Soul Emperor Caught in a Sneak Attack

"How about we go out and have some fun?" Xie Xie nudged Tang Wulin's arm.

They had won the match, so he was naturally happy. Though he had not even started putting in any real effort, that did not matter.

"But I need to eat." Tang Wulin hesitated for a moment.

"You really only think about eating all day, don't you?"

"We're coming too." Gu Yue had somehow appeared beside them.

"I'm going with Tang Wulin."

"No girls or assholes allowed." Xie Xie looked disgusted.

He only invited Tang Wulin because he felt they had a good relationship. The asshole he meant was Meng Li, who often tricked him out of money and had even stolen his spotlight today.

He could not beat Gu Yue, and they argued all the time. He might as well leave both of them behind for the sake of his physical and mental health.

Gu Yue: (｀^′)

"Hmph, then don't bring us. The two of us can go have fun ourselves." Gu Yue grabbed Meng Li and left, not giving him time to react.

"Come on, I'll treat you to good food and drinks. Ignore them. You're my best brother."

"Heh heh, heh heh." Tang Wulin gave an awkward laugh.

The streets of Eastsea City were bustling with traffic, lined everywhere with shops and vendors.

Meng Li found the shopping dull, but Gu Yue was thoroughly absorbed in it. In that regard, she was very much like Na'er. No, perhaps all girls were like that.

It had been a long time since he had gone to the seaside. Meng Li suddenly missed those childhood days he had spent there with Na'er.

Na'er had been gone for nearly half a year now. He wondered how she was doing. These Soul Tool Communicators were ridiculous. In a human world that had developed for tens of thousands of years, the technology was somehow this backward. He had not managed to get through a single call in months.

"What are you thinking about?" Seeing Meng Li was distracted, Gu Yue held several skewers of grilled meat up to his mouth.

Meng Li accepted one. It smelled quite good. Taking a bite, he said, "I thought of someone."

Gu Yue's heart stirred, but she did not press further. Instead, she changed the subject. "Come on, I'll take you to eat. You might feel better afterward."

Afterward, Gu Yue found a decent restaurant, then took him to a nearby cinema to watch a movie.

When they came out, Gu Yue was holding the popcorn they had not finished. She was in high spirits. The movie had ended beautifully, with the heroine and hero getting together.

"Gu Yue, I always feel like I know you. This strange feeling has troubled me for a long time." Meng Li suddenly spoke as they walked back.

"An illusion. It must be an illusion. How could we possibly know each other?" Gu Yue chuckled, though her heart tightened. Had he discovered something?

"Maybe."

When Meng Li returned to the dormitory, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie were already asleep. After washing up and taking a shower, he lay down and went to sleep as well.

Early the next morning.

The second round of the Promotion Tournament began.

Ye Yingrong was Class Three's teacher. She was also a beauty and liked Wu Changkong. She chattered at him for quite a while, yet Wu Changkong did not say a single word. After Ye Yingrong pestered him for a while, the match between the two classes officially began.

Today, Meng Li's group of four was facing a set of triplets. They had small eagle wings, while another student had a Black Bear martial soul.

"So it's my home field again today!" A smile appeared at the corner of Meng Li's mouth.

"What do you mean?" Confusion appeared on Gu Yue's pretty face.

"These guys are probably in for a miserable time." Xie Xie expressed his sympathy for the people flying in the sky.

"Go, Brother Meng." Tang Wulin knew what to expect. The three of them only needed to deal with the one on the ground.

Meng Li placed both hands at his waist, revealing two Double-barreled Firearms. Both those on and off the stage tensed. With those weapons, the three people in the air no longer had any advantage.

Damn it, how could he have something like that? Ye Yingrong could only hope that Meng Li's aim was poor, but the result disappointed her. His marksmanship was exceptionally accurate. Three shots, three targets—none missed.

Three figures fell from the sky.

Meanwhile, Tang Wulin's group of three ganged up on one person. It could not have been easier.

The afternoon match was just as simple. They won with barely any effort.

Wu Changkong was very pleased, so he canceled their following training session and gave them a day off.

Early the next morning, Meng Li had thought he could sleep well on his day off, but Xie Xie hurried into the dormitory.

He told Meng Li that a large group of people was blocking the school gates, and they were looking for him and Tang Wulin.

After asking about the situation, Meng Li learned that those two had gone out to eat the day before yesterday and saw a restaurant owner they knew being bullied. They had stepped in out of a sense of justice and beaten up some street punks.

That had been a good deed, but today, the punks' older brother had come looking for them. He demanded that the school hand the two over, threatening to tear the school apart otherwise.

"You go find the teachers first. I'll go out and see what's happening." Meng Li frowned.

It was just a bunch of punks blocking the entrance. He felt he should be able to handle it.

The moment Meng Li stepped out of the school gates, he saw a large group of young men from the streets gathered around a bald man, all looking vicious.

The academy's teachers all wore nervous expressions.

Seeing a student come out, the bald man noticed that he was not one of the people who had beaten his younger brother, so he did not pay much attention.

Just as Long Hengxu was worrying that the bald man before him, Guang Biao, was a Soul Emperor in his sixties and the captain of Eastsea City's Mecha Brigade—

A figure flashed past with astonishing speed.

Guang Biao thought it was one of his reckless underlings and paid it no mind. He never considered the possibility that it was an enemy. After all, what enemy would run into his encirclement?

Only when a blade was pressed directly against Guang Biao's throat did he realize something was wrong.

"Successful sneak attack!" Meng Li's voice came from behind Guang Biao.

"Meng Li, calm down. You have to calm down! He's a six-ring Soul Emperor!" Long Hengxu said anxiously. Although the boy was usually unreliable and always called him Brother Long, he was still a student of his academy. He could not just watch his student throw his life away.

Even Wu Changkong, who had arrived late, was startled. He had not expected Meng Li to be this bold.

"Kid, you're courting death!" Guang Biao was shocked, and every hair on his back stood on end.

"You're the first person who has dared to hold a blade to my throat."

"Oh, I'm not just holding it there." Meng Li smiled. His Murasa was forged from a special material, and after forming a blood pact with his blood—

He had once used this blade to spar with Wu Changkong, easily cutting through his Soul Power shield. It had left Wu Changkong amazed that his bloodline was anything but ordinary.

This blade was exceptionally effective against an unprepared Soul Emperor.

"Don't!" Long Hengxu tried to stop him. No matter what, a Soul Master in his teens could not defeat a six-ring Soul Emperor.

But then a shocking scene unfolded. Guang Biao's Soul Power barrier instantly collapsed before that beautiful blade, and blood began to drip from his neck.

What kind of weapon was that? The question surfaced in Long Hengxu's mind and lingered in everyone else's as well.

"Kid, calm down." With the situation reversed, Guang Biao's voice trembled slightly. A Soul Master in his teens had a blade at his throat, and he could not even use Soul Power to resist. He did not want to die at the hands of a teenage Soul Master. If he died, he would become the year's biggest joke: some Soul Emperor was killed by a ten-level Soul Master after blocking a school gate.

"Everyone around us, don't move. Follow orders." Guang Biao's subordinate commanded. He feared one of his brothers would try to act tough. If Meng Li got nervous, their boss would be dead.

"Oh? Weren't you acting pretty tough just now, Baldy?" Meng Li said softly.

Baldy. In all of Eastsea City, only Meng Li dared to call him that. But what could Guang Biao do? He could only endure it, and in front of so many people at that.

"No, no, no. I'm not tough at all."

"My friends and I got hurt yesterday, and we were even stabbed. How are you going to settle this debt?"

Wu Changkong truly wanted to slap his forehead and walk away. This disciple of his had not forgotten to extort someone even while surrounded by enemies—and that someone was the captain of Eastsea's Mecha Brigade.

"Kid, don't push your luck. If you kill me, the entire Mecha Brigade won't let you off!" Guang Biao snarled. Too many things had happened to him today.