Fierce Might

Xiao Chenyu had never expected Liu Long to win; he had merely hoped Liu Long could drain some of Qian Bing's Soul Power. But seeing that the large bird above Qian Bing's head had not even made a move before Liu Long was cleanly defeated still left him deeply shocked.

After all, Liu Long ranked among the top three in strength among his subordinates.

If Xiao Chenyu had not already acquired his first Soul Ring, he could not guarantee that he would be able to defeat Liu Long so easily either.

Qian Bing did not give him time to think. He brushed at the nonexistent dust on his trouser leg and said teasingly, "Your subordinate really is vulnerable to a single blow. Boss Xiao, what do you say?"

What else could Xiao Chenyu say? His expression darkened further. He waved for his other subordinates to drag Liu Long away for emergency treatment before answering, "We concede the first round. Ling Feng, you're up this time."

The second person Xiao Chenyu sent out was a small-framed upperclassman. With his tiny nose, small eyes, and slender build, he did not look twelve at all; instead, he looked about the same age as Tang San and the others. Qian Bing roughly judged him to be an Agility-Attack Type Soul Master.

"You're also a new student this year?"

Ling Feng stepped forward and looked at Qian Bing, uncertainty showing in his eyes.

This time, Qian Bing merely nodded at him and said, "Make your move."

Although Ling Feng was small, he was still somewhat taller than Qian Bing, who had only been in first grade for a year. This duel would decide who became the leader of the students on either side, so he stopped overthinking, cleared the distracting thoughts from his mind, and prepared for battle.

After glancing once more at the Pidgeotto in the sky, Ling Feng sprang into the air. With a nimble midair flip, he spread his arms and actually glided two meters, diving toward Qian Bing's head.

Qian Bing had almost instantly identified the category of his spirit.

Judging by this, it should be a flying Beast Spirit!

Given Ling Feng's less-than-fierce appearance and attack style, it probably was not a bird of prey like an eagle.

Then it had to be a spirit like a swallow or crow.

As he watched the opponent dive at him, Qian Bing remained motionless, as though the other party did not exist at all.

He merely calmly gave Pidgeotto an order.

"Pidgeotto, use Quick Attack."

Ling Feng was incredibly fast. Among the sixth-year students, he was hailed as the fastest, and he was Xiao Chenyu's close friend. His movements were also exceptionally nimble.

Just as he was about to reach Qian Bing, his body suddenly flipped again. With a flap of both arms, he tried to forcibly change direction, gliding behind Qian Bing to launch his attack.

Even when Ling Feng flew above his head, Qian Bing did not move. His gaze was indifferent, calm as still water.

Was he planning to respond to every change by remaining unchanged?

Tang San, standing behind Xiao Wu, watched the situation in the arena and silently speculated. But he immediately saw the answer.

If Qian Bing's Quick Attack earlier had still left behind a distinct black streak that made it possible to track his path, then Pidgeotto's Quick Attack was far more advanced.

Pidgeotto, which had been circling above Qian Bing's head, directly transformed into a bolt of lightning and dived down, crashing into Ling Feng before he could launch his attack.

Pidgeotto was over five meters long—how much did it weigh? When it slammed into a child who weighed less than a hundred jin, the result was obvious.

The instant the two sides collided, Ling Feng was sent flying violently.

Boom!

Amid the deafening crash, his body flew backward into the woods behind Xiao Chenyu.

By the time Xiao Chenyu's subordinates found Ling Feng, he was already vomiting blood and unconscious. Fortunately, as a Soul Master, his physique far surpassed that of an ordinary person, so the damage had not become irreversible.

Pidgeotto's strike had been extraordinarily powerful, nearly reaching the level of an attack from a level-twenty Great Soul Master.

Battles involving Soul Scholars and Soul Masters below level twenty rarely resulted in casualties, but Qian Bing's appearance seemed to have shattered that rule.

Xiao Chenyu's subordinates had originally retained a little confidence in their ability to fight him, but Ling Feng's miserable state scared them senseless. No one wanted to go up and throw their life away. Some even used the excuse of taking Ling Feng back for treatment to slip away outright.

The group of upperclassmen who had arrived so aggressively dwindled to fewer than twenty in no time. Most of those who remained were dispirited, their faces filled with fear.

Xiao Chenyu's eyes were likewise full of terror as he looked at Qian Bing.

How were they supposed to fight this? Who could beat such a ruthless man... such a ruthless bird!

"The times truly are changing. Such an impressive figure has emerged among the younger generation."

Seeing that the people opposite had promptly carried Ling Feng down the mountain for treatment, Qian Bing continued in a calm voice, "Don't waste any more time. You're next, Boss Xiao, right? Heh, I'm afraid there won't be a Boss Xiao anymore after today."

Xiao Chenyu had been the boss for so long that his composure, bearing, and self-restraint were ultimately superior to those of ordinary students. He could not bring himself to retreat without fighting. Forcibly suppressing the fear in his heart, he stepped forward with a grim expression.

By now, he no longer entertained any hope of winning. He only wanted to lose with a little dignity and salvage some face for the upperclassmen.

Xiao Chenyu stopped before the crowd, looked solemnly at Qian Bing, and said, "Xiao Chenyu, sixth-year student. Spirit: Wolf. Level eleven One-Ring Soul Master."

Announcing one's spirit and level was a sign of respect toward one's opponent.

As he spoke, a layer of green light emerged from his body. Amid its flickering glow, the muscles on his body began to swell, his eyes gradually turned pale green, and he slowly raised his arms, extending his clawed hands forward as his nails became sharp.

At the same time, a white Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet. It was the appearance of Spirit Avatar.

White represented a Ten-Year Soul Ring, while yellow represented a Hundred-Year Soul Ring. Soul Rings separated by one grade had a decisive effect when the two sides' Soul Power levels were not too far apart.

Xiao Chenyu was filled with worry, but the upperclassmen behind him felt a glimmer of hope when they saw the Soul Ring on him. Someone could not help shouting:

"Go, Boss! Cripple him!"

"Idiot, shut up!"

Xiao Chenyu shouted, immediately cutting off his subordinate.

Couldn't they sense the terror of that giant bird in the sky? Didn't they know the other side had a Hundred-Year Soul Ring?

If they kept mouthing off and angered Qian Bing, and he decided to show no mercy later, Xiao Chenyu would most likely end up like Ling Feng.

At that thought, Xiao Chenyu's heart turned cold as he immediately connected it to even more things.

Xiao Chenyu's father was the City Lord of Notting City. Otherwise, he would not have dared to act so arrogantly in the academy, where even the teachers rarely bothered with him.

Having watched his father's every move in official circles since childhood, he had picked up some of that political instinct himself. Thus, the first thing he thought of was Qian Bing's background.

His father had repeatedly warned him that, in this world, there were certain great families that must never be offended.

They were even more terrifying than the imperial family. The imperial family still cared about appearances, but those great families had no such concerns. Angering them would bring utter disaster.

Moreover, there was no way Qian Bing could have hunted the Hundred-Year Soul Ring on his own as a first-year student. That meant this first-year brat had a massive power backing him.

What right did their group have to provoke a force capable of helping him obtain a Hundred-Year Soul Ring and cultivate to the realm of a Soul Master?

"Which great family are you from?"

Xiao Chenyu could not help asking.

Qian Bing calmly shook his head and said:

"Stop thinking about such pointless things. Make your move. Otherwise, you won't even get the chance to attack."

Things had reached the point where there was no turning back. Xiao Chenyu kept himself on guard; no matter what, he absolutely could not hurt this first-year student before him.