The Nail That Sticks Out

"Trouble."

Xia Yang sighed inwardly.

Looking at the arrogant Jin Chen before him, Xia Yang had intended to pay up and avoid trouble.

But in that instant, the corner of his eye caught sight of a graceful figure by the roadside.

"Could it be her?"

The thought flashed through Xia Yang's mind.

The next moment, Xia Yang raised his head, stared directly into Jin Chen's eyes, and said, "So what if you're Golden Crocodile Douluo's grandson?"

"I'm not paying this money today."

"Not only that, from today onward, you won't get another coin from any work-study student."

"Xia Yang, you..."

Yu Xiaogang hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

"Throw one punch to keep a hundred punches from coming."

"Conflicts like this in the academy can't be avoided."

Xia Yang's tone was firm.

"Good kid, you want to be the nail that sticks out, huh?"

Jin Chen narrowed his eyes and sized Xia Yang up again.

"So I'm the nail that sticks out. What about it? Name your terms."

Xia Yang did not back down in the slightest.

"Good, good. You're the first kid who's dared to challenge me, Jin Chen."

Jin Chen sneered and asked, "Give me your name."

"Xia Yang."

Xia Yang answered loudly.

"Fine, Xia Yang, is it?"

Jin Chen looked around, raised his voice, and shouted, "I, Jin Chen, never gang up on someone. My brothers won't interfere today."

"It'll be just the two of us in a one-on-one fight. If you can beat me, then from now on, I won't collect a single coin from the work-study students."

"Deal."

Xia Yang accepted the challenge without hesitation.

The area immediately erupted into an uproar. The watching students whispered among themselves, clearly never expecting this newly arrived work-study student to dare challenge Jin Chen.

Yu Xiaogang worriedly tugged at Xia Yang's sleeve, only for Xia Yang to give him a reassuring look.

"Are we fighting here, or heading to the academy's sparring grounds?"

Jin Chen raised a brow, his tone carrying a trace of provocation.

Xia Yang remained calm. Without even lifting his eyelids, he said, "No need for that trouble. We'll settle it here."

"Fine by me!"

Jin Chen gestured toward the crowd of onlookers and said, "Everyone, back up. Clear some space for us."

The moment he finished speaking, Jin Chen's followers sprang into action. They shoved the crowd aside while shouting, "Move it, move it."

"I'm talking to you. Back up, don't dawdle."

"Hurry up!"

"Back, back, back, back, back!"

In no time at all, a circular clearing had been made in front of the Work-Study Dormitory.

Xia Yang and Jin Chen each stepped forward a few paces and stopped in the center of the clearing.

Their gazes met in midair, and neither looked away first.

After a brief silence, the two almost simultaneously circulated their Soul Power and released their Martial Souls.

"Martial Soul: Golden Crocodile; Level Twenty-Nine Soul Grandmaster."

A golden crocodile phantom appeared behind Jin Chen.

Then, he unleashed his Soul Power in full.

The Soul Power Fluctuation of Level Twenty-Nine spread outward without any concealment.

Jin Chen had deliberately shouted out his Soul Power Level, clearly intending to show off.

"Martial Soul: Skeleton."

Xia Yang's voice was calm and even.

As he released his Martial Soul, faint purple skeleton patterns emerged all over his body.

However, Xia Yang did not reveal his Soul Power Level as Jin Chen had.

At once, this breach of the rules made Jin Chen's expression darken.

This brat clearly did not take him seriously.

"Golden Crocodile, Body Attachment!"

Jin Chen shouted furiously.

The Golden Crocodile phantom instantly entered his body.

Following that, Jin Chen's body visibly swelled.

Then, a layer of gleaming Golden Scale Armor covered his skin, reflecting dazzling light beneath the sun.

"Martial Soul Possession!"

On the other side, Xia Yang also immediately completed his Martial Soul Possession.

Unlike Jin Chen's flamboyant transformation, Xia Yang's Bone Martial Soul appeared exceptionally restrained after possessing his body.

Even the innate hint of purple from the Martial Soul dimmed in an instant.

It was as though Xia Yang had drawn all his power back into his body.

"First Soul Skill: Nanman Power."

Jin Chen made the first move. As his body shot forward, his soul skill activated.

His limbs swelled at an unbelievable speed, his muscles bulged, and his fists grew as large as sandbags as they smashed toward Xia Yang's face with a whistling rush of air.

"Second Soul Skill: Susanoo Defense."

Facing this powerful strike, Xia Yang neither dodged nor retreated, choosing to take it head-on.

A set of Purple Armor that clung tightly to his body instantly covered him. Then, Xia Yang crossed his arms and held them firmly before his chest.

"Bang!"

A dull impact rang out as Jin Chen's fist struck Xia Yang's crossed arms solidly.

Yet Xia Yang's body merely swayed slightly before he steadied himself.

"Not bad strength."

Xia Yang gave the assessment calmly, with no discernible change in his tone.

"What?"

Jin Chen's pupils contracted. He had never imagined that Xia Yang could take his full-strength blow so easily.

Still, shocked as he was, Jin Chen's combat instincts were quite good.

After failing to land his attack, he immediately made the correct choice—retreating.

Jin Chen bent his legs slightly and leaped backward, instantly widening the distance between himself and Xia Yang.

At that moment, Xia Yang did not press the advantage. Instead, he secretly focused his mind and quickly checked the state of his Spirit Rings.

Only after confirming that the secret technique taught by Qian Xunji was functioning normally, that his Spirit Rings remained perfectly concealed, and that there had been no sign of exposure when he used his soul skill just now, did Xia Yang quietly breathe a sigh of relief inwardly.

The true Year Limit of his Spirit Rings had not been exposed after all.

"Xia, aren't you being a little too arrogant? Am I really so beneath your notice?"

Jin Chen's furious roar pulled Xia Yang's Thoughts back to reality.

It turned out that Xia Yang's brief distraction while checking his Spirit Rings had seemed like blatant contempt to Jin Chen, instantly sending his anger soaring.

"Second Soul Skill: Golden Armor."

In his fury, Jin Chen stopped holding back. He decided to use his Full strength and teach Xia Yang a lesson.

A brilliant golden light flashed. The scales on his body seemed to come alive, overlapping layer upon layer as they became thicker and more solid, like a suit of tailor-made golden armor.

The shape of the scales was identical to that of his Golden Crocodile Martial Soul.

Sunlight poured down from above Jin Chen's head, shining upon that suit of golden armor and reflecting a blinding radiance.

At this moment, Jin Chen looked like an unparalleled general stepped out of a storybook—majestic and imposing.

"Wow! Boss Jin Chen is so cool!"

"That's right! Once Boss makes his move, that Xia brat will definitely be scared shitless."

"Go, Boss! Boss will win!"

Outside the clearing, Jin Chen's followers erupted with timely cheers.

"Xia, I'll make you pay for looking down on me."

Jin Chen growled as his body shot forward once again.

Nanman Power enhanced his strength, while Golden Armor provided defense.

With the support of two soul skills, Jin Chen had both attack and defense.

Every punch and every kick he threw carried the force to split steles and shatter stone.