the Dean of Blue Tyrant Academy. I'm here to bring our Teacher Zhou back to the academy for his lectures."
A look of realization flashed in Tang Yuehua's eyes—she had already investigated Liu Erlong.
Glancing at her, Tang Yuehua thought to herself, 'She really is a beauty.'
Tang Yuehua nodded slightly and smiled. "Dean Liu, I apologize for keeping Teacher Zhou occupied yesterday. Right now, what he needs most is rest. Would it be possible to—"
"And who are you to say that? If Teacher Zhou doesn't want to teach, that's his decision alone."
Liu Erlong's tone was sharp, as if she had taken gunpowder.
Tang Yuehua was momentarily stunned, her expression stiffening slightly. She forced a smile. "That's true…"
At that moment, Zhou Sheng'an shook his head and said, "I'm fine. I should still teach my classes. However, Dean Liu, you should temper your temper a little. Madam meant well."
"Yes, I'm certainly not as gentle as her. She even has an emperor who fancies her, while I'm just an unwanted old woman."
Liu Erlong pouted as she spoke, but her eyes were filled with joy.
As long as Zhou Sheng'an wasn't leaving Blue Tyrant Academy, that was enough. She had already made up her mind—no matter if Yu Xiaogang came or not, she wouldn't let him stay at Blue Tyrant Academy.
Tang Yuehua chuckled softly and shook her head. "Dean Liu seems to care a lot about Teacher Zhou."
"Who said I care about him?!"
Liu Erlong immediately refuted.
Tang Yuehua gave her a knowing smile—she hadn't said "care" at all.
Liu Erlong's face turned red. She glared at Zhou Sheng'an indignantly and said, "I'm leaving first! Don't be late for class. And I won't put you in a difficult position anymore!"
With that, she hastily left.
Zhou Sheng'an shook his head slightly, feeling rather satisfied. After simulating an encounter with Yu Xiaogang, which led to Bibi Dong's insane revenge, he had finally managed to avoid that tragedy!
"Since that's the case, Madam, I'll take my leave for now. The ancient texts from last night might contain mentions of the Blood God Sect in fragments of words. I will analyze them, and if I find anything, I'll return immediately to discuss with you."
After speaking, Zhou Sheng'an bid farewell and left.
"Take care, Teacher Zhou…"
Tang Yuehua originally wanted to personally see him off, but in the end, she gave up on the idea.
…
Shortly after Zhou Sheng'an left, Emperor Xue Ye arrived in disguise, bringing with him over a dozen grand scholars. These were all brilliant minds from the Heaven Dou Empire's Hanlin Academy—men worthy of being called masters.
Upon seeing them, Tang Yuehua hurriedly welcomed them in person and gratefully said, "Your Majesty, this is really too—"
"Yuehua, must we speak so formally between us? Come on, there's no need for such politeness. You should have told me sooner—how could I not help?"
"Now that I've brought these scholars, surely they are more valuable than just one teacher?"
Emperor Xue Ye smiled smugly, looking rather pleased with himself.
Tang Yuehua nodded slightly, but a trace of unease flickered in her eyes. Whenever she was around Emperor Xue Ye, she always felt on edge—because she knew he coveted her body.
The feeling was completely different from being with Zhou Sheng'an.
If possible, she would rather study alongside Zhou Sheng'an, just like last night, where they worked together all night without anything inappropriate happening.
Emperor Xue Ye then said, "Yuehua, you don't look well. Are you feeling unwell?"
Tang Yuehua smiled bitterly. "I didn't sleep last night. My brother's safety is unknown—I can't rest peacefully."
Emperor Xue Ye reassured her, "In that case, you should get some rest. Don't worry, these scholars will surely help you uncover the truth about the Blood God Sect!"
"Then I must trouble Your Majesty and these gentlemen…"
Tang Yuehua bowed politely before taking her leave.
…
Meanwhile, at Blue Tyrant Academy's grand lecture hall.
Flender sat in the front row. He had arrived early, intending to go with Liu Erlong to Moon Pavilion, but she had refused, so he came straight to the lecture hall instead.
"Hmph, who does he think he is, being so arrogant? Just a mere Soul Elder. Let's see how I embarrass him."
Flender was holding back his frustration.
At that moment, Liu Erlong ran in, panting, and sat beside him.
Flender immediately perked up and grinned. "Erlong, why are you in such a rush? Did something chase you all the way here?"
Liu Erlong rolled her eyes. It was hard to believe that a man pursuing her could say something so insensitive.
There was a reason she hadn't chosen Flender back then—he was as straight as an iron rod.
"When Teacher Zhou starts lecturing, don't cause trouble," Liu Erlong warned coldly, glancing at him.
Flender chuckled. "Erlong, since you said that, what else can I say? As long as he doesn't mislead the students, I won't make things difficult for him. Of course, I do have a few questions I'd like to ask."
"Then just listen quietly!" Liu Erlong said.
A few minutes later, Zhou Sheng'an entered the classroom.
Instantly, the entire room fell silent. Over a thousand pairs of eager, admiring eyes focused on him.
Zhou Sheng'an showed no stage fright. Standing on the podium, he began his lecture with confidence.
This time, he wasn't teaching about soul power. Instead, his topic was the relationship between martial souls and soul skills.
Although it was a fundamental lesson, his approach was grand and insightful. For both students and teachers, it was a completely novel experience—so profound that many couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment.
'So martial souls can be understood this way?'
'So soul skills are activated like this?'
For a full hour, every student was glued to Zhou Sheng'an. Not a single one got distracted, let alone asked to go to the restroom!
At the end, Tai Long joked, "According to Teacher's explanation, doesn't that mean our martial soul is basically our true self? It's too important! No wonder he's—"
Zhou Sheng'an's pupils suddenly contracted.
Tai Long's words had triggered a revelation.
There was now a lead on the Blood God Sect!
Zhou Sheng'an nodded, said, "Class dismissed," and immediately left.
The students glared angrily at Tai Long, blaming him for making Zhou Sheng'an leave.
Tai Long protested in distress, "What did I even say wrong? Why would I try to drive Teacher away? I still wanted him to help me figure out my fourth soul ring configuration!"
The classroom quickly became chaotic.
Liu Erlong turned to Flender, who was sitting beside her with a blank expression. "Where's that question you wanted to ask?"
Flender's brows were furrowed tightly. He completely ignored Liu Erlong, still digesting the knowledge Zhou Sheng'an had just imparted.