Lin Shuai missed with his staff, but he did not panic. Instead, he pivoted on his planted left foot, his right leg carving a beautiful arc as it viciously kicked toward Zhang Yang's neck.
Seeing this, Zhang Yang raised his left arm to shield his neck and braced it with his right hand, while activating Iron Body.
Bang.
Lin Shuai's leather boot struck Zhang Yang's forearm with a dull thud.
Zhang Yang was completely unharmed. He had not even moved an inch.
"My turn." Zhang Yang smiled.
As Iron Body deactivated, his left hand swiftly hooked around Lin Shuai's withdrawing ankle while his right hand grabbed Lin Shuai's calf. Then he stepped back and twisted his body, viciously slamming Lin Shuai toward the Soul Fighting Stage.
Bang.
Lin Shuai was smashed hard onto the Soul Fighting Stage, the force making his body bounce slightly.
Releasing Lin Shuai's right leg, Zhang Yang tensed his toes, circulated his Soul Power, and delivered a powerful kick straight into Lin Shuai's lower abdomen.
Although Lin Shuai had promptly raised his Iron Staff Martial Soul in front of himself, his body was suspended in midair. Taking the kick head-on, he was sent flying six or seven meters away.
Fortunately, Lin Shuai used his Iron Staff to brace against the ground in time, barely stopping himself at the edge of the Soul Fighting Stage.
He looked up at Zhang Yang, his eyes full of wariness.
After their brief exchange, Lin Shuai realized that this newcomer to the Soul Fighting Arena, who had only just registered and had no record yet, possessed considerably higher Soul Power than he did. He was a true Crossing River Dragon.
Unlike Lin Shuai, Zhang Yang was already preparing to end the match.
If I finish quickly, I might still catch the other members' matches.
Having made up his mind, Zhang Yang unleashed several Rankyaku in succession, crescent-shaped slashes that warped the air as they flew toward Lin Shuai.
Clang!
Clang, clang, clang, clang! Lin Shuai poured all his Soul Power into his Iron Staff, repeatedly smashing the Rankyaku slashes. Though he looked rather bedraggled and was forced back several steps, he had indeed blocked them.
"My turn. Second Soul Skill, Charged Strike."
Lin Shuai's second Hundred-Year Soul Ring lit up, and the Iron Staff in his hand became wrapped in red light.
Charged Strike could greatly increase the attack power of Lin Shuai's Martial Soul. If an ordinary Soul Master of the same level was struck by that Iron Staff, breaking three to five bones would be perfectly normal.
It was precisely because Lin Shuai had taken this power-focused Assault Type path that he had achieved his current five-win streak.
Lin Shuai had a good plan, but a long cry from the Great Soul Arena's host interrupted his next move.
"Out of bounds!!! Lin Shuai has been forced out of bounds by Master Zhang Yang's attack. I declare Battle Soul Master Zhang Yang the victor, with a record of one win and zero losses. Lin Shuai's record is fifteen wins and four losses. Master Zhang Yang, please register your points after leaving the stage."
The battle with Lin Shuai had taken some time. By the time Zhang Yang finished registering his points and found the others from the academy, Xiao Wu's match had already ended, and Tang San's fight with Zhu Zhuqing was nearing its conclusion.
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing tied up like a rice dumpling by Tang San, Zhang Yang sighed helplessly. "This sort of head-on Arena Ring battle is inherently unfair to Agility Attack System Soul Masters. Otherwise, Zhu Zhuqing could have held out a little longer."
What could Dai Mubai say? He could only sigh helplessly.
The 300 Gold Soul Coins Zhang Yang had bet on himself earned him roughly 50 Gold Soul Coins in returns. Together with the 10 Gold Soul Coin prize for winning the match, his assets immediately increased by one-fifth.
A return rate of a full twenty percent made Zhang Yang click his tongue in amazement.
Sure enough, on Douluo Continent, any industry related to Soul Masters made money quickly.
That gave Zhang Yang the idea of joining a 2v2 battle.
However, Ning Rongrong was absent, so Zhang Yang abandoned the idea of a 2v2.
Next came Tang San and Xiao Wu's 2v2 battle, against the Blacksmith Shop brothers Tie Long and Tie Hu.
That battle was incredibly perilous, and it made Tang San realize that even Assault Type Soul Masters, who were restrained by the Control System, could unleash astonishing damage when fighting back from the brink.
The effect of the brothers' second Soul Skill, Desperate Throw, was stunning. It actually came with a slight tracking effect. If not for the exquisite Mysterious Jade Hand and Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, Tang San would have suffered serious injuries.
Afterward, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun also won their 1v1 matches, and everyone returned happily.
As they were leaving the Great Soul Arena, Ma Hongjun needed to deal with his Evil Fire problem and dragged Dai Mubai along with him.
Dai Mubai was utterly embarrassed. Fatty, you bastard, couldn't you see I'd been trying to act like a good guy in front of Zhu Zhuqing?
With just a few words, Fatty had laid bare all of Dai Mubai's past romantic escapades, drawing Zhu Zhuqing's displeasure and plunging the team atmosphere to freezing point.
And to make matters worse, Dai Mubai, who was already seething with anger, encountered Ning Rongrong at the academy entrance, where she had reverted to her Witch nature.
Ning Rongrong seemed to have recovered emotionally. A gentle smile once again hung on her pretty little face. Sitting atop a large rock at the academy entrance, she swung her legs as though deep in thought.
Oscar's expression, meanwhile, was somewhat unpleasant. His brows were slightly furrowed, and he kept stealing glances at Ning Rongrong, his eyes revealing a trace of unwillingness.
Zhu Zhuqing acted as though she had not seen either of them. She walked straight into the academy without looking back, heading for her dormitory.
Dai Mubai frowned, and the chill in his evil eyes intensified.
"What are you doing here?" Light flickered in Dai Mubai's evil eyes as he asked coldly.
Ning Rongrong jumped down from the rock. "Of course I'm waiting for you. Why did you come back so late? Where are the dean and Fatty?"
Dai Mubai answered coldly, "They have something to do. Have you thought it through? Are you staying or leaving?"
Ning Rongrong replied without hesitation, "Of course I'm staying. How could I just leave such a fun place? What kind of expression is that? Are you a zombie? Did Zhu Qing shut you down? Hahaha, Oscar even said you were some kind of love saint, yet you can't even handle a little girl."
Having unleashed her true nature, Ning Rongrong no longer hid anything. She had been exceptionally intelligent since childhood, and Dai Mubai's expression had told her many things. She mocked him without the slightest restraint.
A fierce chill flashed through Dai Mubai's evil eyes. "Ning Rongrong, don't test my patience. This is Shrek Academy, not your home. Others may fear your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, but I, Dai Mubai, do not. Anger me, and I'll kill you."
Ning Rongrong giggled. "I'm so scared."
"You..." Dai Mubai finally lost control of his anger. An intense aura surged forth as his Level 37 Soul Power erupted in an instant, sending Ning Rongrong flying almost immediately.
Whoosh.
A figure Blinked forward. Zhang Yang instantly caught Ning Rongrong, flying backward with her for seven or eight meters before perfectly dispersing the force and steadying himself.
Once he was steady, Zhang Yang quickly raised a hand toward Dai Mubai. "Dai Laoda, we're all classmates. Let it go."
Tang San also rushed up to Dai Mubai, reaching out to press down his right hand. His intentions were obvious.
Ning Rongrong had never suffered such a loss in her life. She had not expected Dai Mubai to truly dare attack her. Though she had not actually been injured, the pain throughout her body told her that it was real. Tears welled in her eyes as she glared fiercely at Dai Mubai, unable to say a word.
Seeing Zhang Yang and Tang San both pleading for Ning Rongrong, Dai Mubai slowly exhaled a breath of foul air. The Soul Power radiating from his body withdrew. "Fine. Zhang Yang, Xiao San, I'll spare her this once for your sake."
During Tang San and Zhu Zhuqing's 1v1 battle, Dai Mubai had asked Tang San to go easy on her. Therefore, Dai Mubai had to acknowledge that favor from Tang San and give him this face.
As for Zhang Yang, powerful people naturally earned the respect of others.
Dai Mubai shot Ning Rongrong a cold glare. "Remember this. This isn't your home, so stop provoking me. Otherwise, I don't care what your identity is."
With those words, he strode straight into the academy.
"Zhang Yang." Ning Rongrong wiped away her tears, then suddenly shouted at Zhang Yang behind her, "Help me kill him."
"Hm?" Zhang Yang looked doubtfully at the furious Ning Rongrong, then suddenly reached out toward her forehead.
Ning Rongrong only felt Zhang Yang's palm briefly touch her forehead before withdrawing. Then she heard him mutter, "Strange, she doesn't have a fever. Did she hit her head just now?"
Xiao Wu and Tang San immediately burst out laughing.
"Zhang Yang!!!" Ning Rongrong naturally understood what he meant. She shouted angrily, "Don't you like me? Why won't you help me?"
"More accurately, I only liked the version of you that was pretending." Zhang Yang released the arm around Ning Rongrong's waist and pushed her back slightly.
"Didn't your family ever tell you how unlikable your personality is? I'm not a masochist, so why would I make myself suffer?"
"If you keep acting so high and mighty and remain like this forever, then I suggest you go home. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has plenty of people who can help you, so why insist on making yourself unwelcome here? This is an academy, and we're only classmates who have known you for one day. No one is going to indulge you."
At that, Zhang Yang looked at the others. "Xiao San, Xiao Wu, Oscar, let's go."
Everyone nodded and entered the academy together, leaving Ning Rongrong behind in tears.
On the way, Zhang Yang draped an arm over Oscar's shoulder and said with a smile, "Looks like Ning Rongrong gave you quite a bit of trouble today."
"Her spoiled young miss temperament is incurable." Oscar nodded.
Zhang Yang sighed. "Her disguise was truly good before. She fooled everyone. What a wonderful girl—her background, looks, temperament, personality, talent... she was almost perfect."
"It was precisely because she was almost perfect that everyone was deceived. Everyone knows there are no perfect people in this world, yet they still cannot help pursuing perfection." Oscar spoke words of considerable philosophy.
"Come to think of it, Support System Soul Masters really aren't suitable for me. But what could I do? I fell in love with Ning Rongrong at first sight back then."
Xiao Wu teased from the side, "You mean lust at first sight, Uncle Big Sausage."
Tang San tugged on Xiao Wu's arm. "Xiao Wu."
"Yeah, Support System Soul Masters aren't very suitable for you." Zhang Yang nodded. "You're a Food System Soul Master. It'd be best if you found a Battle Soul Master as your girlfriend, so someone could protect you too."
"Yeah, Support System Soul Masters are simply too fragile." Oscar nodded. "Even someone as strong as teacher Shao Xin, a Soul Sage at level 71, is completely powerless before Battle Soul Masters."
Xiao Wu asked curiously, "Speaking of which, will Ning Rongrong leave the academy?"
"If she really left just like that, then she wouldn't be Ning Rongrong." Oscar shook his head. "Born into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and praised as a genius since childhood, she has been proud and arrogant for so many years. How could she possibly slink away so dejectedly?"
"Just watch. Tomorrow is bound to be very entertaining." Zhang Yang chuckled.
Xiao Wu said disdainfully, "Zhang Yang, you're really cheap."
Zhang Yang immediately fired back, "I'm flattered, I'm flattered. Wild rabbits have been running rampant lately, so rabbit meat has gotten much cheaper. I can't compare to you—you're the truly cheap one."
Xiao Wu flew into a rage. "Zhang Yang, I'll fight you to the death."
In response to the demands of the vast number of readers, we now offer VIP members an ad-free feature.
Click to view
Before you continue