Spirit City, East District, Junior Soul Master Academy.
Today was the last day of the first month after school began.
According to academy rules, students could challenge the top students of Zero Dormitory today.
Bang!
A student was kicked flying by a boy dressed in silver-white robes.
The defeated student climbed to his feet and said, "You won. I concede."
As he spoke, he walked over to a box nearby and reached inside to retrieve the money.
The boy in silver-white flashed forward, appearing beside him like a ghost, and seized the hand reaching toward the box.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm taking back my money."
"Once a challenge begins, the challenge fee cannot be reclaimed. That money is mine now."
"There's such a rule?"
"You don't even know that, and you still want to challenge me?"
The academy stipulated that anyone who wished to challenge a top student from Zero Dormitory had to pay one hundred Gold Soul Coins.
Regardless of victory or defeat, those one hundred Gold Soul Coins belonged to the top student who fought.
Challenge Day was held at the end of every month, and only three students were allowed to challenge each time.
The purpose was to improve the top students' practical combat experience early through spirit battles.
Of course, to prevent accidents, the academy specially arranged at least two soul masters to ensure the students' safety.
There was another benefit as well. Innate talent was certainly important, but there would always be dark horses who emerged through hard work. The academy could use this opportunity to identify such students in advance.
"Xie Yue is fighting today. I heard he's already obtained his third soul ring. We're done for; there's no hope this year. Huh? Someone else is going up."
Under everyone's watchful eyes, a person dressed in black slowly climbed the stairs.
Unexpectedly, he did not pay the challenge fee. When he reached the platform halfway up the mountain, he did not stop and simply continued upward.
Tuoba Yan had just entered the villa when Xie Yue, who was handling the day's challenges, followed him inside.
"Stop!"
Tuoba Yan kept walking.
Xie Yue rushed at Tuoba Yan and used the Seizing Hand Technique to grab his arm.
Tuoba Yan's arm trembled slightly. Surging Soul Power transformed into a strange force that shook off Xie Yue's Seizing Hand Technique, and he continued onward.
"Stop right there!"
Xie Yue refused to let the matter go. A sinister glint flashed through his eyes as he abruptly raised his right fist and struck toward Tuoba Yan's back with the momentum of his charge.
The move was simple and direct, without any unnecessary flourish.
At that moment, the fruits of Xie Yue's countless challenges as a top student were fully displayed. Empowered by strength and speed, the force of his fist instantly reached its peak.
Without abundant practical combat experience, no one could achieve such a level.
Having just turned around, Tuoba Yan knew that he could not retreat in the face of this sudden attack—otherwise, he would only fall into a more passive position, and the punch would become even more powerful.
So Tuoba Yan did not retreat.
He shifted his right foot half a step back, clenched both fists, and swiftly crossed his arms in front of his chest in an X-shape to block the incoming punch.
A dull thud rang out.
Xie Yue's fist landed directly on the point where Tuoba Yan's crossed arms intersected.
That point had the strongest defense, and Tuoba Yan perfectly withstood Xie Yue's punch head-on.
Xie Yue's charging body came to an abrupt halt, while Tuoba Yan did not move in the slightest, standing firmly where he was.
A trace of surprise appeared in Xie Yue's eyes.
He had never imagined that this boy, several years younger than him, would take his punch so easily.
His martial spirit was Xie Yue. Although it was a weapon martial spirit, his Soul Power Level far surpassed those of the other "elementary school students." Coupled with his few extra years of age, he should have held the advantage in strength.
Yet at this moment, his right fist ached intensely, while Tuoba Yan's arms seemed as solid as cast copper and forged iron.
Tuoba Yan was equally shocked.
His right arm had absorbed a soul bone that was seventy thousand years old. Combined with the strengthened physique and defense granted by the awakening of the Holy Dragon Martial Spirit, the defensive power of his right arm far exceeded that of ordinary people.
Yet under Xie Yue's attack, even his right arm, which he had placed at the front to block the blow, felt a faint trace of pain.
Xie Yue's strength was exceptionally fierce.
At such a young age, he could concentrate all his strength into his fist and instantly unleash a shockwave effect that broke through a surface with a single point.
After his first strike failed, Xie Yue swiftly changed tactics. He swung his left hand and, like an experienced fighter, punched toward Tuoba Yan's right ear.
Tuoba Yan's pupils instantly turned golden.
Xie Yue moved swiftly and adapted quickly, but under the effects of the Golden Eyes, his movements slowed down like a slow-motion replay.
Tuoba Yan raised his right arm to block outside his ear, stopping Xie Yue's left hook. At the same time, he leaned backward, lifted his left leg, and kicked toward Xie Yue's abdomen with a mid-level control kick.
Xie Yue leaped into the air, pressed his hands together, and slapped the incoming left leg. Using the force to propel himself upward, he landed steadily on the ground behind him and opened the distance from Tuoba Yan.
The two stood facing each other, their gazes locked tightly on one another.
Xie Yue was deeply shaken.
What astonishing reaction speed was that?
He had been a student of Zero Dormitory for seven years. Because of his younger sister, he had deliberately repeated a grade.
Both Spirit Hall's advanced and junior soul master academies had Simulated Training Grounds beneficial for early-stage cultivation, so entering the advanced academy later would not affect him.
After their parents died, he only wanted to spend more time with his younger sister, Hu Liena.
Over the past seven years, he had accepted countless challenges. Though he was still young, his practical combat experience was extremely abundant.
Yet Tuoba Yan had blocked his entire sequence of attacks just now. Even a genius might block the first move, but it would be difficult to catch the second. Tuoba Yan, however, had done it.
Xie Yue took a deep breath. The ferocity in his eyes intensified as he stomped the ground and shot toward Tuoba Yan like a cannonball leaving its barrel.
His arms crossed as he threw several straight punches in rapid succession. The wind from his fists howled. Though the attacks appeared chaotic, they concealed a rhythm, and every punch targeted a vital point.
Tuoba Yan's Golden Eyes flickered as he calmly observed the assault. His feet moved nimbly as he sidestepped the first two punches and bent his elbow to block the third.
Seeing his attack stopped, Xie Yue swept his right leg toward Tuoba Yan's lower body.
Tuoba Yan jumped slightly, letting the attack sweep beneath his feet. He then spun in midair and descended toward Xie Yue's head.
Xie Yue had been prepared. He raised both arms to protect his head. The instant Tuoba Yan landed, he used the momentum to throw a hook. Xie Yue twisted aside to evade it and answered with a knee strike. Tuoba Yan twisted at the waist and barely dodged it. The two exchanged blows in the courtyard, the dull impacts of fists and feet colliding ringing out without end.
Xie Yue grew increasingly anxious as the fight continued. Suddenly, he feinted, and when a gap appeared in Tuoba Yan's defense, he drove a heavy punch viciously into Tuoba Yan's chest.
Tuoba Yan gritted his teeth and mobilized all the Soul Power in his body, taking the strike head-on. Enduring the impact, he threw his right fist at even greater speed before Xie Yue could withdraw his own, smashing it heavily into Xie Yue's chest.
Xie Yue's body flew backward instantly. As his upper body arched back, he performed a backward somersault. He rolled across the ground five times in succession before finally bleeding off the force and steadying himself.
"Tuoba Yan, you're finally back?!"
Tuoba Yan turned toward the voice. The person who spoke was Hu Liena.
Hearing the sounds of fighting in the courtyard, Hu Liena came out of the hall. Thinking of the man who had humiliated her, the anger in her heart had not faded even after more than ten days.
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