Two-on-Two Battle?

Lin Feng had used his soul skill the moment he stepped onto the field, but that had actually been Ning Tong's arrangement. Ze Ping, whom they could usually knock down with ease, had now defeated Chang Yun, the third strongest among them, and even called Tang Chenfeng his boss. Who knew how strong he really was? Yet Tang Chenfeng seemed not to have even reacted. Thinking of the school rules, Lin Feng wondered whether he should hold back a little so he would not beat him too badly.

Though he thought so, his hands did not slow in the slightest. He raised his left arm, exposing the sharp feathers beneath it, and slashed toward Tang Chenfeng's back.

The Work-Study Students all held their breath at the sight. They knew Lin Feng's strength. In terms of direct combat ability, he was the strongest among the junior students apart from Ning Tong. Losing to him would not have been unfair, but Tang Chenfeng had wagered the Work-Study Students' future. If he lost, they would never have peaceful days again. Yet amid the worried crowd, Ye Hongling remained completely at ease, showing no concern for the battle. After all, among everyone present, she understood Tang Chenfeng's true strength best. That little attack was nothing to her brother.

Just as Lin Feng's attack was about to land, Tang Chenfeng moved.

Tang Chenfeng planted his left foot and exerted force, driving it through his leg and into his waist as he twisted his upper body. He raised his right arm, clenched his hand into a fist, and punched directly at Lin Feng's Steel Wings.

Everyone present widened their eyes. He had actually chosen to meet it head-on. Wasn't that courting death? With the amplification of a soul skill, breaking someone's arm or leg was an easy matter.

Creak—crack—snap! Just when everyone believed Tang Chenfeng's hand was finished, a teeth-grating sound rang out. Lin Feng's Steel Wings had indeed struck Tang Chenfeng's incoming fist, but it was Lin Feng's wing that twisted and broke. Worse still, Tang Chenfeng's fist carried Lin Feng's wing straight into his face. The fist then pressed against Lin Feng's face, spinning his body half a turn through the air before hurling him far away.

With a bang, Lin Feng crashed to the ground and tumbled several meters farther. In the end, he slid across the ground to the feet of the fifth-year students. He had not even let out a scream before passing out.

The entire field fell silent after that punch. Ning Tong's group of students stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what had happened. Lin Feng already possessed a Spirit Soul, and in terms of individual strength, he ranked only below Ning Tong. He had even used a soul skill, yet when the soul skill met a fist, the fist had won. Tang Chenfeng had not even released his Martial Soul, yet Lin Feng had been instantly defeated.

This guy is ridiculously strong. If he used his Martial Soul, then wouldn't he... Ning Tong could not help thinking.

Tang Chenfeng shook his head. The previous attack had left his fist a little numb, and the backs of his fingers had been scraped slightly, but that was all. He then said calmly, "Who's next?"

The ordinary students were shocked, and the Work-Study Students were equally stunned. In their impression, Tang Chenfeng had always been someone who kept out of disputes. He was especially steady in temperament and kind to others. Every day, he was either busy or on his way to being busy. No matter how they looked at him, he seemed like an exceptionally honest person. Yet when he fought, every strike was a lethal blow, without the slightest mercy.

Watching Lin Feng get sent flying by Tang Chenfeng's punch, Ze Ping burst into gleeful laughter. "Well, Ning Tong? Tell me, are you convinced now? Our boss defeated your second strongest without even releasing Soul Power. I don't think you can beat him either. Why not just admit defeat and acknowledge Chenfeng as your boss?"

Ning Tong stepped out with a dark expression, but instead of directly challenging Tang Chenfeng, he walked straight up to him.

Seeing this, Ze Ping thought, Damn, is Ning Tong actually going to surrender?

Ning Tong stopped before Tang Chenfeng. He was more than half a head shorter than Tang Chenfeng, but his gaze was extremely solemn.

"You're the boss of the Work-Study Students, right? I want to propose a condition and make a slight change to the battle rules. Don't worry, neither side will gain an advantage. It's only to end this match faster." Ning Tong's words shocked everyone. In their eyes, he was not the sort of person who reasoned with others.

Tang Chenfeng replied, "Sure. Let's hear it."

Ning Tong said, "Under the rules, both sides are supposed to send out five people in turns. But honestly, you don't even have five people capable of fighting directly, do you? How about we decide the outcome in the third match and skip straight to a two-on-two battle instead of going to the fifth match?"

"Boss, don't—"

"No problem. I accept." Tang Chenfeng agreed before Ze Ping could finish.

Deciding the outcome with a two-on-two battle in the third match did seem like a good choice for the Work-Study Students, whose strength was lower than Ning Tong's group. However, Ze Ping suddenly realized something. Other than himself, the Work-Study Students seemed to have no one else capable of direct combat. And his injuries were still rather severe. Even if he went up, he would probably only hold them back. Meanwhile, even without Chang Yun and Lin Feng, Ning Tong's side definitely had plenty of capable fighters.

"Then you'd better keep your word." Seeing that his scheme had worked, Ning Tong's expression immediately improved considerably.

Ning Tong walked back while smiling and waving toward the ordinary students. Unlike before, when he had seemed to be ordering his subordinates around, this gesture felt more like he was greeting a friend. The ordinary students immediately parted to either side, opening a path down the middle. Then a student emerged from the crowd. The newcomer had delicate features, a tall figure, and an aristocratic air, looking like the child of a wealthy family.

The newcomer walked to Ning Tong's side and unexpectedly threw a punch at him. "Your lackeys are useless. They couldn't even handle a few Work-Study Students." He looked puffed up with anger, as though throwing a tantrum.

Faced with that light punch, Ning Tong stepped back a few paces as if indulging him. Wearing a placating smile, Ning Tong said, "An accident, an accident. The previous times were all pure coincidence. This time, the two of us will definitely win."

On the Work-Study Students' side, Ye Hongling asked Ze Ping beside her, "Who is that person? I've never seen him before. Do you know who he is?"

Ze Ping was equally confused. "I don't think I've ever seen him before either. I have absolutely no impression of him."

By then, the two opponents had already taken their positions across from Tang Chenfeng, looking extremely confident.

"Fine, let me introduce myself. Ning Tong, fifth-year student. Martial Soul: Winged Tiger. Level 14, one-ring Battle Soul Master."

In the world of Soul Masters, announcing one's Martial Soul and level before battle was a sign of respect toward one's opponent. In return, the other side was expected to announce their Martial Soul and level as well, unless they held their opponent in complete contempt or were sworn enemies.

"Mo Xiaoyu, fifth-year student. Martial Soul: Phoenix Ceremony Flute. Level 15, auxiliary-system Tool Soul Master."

Mo Xiaoyu, Phoenix Ceremony Flute. After thinking for a moment, Ze Ping's heart tightened. "The Mo Family. Mo Xiaoyu is from the Mo Family."

"The Mo Family? Is he from some great clan?" Ye Hongling asked.

Ze Ping said gravely, "Yes, the Mo Family is indeed a great clan, but it is a very special one. They worship a Soul Beast called the Phoenix, so nearly all the Soul Masters in their family who awaken Martial Souls have Martial Souls connected to Phoenixes in some way. They also welcome Soul Masters with Phoenix Martial Souls. Their family is extremely powerful. Mo Xiaoyu's Martial Soul is called the Phoenix Ceremony Flute, and his Soul Power is even a little higher than Ning Tong's. He is most likely from the Mo Family. I didn't expect Ning Tong to have such a powerful backer."

Seeing Ze Ping act as though he faced a formidable enemy, Ning Tong's voice grew arrogant again. "Hmph, Ze Ping, you didn't expect this, did you? I still have a trump card on my side. If I can still lose like this, not only will we acknowledge him as our boss, I'll even acknowledge you as mine."

Unlike Ning Tong, Mo Xiaoyu beside him appeared exceptionally calm. "Enough. Stop raising flags here. All right, you over there, who's your partner? Hurry up and don't waste time." The latter sentence was clearly directed at Tang Chenfeng.

Faced with their aggressiveness, Tang Chenfeng remained calm and merely beckoned toward Ze Ping, apparently calling him onto the field. Seeing Tang Chenfeng wave at him, Ze Ping gritted his teeth and was about to step forward when a force tugged at his arm, pulling him back with surprising ease.

"All right, an injured person should stay in the rear and recover properly. Leave the front to us siblings."

It was Ye Hongling. This girl, who usually barely even showed herself, now walked casually to Tang Chenfeng's side. She looked completely natural there, as though they often fought shoulder to shoulder.

Ning Tong looked at the unfamiliar girl opposite him with confusion. He seemed to have no memory of her at all, but he believed there was no way their side could lose.

As he thought this, a layer of green Soul Power light emerged from Ning Tong's body. As the light flickered, his body gradually swelled, and his eyes slowly turned green. His arms expanded violently, claws shooting from his fingertips and turning into tiger paws somewhat similar to Ze Ping's Steel Claw Tiger. Then a pair of white wings grew from Ning Tong's back. Just as the name of his Martial Soul implied, it was like adding wings to a tiger: the Winged Tiger. A yellow Soul Ring rose from his body, accompanied by a small white Winged Tiger, clearly his Spirit Soul—a yellow Hundred-Year Soul Spirit.

On Mo Xiaoyu's side, as Soul Power rippled, a small emerald-green bird with long, brocade-like tail feathers appeared along with a yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring. At the same time, a jade-green flute appeared in his hands. The flute was carved with lifelike golden Phoenix reliefs, looking exceedingly luxurious and noble.

Every Work-Study Student stood with their mouths hanging open. Hundred-Year Soul Spirits—both of them had Hundred-Year Soul Spirits. That was something they might never obtain in their entire lives, yet it was now standing vividly before them.

The other side had top-tier Martial Souls and top-tier Soul Rings. How would their boss deal with them?

"Tang Chenfeng, first-year Work-Study Student. Body Martial Soul. Level 18, one-ring Battle Soul Master."

"Ye Hongling, first-year Work-Study Student. Martial Soul: Tree of Life. Level 16, auxiliary-system Tool Soul Master."

"W-wait... what levels did you say you were?" Ning Tong's voice carried disbelief. He had heard them clearly; he simply did not dare believe it.

"Level 18, one-ring Battle Soul Master." As Tang Chenfeng spoke, his body expanded violently. His previously loose student uniform was instantly stretched taut by his rapidly swelling muscles, seeming ready to burst apart at any moment. At the same time, a purple Soul Ring lit up around him, bobbing up and down around his body.

"P-purple... a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. It's actually a Thousand-Year Soul Ring." Ning Tong could not help drawing a sharp breath. Mo Xiaoyu beside him also revealed a shocked expression. Forget the ordinary students—even the Work-Study Students stood frozen in place, looking at Tang Chenfeng as if he were a monster.

For people from great clans like Ning Tong and Mo Xiaoyu, the difference between a purple Soul Ring and a yellow Soul Ring could not have been clearer. It was an absolute qualitative gap. Some might have doubted the Level 18 Soul Power he had announced earlier, but once the Thousand-Year Soul Ring appeared, no one would question it anymore.

Did people with a Thousand-Year Soul Ring as their first ring exist? They did in history, but all of them had been geniuses among geniuses, and every one of those geniuses had gone to that place. However, the ring on Tang Chenfeng was not its true appearance; it was merely a disguise. That was not difficult for him. As for why he used such a conspicuous Thousand-Year Soul Ring, it was mainly because the other side had been far too arrogant, so Tang Chenfeng decided to give them a small show of force.

Ye Hongling was also about to release her Martial Soul and Soul Ring when she suddenly noticed Tang Chenfeng's gaze. It seemed to be conveying something to her, and Ye Hongling understood at once. She withdrew the motion to release her Martial Soul.

Seeing that only one person on the opposing side had released a Martial Soul, the ordinary students were all filled with question marks. Was he planning to fight two against one? That was far too arrogant.

"Boss, young master, take him down! No matter how powerful his Soul Ring is, he's still only one person!" an ordinary student could not help saying.

"Shut your mouth."

"Shut up."

Two voices rang out at the same time, cutting him off.

Yes, judging by the other side's stance, Tang Chenfeng really did intend to fight alone. But they now feared far more than just him. Based on the information the other side had announced, both opponents were at higher levels than them, and one of them had a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. That meant that beyond his extraordinary talent, he also had a sufficiently powerful force behind him capable of providing a Thousand-Year Soul Spirit. That was not a cost one or two Hundred-Year Soul Spirits could offset. Forget ordinary people—even some small clans and sects might not be able to afford it. Thus, he definitely had a great clan backing him. One clan alone would be manageable, but the other girl seemed to have an unusual relationship with him. Her Soul Power Level was not low either, and their Martial Souls were vastly different. Perhaps she came from another great clan, and perhaps, like him, they belonged to two great clans allied with each other—clans even stronger than his own. This was no longer merely a matter of victory or defeat. If they caused trouble, offended the other side's clan alliance, and stirred up hatred between clans, the consequences would not be something they could bear.