First Battle Against a Soul Grandmaster

On Monday, most of the new students were in high spirits as they headed to the Great Soul Arena with anticipation and nervousness.

A large stadium stood between several buildings at Sun Moon Royal Academy.

This stadium could hold nearly 150,000 people and was the largest stadium in Mingdu.

It could even be called the largest stadium in the entire Sun Moon Federation, and perhaps the entire world.

Even the Shrek Grand Stadium in Shrek City fell somewhat short.

That stadium had been jointly funded and built by the Federation and Shrek Academy.

It was the main venue for the Federation Grand Competition and could accommodate over 100,000 spectators.

The Sun Moon Grand Stadium was divided into multiple sections.

Some were combat areas, some were Soul Tool competition areas, and there were also forging areas.

The number of areas for each category depended on how many students were participating.

There were the most new students involved with Soul Tools, so there were also the most competition areas related to them.

Next came the Martial Soul combat areas, which had eight competition grounds in total.

They were numbered one through eight, and both Chen An and Gu Yue Na had been assigned to number six.

As usual, the two ate breakfast before making their way over at an unhurried pace.

Their matches were sixth and eighth in order, respectively, so there was no need for them to arrive too early.

By the time they entered the stadium, so vast it made them feel tiny, competitions had already begun in every section.

Following the procedure explained by their homeroom teacher, they found competition ground number six in the Martial Soul area.

After signing in, they found seats in the stands and quietly waited.

Chen An watched with great interest, carefully observing the battles.

Before he knew it, he had placed himself in the role of their opponent.

If I faced a move like that, how should I deal with it?

He worked hard to picture himself fighting them in his mind.

At the same time, he envisioned two scenes, fighting each of the two contestants and countering every move they made.

It was mentally taxing, but he felt somewhat excited. His desire to fight had been stirred.

Gu Yue Na, seated beside him, turned to glance at him.

She could sense the fluctuations in Chen An's emotions. He was a little excited and eager for battle.

She naturally shifted her gaze away and watched the fight below without much concern.

Despite the enormous stadium, there were not many spectators. Most of the audience was made up of new students.

There was therefore little cheering, and the venue was not particularly noisy.

One battle after another took place, until it was finally Chen An's turn.

His number was six, and his opponent was a level-twenty-six Soul Grandmaster.

This person's Soul Power was fifteen levels higher than his, a whole major realm above him.

The gap was undeniably enormous. It would be far from easy for him to win.

Chen An entered the combat area and took his position. Dozens of meters away, his opponent looked at him with a smile.

The mockery and smugness on the other party's face were impossible to hide. He clearly meant no good.

Chen An understood that the other party wanted to make a joke out of him.

They were in the same class. The other was a Black-Level Student, while he was a Red-Level Student.

If he were defeated by this person, the other party might not receive much praise.

After all, the apparent difference in their strength was still considerable.

It was perfectly normal for a Soul Grandmaster to defeat a Soul Master in the teens. There was nothing surprising about it.

But he would definitely be mocked and become a laughingstock.

No matter the reason, once word got out, it would simply be that a Red-Level Student had lost to a Black-Level Student.

That would be rather humiliating and would also make people question his status as a Red-Level Student.

"Why don't you just admit defeat? We're in the same class, and I don't want you to lose too badly."

The smiling Soul Grandmaster, Li Yang, spoke with the air of someone holding certain victory.

Chen An shook his head. He did not put on any hostile expression, merely maintaining his usual indifference.

"If I surrendered without fighting, that would be a truly ugly defeat."

"Besides, I don't think I'll definitely lose to you. Whether I win or lose, we'll only know after we fight."

As he spoke, Chen An's gaze gradually became firm, his confidence unwavering.

With battle imminent, no matter how great the gap in strength was, he had to believe he would win.

Even if it bordered on self-deception, he still had to think that way.

If he did not even possess the heart to win, then he would truly have lost everything.

"Heh." Li Yang could not help but sneer. He truly did not understand where Chen An's confidence came from.

He wanted to say something more, but the referee in charge of the match blew the whistle.

This meant they could begin fighting.

The instant the whistle sounded, Chen An kicked off the ground and charged forward.

He did not release his Martial Soul, though Soul Power surged around him, enhancing his speed as he ran.

"You want to compete with me without releasing your Martial Soul?" Li Yang felt slighted.

He moved as well, rushing toward Chen An. His Soul Power surged, but he too did not release his Martial Soul.

If someone with such weak Soul Power dared not release his Martial Soul, why should he not dare?

He was a Soul Grandmaster, and he possessed a Beast Soul. Even without releasing his Martial Soul, his physical body would not be inferior to Chen An's.

The two rapidly closed in and each threw a punch.

Gray Dragon Scales swiftly spread across the surface of Chen An's right fist.

In an instant, his right hand transformed into a powerful dragon claw, and its strength skyrocketed.

"Despicable!" Li Yang's pupils contracted as he cursed aloud.

He immediately wanted to release his Martial Soul, but he was too slow.

Just as the phantom of his Martial Soul had barely taken shape behind him, their fists collided.

Bang! Their fists crashed together. Li Yang felt as though he had punched steel.

Sharp pain shot through the back of his hand, traveling into his arm and throughout his body.

Li Yang's body staggered backward beyond his control.

Chen An's speed slowed slightly from the force of the clash, but he quickly adjusted and charged forward again.

Li Yang had only just steadied himself when he saw Chen An close in and swing another fist at him.

He could only defend passively, and the enormous force behind Chen An's punch sent him staggering backward again.

Chen An pressed his advantage, attacking rapidly and refusing to give his opponent a chance to catch his breath.

Li Yang struggled to block, only managing to release his Martial Soul after considerable effort.

His Martial Soul was the Diamond Ape, which could barely be considered a top-tier Martial Soul, possessing both offensive and defensive capabilities.

After releasing his Martial Soul, both his strength and defense improved significantly.

Most importantly, he could now use Soul Skills.

He desperately wanted to use a Soul Skill, which would allow him to escape his current predicament.

But how could Chen An give him such an opportunity? He attacked without pause.

He gave Li Yang no time at all to use a Soul Skill, making him feel as though he had just gotten up only to be shoved back down.

It happened over and over again, which was rather infuriating. His already irritable mood grew increasingly furious.

"If you have any skill, stop taking advantage of people!" Li Yang said, embarrassed and angry.

In his eyes, Chen An had only gained the upper hand through petty tricks.

If Chen An fought him openly and fairly, there was no way he could suppress him like this.

Chen An ignored him. He had not taken even the slightest advantage of Li Yang.

Before the referee blew the whistle, he had done nothing. After the whistle blew, whatever he did was reasonable.

He had merely released his Martial Soul a little later. Did that make him despicable?

He had not told Li Yang to delay releasing his Martial Soul. Li Yang himself had wanted to compare with him.

He had also underestimated Chen An, which was why Chen An had caught him off guard.

If even that could be blamed on him, then there was nothing more to say. There was no need to reason with someone unreasonable.

Today's first chapter. Please vote with monthly tickets, add it to your collection, and send recommendation tickets.

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