Strike First

Even...

Lin Ming lowered his head to look at Little Lei Yi floating before his chest. Seeing her hanging her head so pitifully softened his heart.

He could not help reaching out to gently pat Little Lei Yi's head in comfort.

Even if she could not evolve as he had imagined, Little Lei Yi was still the one closest to him.

Little Lei Yi was his Martial Soul, his friend, and even more so, his family.

Yu Xiaogang's words probably meant that he had not dared summon Luo Sanpao so casually in the past, afraid of losing face.

"Yi."

Sensing that Lin Ming's mood had not changed because of Yu Xiaogang's words, Little Lei Yi immediately perked up again.

As Yu Xiaogang left, the crowd in the cafeteria gradually dispersed as well.

However, a small group came down from the second floor and stopped in front of Lin Ming.

"Kid, you're pretty good. Want to follow Xiao Boss?"

Before the leader could speak, one of the lackeys beside him opened his mouth first.

"No."

Lin Ming stuffed the last bite of steamed bun into his mouth, chewed and swallowed it, then stood up and refused outright.

"Kid, you—!"

The lackey wanted to make a move to show off, but Xiao Boss himself stopped him.

"Kid, I like your Martial Soul. Give it to me as a pet, and follow me from now on. I'll take you upstairs to eat."

Their little group had long drawn everyone else's attention, but the looks of either disdain or fear only further inflated their arrogance.

Xiao Chenyu, the leader, puffed out his chest and raised his head, wearing a smile as though victory was already in hand.

"Psycho."

Lin Ming helplessly rubbed his forehead and cursed.

Wanting a Detached Martial Soul to be a pet—anyone who could come up with that needed to hire Hajiko at home.

Little Lei Yi had a far fiercer temper than he did. Standing on Lin Ming's shoulder, she planted one hand on her waist and pointed the other at Xiao Chenyu, producing a string of crisp crackling sounds.

Hearing himself being cursed, the smile on Xiao Chenyu's face slowly cracked, while the lackeys beside him were even more enraged.

"Kid, what the hell did you say?!"

"I'm taking this pet today. If you kneel down right now and call me Xiao Boss, I might still let you off."

Xiao Chenyu snorted coldly and waved his hand, having his lackeys surround Lin Ming.

At this academy, Work-Study Students being bullied had long become commonplace.

"Life really is unpredictable. One moment you're fine, the next you're wrapped in intestines."

Lin Ming glanced at the four people surrounding him and muttered.

Four people. Four Soul Masters.

A little troublesome.

And not just a little troublesome.

Before Xiao Chenyu and the others could make a move, Lin Ming and Little Lei Yi moved first.

Humans always had an inexplicable longing to grind monsters without taking damage.

And striking first was the foremost prerequisite for doing so.

What was more—

If he waited for them to prepare and release their Martial Souls, there was no way a mere level-two Soul Master like him could escape from these four.

Therefore, Lin Ming and Little Lei Yi had one and only one target.

Xiao Chenyu, the leader.

Lin Ming gave a low shout and directly drove a Kobe elbow into Xiao Chenyu's stomach.

Xiao Chenyu had never expected Lin Ming to dare attack him. The blow landed solidly in his abdomen.

Pain immediately tore through his stomach, forcing his entire body to bend over.

Yet his years of experience as a Soul Master told him that he needed Martial Soul Possession to escape this predicament.

The thought had barely formed when a yellow figure flashed through the corner of his eye, and a crackling current swept across his entire body.

It tried to interrupt his Martial Soul Possession.

[Thunder Sacrifice: On hitting an enemy, causes paralysis.]

"Ahhh—ahhh—!"

Little Lei Yi shocked Xiao Chenyu with electric current until he howled miserably. He bared his teeth and struggled, but Little Lei Yi, now a full sixty-six centimeters tall, had already locked an arm around his neck and held him firmly in place.

But that did nothing to stop his Martial Soul Possession.

What awaited him, however, was an even stronger current.

Lin Ming moved behind him, utterly unafraid of the arcs of electricity crackling over his skin. He locked Xiao Chenyu's arms behind his back, then kicked the backs of his knees, forcing him to kneel.

He's incredibly strong.

Lin Ming sighed inwardly.

Even in this state, Xiao Chenyu's strength under Martial Soul Possession was still astonishing.

If Xiao Chenyu had used Martial Soul Possession right from the start, Lin Ming might not necessarily have been able to beat him.

After all, his Soul Power still could not support Little Lei Yi in battle for long.

Feeling the agonizing combination of having both arms restrained and being electrocuted, Xiao Chenyu's Martial Soul Possession dissipated at once. He knelt on the floor and howled.

Little Lei Yi had his neck locked down, while Lin Ming held his arms.

Xiao Chenyu had no room to break free at all.

Little Lei Yi also stopped the electric shocks, only zapping him whenever Xiao Chenyu made a move.

"Boss!"

"Xiao Boss!"

Xiao Chenyu's other lackeys panicked. Several immediately activated Martial Soul Possession, but seeing Lin Ming and Little Lei Yi firmly restraining Xiao Chenyu, they had no way to intervene.

"Don't move!"

Xiao Chenyu shouted at them.

As long as they made any move, Xiao Chenyu would either get shocked or have Lin Ming yank his restrained arms upward.

Anyone who had experienced that sensation would know just how agonizing it was.

"Xiao Chenyu! Where's Xiao Chenyu?!"

Several people came noisily rushing in from the cafeteria entrance. The moment Wang Sheng entered, his eyes swept around the room, his face full of fury.

He and the others had been cultivating when they heard that Xiao Chenyu was bullying the Work-Study Students in the cafeteria.

Now that he was the leader of the Work-Study Students, how could he just sit back and do nothing?

"This is what you told me was an emergency?"

When Wang Sheng's gaze landed on Lin Ming and the tightly restrained Xiao Chenyu, he blinked and asked the person beside him.

"...How was I supposed to know Lin Ming was this strong?"

That person looked equally dumbfounded.

How had a Soul Master with a Soul Ring ended up getting bullied by a kid with only first-level Soul Power?

What had been the point of him rushing over in a panic to report it?

"Well, if it isn't Xiao Boss. Aren't you worried the floor's too cold? Want me to lay down a cushion for you?"

Since Lin Ming had not been bullied, Wang Sheng was no longer in a hurry. He sauntered over to Xiao Chenyu and mockingly looked down at his miserable state.

"Wang Sheng... you... Ah. No. Ah. Stop. Aahhh... Stop shocking me, stop shocking me."

Xiao Chenyu raised his head, wanting to spit out a few threats viciously.

But every time he said a word, Little Lei Yi shocked him once, and Lin Ming gave him a tug as well.

After several rounds, Xiao Chenyu finally behaved.

"You hold him. My hands are getting sore."

Lin Ming handed Wang Sheng the task of restraining Xiao Chenyu's arms.

Little Lei Yi also released Xiao Chenyu, gradually shrinking before returning to perch on Lin Ming's shoulder.

"Yi~"

Whether Xiao Chenyu could stand up now depended entirely on Wang Sheng's mood.

"Xiao Boss, how does it feel?"

Lin Ming walked over with Little Lei Yi to stand before Xiao Chenyu. He reached out, patted Xiao Chenyu's cheek, and said teasingly.

Since he had already offended him, letting him go so easily out of fear of retaliation would only make Xiao Chenyu think he was easier to bully.

"Now, shout three times that you'll never cause trouble for the Work-Study Students again, and I'll let you go."

This farce caused the crowd in the cafeteria to gather once more.