Douluo Continent: Gretchen at the start, empowered by the Star God.

Chapter 13 Invited Again

"Phew, finally out of this hellhole!" As soon as he emerged from the Star Dou Great Forest, Oslo stretched and shouted to the sky.

"Don't suddenly act crazy." Yu Feng slapped Oslo on the back from behind.

"Hehe, we were just getting restless in the Star Dou Great Forest." Oslo scratched the back of his head. "Teacher Qin Ming said he wanted to train us, so he's been protecting us in secret. We've been solving all sorts of problems ourselves, big and small. It's really tiring and stressful."

"What? Oslo, do you have a problem with my teaching methods?" Qin Ming had a gentle smile on his face, but it sent a chill down Oslo's spine. "Logically speaking, Lang Lei's appearance has reduced a lot of pressure for you. Based on his performance, some of you might fail this test."

"what?"

"Thank you all for leading me out of this Star Dou Great Forest," Lang Lei suddenly said. "Now that our objective has been achieved, there is absolutely no reason for us to continue traveling together. Farewell."

With that, Lang Lei took Gretchen's small hand and was about to leave.

"Brother Lang Lei, please wait a moment!" Qin Ming quickly stopped educating the Royal Fighting Team and called out to Lang Lei, who was about to leave.

"Hmm? Is there anything else, Senior Qin Ming?" Lang Lei turned around and looked at Qin Ming with a puzzled expression.

"After spending these two days together, it's not hard to see that Brother Lang Lei has never actually joined any Soul Master Academy, right?" Qin Ming asked.

"Hmm? What makes you say that?" Lang Lei looked at Qin Ming with suspicion. He hadn't mentioned any of this, had he? He'd been so quiet the whole way...

"It wasn't that Brother Lang Lei let it slip, nor was it Little Sister Gretchen," Qin Ming quickly waved his hand and said, "I deduced it from Brother Lang Lei's behavior."

"In what aspect?" Lang Lei nodded and asked.

"Regarding your understanding of spirit beasts," Qin Ming didn't mince words and spoke directly, "Most spirit master academies teach students how to deal with various types of spirit beasts and their weaknesses, but Brother Lang Lei, you..."

"The highlight is a powerful brick flying through the air!" Yu Tianheng chimed in.

"Aren't all offensive-type Soul Masters like this?" Lang Lei looked at Yu Tianheng.

"..." Yu Tianheng fell silent. He seemed to be a powerful offensive type of Soul Master as well.

"Although we have different roles in the team, if we can defeat the opponent at the lowest possible cost, we still have to make some choices." Qin Ming quickly interrupted Yu Tianheng, who was caught in self-doubt.

"That's true..." Lang Lei nodded.

"So, young brother Lang Lei, would you like to join our Heavenly Dou Royal Academy?" Qin Ming revealed his true intentions and extended an invitation. "Our academy ranks among the top three on the continent, so it's definitely worth considering."

Upon hearing this, the members of the Royal Fighting Team also showed expressions of anticipation.

They had witnessed Lang Lei's combat prowess along the way; even against a thousand-year-old soul beast, Lang Lei hadn't awakened his martial soul. If he could join them, they could achieve a better ranking in the next Soul Master Competition!

"Yeah, yeah, and they're backed by the Heavenly Dou royal family, so they have plenty of resources!" Oslo stepped forward and advised.

"I look forward to the day when we can fight side by side again," Yu Tianheng said.

"I... I'll think about it." Lang Lei nodded. He did need to build a theoretical foundation, but it wasn't absolutely necessary, so he didn't give an answer immediately.

In essence, he still yearns for unrestrained freedom.

"There's no need to give an answer right now. Oh, by the way, these are the textbooks that Tianheng and the others are currently using. You can take a look." Qin Ming took out a few books from his storage soul tool and handed them to Lang Lei.

Lang Lei did not refuse and took it, quickly flipping through it. It did indeed contain many methods for identifying the age and species of soul beasts. In addition, some combat techniques were described in detail in the book, and it even thoughtfully included illustrations.

"If you are interested, you can use this token to come to the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy to find me," Qin Ming handed Lang Lei a token. Unlike the one Qian Renxue gave him, this one was engraved with the words "Royal Dou".

Unlike Lang Lei, who was deep in thought, the Royal Fighting Team members were all looking at Qin Ming in horror, especially Yu Feng and Oslo, who seemed to be questioning Qin Ming with their eyes why he carried their textbooks with him.

Are there exams that can be taken at any time?

"I will seriously consider it." Lang Lei nodded.

"Looking forward to your arrival." Qin Ming nodded in a good mood. "We're going to Soto City soon to play some matches for a while, and we might stay for quite a while. If you're interested in visiting us soon, you can come find us there. It'll be more convenient for us to return to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy together."

"Are you heading to Soto City now?" Lang Lei suddenly realized that Soto City seemed to be the location of Shrek Academy.

"Of course not~" Oslo proudly raised his chin. "It's quite a distance from here to Soto City, with several large cities in between. We're planning to... fight our way through!"

"Fight your way through?" Lang Lei's expression suddenly dawned on him. It seemed Qin Ming had laid a lot of groundwork before going back to visit his alma mater...

"So, interested?" Yu Tianheng looked at Lang Lei with a hint of fighting spirit. "Want to join in?"

"I think I'll pass. I might go later, but not now." Lang Lei had read the original work and knew that the Great Soul Arena was the fastest way for ordinary Soul Masters to make money. As long as you had the strength, making a fortune was not a problem.

He's not short of money right now, since he just received quite a bit from Ye Lingling, which should be enough for him for the time being.

He planned to find an inn nearby to stay in first, and then decide where to go after he had spent the twenty coins.

"Is that so? That's a real shame." Yu Tianheng looked disappointed.

"Alright, then I'll take my leave now. I hope our next meeting won't be too far away." Langley pulled Gretsch, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, aside and waved goodbye.

"Goodbye, brothers and sisters." Gretchen waved as well.

"Well, goodbye, both of you." Qin Ming nodded. "Although I've said it many times, I still... look forward to your arrival."

"Goodbye, Brother Lang Lei and Sister Gretchen!" Yu Tianheng said very seriously.

"Goodbye, little Lang Lei!" Oslo and Yu Feng said, their arms around each other's shoulders. "And to the lovely little Gretchen too."

"Goodbye." Ye Lingling uttered two words in a cool and aloof tone, which was quite rare.

"Don't forget to bring your little sister Gretchen to Tiandou as a guest!" Dugu Yan waved her hand.

Graphite and stone mill also waved silently.

Lang Lei smiled and left with Gretchen.

"I wonder which faction trained Brother Lang Lei? Could it be the Haotian Sect?" Dugu Yan asked curiously. "After all, the Haotian Sect members are all hammer-wielding; they should all be very strong, right?"

"It doesn't seem like it..." Yu Tianheng shook his head. "Besides, wasn't the soul skill that Brother Lang Lei used at the beginning like a needle?"

"However, it's undeniable that such a genius would be extremely valuable in any organization," Qin Ming guessed. "Brother Lang Lei's statement about considering it... he must have gone back to discuss it with his elders at home, right?"

"As expected of Teacher Qin Ming, his guesses are reasonable and well-founded," Oslo praised.

"Even if you're flattering me, you won't be spared any of the necessary training." Qin Ming glanced at Oslo indifferently.

"How could this be..."

(End of this chapter)