Chapter 169: Poaching the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan
The battle of Gem Academy left the audience baffled. Of the seven participants, six possessed gem-type martial spirits.
The adaptability of such spirits became their perfect disguise.
Before they launched their abilities, no one could tell what kind of soul ring enhancements they carried.
With beast or tool spirits, like fire, water, or lightning types, one could predict their skill patterns.
But gem spirits? Impossible to guess.
Their opponents saw the flicker of Gem Academy's soul rings—and were already defeated.
Only Dugu Mo's Flower Spider spirit gave the other side a trace of relief. At least not all seven of them were so unpredictable.
Dugu Feng realized that for Gem Academy to go far, maintaining an air of mystery was crucial.
In this battle, all six gem-spirit students activated their third skill simultaneously: Mental Paralysis.
A purely spiritual attack.
Under the overwhelming strength of Soul Ancestors Zhang Jingyang and Dong Heguang, the opposing team instantly fell into confusion and unconsciousness.
Then Dugu Mo's poison took hold, leaving them completely helpless.
From start to finish, only Dugu Mo's venom and a single mysterious spiritual attack had been revealed.
Their first, second, and fourth skills—all remained unknown.
To the spectators, however, that made it boring.
Some even began booing.
Was this fixed? How could the other team lose just as the rings lit up?
But the academy strategists and intelligence gatherers watching the matches thought very differently.
Their attention toward Gem Academy turned serious—completely so.
Time passed quickly.
Within a week, five rounds of the Soul Master Tournament had taken place.
Gem Academy had won all five. The Four Elemental Academies had done the same.
Together, the five academies marched through the tournament like a storm, nightmares made flesh for every other team.
They attracted the hearts and eyes of the entire audience.
The Heaven Dou region qualification had only five slots for advancement.
If any other academy wanted to place in the top five, they would have to defeat one of these five powers.
So studying their formations and battle strategies became mandatory for every competitor.
At this point, under Old Snake's strategic manipulation, the five heads of the dominant academies held a private meeting.
Meanwhile, Dugu Feng delved deeper into understanding Thunder Academy and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—and found the reality different from his expectations.
Thunder Academy was supported by the Blue Lightning Clan, yes, but its members were recruited mostly from branch families and other lightning-type soul masters.
Aside from Yu Tianxin, the other three Soul Ancestors of the Thunder Team used the spirits Lightning Spider, Thunder Eagle, and Flash Lightning Rabbit—students drawn from outside families.
The academy's principal, Lei Yun, was also of secondary lineage, a soul master attached to the clan rather than a direct descendant.
Not a Yu—and not pure blood.
This meant that Thunder Academy did possess a measure of independence.
Old Snake explained further: the Blue Lightning Clan's purpose in supporting Thunder Academy and the other elemental schools was plain—to build a recruitment pipeline.
Each year, a share of the best graduates joined the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan as affiliated soul masters.
The clan had over twenty-three hundred members in total—of which only around eight hundred were core or branch Yu descendants. The remaining fifteen hundred or so were outside recruits and specialists of the extreme path.
In number, they couldn't match the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect or the once-glorious Haotian Sect, but it was still significant.
A force this size was the foundation of their position among the upper three clans.
"Something's not right," Dugu Feng suddenly said.
"What is it, Young Master?" Old Snake asked.
"The extreme path excels in producing true powerhouses. If the Blue Lightning Clan recruits so many specialists, why is Yu Yuanzhen the only Titled Douluo?
Even Soul Douluos are scarce!"
He had pierced the contradiction.
The five elemental academies had constantly produced talent in every tournament—and at least half their prodigies went on to join the Blue Lightning Clan.
Yet few powerful figures ever emerged.
Old Snake chuckled. "Sharp as always, Young Master. That's exactly what I was about to tell you.
The flaw of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is that all resources flow to the direct family line.
The so-called affiliated soul masters, even branch families, bear the clan's name and prestige—but they gain very little.
In truth, because the Blue Lightning Clan remains structured as a 'family' rather than a formal sect, it stays closed off.
Unlike the open, equitable model of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, their core descendants don't value their affiliated members at all.
The four elemental academies know this and resent it. They tolerate the relationship only out of necessity—without the clan's sponsorship, they'd lose access to the Great Spirit Arena's profit network.
But none of their leaders want to remain bled dry forever, watching their best students stolen and wasted.
With Gem Academy joining the alliance, their unity strengthens, and they'll finally gain a louder voice."
Old Snake grinned proudly, recounting the secret meeting's results.
The other four principals had no objections to Gem Academy joining—to rebuild the original Five Elemental Alliance.
Dugu Feng hadn't expected it to go so smoothly. "Even Lei Yun agreed?"
The Thunder Academy's principal was a Soul Sage whom Dugu Feng had yet to meet.
"He didn't object outright. Said the minority should follow the majority. That's as good as consent," Old Snake replied smugly.
At last, he felt like a true leader among men.
"We reached an initial agreement," he continued. "From this point on, duels between us are to be friendly exchanges only—no serious injuries. Our focus is to enter the finals together.
Tomorrow, we'll host a banquet at the hotel to announce the rebirth of the Five Elemental Alliance. From now on, our five academies will share resources, promote the extreme path, and nurture the strength to reach perfection.
And we'll call on more schools to embrace the extreme way—creating even greater powerhouses!"
Old Snake's tone brimmed with pride.
The Five Elemental Alliance was now an official power—the strongest union of academies under the Heaven Dou Empire. The inclusion of Gem Academy deserved to be known across the soul master world.
"Do it your way, Old Snake," Dugu Feng said firmly. "Take leadership of the alliance as soon as possible.
But the Dugu Clan must learn from this lesson—Gem Academy must remain fully autonomous, separate from the clan's direct control.
During this graduation season, recruit teachers from the other four academies.
Set up guest instructor positions for Soul Emperors and above among alumni.
Before the next tournament, our goal is for the Five Elemental Academies to merge into a single Academy of Extremes!"
With those words, he not only gave confidence to Old Snake but revealed his own vision.
The Dugu Clan would expand its influence through mastery of cultivation and academia.
Undermining the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was only the beginning.
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Bankai10