Xiao Chenyu and Chen Xuanfeng

"Get out of my way!"

Seeing Xiao Chenyu resort to violence at the slightest disagreement, Wang Sheng's anger flared. He was no longer the person he used to be; he would not endure Xiao Chenyu's bullying again.

Wang Sheng decisively struck back. He grabbed the hand Xiao Chenyu had shoved at him, twisted sideways, and gave a powerful pull, flinging Xiao Chenyu away.

Caught off guard by Wang Sheng's counterattack, Xiao Chenyu had no time to react.

Yet after being thrown away by Wang Sheng, Xiao Chenyu recovered in midair, flipped over, and landed on the ground like a bat before rising to his feet again.

"Wang Sheng, you've got some nerve! You actually dare to fight back!"

After getting back up, Xiao Chenyu's expression was extremely grim, his face full of fury. He felt that his dignity and authority as the boss had been violated.

"Don't think becoming a Soul Master means you can fight back. Today, I'll show you what real power is!"

With an angry roar, Xiao Chenyu immediately summoned his Martial Soul.

"White Wolf, possess me!"

Following Xiao Chenyu's furious shout, a White Wolf like a phantom of light emerged behind him before suddenly plunging into his body.

In an instant, after Martial Soul Possession, Xiao Chenyu's body began to grow taller and his muscles swelled. His hair turned white, his eyes became eerie green beast pupils, white wolf fur sprouted across the backs of his hands, and sharp claws extended from his fingers.

At the same time, a white Soul Ring rose from beneath Xiao Chenyu's feet and circled his body.

Clearly, Xiao Chenyu was also a Soul Master!

"Only a ten-year Soul Ring?"

But upon seeing Xiao Chenyu summon his Martial Soul and possess himself with it, Wang Sheng gave a disdainful smile. Taking up a stance where he stood, he instantly summoned his own Martial Soul.

"War Tiger Martial Soul, possess me!"

With Wang Sheng's loud shout, a fierce tiger Martial Soul emerged behind him before abruptly merging into his body.

In an instant, after Martial Soul Possession, Wang Sheng's body, like Xiao Chenyu's, began to grow taller and his muscles swelled—far more dramatically than Xiao Chenyu's.

As his eyes became bright yellow beast pupils, Wang Sheng's hands grew huge like tiger paws. Striped tiger fur grew from the backs of his hands, while dagger-like claws extended from his fingers.

At the same time, a yellow hundred-year Soul Ring rose beneath Wang Sheng's feet and circled his body.

"What? A hundred-year Soul Ring?!"

When he saw the yellow Soul Ring surrounding Wang Sheng, Xiao Chenyu's expression changed drastically, his face filled with disbelief.

A hundred-year Soul Beast was an existence comparable to a Soul Grandmaster, or even a Soul Elder. Helping someone hunt a hundred-year Soul Beast was something that even a Soul Ancestor would find difficult.

Lei Hong, the teacher who had taken Wang Sheng to hunt Soul Beasts, was only a Soul Elder. His Martial Soul was not particularly powerful either, merely a Rockhide Boar. By all rights, he should not have been able to help Wang Sheng obtain a hundred-year Soul Beast.

After all, Xiao Chenyu's father, Xiao Kuang, was also a Soul Elder. When he had taken Xiao Chenyu hunting Soul Beasts before, he had even hired a Soul Hunting Group, yet they still had not managed to hunt a hundred-year Soul Beast for him.

What exactly was going on with Wang Sheng? How had he obtained a hundred-year Soul Ring?

For a moment, Xiao Chenyu was both shocked and furious, filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred.

Meanwhile, when Wang Sheng's lackeys and the group of Noble Students watching nearby saw that the Soul Ring beneath Wang Sheng's feet after Martial Soul Possession was actually a hundred-year Soul Ring, their expressions changed drastically as well, and cries of alarm erupted from the crowd.

But to Xiao Chenyu, those exclamations sounded exceptionally harsh, as though his dignity had been violated.

He would not allow a country bumpkin whom he had once bullied at will to someday turn things around and step on him—not even the slightest sign of it!

He had to use his fists to set everything right again!

Thus, Xiao Chenyu let out an angry roar and charged at Wang Sheng. Just as he was about to reach him, he raised his right hand into a claw and instantly unleashed his first Soul Skill.

"First Soul Skill: Gale Claw!"

As Xiao Chenyu activated his first Soul Skill, the first Soul Ring around him lit up, and dazzling green light burst from his right hand.

In an instant, the power of wind infused Xiao Chenyu's claws, greatly increasing their sharpness while also making his body much lighter.

Seeing Xiao Chenyu suddenly charge at him with an angry roar, Wang Sheng instead calmed down. He had fought Teacher Ke Zhen'e many times before, after all.

When Xiao Chenyu used his Soul Skill and lashed out with his claws, Wang Sheng immediately executed Serpent Walk Cat Turn. His body twisted like a Spirit Snake, evading Xiao Chenyu's claw strike.

Naturally, Xiao Chenyu was unwilling to accept this. In his fury, he kept launching attacks, but every one of them was dodged.

Instead, while Xiao Chenyu was attacking in rage,

Wang Sheng seized an opening and sent Xiao Chenyu staggering back several steps with a sudden whip kick. He then shifted from defense to offense, directly unleashing the Great Subduing Demon Fist.

But faced with Wang Sheng's counterattack of Great Subduing Demon Fist strikes, fierce as a storm, Xiao Chenyu could not cope and was soon knocked flying by a single punch.

Yet after sending Xiao Chenyu flying, Wang Sheng did not stop while he had the advantage. Remembering the bullying he had suffered in the past, he charged forward again with an angry shout. He mounted Xiao Chenyu, who had fallen to the ground, and began pummeling him.

Of course, Wang Sheng had not been blinded by rage.

Though he now had the strength not to fear Xiao Chenyu and the other Noble Students, neither he nor his family could yet afford to provoke the family behind Xiao Chenyu.

Therefore, while sitting atop Xiao Chenyu and beating him, Wang Sheng had already dismissed the Great Subduing Demon Fist. He simply kept striking Xiao Chenyu with ordinary punches, leaving him bruised and swollen after only a few blows.

"Wang Sheng, you bastard, stop right now!"

When Xiao Chenyu's lackeys watching nearby saw that Wang Sheng had actually mounted Xiao Chenyu, they finally came to their senses and panicked, hurrying over to gang up on him.

But Wang Sheng had expected this. He turned and dealt with the few lackeys rushing at him, quickly knocking them all to the ground.

"Hmph! Even if you come at me together, you're still no match for me!"

After knocking down Xiao Chenyu's strongest lackeys, Wang Sheng snorted coldly. As he dusted off his hands, he swept his gaze over the watching Noble Students before fixing it on Xiao Chenyu and threatening, "Xiao Chenyu, you used to bully us Work-study Students all the time, but that won't happen anymore! If you dare bully us again, I, Wang Sheng, won't be as polite as I was today!"

Hearing Wang Sheng's threat and feeling the intense pain wracking his body, especially his face, Xiao Chenyu sat half-upright on the ground, filled with both fury and humiliation.

He simply could not tolerate a country bumpkin whom he had once trampled underfoot turning things around and becoming the master!

But in the face of Wang Sheng's threat, Xiao Chenyu had no choice.

He had always bullied the Work-study Students with his fists. Now that his fists could not win, there was nothing he could do. He could not possibly run home and tell his parents about something like this, could he?

Still, Xiao Chenyu secretly seethed with hatred and resolved to investigate what was going on after he returned.

Wang Sheng's first Soul Ring was actually a hundred-year Soul Ring. There was definitely something wrong with that!

If Wang Sheng had someone backing him and that person was beyond his ability to provoke, then he, Xiao Chenyu, could bend when necessary and lie low for now. But if it had all been an accident, he would definitely take revenge!

If I can't beat you, Wang Sheng, can't I still take revenge on those old country bumpkins in your family?

"Let's go!"

Though his heart was full of hatred, Xiao Chenyu climbed to his feet and endured the humiliation. He did not court death by provoking Wang Sheng again, merely lowered his head and limped toward the gates of Notting Academy.

Seeing this, Xiao Chenyu's lackeys hurriedly followed and supported him.

Supported by his lackeys, Xiao Chenyu limped out of Notting Academy. Once his injuries had somewhat recovered, he sent the lackeys away and planned to return alone.

Having been beaten until his face was bruised and swollen by Wang Sheng, Xiao Chenyu simply could not bear the strange looks from his lackeys.

Thus, after dismissing them, Xiao Chenyu left the urban district of Notting City alone and made his way to a forest on the outskirts.

Xiao Chenyu's home was a castle located outside Notting City, not particularly far away. Once he passed through the forest, he would be able to see it.

But just as Xiao Chenyu was making his way through the woods,

night had already fallen, and the forest was extremely quiet. From time to time, the cries of owls and other birds echoed around him.

Suddenly, a strange laugh drifted out from the forest, reverberating among the trees.

"Hehehe..."

"Who is it?!"

Hearing such an eerie laugh in a forest at night, Xiao Chenyu's hair stood on end and cold sweat instantly broke out across his back. He hurriedly retreated several steps, summoned the White Wolf Martial Soul to possess him, and looked into the forest with his pair of green beast pupils capable of seeing in the dark.

At a glance, Xiao Chenyu saw a figure standing atop a large tree.

But before he could make the figure out clearly, it rapidly leaped from tree to tree, swiftly approaching Xiao Chenyu.

In the blink of an eye, the figure suddenly sprang from the woods, flipped through the air, and landed not far away.

In the darkness, mist churned through the forest.

Amid the mist, Xiao Chenyu could clearly see that the figure ahead was a tall, slender man dressed in black, with a gloomy face. He stood with his arms folded, wearing a strange smile.

"Kid, from the look of you, did someone beat you up? From what I know, you should be the son of the greatest noble in Notting City. Your strength isn't bad either, and you've always been arrogant and domineering—everyone knows it. So how did you end up in such a sorry state?"

The black-clad man's words made Xiao Chenyu feel deeply humiliated, yet at the same time, a sense of danger rose in his heart.

Though Xiao Chenyu was arrogant and domineering and liked to oppress commoners,

as the son of a noble, he was no useless fraud. He was quite capable, knew how to read the situation, and could bend or stand tall as needed—a talented youth of his generation.

From the skills the man in black had displayed just now, Xiao Chenyu clearly knew that this was an expert far stronger than himself.

Yet such an expert knew him so well. He definitely had some ulterior motive!

"Who are you? Why are you here? Let me tell you, my father is the Lord of Notting City. He commands Notting City's garrison and is also a Soul Elder, so don't make a mistake you'll regret!"

Looking at the black-clad man before him, Xiao Chenyu warily retreated several steps, his words carrying a threat.

"Ha ha!"

But the man in black threw his head back and laughed, a teasing smile appearing on his face.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Chen Xuanfeng, known in Jianghu as Steel Corpse. I mean you no harm. I merely heard that your Xiao Family is the greatest noble family in this area, so I wanted to discuss cooperation with your family."

"Of course, I won't ask for cooperation for nothing. You saw my strength just now. In exchange, I can take you as an Unofficial Disciple. What do you say?"