Flender's "Misunderstanding"

Flender stood on the rooftop across from the shop, watching the fight between the two sides.

After hearing Ma Hongjun's voice, he had already guessed why they were there.

It had been his idea to send Ma Hongjun to places like brothels to suppress the evil fire of his Martial Soul.

Ma Hongjun was only a Soul Grandmaster now and could only collect ten Gold Soul Coins from Spirit Hall each month.

Places like brothels were money pits. How could that little money possibly be enough?

Their purpose in coming here was self-evident.

From their clothes alone, Flender could tell that Wu Qi and Qiangu Changkong came from money. Naturally, he did not want to let such high-quality customers slip away.

When Ma Hongjun had misunderstood the two of them, Flender had still been thinking of how to step in and clear things up so he would not lose customers.

But when Ma Hongjun unleashed his Soul Skill, the Soul Power fluctuations coming from the two of them piqued his interest.

"They're so young, yet one is a Peak Soul Grandmaster and the other a Soul Elder. These are two geniuses."

At that thought, a sharp gleam flashed through Flender's eyes.

Suotuo City was not particularly famous on the continent, and there were no Advanced Soul Master Academies nearby. The two geniuses had most likely come because they had heard of Shrek Academy and wanted to enroll, as well as meet more geniuses.

They looked mature for their age and might have exceeded Shrek Academy's admission requirements, but they could not be older than fourteen.

Considering their Soul Power Levels, it would not matter even if they were over the age limit. They still met Shrek Academy's standards.

While he was thinking, the battle had already reached its most intense stage.

Wu Qi grabbed Ma Hongjun and rushed out of the shop, casually tossing him onto the street.

Poor Ma Hongjun might possess a Flying Beast Type Martial Soul, but he had no ability to fly himself.

When he hit the ground, his backside throbbed with pain!

From their earlier exchange, Ma Hongjun knew that his opponent was powerful.

Knowing he could not win, he simply tried to use his backing to intimidate them.

"A thief dares to be this arrogant? Do you know who my teacher is?!"

Comparing teachers?

Wu Qi gave a mocking smile.

The Azure Phoenix Douluo was a level ninety-seven Super Douluo. Even if Flender's Soul Power Level were reversed, he still would not be a match!

Still, in Suotuo City, Flender was absolutely among the strongest, perhaps even the strongest of all.

It was no wonder Ma Hongjun was so fearless.

"You fat bastard, what nonsense are you spouting?! We were just picking out merchandise. Which one of your eyes saw us stuffing anything into our pockets?" Qiangu Changkong said angrily.

It was not as though he lacked money. Being accused of theft would disgrace his family!

Wu Qi's expression did not change as he said calmly, "We're all Soul Masters. Let strength decide everything. Don't say we're bullying you—you may choose either one of us as your opponent."

"If you win, we won't skimp on compensation. How about it?"

Ma Hongjun's eyes rolled.

He had come here specifically to get money from Flender so he could visit a brothel.

Since they were offering compensation on their own initiative, he could spend an entire day venting his fire at the brothel.

He might not be able to beat Wu Qi, but could he not beat Qiangu Changkong?

After all, the latter looked like nothing more than a lackey. How strong could he be?

Having been singled out, Qiangu Changkong felt both angry and delighted.

The reason for his anger went without saying, but being able to teach this fat bastard a lesson personally eased much of the resentment in his heart.

The Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul appeared, and battle was about to begin.

Wu Qi took a few steps back and motioned for the nearby onlookers to leave, lest they be caught in the crossfire.

The current Ma Hongjun did not have many offensive methods.

Following behind Flender, his Soul Master cultivation had not improved much, but he had certainly not fallen behind when it came to eating, drinking, and whoring.

"First Soul Skill, Phoenix Fire Line!"

"Good."

Qiangu Changkong swung the Coiling Dragon Staff and activated his First Soul Skill at the same time.

The Evil Fire Phoenix was merely a "mongrel" Martial Soul, and its flames were weak. How could they possibly stand against the Coiling Dragon Staff?

The black-tinged red evil fire landed on the Coiling Dragon Staff and was easily devoured by the flames covering it.

The scene of Qiangu Changkong being roasted alive did not appear as expected, and Ma Hongjun could not help widening his eyes.

He wanted to activate his Second Soul Skill to increase his Soul Skill's power, only to see Qiangu Changkong close in on him.

Flender had never taught him any close-combat techniques. Of course, even if he had, with Ma Hongjun's carefree and lazy nature, he had likely forgotten them long ago.

In Qiangu Changkong's hands, every swing of the Coiling Dragon Staff flowed perfectly into the next, without a single opening.

Ma Hongjun could only take the beating passively, unable to fight back.

"Don't hit the face!" Ma Hongjun wailed.

If he had known his opponent was this powerful, he would never have dared to provoke them.

Flender had not shown himself. How was he supposed to stop two "thieves" on his own?

Flender wanted to save Ma Hongjun, but it was not appropriate for him to interfere in a spar between people of the same age.

Besides, Qiangu Changkong's control over the Coiling Dragon Staff was already no worse than that of his old friend—Li Yusong.

"With them joining the academy, Old Li will be blessed."

They both possessed staff-type Martial Souls, and Qiangu Changkong's talent was impressive. Li Yusong would surely cherish him greatly.

As for Wu Qi, since they both possessed Flying Beast Type Martial Souls, Flender naturally had first claim.

The instant the Qing Luan Martial Soul appeared, the suppression from its bloodline made even him feel a trace of apprehension.

Wasn't such a high-quality Martial Soul exactly the kind of disciple he had been searching for?

Ma Hongjun was also quite good, but he was far inferior to Wu Qi.

If Wu Qi took him as his teacher, he would be the senior disciple. Ma Hongjun would have to settle for being the junior disciple.

Seeing that Qiangu Changkong had fought to his heart's content, Wu Qi flashed to his side and grabbed his arm.

"Enough. Stop here."

Wu Qi could guess that Flender was most likely watching everything from the shadows.

If they beat his disciple half to death, they would probably face no small amount of trouble.

Besides, this was inside the city. Soul Masters fighting in the streets was already an extremely serious public security incident. If they seriously injured someone, it might alert the City Lord's Manor.

Wu Qi did not want to attract attention over something so meaningless, lest word reach the Worship Hall and leave a bad impression.

Qiangu Changkong was slightly startled.

Once someone entered the rhythm of his attacks, even a Soul Elder would find it difficult to escape his relentless assault.

Wu Qi had interrupted him so easily. If they fought each other, his staff technique would hold no advantage whatsoever.

"Fine."

He really wanted to know the answer, but with outsiders present, would asking aloud not expose his own weakness?

Seeing the attacks stop, Ma Hongjun did not dare linger. Scrambling to his feet, he fled more than a hundred meters in one breath.

"This fat bastard can really take a beating. Looks like I went too easy on him!"

Wu Qi said irritably, "Enough. A simple lesson, and his elders won't say anything. But if you seriously injure him, do you think his elders will just Sit and Watch?"

Qiangu Changkong did not dwell on it and instead asked, "By the way, how did you interrupt my attack rhythm?"

This was very simple for Wu Qi.

Whenever the Coiling Dragon Staff swung, it inevitably stirred the airflow. In Wu Qi's eyes, the arm wielding the Coiling Dragon Staff was like an air vortex. By "poking through" that vortex, the arm would face tremendous resistance if it tried to swing the staff again.

Once Qiangu Changkong's arm slowed down, Wu Qi could easily grab it.

Furthermore, most Soul Skills disturbed the airflow when activated. With this ability, he could easily neutralize them.

Qiangu Changkong could not help letting out a sigh of relief. This was a special ability of Wu Qi's Martial Soul that others could not replicate.

"Good thing you're one of us. If outsiders learned of the Coiling Dragon Staff Technique's weakness, Grandfather and Seventh Grandfather probably wouldn't be able to sleep."