Tyrant of Spirit Academy

Before his words had even faded, Xuan Hao's small fist, wrapped in a faint golden glow, rapidly filled Tuoba Xiao's constricted vision.

"Bang!"

A dull thud rang out.

Tuoba Xiao did not even have time to activate the defensive skill of Martial Soul Possession before Xuan Hao's punch slammed into his abdomen.

The tremendous force instantly bent his fat body like a shrimp. His eyes bulged, and even his scream was forcibly driven back into his stomach.

Then, Xuan Hao delivered a clean, sharp roundhouse kick straight into the side of his neck.

The chubby boy flew four or five meters like a torn sack, crashed heavily into the nearby flower bed, rolled his eyes back, and fainted on the spot.

The remaining two lackeys were scared senseless and had just turned to flee.

"Run?"

Xuan Hao spun around, grabbed each of them by the back of the collar, and smashed them viciously together.

"Thud!"

Their heads collided like watermelons, producing a sickening dull crack.

Neither of them even managed a groan before their bodies went limp and collapsed to the ground like noodles. Their Martial Souls, not yet fully possessed, instantly dissipated and automatically disengaged.

From the moment Xuan Hao charged out to the moment all three lay neatly sprawled on the ground playing dead, the whole process took less than three seconds.

The students nearby, who had originally come to watch the show, were now all dumbfounded, their jaws practically hitting the floor.

This... this was His Holiness the Pope's disciple?

That Tuoba Xiao was a direct descendant of the Sacred Dragon Sect!

He was a White Armored Earth Dragon Soul Master with astonishing defense!

And he had been taken down instantly?

Without even using a soul skill?

Not far away, behind a lush, leafy tree.

Two figures silently watched everything unfold.

One of them was tall, with fiery red hair and a scorching aura emanating from his body. It was Yan.

The other was slender, with white hair and a handsome yet cold face. It was Xie Yue.

They had originally followed because they were worried Hu Liena might get dragged into trouble after standing up for this newly arrived Junior Martial Brother.

But now, both of their expressions had stiffened somewhat.

"Hey... Xie Yue, am I seeing things?"

Yan rubbed his eyes, his face filled with disbelief. "That Tuoba Xiao... got taken down instantly? Just one punch and one kick?"

Yan was no stranger to Tuoba Xiao. Before obtaining their second Soul Rings, he and Tuoba Xiao had often crossed blows on the Soul Fighting Platform.

Although Yan could always overpower him with his top-tier Martial Soul, the Flame Lord, the White Armored Earth Dragon's absurd defense still meant he had to put in considerable effort to win each match.

But now, that human shield who could withstand his attacks for so long had been crippled by a first-year freshman who had only just enrolled, as easily as beating up a child?

"Something's off." Xie Yue narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze fixed on Xuan Hao's retreating back as he headed toward the Canteen with Hu Liena.

"Tuoba Xiao's condition just now was very strange."

"I noticed it too." Yan frowned. "That fat guy didn't use a soul skill. He didn't even complete his Martial Soul Possession. It was like... he was scared stupid?"

"He wasn't scared stupid. He simply couldn't move." Xie Yue said in a low voice. "Tuoba Xiao may be arrogant, but he isn't the sort of idiot who would make such a low-level mistake in battle. At that instant, he seemed to have suffered some overwhelming suppression from fear, to the point that he couldn't even mobilize his Soul Power to resist."

"That kid's Martial Soul... has a problem."

Yan took a deep breath. Fighting Spirit ignited in his eyes as he stepped forward, ready to rush out. "Why bother thinking so much? Can't I just ask Nana? While I'm at it, I can test what this kid is made of!"

"Stop." Xie Yue grabbed Yan's shoulder and shook his head.

"Don't be impulsive. He is His Holiness the Pope's Personal Disciple, and his identity is sensitive. The entire academy is watching him now. If we go out there, the only thing we can do is challenge him."

"If we win, we'll be accused of bullying a child. If we lose... while that's unlikely, there's no need for us to be the first ones to stick our necks out."

"Besides, Nana is over there. If you go now, are you trying to pick a fight with Nana?"

The moment he heard Hu Liena's name, Yan instantly wilted.

"Then what do we do? Just watch this kid act so arrogantly?"

"No rush." Xie Yue glanced at the unconscious Tuoba Xiao on the ground. "Plenty of people want to cause him trouble. Let someone else test the waters first. Once the timing is right, it won't be too late for us to make a move."

One month later.

Papal Palace, Council Hall.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the enormous stained-glass windows and spilled across the marble floor in scattered, mottled patterns.

Bibi Dong set down the file in her hand and rubbed her brow, her gaze falling on Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, who stood below the steps, hesitating as though he wanted to speak but could not bring himself to.

"Yue Guan, what is it?"

"You've been dawdling there for ages. If you have something to say, say it. Did something happen at Spirit Academy?"

Yue Guan's body stiffened, and an awkward yet polite smile appeared on his face. "Your Excellency is wise... There is indeed a situation at the academy."

"Oh?"

Bibi Dong remained calm, seemingly unsurprised. "Have quite a few people set their sights on Xuan Hao?"

Competition at Spirit Academy was fierce. Those children, eager to prove their worth, would naturally see Xuan Hao as the best stepping stone.

Although Xuan Hao was exceptionally gifted, he was only six years old. His cultivation was still shallow, and he had no real combat experience.

The newly enrolled children might fear his status, but the older students who had been at the academy for years—especially Soul Grandmasters at level ten or even twenty—would certainly be unable to hold themselves back.

Xuan Hao was far too arrogant, even somewhat contemptuous of everyone else. Letting him suffer a little would be good. Only once he realized there was always someone stronger would he understand the importance of cultivation and temper that arrogance.

Bibi Dong took a sip of tea, anticipation flashing through her eyes. "I wanted to temper his personality anyway, so he wouldn't think talent gave him the right to look down on everyone. What? Was he bullied so badly that he cried and wanted to come back to complain to me?"

Yue Guan's expression instantly became even more colorful. He held it in for a long while before saying with a strange look on his face, "Well... Your Excellency, it wasn't him who got bullied."

"Then what was it?" Bibi Dong set down her teacup.

Yue Guan took a deep breath and said with a wry smile, "He was the one bullying others."

"..."

Bibi Dong's hand paused. The teacup struck the tray with a crisp clink as she raised her head, confusion appearing in her eyes for the first time. "What did you say?"

"Your Excellency, this new disciple you've taken in... he's practically a Devil King."

Yue Guan began explaining with a bitter smile. "For the first few days, just as you expected, quite a few students full of themselves went to challenge him. But... most of them were sent flying with a single punch."

"Especially the Beast Spirit soul masters—they were worse off than the last. The academy teachers discovered that Xuan Hao's Martial Soul exerted an utterly terrifying bloodline suppression over all Beast Spirits, particularly Martial Souls carrying Dragon Clan bloodlines. Before him, forget fighting back—some were so frightened they couldn't even maintain their Martial Soul Possession."

"For immature children, that sort of fear was devastating. Most of them did not even have the courage to attack before he knocked them off the Soul Fighting Platform."

Bibi Dong was slightly stunned, then recalled the Golden Dragon's tyranny and slowly nodded. "That makes sense... The Golden Dragon is, after all, the Ancestor of Strength. What about the upperclassmen? Surely those Soul Grandmasters weren't frightened too?"

"That's exactly what I was about to say..." Yue Guan drew a deep breath, his tone filled with helpless amusement. "Xuan Hao took less than three days to beat up every soul master below level twenty in Spirit Academy."

"Then this kid... set up a betting pool in the academy's little forest."

"A betting pool?" Bibi Dong frowned.

"Yes, like the gambling matches at the Great Soul Arena. He openly accepted challenges from any Soul Grandmaster above level twenty in the entire academy, but they had to wager money." Yue Guan spread his hands.

"And the kid was shrewd. He latched onto one of Spirit Academy's rules protecting new students: when an upperclassman challenged a lowerclassman across a major realm, they had to suppress their Soul Power to the challenger's realm under a teacher's supervision, and they were not allowed to use high-level Soul Ring skills."

"In other words, if those Soul Grandmasters wanted to challenge him, they had to suppress their Soul Power to level twenty and could not use their Second Soul Skill."

Bibi Dong's mouth twitched. "And then?"

"And then..." Yue Guan's expression grew somewhat unnatural. "Your Excellency, you know how absurd his physical constitution is, along with the boost from that more-than-eight-hundred-year First Soul Ring. With Soul Power at the same level and no Second Soul Skill allowed, who could beat that Humanoid Tyrannosaurus?"

"In less than half a month, he beat up every Soul Grandmaster below level thirty in the academy who dared to challenge him!"

"Not only did he make a fortune, but whenever he hit someone, he specifically aimed for the face."

At this point, Yue Guan carefully glanced at Bibi Dong's expression before quietly adding, "Even Xie Yue and Yan... were provoked onto the platform by Xuan Hao's taunts a couple of days ago."

"With their Soul Power suppressed... they were beaten black and blue in front of the entire school, teachers and students alike, and forced to become Xuan Hao's subordinates."

"Now, throughout Spirit Academy, no one below level thirty even dares to look him in the eye."

"Privately, everyone calls him... the Tyrant of Spirit Academy."

The great hall fell into deathly silence.

Bibi Dong sat upon the Papal Chair without speaking for a long time. She had originally wanted the child to suffer a few setbacks and learn to keep a low profile.

And yet—

He had gone and become the School Bully?