Not long after Qian Renxue and her companions left, Qin Ming arrived at Qi Lin's dormitory.
Seeing him, Qi Lin couldn't help but smile. "Teacher Qin Ming, are you here to deliver Tang San's wager?"
Qin Ming sighed lightly and nodded.
"Teacher Qi Lin, you guessed right."
As he spoke, Qin Ming handed over a book.
Qi Lin flipped through it casually before placing it into his storage bracelet. He wasn't the least bit worried that Tang San would dare give him a fake copy of the Tang Sect's secret arts.
Seeing this, Qin Ming said seriously, "Since I've already delivered Tang San's wager, I'll take my leave now."
Just as he turned to go, Qi Lin asked curiously, "Are you all planning to leave Heaven Dou Imperial Academy?"
Hearing this, Qin Ming halted in his steps, turning back to Qi Lin with disbelief in his eyes.
"Teacher Qi Lin, how did you know about that?"
By all rights, there was no way Qi Lin should've known they were preparing to leave.
"I guessed." Qi Lin smiled calmly.
"Hiss—" Qin Ming inhaled sharply. "You're really good at guessing, aren't you?"
Fortunately, Qin Ming had already seen many unbelievable things from Qi Lin, so his ability to accept strange happenings was pretty strong. He quickly accepted Qi Lin's uncanny foresight.
After returning to the Shrek dormitory, Qin Ming relayed what had just happened to Flender.
Flender's expression immediately turned surprised. He muttered under his breath,
"This Qi Lin kid… he's really something else."
"We better keep our distance from him. I always feel like his presence clashes with Shrek Academy's fate."
"When you think about it, ever since he arrived, strange things have been happening one after another."
Hearing this, Qin Ming couldn't help but laugh. "Dean, aren't you overthinking it? Things on the continent aren't that mystical."
Flender's eyelid twitched, then he sighed. "I hope you're right."
"Alright, since we're all packed up, let's go say goodbye to the three deans and hit the road."
At that, Flender's lips curved into a smile. "I've already found us a new place to go."
"Although it's not quite on par with Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, it's not far off either."
"Oh?" Qin Ming looked surprised and asked, "Which academy?"
After all, there were only a handful of prestigious advanced soul master academies in the capital.
"Blue Tyrant Academy."
News of Shrek Academy's departure spread rapidly across the academy.
But what shocked the students the most was that Yu Tianheng, the original captain of the Emperor Battle Team, had also left with them.
As for the reason behind Yu Tianheng's departure, rumors abounded.
The most popular theory was that Yu Tianheng left because Qi Lin stole his girl, and in a fit of jealousy and heartbreak, he chose to leave.
After all, it was common knowledge in the academy that Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan were romantically involved.
Not just the ordinary students—even Xiao Wu and the others began to feel suspicious.
Could it be that Qi Lin really had some sort of unclear relationship with Dugu Yan?
If not, why would Yu Tianheng leave the academy?
---
Inside Qi Lin's Dormitory
A day had passed since Shrek Academy's departure.
Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong sat opposite Qi Lin and Dugu Yan, watching them closely, as if trying to read some secret from their faces.
But unfortunately for them, they couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.
Eventually, Dugu Yan couldn't stand their staring anymore. She sighed and said,
"Enough already. There's really nothing between me and Little Brother Qi Lin. At least for now, we're perfectly innocent."
Xiao Wu looked skeptical but relaxed slightly.
Ning Rongrong, on the other hand, didn't look happy at all.
"For now"? So you're not ruling out something in the future?
Didn't you say you only saw Qi Lin as a little brother? Is this how you treat your little brother?
What a two-faced woman!
---
The rest of the Emperor Battle Team was also in Qi Lin's dormitory.
With Qin Ming gone, Qi Lin had officially become their new team instructor.
Still, the rest of the team had mixed feelings about Qi Lin.
After all, Yu Tianheng had been their comrade for two or three years—they shared real bonds.
And now he had left the academy, partially because of Qi Lin.
But after spending some time with Qi Lin, they had developed a good impression of him. They didn't believe he was truly to blame for Yu Tianheng's departure.
In truth, Yu Tianheng was just too proud—and too thin-skinned.
Besides, his relationship with Dugu Yan hadn't even gone beyond mutual affection.
Even if something did happen between Qi Lin and Dugu Yan, he wouldn't exactly be losing out.
"Ahem!" Qi Lin cleared his throat, his tone serious and mature. "Let me say a few words first."
Instantly, everyone turned to him.
Qi Lin looked around, then addressed the Emperor Battle Team.
"I believe you all know by now—since Teacher Qin Ming has left, I will be your new instructor."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Feng winked at him playfully. "Teacher Qi Lin, now that you're our leader, we'll be counting on you!"
"We've heard plenty about your teaching skills."
The rest of the team also looked at Qi Lin with anticipation.
After all, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing—all trained by Qi Lin—had all become incredibly strong.
Qi Lin smiled gently. "Don't worry. My teaching won't disappoint you."
At this moment, Ye Lingling spoke in a soft, hesitant voice,
"Teacher Qi Lin… I heard you have a way to help Support-type Soul Masters become battle-capable. Do you think I can do it too?"
"Of course." Qi Lin nodded with a smile.
Ye Lingling's quiet face lit up with a faint smile, and a spark of hope gleamed in her eyes.
"Let's get started. I'll lay the foundation for all of you."
Qi Lin turned to Dugu Yan. "Yan Zi, give me your hand."
Dugu Yan blinked but still stretched out her fair, slender hand.
Qi Lin grasped her palm and began infusing a wisp of soul power into her body.
The soul power followed a precise route through her meridians.
"Focus." Qi Lin reminded her as she got momentarily distracted.
It wasn't until half an hour had passed that Qi Lin finally released her hand.
Yu Feng, watching with envy, turned to Xiao Wu. "Sister Xiao Wu, is this how Teacher Qi Lin trained you too?"
Xiao Wu pouted. "I didn't get that treatment at first. But Zhuqing and Rongrong did."
After Dugu Yan, it was Ye Lingling's turn.
Because she was shy, her delicate face remained flushed throughout the entire half-hour session.
Only when it ended did she whisper a soft, "Thank you, Teacher Qi Lin."