Praising One While Stepping on Another

Xiao Wu had no time to dodge and was instantly blasted away by the scorching wave, invisible flames twisting and warping the air itself.

It was only an assessment; she could not strike too heavily.

Shen Ranxi stomped her foot, tossed aside the Golden Cudgel, and rushed over to catch Xiao Wu in her arms. The clothes in front of Xiao Wu's body had been somewhat burned through.

This was already the result of Shen Ranxi restraining her flames. She took out an Ice Pill she had refined specifically to treat burns caused by her fire.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the scene. It had all happened far too quickly—within less than a minute, Shen Ranxi had been controlled, Xiao Wu had rushed in to attack, Shen Ranxi had regained consciousness, and Xiao Wu had been sent flying.

Everything had happened too fast.

Even Tang San had failed to react in time.

"Xiao Wu—"

Before Tang San could excitedly rush over, he saw the two of them embracing, while his little sister did not spare her worried brother so much as a glance.

Tang San: "..."

"Do you trust me?" Xiao Wu nodded.

"Take it."

Tang San watched his little sister swallow the thing immediately like some silly, innocent fool. She even hugged the other girl's waist and rubbed against it hard twice. Based on what he knew of Xiao Wu, she was probably overjoyed right now, thrilled that she had finally gotten to hug the waist she had been coveting for so long...

Tang San's gaze followed Xiao Wu's hands, only to snap away as if he had been burned the next second.

Seeing Xiao Wu's blissful expression, Tang San's feelings were complicated.

This was killing him.

True heartbreak was never loud and dramatic.

Xiao Wu walked over and sat side by side with Ning Rongrong, who had been eliminated early on.

Ning Rongrong: "Sigh~"

Xiao Wu: "Sigh~"

The two smiled at each other, and the distance between them closed considerably.

Xiao Wu said, "She's really strong, and so gentle too!"

Ning Rongrong recalled that "young miss" and blinked unconsciously.

Ning Rongrong softly agreed, "Mm."

Xiao Wu excitedly told Ning Rongrong about what had happened at the drinks shop.

The battle on the field continued. Tang San let out a soft sigh and fixed Shen Ranxi with a serious gaze. He had to bring out his final trump card.

"Second Soul Skill: Parasite."

After hesitating for a moment, Tang San still warned her, "Watch out!"

Purple vines burst forth in midair and coiled toward Shen Ranxi. She also did not overlook the golden light dots mixed within them, shooting toward her at high speed.

...Hidden weapons? Was that something Douluo Continent had? She had only seen them in wuxia TV dramas. She could not let her guard down... Shen Ranxi heightened her vigilance.

The golden light dots were all Dragon Whisker Needles without any Soul Power infused into them. Shen Ranxi watched those erratically moving golden light dots, as well as the tiny blades Tang San flung at her with strange hand gestures.

Tang San had hesitated. But recalling that she had yet to use her Third Soul Skill, he knew his chances of winning were slim. Still, he had to force her to reveal her Third Soul Skill!

Damn! So we're getting serious now, huh? Well, I'm not afraid either.

To avoid interfering with Dai Mubai, Shen Ranxi nimbly dodged across the field, gripping the Golden Cudgel with both hands and spinning it to deflect the hidden weapons Tang San had thrown.

However, several fine golden needles still struck her.

Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing had also decided their match, though they had paid a tiny, tiny, tiny price.

A pair of golden eyes and a pair of faintly blue eyes met each other's gaze.

Shen Ranxi curled her lips. "Since you want to know my Third Soul Skill, I'll satisfy you."

"Third Soul Skill: Mountain Shaker, Sun Piercer."

This came from a three-thousand-year Blazing Flame Golden Lion Emperor. It was five meters long and two meters tall at the shoulder, its entire body covered in golden fur, like a blazing sun that would never be extinguished.

Its head bore a ring of crown-like golden bone plates, with a fire crystal as dazzling as the sun embedded at the center.

Enhanced by the system's reward to six thousand years, its power far surpassed that of an ordinary thousand-year Soul Skill.

By borrowing the power of the sun, the staff would be surrounded by six sun-like energy spheres that could be thrown from a distance. It was an area-of-effect skill. The energy spheres could also be gathered into one, increasing their power by 200%, causing nearby enemies to enter a brief state of fear and reducing Soul Skill activation speed by 30%.

Additional Skill: (Life and Death Predicament, Miracle Descends) The deeper one fell into a desperate situation, the stronger one's willpower became. When HP fell below 50%, all attributes would be doubled. When HP fell below 20%, current attributes would double again. Explosive power increased by 200%, lasting 10 minutes. Afterward, the user would be weakened for 2 hours.

The six energy spheres fell rapidly onto the battlefield from different directions like plunging suns.

They carried an immense sense of oppression.

Tang San used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to evade the energy spheres, but they pursued him too quickly. He had nowhere left to hide.

Everyone in the arena stared with their mouths agape at the terrifying sight. Zhao Wuji was the first to react and prepared to intervene.

Shen Ranxi unleashed a Myriad Shadows, Thousand Layers strike against the six energy spheres. Boom! A massive collision of energy erupted on the field, and the splashing shockwave smashed Tang San heavily into the ground.

Dust flew across the field, obscuring everyone's vision.

The entire arena fell silent.

...I didn't beat him badly, did I? We're going to be classmates—how are we supposed to get along after this? Damn it!

"Are you okay, Tang San?!"

Shen Ranxi hurriedly felt her way through the Gray Mist to Tang San's side, wanting to pull him up. Instead, she grabbed his face. She quickly moved her hand lower, only to touch his abdomen.

"Say something, will you?"

Tang San's face flushed bright red in an instant. He managed to say, "I-I'm fine. No need to help me." As he scrambled to his feet in a fluster, cool, satin-like strands of hair brushed across his face. Tang San went dazed for a moment.

Shen Ranxi immediately withdrew her hand. Just then, the dust settled, and Xiao Wu rushed over as well.

Shen Ranxi kept staring at Tang San, terrified that she might have crippled him. "Little Ao! Little Ao! Make a few sausages!"

"Coming right up!"

Shen Ranxi handed them to Tang San. Tang San slowly accepted them, pinned beneath her unblinking stare. The old-fashioned Tang San felt terribly awkward. He did not even know where to put his limbs.

Shen Ranxi thought to herself, Eat already! Hurry up and recover! What if he tries to extort me otherwise?

Xiao Wu said, "Hurry up and eat, Brother! You're a boy, aren't you? Don't overthink it. What's the big deal about a Soul Incantation? Right, Ranxi?" She supported Tang San with one hand and smiled at Shen Ranxi with crescent-shaped eyes.

Tang San: "..."

Why did he feel like he had just been stepped on? And who exactly was being praised here?

Zhao Wuji rose to his feet and walked over in satisfaction.

"Alright, all of you have passed! That should be about all the new students this year. Later, Little Xi and Oscar, take them to the dormitories."

After Zhao Wuji left—

Shen Ranxi put on a puzzled look. "Dai Laoda, how did you even find time to change outfits in the middle of a fight? A noble young master turned beggar—your taste is pretty special, huh."

Dai Mubai did not have Teacher Zhao's defenses. Zhu Zhuqing's sharp claws had left his clothes shredded all over.

Dai Mubai: "..."

"Dai Laoda's taste is pretty special, huh!"

"Dai Laoda's taste is pretty special, huh!"

Oscar and Ma Hongjun echoed her one after the other.

Dai Mubai stabbed the two with a murderous glare and gritted out, "You two don't want to live till tomorrow, do you?"

Oscar said, "Why don't you say that to Little Xi? Picking on the weak and fearing the strong!"

Ma Hongjun said, "Exactly! Why don't you say that to Little Xi? Bullying the weak and fearing the strong!"

The three of them hit everyone's funny bone. For a time, clear laughter drifted across the grounds, carried far away by the breeze.