Myriad Annihilation Gilded Hammer

"Teacher Zi, you'll have to pay for the table," Sols remarked blandly.

"Hmph!"

Zi Qingyang snorted coldly and left the stands, looking thoroughly disheveled.

Sols looked at Lu Leng and could not help nodding. His Holiness the Pope truly had a sharp eye.

Mimis was delighted, but she did her best not to lose her composure.

Hu Liena clenched her hands tightly, her eyes sparkling as her heartbeat quickened, as though Lu Leng were herself.

But the most excited was undoubtedly Xiong Rige. He rushed onto the stage and gave Lu Leng a huge bear hug, earning a look of utter disgust from Lu Leng. If Lu Leng had not pressed the Zhan Luo Blade to his neck, he might have even hugged Lu Leng and kissed him.

"Lu Leng—no, Brother Leng! From now on, you're my big brother, and I'm your little brother! I mean every word!" Xiong Rige laughed heartily.

Lu Leng was dumbfounded. When had he gained another little brother?

"Enough said. As my newly acknowledged big brother, dinner's on me tonight. You have to come!"

"If you don't come, you're disrespecting me, Xiong Rige!"

"Did you hear me!?"

Lu Leng was speechless. Damn it, who was the big brother here, him or me?

"Congratulations. You're number one on the rankings now," Hu Liena said happily after they got off the stage.

"It was nothing, just a piece of cake. I haven't even tried yet."

"Braggart." Mimis pursed her lips. Still, this little guy really did have the ability to back up his boasting.

"Teacher Mi, Nana, I'm treating tonight. Come with us and celebrate for my boss," Xiong Rige immediately said.

"Forget it. This is something between you students, so I won't go. I wouldn't want to make things awkward for you," Mimis declined tactfully.

Xiong Rige chuckled and did not press the invitation, since Mimis was right.

"Then I want the best food. How about Angel Restaurant?" Hu Liena said excitedly. If there was good food to be had, she would be a fool not to eat it.

"Sure, no problem!" Xiong Rige said through gritted teeth. How could he take back the boast he had made?

"Then let's go. If we head there now, we should make it in time. Otherwise, there won't be any seats left," Hu Liena said, her eyes sly as she looked at Xiong Rige, seemingly worried that he would go back on his word.

"Let's go, then. Come on, we're leaving right now." With that, he headed toward Angel Restaurant.

Lu Leng was speechless. Before he could even say anything, he was forcibly dragged along.

Angel Restaurant was located in the most luxurious area of Spirit City. It had been established through investments from the Two Great Empires and Spirit Hall. Luxury was its specialty, and a single meal often cost hundreds of Gold Soul Coins.

But Xiong Rige was clearly wealthy. He directly led them into the most luxurious private room.

Inside the private room were Lu Leng, Hu Liena, Xiong Rige, and Dudu, whom they had happened to run into and brought along.

"Waiter, the menu," Xiong Rige called out. Then he said grandly to the others, "Come on, order whatever you want. Don't hold back."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Before Lu Leng could say anything, Dudu unceremoniously took the menu.

"This, this, this..." As Xiong Rige watched Dudu point out the dishes, warmth filled his heart. This little girl they had casually brought along was so considerate—she had picked all the cheapest dishes.

"I don't want any of these. Bring one of everything else."

Xiong Rige spat out the tea in his mouth with a splutter.

Lu Leng could not help laughing either. This Dudu was quite comparable to Ma Hongjun.

The dishes soon arrived. They were exquisitely presented and incomparably luxurious. Most importantly, every portion was tiny. At a glance, they were clearly high-end dishes.

None of them sat idle. They ate while bragging, listening to Xiong Rige and Lu Leng discuss how showing off could feel the most satisfying, how to show off without seeming too forced, and all sorts of other things...

As for the two girls, they had a wonderfully tacit understanding. They turned a deaf ear to everything around them and focused solely on the food before them.

Before long, they were full and satisfied, and the four headed back toward the academy together.

"Leng Leng, did you know? Jin Zhengyang only reached level fifty today because Zi Qingyang forcibly raised him with a secret technique. After you defeated him today, his realm became unstable, and he fell back to level forty-nine," Dudu said as they walked, a toothpick hanging from the corner of her mouth as though she were showing off.

"How did you know that?" Lu Leng asked curiously.

"Who do you think I am? I'm the president of the Leng Leng Fan Club! I command hundreds of loyal troops, so I get news like this immediately." After boasting about herself, Dudu continued, "A Soul Master responsible for treating Jin Zhengyang said it. One of my members is a teacher, and apparently the principal already knows about this. Director Sols got chewed out badly."

Dudu spoke those words casually, but they stirred waves of shock in the hearts of the other three.

"If it's true, then Zi Qingyang may not be able to keep his position as a teacher," Xiong Rige said with a click of his tongue.

"I never thought Zi Qingyang would forcibly raise Jin Zhengyang's Soul Power for his own selfish reasons. Isn't he afraid of ruining Jin Zhengyang?" Hu Liena said through gritted teeth.

No matter what, Jin Zhengyang was still his nephew.

"That man has already lost his mind. Now that this has been exposed, I think there's a good chance he'll lash out in desperation. We should get back to the academy quickly," Lu Leng said worriedly.

By defeating Jin Zhengyang, he had effectively ruined Zi Qingyang's plans and cut off his future path. Given Zi Qingyang's personality, Lu Leng was very likely to face retaliation.

"Yeah, let's go." The other three agreed.

But they had barely taken two steps when a sinister voice rang out. "Do you think you can still leave?"

"Zi Qingyang!"

The four were shocked.

Lu Leng was the first to recover. "Xiong Rige, take Dudu and run. Go back and get help. Hu Liena, the two of us will join forces and buy them time!"

"Boss..." Dudu called out.

"Stop talking nonsense. Your Soul Power is too low. You're useless here. Go, now!" Lu Leng barked coldly.

"Got it. Boss, hold on!" Xiong Rige was only level thirty-eight and knew he could not help. After seeing the situation clearly, he grabbed Dudu and turned to run.

"Trying to run? You're all staying here today." Zi Qingyang sneered and chased after the two of them. He had clearly gone completely mad. He intended to kill them all.

"As long as we're here, don't even think about succeeding!" Hu Liena activated her Martial Soul. A Nine-tailed Fox appeared behind her, its gaze fierce.

Lu Leng likewise held the Zhan Luo Blade in his hand as his Soul Rings activated instantly.

Facing a level-seventy Soul Sage, neither of them dared lower their guard in the slightest.

"A mutated Martial Soul?" Zi Qingyang was startled when he saw the Nine-tailed Fox, but his smile soon grew even more crazed. "Good. A mutation is good. Hunting geniuses is what I enjoy most."

"Seventh Soul Skill, Martial Soul Avatar, Myriad Annihilation Gilded Hammer!" Zi Qingyang roared. Seven Soul Rings appeared around him—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black, black—while two golden bronze hammers appeared in his hands.