"What?" Wang Sheng said speechlessly. "If you can't beat him, why did you agree so readily?"
Tang San shrugged. "I couldn't see even the slightest hope of victory, so naturally I agreed readily."
"Huh?" Wang Sheng's expression turned ugly. "Is Zhang Yang really that strong?"
In Wang Sheng's mind, Zhang Yang was just an ordinary Little Bean.
"Yeah. His First Soul Skill is incredibly powerful. In battles between low-level Soul Masters, it's practically unbeatable." Thinking of Zhang Yang's unbeatable First Soul Skill and its terrifying duration, Tang San's eye twitched.
"Then Xiao San, hurry up and tell us. What exactly can Zhang Yang's First Soul Skill do? Why is it unbeatable?" Xiao Wu sat cross-legged on the bed, looking every bit the Big Sister.
"I can't tell you that." Tang San shook his head. "Everyone's Soul Skills are private. Without Zhang Yang's permission, I can't tell anyone."
"Then we can only rely on hard strength." The Work-Study Students looked disappointed, but no one was qualified to say Tang San had done anything wrong.
"Then, Xiao San, we're not asking you to reveal Zhang Yang's First Soul Skill. Just tell us what we should watch out for when fighting him, okay?" Xiao Wu decided to take a roundabout approach.
"Uh... alright." That did not count as invading anyone's privacy, so Tang San nodded.
Considering the attack characteristics of Xiao Wu's Soft Skill, Tang San advised her, "If you can prevent Zhang Yang from using his Martial Soul, Soul Skills, and Soul Power in time, then you'll have a high chance of winning."
"Not using Martial Souls, Soul Skills, or Soul Power? Competing in Physical Fitness?" Hearing this, Xiao Wu immediately treated it like treasure and began discussing it with her underlings.
At noon the next day, Xiao Wu snorted at Zhang Yang, who was attending class with her, and dragged Tang San to the agreed-upon battlefield.
Not long afterward, Zhang Yang arrived as well, surrounded by more than twenty upperclassmen.
"Zhang Yang, this duel has nothing to do with you. Get out of the way." Xiao Wu immediately struck first, intending to drive away Zhang Yang, the greatest threat.
"Who said it has nothing to do with me?" Surrounded by a crowd of tall students, the four-foot-tall Zhang Yang stood out all the more. "This decisive battle will determine who becomes the academy boss. Have you even taken me, the current academy boss, seriously?"
"So you're asking for a beating?" Xiao Wu stamped her foot angrily.
"If you can beat me, then I'm asking for a beating. If you can't, then I'm defending my dignity. So there's no point talking. Let's settle it with a fight." Zhang Yang waved dismissively, completely unconcerned.
"Fine. Since you insist on barging into this decisive battle we already arranged, you'll have to follow our rules." Wang Sheng said seriously from the side.
"What rules do you have? Let's hear them." Zhang Yang asked curiously.
"For this battle, Martial Souls, Soul Power, and Soul Skills are forbidden." A sly glint appeared in Xiao Wu's eyes.
Tang San looked utterly speechless beside her. They had discussed it all night, and this was what they came up with?
Tang San had thought they would devise some scheme or trick, but instead, they had stated it bluntly and directly.
"Where did this little girl come from? You don't know the first thing about rules." Zhang Yang sneered. "Soul Masters fighting without being allowed to use anything? What's there to compete over? What a waste of time. Let's go eat."
Indeed, even in the bloody and brutal City of Slaughter, Soul Masters were allowed to use their Martial Souls.
"A challenger should have the awareness of a challenger. You have to follow our rules." Xiao Wu's tone was firm.
"That's exactly why you should figure out who the challenger is here. Didn't you Work-Study Students come to the sixth grade to stir up trouble? Didn't you, Xiao Wu, want to challenge my position as academy boss?"
Zhang Yang crossed his arms. "When your strength isn't enough, you want to play tricks. Even if you gained the position of academy boss through a fight like that, would anyone truly accept you? The academy boss is a position decided by strength. How laughable."
"You!" Xiao Wu pointed at Zhang Yang, her finger trembling with rage. "Fine! We'll settle this with strength. One-on-one, single combat. Whoever wins becomes the academy boss, and the loser has to serve the other tea and water for a month."
"Oh? Sure." Zhang Yang nodded with interest. It was a guaranteed win, so there was no reason not to agree.
"Then... begin!!!"
Before the spectators could react, Xiao Wu had already rushed in front of Zhang Yang.
Xiao Wu wanted to catch Zhang Yang off guard, so not only did she shout the start unusually fast, she had also secretly closed the distance between them beforehand.
Indeed, because of Xiao Wu's sneak attack, Zhang Yang could not activate Spirit Infusion immediately. But that did not mean he had no ability to fight back.
What Xiao Wu did not know was that after obtaining his First Soul Ring, Zhang Yang's Defense System skills, Iron Body and Paper Art, had become physical techniques that did not consume Soul Power, making them especially quick to activate.
Zhang Yang felt this was perfectly reasonable.
After all, his First Soul Skill, "Elementalization," was a perfect defensive Divine Skill with extremely low Soul Power consumption. If Paper Art and Iron Body had not been changed to consume stamina instead, Zhang Yang would have been an idiot to use those two moves again.
That was why the Borsalino Martial Soul had turned those two skills into Martial Skills activated with stamina.
This way, [Paper Art] and [Iron Body] at least had some advantages over [Elementalization], rather than being completely worthless.
After Xiao Wu wrapped her Scorpion Braid around Zhang Yang's neck, she used her agility to swing both legs onto his shoulders, locking around his neck.
Then Xiao Wu leaned her upper body back, planted both palms on the ground, and used her soft legs like two springs, trying to throw Zhang Yang away by twisting his neck.
Tang San's eyes widened. He recognized that move. A few days ago, Xiao Wu had thrown him like that.
However, to Xiao Wu's surprise, Zhang Yang's hands had somehow already climbed onto her ankles and gripped them tightly.
Then...
"Iron Body!"
Zhang Yang's body suddenly became extraordinarily rigid, and his hands gripped Xiao Wu's ankles even tighter.
Xiao Wu noticed Zhang Yang's change, but it was already too late. As she threw Zhang Yang out, she was forced to follow him because her ankles were locked in his grasp, and she slammed heavily into the ground with him.
Everyone present was startled by the sight, especially Xiao Chenyu. He had not expected Xiao Wu to be so strong that his newly acknowledged boss would be defeated so quickly.
However, as Zhang Yang smoothly got back to his feet, the upperclassmen all breathed a sigh of relief.
Iron Body had multiplied Zhang Yang's defensive power several times over, so this Soft Skill back throw had not harmed him at all.
After dispelling Iron Body, Zhang Yang hurriedly climbed up from the ground and rolled his neck. Only after finding it okay did he nod in satisfaction.
This was Zhang Yang's first time using Iron Body in actual combat. Its effect seemed pretty good.
Seeing Xiao Wu get up and still try to rush in for close combat, Zhang Yang smiled helplessly. Could he really trip over the same stone twice?
"Martial Soul Possession."
Zhang Yang's upper School Uniform suddenly burst apart. The four-foot-three Little Bean instantly became a muscular youth over five feet tall, his muscles bulging as a yellow Soul Ring beneath his feet drew every eye.
Seeing this, Tang San rubbed his forehead and sighed. "It's over."
When Xiao Wu saw that Zhang Yang had completed Spirit Infusion, she recalled Tang San's words: "His First Soul Skill is incredibly powerful. In battles between low-level Soul Masters, it's practically unbeatable." She could not help feeling uneasy.
Thus, Xiao Wu released her Martial Soul as well.
A red light lit up around Xiao Wu. Beneath its faint glow, her eyes turned red, and her ears slowly lengthened, rising from the sides of her head covered in soft white fur. Her body seemed to grow a little taller, while a gentle rabbit-like aura rippled around her. The Soul Ring rising beneath her feet was the same as Zhang Yang's—a yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring.
"Oh? You released your Martial Soul?" Zhang Yang smiled. "Zhang Yang, first-year student. Martial Soul Borsalino, Level Thirteen, one-ring Battle Soul Master."
"My name is Xiao Wu, a first-year Work-Study Student. Martial Soul: rabbit. Level Twelve, one-ring Battle Soul Master."
"Oh, oh." Zhang Yang nodded. "Rabbits are great. I really like rabbits. Spicy rabbit heads, five-spice rabbit heads..."
As he muttered, Zhang Yang drooled cruelly.
"You..." Xiao Wu said indignantly. "How can you be like this? Rabbits are so cute..."
"Yeah, rabbits are so cute. Sprinkle them with chili powder and grill them, and they'll definitely be very—why are you sneak attacking again?" Zhang Yang was interrupted halfway through by Xiao Wu charging at him.
Xiao Wu did not intend to hold back anymore. She wanted to use Eight-Section Fall to make this cruel person understand that rabbits were cute and not meant to be eaten.
Her Scorpion Braid wrapped around Zhang Yang's neck. Xiao Wu bent forward and stepped in behind him, bracing her right foot against his lower back. Her First Soul Skill, Waist Bow, activated. She threw her neck backward and pushed with her foot, about to hurl Zhang Yang into the air.
As long as Zhang Yang was thrown into the air, he would not be able to avoid Eight-Section Fall.
Xiao Wu had planned well, but Zhang Yang's First Soul Skill activated at that moment.
"First Soul Skill, Elementalization."
Then, before everyone's eyes, Xiao Wu's braid and right foot suddenly passed through Zhang Yang's body. Her braid whipped back behind her, while her right foot pierced through Zhang Yang's body, the gray sole of her beautiful pink boot visible at his abdomen.
The sensation of losing her target startled Xiao Wu. But she was in the brief stiff moment when her old strength had been exhausted and her new strength had yet to emerge. She could only watch helplessly as Zhang Yang stepped back to her side and reached his right hand toward her braid.
Several sixth-year students who had seen Zhang Yang brutally beat Xiao Chenyu could not bear to watch what came next and helplessly turned away.
Zhang Yang placed his right hand at the base of Xiao Wu's braid, then side-kicked her supporting leg with his left foot, and then...
"Bang!"
Everyone present covered their faces. "That must have hurt."
Holding down Xiao Wu's head as she lay sprawled on the ground, Zhang Yang raised his left hand, extended his index finger, and stabbed it downward.
"Finger Gun!"
Everyone heard a soft pfft as Zhang Yang's index finger pierced the ground beside Xiao Wu, leaving behind a pitch-black hole.
"I won. The academy's current situation will remain unchanged, and for the next month, remember to serve me tea and water." Rising to his feet, Zhang Yang casually spoke to Xiao Wu, who lay on the ground and had stopped struggling, then dispelled Spirit Infusion.
After putting on the coat Xiao Chenyu had taken off, Zhang Yang waved to his underlings. "Let's go."
The more than twenty underlings spread out in a V-shaped formation like a swallowtail, surrounding Zhang Yang as they headed toward the academy.
"Boss, from now on, we can order the Work-Study Students around however we want." Xiao Chenyu moved closer to Zhang Yang.
"I said the academy's current situation will remain unchanged." Zhang Yang shook his head. "Aside from Xiao Wu, this year's Work-Study Students also include my senior brother Tang San, a powerful Battle Soul Master. Without me, you wouldn't be a match for the Work-Study Students."
"So you should know shame." Zhang Yang adjusted the coat around himself. The empty feeling inside made him uncomfortable. "Go buy me a School Uniform and bring it to the cafeteria."
"Boss, I booked a table of good food on the Second Floor of the cafeteria." Xiao Chenyu said ingratiatingly.
"Mm, then let's... Oh, right. I suddenly feel like eating rabbit heads. Have someone buy a portion outside the academy and bring it back."
"Yes, Boss."
If you can't find the book by searching its title, try searching for the author. It may have simply been Renamed! In response to the Demands of the vast number of readers, VIP membership ad-free features are now available. Click to view
Before you continue
Explore the wiki