Soul Fighting

Jiang Wu stepped aside to let them in, thinking that fate had really brought them together.

Wang Dong'er and Huo Yutong were in the same dorm room. Those two would probably be glued together every day from now on, and his own days of peace and quiet were likely numbered.

Wang Dong'er entered the room and glanced around, wrinkling her nose. "You cleaned up? It's pretty tidy."

Her gaze shifted to the person standing beside the bed on the right, and she stopped in her tracks.

Gu Yue stood in front of the cabinet, having just closed its door. Her long silver hair hung behind her shoulders as she turned, her eyes gazing calmly at them from her delicate face.

Wang Dong'er looked at Gu Yue, then at Jiang Wu, then back at Gu Yue. She opened her mouth. "Xiao Wu, who's this?"

"My roommate, Gu Yue." Jiang Wu walked between them and raised a hand in introduction. "Gu Yue, this is Wang Dong'er, my friend. This is Huo Yutong. She just enrolled too."

Gu Yue nodded, her tone indifferent. "Hello."

Wang Dong'er's eyes roamed over Gu Yue's face twice. She took half a step around Gu Yue, looked her up and down, then leaned close to Jiang Wu's ear and lowered her voice. "Boy or girl?"

Jiang Wu answered without a change in expression. "Boy."

"Oh." Wang Dong'er stepped back, her expression easing a little, though not completely.

Huo Yutong, on the other hand, gave Gu Yue a proper nod. "Hello, my name is Huo Yutong."

Gu Yue glanced at her and gave a slight nod, saying nothing more.

Jiang Wu clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "All right, now you've met. I just made plans to have dinner with Gu Yue tonight. You two came at just the right time. Let's go have a look around Shrek City and find a restaurant."

"Let's go!" Wang Dong'er agreed at once, her eyes lighting up. "I've wanted to see what Shrek City is like for ages."

Huo Yutong hesitated and said quietly, "I... I don't have much money."

Jiang Wu glanced at her. "The first meal's on me."

Huo Yutong hurriedly waved her hands. "No, no, I can pay for myself-"

"I said it's on me, so it's on me," Jiang Wu interrupted. "It's our first meal since enrolling, so I'm treating. After this, we'll each pay for our own."

Huo Yutong opened her mouth, but in the end she lowered her head, the tips of her ears a little red. "Then... thank you."

Wang Dong'er snorted beside them but said nothing. She simply reached out and linked her arm through Jiang Wu's.

Jiang Wu looked down at her. "What are you doing now?"

"Walking." Wang Dong'er spoke as though it were only natural. "Shouldn't we link arms when we go into the city? What if we get separated?"

Jiang Wu: "..."

After talking, the four left Shrek Academy for Shrek City, had a simple meal, and returned to the academy to rest.

Since it was the first day of registration, there weren't many people staying in the freshman dorms, so they didn't have to fight anyone for the toilets or showers.

The next day, after breakfast, Jiang Wu and the other three went to the Soul Fighting Zone.

Jiang Wu planned to earn money before classes began, both for living expenses and to send to his mother.

The Soul Fighting Zone was in the northwest corner of the Martial Soul Department. At its center stood a large Soul Fighting Arena, surrounded by several medium and small arenas.

It usually opened only after classes ended in the afternoon and stayed open until midnight.

Fighters had to pay a venue fee to compete and could earn Soul Fighting credits, which were a strict requirement for advancement from the fourth year onward.

The fees varied greatly depending on the size of the arena.

After registering, Jiang Wu paid ten Gold Soul Coins and waited for his opponent.

The waiting hall in the Soul Fighting Zone wasn't particularly large. Soul Guidance Lamps of various colors hung on all four walls, lighting the room brightly. Around twenty people sat on more than a dozen rows of benches. Most were about Jiang Wu's age, though a few older students who looked fifteen or sixteen lounged in a corner with their legs crossed, chatting. Their uniforms had faded with washing, and they had clearly spent plenty of time in the Soul Fighting Zone.

Wang Dong'er found a seat near the front, and Huo Yutong sat beside her. Gu Yue leaned against a wall with her arms folded, looking as though she had no intention of sitting down.

"Xiao Wu, how many matches are you planning to fight?" Wang Dong'er asked.

"We'll see." Jiang Wu rotated his wrists. "As many as I can. I'll earn my living expenses first."

"Which tier did you sign up for?"

"The ten-Gold Soul Coin tier," Jiang Wu said. "Win and you double your money; lose and it all goes down the drain. You have to win before you can sign up for the next match."

Wang Dong'er frowned. "Isn't that a little risky? If you lose, those ten gold coins are gone."

"That's why I can't lose."

Huo Yutong said quietly from the side, "Ten Gold Soul Coins... that's enough to feed me for a year."

Jiang Wu smiled but said nothing.

Huo Yutong was dirt poor now. Without a subsidy, she could only live on the northwest wind.

After they had waited about the time it took an incense stick to burn, a Soul Fighting Zone staff member came over with a list and looked around. "Jiang Wu, Soul Fighting Arena Three. Your opponent is Zhou Kai, a second-year student. Ten-gold tier, both fighters enter."

Jiang Wu stood, and Wang Dong'er rose with him, but the staff member stopped her. "No companions allowed backstage in the Soul Fighting Zone. The spectator area is over there."

Wang Dong'er pursed her lips and pulled Huo Yutong toward the spectator area. Gu Yue followed at a leisurely pace and found a spot near the back to stand.

Soul Fighting Arena Three was somewhat smaller than the arena Jiang Wu had used for his entrance assessment. A protective railing surrounded it, and a few dozen people were scattered across the stands.

Jiang Wu walked into the arena. Someone was already standing across from him.

He looked fifteen or sixteen and had a stocky build. His uniform was stretched tight over his body, his hair was cropped short, and he had a broad, heavy chin. His small eyes held a shrewd glint.

Jiang Wu couldn't help marveling inwardly. This senior really did look mature.

"Freshman?" Zhou Kai looked Jiang Wu up and down and grinned. "Good luck for me, running into a freshman in my first match. Junior, don't blame me for not going easy on you. Here in the Soul Fighting Zone, you've still got tuition to pay."

Jiang Wu didn't answer. He walked to his starting position, circulated his Soul Power, and three Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet.

Zhou Kai's smile faded somewhat as his gaze swept over Jiang Wu's three Soul Rings. "Three rings? A freshman with three rings?"

He had thought that running into a freshman in his first match would mean ten Gold Soul Coins for free. He hadn't expected his opponent to have three rings too.

Zhou Kai himself had only three rings and was at level thirty-three. He wasn't among the best in the second year, but thanks to his thick-skinned, tough-fleshed Martial Soul, he had won more often than he lost in the Soul Fighting Zone.

"Martial Soul, Iron Armored Rhinoceros." Zhou Kai announced his Martial Soul, and three Soul Rings lit up beneath his feet. He used Martial Soul Possession, and a layer of gray-black keratin armor swiftly appeared over his skin. His whole body swelled, and his shoulders became as broad as a door.

"Jiang Wu, Soft Bone Rabbit," Jiang Wu said.

As he spoke, he used Martial Soul Possession.

Zhou Kai froze for a moment, then nearly burst out laughing. "Soft Bone Rabbit? You came to the Soul Fighting Zone to fight with a Soft Bone Rabbit? Junior, did you come to the wrong place? A Soft Bone Rabbit should be entering high-jump competitions."

He wasn't looking down on the Soft Bone Rabbit. He was only talking trash to affect Jiang Wu's state of mind.

A few people in the stands laughed along.

Jiang Wu ignored him. After the referee signaled the start, Zhou Kai was the first to move.