A Challenge Match

After leaving Spirit Hall, Ye Xinyu felt fairly relaxed. The weight that had been hanging over her heart had finally lifted. She looked up at the azure sky and took a deep breath.

She was not worried about what Spirit Hall might do to her. Now that she had exposed her mother and learned that her mother was also one of Spirit Hall's people, her safety was absolutely guaranteed. Her mother could be considered a minor higher-up within Spirit Hall. Although Ye Xinyu did not want to admit that she was part of Spirit Hall, strictly speaking, she could still be considered half a member.

When traveling outside, safety came first. That was why she had deliberately revealed her mother's existence. In the original work, God King Tang and the others seemed to have said that Spirit Hall would recruit Soul Masters who refused to join them, and secretly kill those who still refused. Though in the original work, Spirit Hall seemed to have only targeted Tang San during the middle and later stages. As for everyone else, Spirit Hall did not seem to care about them at all.

There was a good chance God King Tang had deliberately smeared Spirit Hall. After all, it was not the first time God King Tang had done something like that. That was also one reason she did not particularly like Tang San.

Fine, fight if you wanted to fight. But before every fight, he had to dump a bucket of filth on the other side and make sure he stood on the side of righteousness. It was just irritating. Soul beasts were soul beasts, yet they could still be divided into good and evil. What, did carnivores not deserve to live?

Still, she could not be certain whether Spirit Hall would actually do such things. To be safe, she had deliberately exposed her mother. There were benefits to it as well. First, whether or not she would be taken back, once Spirit Hall learned that her first soul ring was a thousand-year one, they would definitely pay more attention to her. That way, she would not need to worry every time she released her martial soul in the future.

Besides, she could also indirectly learn more about her mother. She was her mother, yet Ye Xinyu did not even know her name or birthday. That was just absurd.

As she walked, a series of delicious scents drifted beneath her nose. Several stalls had been set up not far ahead. Those aromas seemed to possess some kind of magic, drawing her forward. She hurried over and saw all kinds of steaming food laid out on the stalls, mouthwatering at first glance.

Looking at the sky, she realized she had spent a little too long at Spirit Hall. By now, Nuoding Academy's mealtime had more or less passed. People were made of iron and food was steel; skip one meal and you would feel starving. Ye Xinyu sat down in front of a stall and said,

"Boss, give me one serving."

Before long, a serving of food was placed before her. Half an hour later, after finishing two portions, she finally felt much better. She had originally planned to order another, but seeing the stall owner's stunned expression, Ye Xinyu had no choice but to give up.

It was not that the owner had seen she was a child and deliberately given her less; the portions were quite generous. But perhaps because her physique had improved, ever since consuming Whale Rubber, her appetite seemed to have become far greater than before. Back in the Star Dou Great Forest, she had eaten freshly caught soul beast meat, so she had not noticed much. But now, ordinary food was already somewhat unable to keep up with her body's consumption.

But where was she supposed to get soul beast meat in this dump? Should she secretly catch one?

Her mother had said not to enter alone, but she only needed to catch a hundred-year chicken. For her, that should not be much of a problem. There probably would not be any danger.

During this time, she still had not figured out the Orb's effects. However, she had gained a rough sense of the plane inside it. It was somewhat like the Undead Demigod Plane said to belong to Huo Gua, except this space could store living creatures, and even the flow of time within it differed from that of the current continent.

As for the Orb, it was like a key. She had not figured out the rest yet, but she always felt that Orb was not so simple.

Ye Xinyu pondered as she walked, and before she knew it, she had returned to the academy dormitory.

When Xiao Wu saw that Ye Xinyu had only returned at this hour, she could not help saying,

"Why are you so slow?"

Ye Xinyu was briefly stunned.

"What is it? Did you need something from me?"

Xiao Wu said irritably,

"What do you mean, what is it? Didn't we agree yesterday that we'd go challenge Xiao Chenyu and his group this afternoon? If you'd been any later, I wouldn't have waited for you."

Hearing Xiao Wu's explanation, Ye Xinyu was somewhat speechless.

"Xiao Wu, they've already backed down. Why do you insist on fighting them?"

Xiao Wu merely snorted.

"Cut the nonsense. This concerns the dignity of us Work-Study Students. Just tell me, are you going or not?"

The dignity of Work-Study Students? What did that have to do with her? Still, this was also a good chance to see Tang San show off his strength.

Ye Xinyu let out a faint sigh. After thinking about it, she still nodded.

"Fine, but let me make this clear first. I'm only going to watch. I'm not fighting."

Xiao Wu nodded repeatedly.

"Mhm, mhm. You don't need to fight. You just need to help me recover. Sister Xiao Wu alone can knock every last one of them flat."

Right, so this was what Xiao Wu had been waiting for.

Very soon, the group arrived at the academy's back mountain.

By the time they arrived, more than twenty people had already gathered there. They all appeared to be upper-year students.

"Little rabbit, I thought you were scared and wouldn't dare come." Xiao Chenyu glanced at Ye Xinyu within the crowd, his tone noticeably gentler. Ever since he had gone home yesterday and told his father that there was a student in the academy with Spirit Hall's fourth-class token, his father had solemnly warned him never to provoke that person. It was the first time he had ever seen his father with such an expression.

"But I don't want to bully anyone. Little rabbit, I'll give you a chance. If you regret this now, it's not too late."

Xiao Wu merely snorted, looking proud and haughty. Yet paired with her delicate little face, it carried little intimidation.

"Me, scared? What are you thinking? I'm only afraid I'll beat you so badly that even your mother won't recognize you."

Xiao Chenyu did not take it too seriously. She was only a little girl who knew nothing. Anyone with even half a brain would not dare speak to him like that. Even if he were not a Soul Master, no one would dare provoke him based solely on his city lord father's status.

After thinking briefly, Xiao Chenyu said,

"I've taken a look. There aren't many on your side who can fight. I'll give you a chance. Each side sends out three people. How about it?"

In a group battle, they had seven or eight Soul Masters, while the rest had Soul Power at levels eight or nine. It would basically be a crushing victory. However, the other side had a Support-type Soul Master. Although he did not know what her support effects were, for low-level Soul Masters, challenging opponents above their level was not impossible with support.

He was not an idiot. How could he let a Support-type Soul Master freely enhance her allies? But he did not dare attack the Support-type Soul Master either. What if he made her cry, and the people behind her came looking for trouble? Wouldn't he be finished then?

Naturally, Xiao Wu had not thought that much about it. The terms were extremely favorable to her, so she immediately nodded.

"Fine, it's settled then. Who will go first on your side?"