First Encounter with Ma Xiaotao, Demanding Compensation

"Senior Student Xu, you lost again."

Chen Junting sent Xu Sanshi flying off the Soul Fighting Stage with a fierce slash, then immediately swung his sword back to clash with the incoming Dragon Claw!

Amid the surging Thunder, his body and more than half of the surrounding area were enveloped. Bolts of Lightning stretched from top to bottom, densely packed like countless Thunder Serpents, blocking the view.

The scorching Lightning directly set the white robe ablaze.

Patches of charred black appeared across the clothing.

In an instant, Chen Junting and Beibei engaged in a head-on clash!

A vast and awe-inspiring yet savage Momentum spread from Chen Junting, as though something intangible had taken physical form. Under streak after streak of sword light, the vertical Thunder Serpents shattered one after another, revealing Chen Junting and Beibei locked in battle.

On the other side, Qin Lan, enhanced by Gao Ming, continued exchanging blows with Jiang Nannan, who was restricted to the level of a Soul Grandmaster.

Until a streak of sword light broke the deadlock.

A flowing shadow appeared on the Seven Kills Sword in Chen Junting's hand.

And when the purple five-pointed star in the third position lit up...

"Whoosh—"

A White Dragon formed from killing intent coiled around the sword. With only a flash of cold light, the Seven Kills Sword shot forward!

Beibei had no time to react. The scales on his Dragon Claw were instantly pierced as the sword grazed past, and a cut opened across his body. Wrapped in killing intent, the wound would not stop bleeding! The surrounding Lightning was also instantly shattered by the flying sword entwined with the White Dragon!

"Beibei!"

Tang Ya immediately sprang to her feet below the stage!

She was just about to rush up when Ning Tian stopped her.

"Senior Sister Xiao Ya, don't worry. Look."

On the Soul Fighting Stage, Beibei had nearly broken out in a cold sweat! He had clearly felt it just now: that sword had deliberately grazed past him. If he had truly been struck by it...

He touched the area over his heart, a bitter smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Maintaining his Martial Soul Possession, he cupped his fists.

"Brother Chen, I lost."

"Senior Brother Beibei, you were too kind."

Chen Junting hurried forward and wiped away the killing intent around Beibei's wound. He then took out a pill and handed it to Beibei.

Before long, the wound stopped bleeding.

Beibei's pale complexion also gradually regained its color.

At that moment, Chen Junting walked toward Jiang Nannan.

"Senior Sister, your team lost."

Seeing that only one person remained, Jiang Nannan was straightforward.

She immediately admitted defeat!

"Brother Chen, what was that sword strike just now?"

Beibei rubbed the scar on his chest with lingering fear, then put his coat back on and asked curiously. After all, if he remembered correctly, according to the junior student's introduction before the battle on the Soul Fighting Stage, his Third Soul Skill was Sword Wings Soaring.

It was a functional, enhancement-type Soul Skill.

"That could be considered a Self-Created Soul Skill."

"One Blade Slits Throat, Flying Sword of Hundred Steps."

"However..." A trace of dissatisfaction clearly showed on Chen Junting's face. "This Self-Created Soul Skill hasn't reached the effect I expected. That's why it needs the support of my Third Soul Skill."

The moment he said this, the corners of everyone's mouths twitched!

Is he seriously showing off that much?

After that, Xu Sanshi, Beibei, Jiang Nannan, and Tang Ya took turns entering the stage, while Chen Junting and the other two teams honed their coordination through battle.

The three teams identified and corrected their shortcomings, improving every time.

Only when the sky grew dark did the joint training finally come to an end.

During this process, Wang Dong also proposed joining the Tang Sect.

Tang Ya, who had already been troubled by the Tang Sect's dwindling numbers and lack of talent, instantly became excited. After reciting the Tang Sect's rules once, she let Wang Dong join the Tang Sect and had Beibei pass on the Tang Sect's unique techniques to Wang Dong one by one.

After leaving the Nine Treasures Pavilion, the group did not hurry back to the academy. Instead, they wandered through Snack Street, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Except for...

"Nannan, this is the most famous fruit tea on Snack Street! Nannan, this is the best barbecue on the street..."

Xu Sanshi held a large amount of snacks in his hands, wearing an ingratiating smile as he constantly tried to please Jiang Nannan. Jiang Nannan's face, meanwhile, was as cold as ice. She did not even want to answer him, simply pretending not to know Xu Sanshi.

Even Chen Junting and the others acted the same way.

"So embarrassing!"

Beibei slapped one hand over his face. No matter how scheming he usually was, at that moment he only felt that his skin was not thick enough!

"Let's go, let's go..."

Chen Junting grabbed Ning Tian's delicate hand beside him. The two tacitly quickened their pace, wanting to get away from Xu Sanshi as soon as possible.

"Little Xu."

Just then, a cold voice suddenly rang out. Upon hearing it, Xu Sanshi, who had been clinging to Jiang Nannan like a piece of stubborn plaster, shuddered violently. The fear and helplessness in his eyes instantly replaced his ingratiating expression.

Chen Junting and the others immediately sensed the change in the atmosphere around them. The commotion of Snack Street vanished, and the other diners became as silent as cicadas in winter the moment a figure appeared.

A woman in red approached at a leisurely pace. The originally crowded people almost instinctively and naturally opened a path for her, not even daring to look at her as they lowered their heads one after another.

The woman had a tall, well-proportioned figure. Her somewhat exaggerated curves proclaimed her assets, while her slender waist made her striking figure even more prominent, widening sharply only at the curve of her hips. Her legs were straight, and an intense aura of youth rushed toward them.

Although a red veil covered part of her face, making her features unclear, her brows and eyes still revealed her to be a beauty.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Chen Junting's brows rose slightly.

Ma Xiaotao!

"She's a senior sister from the Inner Academy."

The Inner Academy's red uniform was extremely easy to recognize. Having identified her, Ning Tian leaned close to Chen Junting's ear and spoke softly.

"And Senior Student Xu seems to be very afraid of her."

Xu Sanshi kept his head lowered, unwilling to meet her eyes.

"Sister Xiaotao."

"You really were here. I've been looking for you for so long."

Ma Xiaotao's gaze swept over the group. The arrogance in her eyes made it seem as though she did not take Chen Junting and the others seriously at all. Only when her gaze passed over Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong did it pause slightly, as though she were trying to identify something. The two of them grew uneasy under her stare.

At that moment, Chen Junting and Ning Tian slowly stepped forward, blocking Ma Xiaotao's scrutinizing gaze. Just as Chen Junting met Ma Xiaotao's eyes, Ning Tian turned her head and asked gently,

"Yuhao, Wang Dong, do you know this senior sister?"

After hesitating for a moment...

Huo Yuhao nodded, while Wang Dong shook her head.

But after seeing Huo Yuhao's reaction, she hurriedly changed her answer.

Huo Yuhao then told Chen Junting and the others what had happened when they had come to the shore of Sea God Lake some time ago.

The pedestrians nearby also quickened their pace and left.

This was not something they could afford to hear.

When Huo Yuhao finished explaining that their compensation had been two Soul Ascension Pills, Wang Dong still wore an excited expression. She failed to notice that Chen Junting's face had turned cold and that Ning Tian's gentleness had vanished.

"Two Soul Ascension Pills, for two lives."

Chen Junting spoke slowly. His tone was calm, yet it made people shudder. Wang Dong, who had still been happy a moment ago, immediately sensed that something was wrong. She covered her mouth and hid behind Huo Yuhao.

Ning Tian also smiled without warmth and stared fearlessly at Ma Xiaotao. "Senior Sister, isn't that a little too much of a 'cheap sale'?"

Ma Xiaotao frowned at her words, a contemplative look appearing in her eyes. But her contemplation was not about Ning Tian and Chen Junting's words. Instead, it was about the Ice Attribute that had appeared that day.

"Who among you has an Ice Attribute Martial Soul?"

Her scrutinizing gaze passed directly over Chen Junting and Ning Tian.

She reached out, intending to grab Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong.

At that moment, she completely angered Chen Junting and Ning Tian!

Were they simply doing this for Huo Yuhao?

Yes and no.

More importantly, they were defending the dignity of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

"Buzz—" ×2

The Seven Kills Sword was fierce, and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda was dazzling. These two Martial Souls directly caused Ma Xiaotao's hand to freeze in place.

"The Nine Treasures... Glazed Tile Sect."

"Not just that. Wang Dong is also a member of my Tang Sect!"

Ma Xiaotao did not even look at the Tang Ya who had jumped out. Instead, she slowly withdrew her hand. As a disciple of Yan Shaozhe, Dean of the Martial Soul Department, she was not as shrewd as her teacher, but she still understood the relationship between her academy and the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

Moreover, because the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was the wealthiest under heaven, possessed formidable strength, and had unrivaled intelligence across the continent... in Shrek Academy's eyes, the importance they attached to the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect far exceeded that attached to the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.

Furthermore, any disciple of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect who enrolled in the academy would have an extraordinary identity. There would certainly be a future Young Sect Master and a future Guardian Douluo, along with some outstanding disciples of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

At present, the identities of the Young Sect Master and the future Guardian Douluo were already clear. That left only the outstanding disciple...

"An outstanding disciple? Him? A good-for-nothing who's only level eighteen at the age of ten?" Ma Xiaotao glanced at Huo Yuhao. Her gaze was filled with disdain, without even the slightest hint of regard. That disdain deeply pierced Huo Yuhao's heart and also angered everyone present.

Among them, Wu Feng, who regarded Huo Yuhao as her junior brother, and the proud Wang Dong were the first to erupt. "What do you mean?"

However, Ma Xiaotao did not put the two of them in her eyes at all. She simply looked calmly at Ning Tian and Chen Junting. "Tell me, what compensation do you want?" Clearly, she could not disregard the wealthiest sect, the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, over such a minor matter.

"It's simple. Two Soul Bones."

Chen Junting stated the condition in an indifferent tone.

It was as though two Soul Bones were nothing at all.

"Impossible!"

Seeing Chen Junting make such an outrageous demand, Ma Xiaotao forcibly suppressed her anger. Unhappiness flashed in her eyes as she decisively refused. "At most one! And it will be a Secret Method Soul Bone!"

"Agreed."

Seeing Ma Xiaotao accept, Ning Tian nodded slightly.

After all, what they wanted was an attitude.

As for the Soul Bone... compensation of this sort would inevitably be of limited value. The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect did not lack such things in the slightest.

"Take it."

Her scallion-like finger brushed over the ruby on her index finger. With a flash of light, a pouch appeared in her hand. She tossed it to Huo Yuhao, then turned around without looking back.

"Little Xu, let's go."

Xu Sanshi replied with a bitter expression,

"Sister Xiaotao, could you go a little easy on me today?"

But Ma Xiaotao was suppressing her anger at that moment. How could she allow Xu Sanshi to bargain with her here? She grabbed him by the back of his collar, and fiery-red phoenix wings suddenly spread open!

Then she soared into the sky!

She vanished from everyone's sight!

She did not want to stay here for even a moment longer!

"Senior Student Xu really has it rough." Hearing Xu Sanshi's screams gradually fade into the distance, Chen Junting could not help shaking his head. But when he saw Huo Yuhao standing there blankly with the pouch in his hands, he smiled and said, "Yuhao, keep this Secret Method Soul Bone for yourself. The Sect won't ask you to hand it over. But I'll give you a suggestion. This Soul Bone is of poor quality, so don't rush to absorb it. Wait until you find two Soul Bones with similar Attributes. Then you can use it to fuse them, and absorb it afterward. Otherwise, you'll waste a precious Soul Bone slot."

"Yes, Brother Junting."

Huo Yuhao's eyes reddened. He looked toward Ning Tian.

This was the first time someone had stood up for him.

"Thank you, Sister Xiaotian."

"All right, there's no need to thank me."

Ning Tian smiled and hooked her arm around Chen Junting's. Chen Junting glanced at the eerily deserted street and at Tang Ya, who had been left dejected after Ma Xiaotao ignored the Tang Sect, then sighed.

"Today's good mood was completely ruined."

"Forget it. Let's go back."

"Rest up and prepare for tomorrow's Freshman Assessment."