Suo Ling sat up abruptly, covered in cold sweat.
"If you keep daring to come after my family, I'll make sure you never know a moment's peace!"
With a fixed gaze, Mu Rong's heart grew heavy. He let out a long sigh and sighed silently to himself.
"Ah, you really don't know when to quit... This Jade Little Blade is a handful."
As his words fell, he stopped paying attention to the others. His gaze returned to the Jade Little Blade, who was desperately trying to explain himself to the crowd.
A burst of laughter rang out amid the uproar, cutting through the noisy crowd and silencing everyone.
"Pfft! Isn't this the Jade Little Blade, the useless little runt who got kicked out of the Demon Blade clan by the Soul Eater Dragon King back then?"
"What happened? You're not in Wuhun City charming the goddess of your dreams anymore? Did you run off to Suotuo City to stir up trouble?"
"And your martial soul can only fart? My ass!"
With that, the crowd erupted.
"What? Someone from the Soul Eater Dragon King's clan? Is that for real?"
"A martial soul that can only fart? Isn't that... Hahaha!"
"Look at that kid! He's gotten so fat he's got the nerve to mock the Great Axe!"
"Someone's looking for a beating. That kid's got a death wish!"
"How come I think that young man's fart really stinks? My eyes are watering!"
"You—!"
The Jade Little Blade's performance was interrupted. His old face turned the color of pig liver as he glared furiously at Mu Rong among the crowd, gritting his teeth as he shouted:
"You're full of shit! My martial soul awakened with a special ability, and it has nothing to do with my theory!"
"Pfft. What, no objections?"
Mu Rong stepped out from the crowd with his arms folded, a mocking smile on his face.
"Then let me ask you this. According to your 'martial soul theory,' the Soul Eater Dragon King's martial soul can absorb plant-type soul rings. Does that mean it can absorb a plant-type soul beast and use it as a soul ring?"
"Of course not!"
The Jade Little Blade blurted out the answer without a second thought.
"Heh. Why not?"
Mu Rong's smile widened.
"According to your theory, everything has a soul. Plant-type martial souls can absorb plant-type soul rings, so why can't the Dragon King's martial soul absorb a plant-type soul beast and 'evolve'? Maybe it could even turn into a rainbow-colored fart dragon!"
"You...!"
The Jade Little Blade was so furious that his face turned bright red. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Grasping at straws, he hurriedly called out:
"Then how do you explain plant-type martial souls being unable to absorb soul rings from beast-type soul beasts? You're twisting the facts!"
At that, Mu Rong burst out laughing.
What a joke.
That was an ironclad rule upheld by the Soul Eater world for thousands of years! It was a law established by countless predecessors through their blood and sweat!
Mu Rong looked at the Jade Little Blade with the expression of a fool and waved him off.
"Everyone in the Soul Eater world knows this. Is it really so hard to understand?"
"You're saying that the entire Soul Eater continent is full of idiots, and you're the only smart one?"
"You... Then why can't you prove my theory is wrong? Do you have any evidence?"
The Jade Little Blade was left speechless.
"Heh. You want proof?"
Mu Rong's voice suddenly rose, brimming with contempt.
"A Soul Eater who takes the soul ring locations of his own clan members' soul beasts—and even their lives—and then comes up with some stupid theory? Are you an idiot?"
"Hahahaha!"
The crowd burst into laughter.
"That kid's got some nerve! He even dares to joke about his own future!"
"Exactly. That guy's theory doesn't hold water at all. He's just making things up!"
"That's right! Why doesn't he just absorb a soul ring himself? Oh, I forgot. His martial soul can only fart."
"What a huge joke. Calling himself a great master—he's just a useless axe!"
"Shameless trash. You should be ashamed of yourself!"
The crowd's relentless ridicule left the Jade Little Blade trembling with rage, his whole body shaking.
He slammed his hand on the table and roared furiously:
"You brat! Do you know that I'm one of the three great wise men? The Great Axe is one of the three pillars of wisdom!"
"You mean the three pillars of stupidity. Everyone can see what a fool you are."
Mu Rong replied coolly.
"You! You brat, how dare you call me one of the three pillars of stupidity? You're asking for death!"
The Jade Little Blade finally snapped. Soul power surged through him, and he looked ready to attack.
Mu Rong chuckled coldly.
"You worthless fool, and you think you can fight me?"
As his words fell, his figure blurred into a streak of light and rushed straight at the Jade Little Blade.
His speed was more than twice as fast as the Jade Little Blade's!
Before the Jade Little Blade could even react, a fist had grown rapidly in his field of vision.
Crack!
A crisp sound rang out. The Jade Little Blade was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground.
"He's making a move!"
"Get him!"
The Shrek Forest and Suo Ling watched the scene unfold. How could they stand by? They shouted angrily and charged forward.
The three of them surrounded the Jade Little Blade and kicked him mercilessly, sending him rolling around on the ground. He didn't even get a chance to summon his martial soul.
"Damn it! I'll fight you! Today, we settle this once and for all!"
Mu Rong's eyes turned icy cold. He unleashed his soul power and kicked hard at the Jade Little Blade's throat!
"Ah—!"
A wet, inhuman scream rang out, tearing through the sky.
In the alley across the wall, Mu Erlong and Zhang Lanfeng were on their way back when they heard the familiar, bone-chilling scream. Their faces changed at once.
"It's the Jade Little Blade!"
Mu Erlong's eyes welled up with tears. She turned and rushed back, holding the Jade Little Blade in her arms.
Zhang Lanfeng was furious. The powerful aura of a fifty-third-ranked Soul King burst from him, instantly enveloping the entire alley.
"Who dares attack my friend? You've got some nerve! If you don't give me a proper explanation, none of you are leaving today!"
His terrifying presence swept over all the ordinary people nearby. Their faces went pale with fear.
"It... It's the young man wearing the mask..."
"He moved too fast. I didn't get a good look at his face..."
"Stop!"
Mu Rong called out coldly.
"The Jade Little Blade is right there. The other two won't be far away, either."
The three young men had just gotten up when Mu Rong's legs suddenly went limp.
The Jade Little Blade's old face was swollen and bruised, but his eyes were locked on a fragment of the Soul Fragment that had fallen to the ground.
After all, his martial soul had been completely stripped away by Zhang Lanfeng.
He bent down, not caring about the pain, and picked up the ancient, patterned ring that had been on the Jade Little Blade's wrist.
Soul Eater!
"Let's go!"
The three of them didn't linger. They quickly pushed through the crowd and rushed toward the academy.
At the academy, at least they'd be able to find some protection.
By the time Mu Erlong and Zhang Lanfeng returned, all that remained in the alley was the dying Jade Little Blade and a group of onlookers who looked as though they'd seen a ghost.
"Little Blade!"
Mu Erlong's eyes brimmed with tears. She rushed forward and hugged the Jade Little Blade.
Zhang Lanfeng's expression was grim. His formidable aura, that of a fifty-third-ranked Soul King, spread without restraint and instantly blanketed the entire alley.
"Who exactly laid a hand on my friend? You'd better think carefully! If you don't explain yourself, none of you are leaving here today!"
His terrifying presence swept across the crowd of ordinary people, leaving them all pale with fear.
"It... It was the young man wearing a mask..."
"He moved too fast. I didn't see his face clearly..."
"Too late. I remember the young man's face..."
Before you continue