Encirclement

By the time the brothers left the Forging Master Association, they both still felt as though they were in a dream.

They had Soul Guidance Communicators now? And the association would even reimburse their call fees.

Cen Yue's Soul Guidance Communication Number had already been recorded in both of their communicators.

Then there were the Storage Rings on the ring fingers of their right hands—ten cubic meters of storage space!

Their value was impossible to estimate. They were probably worth no less than a Century Soul Spirit.

What the brothers did not know was that while this ring was indeed an association benefit, it was not something a Fourth Grade Forging Master could claim. One had to reach Grade Five and become a Master Craftsman Level Forging Master to receive one.

Mu Chen had specially approved these rings for them. Clearly, he intended to invest early in these two children with such great potential.

Tang Wuyang, who had been marveling at the association benefits, suddenly seemed to remember something. "Brother, aren't we Soul Masters already? I remember Teacher Lin saying that after registering with the Soul Master Association, we can receive a thousand Federation Coins every month!"

"That's right. I forgot all about that. It's still early, so let's go take a look, Wuyang." Tang Wulin slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing it.

After asking around, the brothers learned that the Soul Master Association was not far away. Since it was not too late yet, they simply headed over.

The Soul Master Association was about the same size as the Forging Master Association. As One-Ring Soul Masters, they could only enter the first floor. After displaying their Soul Rings and registering, they each received a thousand Federation Coins.

Their experience at the Soul Master Association was far less pleasant than at the Forging Master Association. No one here paid any attention to two little kids with only Ten-Year Soul Spirits.

Even so, the brothers were still delighted. Their gains from tonight had been truly considerable.

By the time they returned to the dormitory, Zhou Changxi and Xie Xie had already entered Meditation.

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin did not disturb them. They climbed into their own beds and began meditating according to the Meditation Technique Wu Changkong had taught them that day.

Their Soul Power circulated through their bodies in a more complex pattern. Before long, Tang Wuyang entered a meditative state, his not particularly powerful Soul Power flowing through his meridians and gathering bit by bit.

Morning.

When Tang Wuyang finished meditating, he was surprised to find that Xie Xie, who had been across from him, was already gone.

Tang Wulin had just finished washing up and was walking out of the bathroom.

The sky outside was already bright. It was his first time meditating with the new Meditation Technique, and he had gotten up later than usual.

Not wanting to keep his brother waiting, Tang Wuyang hurriedly got out of bed and ran off to wash up.

Before long, Tang Wuyang, now washed and dressed, ran excitedly toward the dormitory entrance with Tang Wulin.

Before they reached the entrance, the brothers saw a large group of older students standing there, looking around as though searching for something.

As they drew closer, the brothers suddenly spotted a familiar figure among the group.

Mu Xi wore her school uniform, her golden hair tied into a ponytail.

Since girls matured earlier, Mu Xi stood half a head taller than Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin. Her figure was slim and graceful.

Though she had not fully developed yet, she already had a hint of feminine charm.

At the same moment Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin saw her, Mu Xi turned around and met their eyes.

"It's them!" She abruptly raised her hand and pointed at Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin.

Before the brothers could react, seven or eight older male students standing with Mu Xi surrounded them.

"What are you doing?" Tang Wulin asked in confusion.

Unlike Tang Wulin's innocent reaction, Tang Wuyang watched the aggressive older students warily. A faint blue glimmer flashed within his tightly clenched right hand.

"We need to talk to you about something. Kid, come with us." A tall, fairly handsome male student spoke to Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin, but his tone was unmistakably mocking.

Tang Wuyang stepped in front of his brother. "What is it? Say it here."

He vaguely understood now. These older students had come looking for trouble, and it definitely had something to do with Mu Xi.

Since this was outside the dormitory, quite a few first-year students had gathered to watch. However, they were all driven back by the fierce looks in the older students' eyes.

"Do you think you get to choose?" The tall male student reached out and grabbed Tang Wuyang's shoulder, since he was closer.

Tang Wuyang violently shrugged his shoulder. His strength, far beyond that of children his age, sent the tall male student stumbling back, nearly falling over.

There was no waiting and no wishful thinking. Tang Wuyang attacked immediately, his Qilin Martial Soul instantly possessing him.

Chains formed from Ice Element materialized almost instantly and wrapped around the surrounding older male students, while he himself charged directly at the person he had just knocked back.

Back at the junior academy, whether for Na'er, his brother, or himself, Tang Wuyang had gotten into plenty of fights.

There were too many of them. If he did not catch them off guard, he and Tang Wulin would not stand a chance.

This was still the academy, after all. As long as he could break out, or make enough noise, their safety would definitely be guaranteed.

Tang Wulin reacted quickly as well. The moment he realized something was wrong, he released his Martial Soul. Blue Silver Grass surged from his palms.

Avoiding Tang Wuyang's Ice Chains, which were mainly binding their upper bodies, Tang Wulin's Blue Silver Grass Vines focused on wrapping around their legs.

The older students clearly had not expected Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin to dare attack despite being so heavily outnumbered, much less act so decisively. For a moment, they were all bound by Ice Chains and Blue Silver Grass.

The male student directly in front of Tang Wuyang had just gathered his Soul Power when Tang Wuyang slammed into him.

Bang!

The tall male student was sent flying backward. Tang Wuyang darted out, about to break through the encirclement.

Just then, a figure silently blocked his path. Immediately afterward, a blindingly bright light appeared before Tang Wuyang's eyes.

As the scorching light shone on him, Tang Wuyang felt as if his body were about to burst into flames.

His charging speed immediately slowed. A cold snort rang out beside his ear, then pain exploded in his chest as a kick sent him stumbling back into the previous encirclement.

Tang Wulin, who had only taken two steps forward, hurriedly caught his still-unsteady younger brother from behind.

Once Tang Wuyang steadied himself, both he and Tang Wulin felt the Soul Power in their bodies drop sharply.

Under the blazing light, Tang Wuyang suddenly saw white vapor rising from his Ice Chains, while droplets of water continuously fell to the ground.

As the Ice Chains consumed Soul Power on their own, half of his Soul Power vanished in an instant.

Crack! Crack! Crack! The Blue Silver Grass snapped apart one strand after another. Only the cracked Ice Chains remained on the older students, barely holding on.

"Ugh!"

Binding so many people at once caused Tang Wulin's Blue Silver Grass to break for the first time, and the backlash immediately followed.

The Level Twelve Soul Power in his body was completely drained the instant the Blue Silver Grass snapped.

"Kid, you dared to ram me!" The tall male student swung his fist toward Tang Wuyang's face.

Naturally, Tang Wuyang was not about to let him have his way. He used all the remaining Soul Power in his body to form a set of Light Armor and a pair of Ice Boxing Gloves from Ice Element.

His right fist, protected by the Ice Boxing Glove, shot forward to meet it.

Bang!

Faced with Tang Wuyang's powerful, heavy punch, the tall male student could not help taking two steps back.

He stared in astonishment at the little kid who had only just reached his shoulder.

Just as the tall male student, unwilling to accept this, prepared to step forward again, Mu Xi suddenly shouted, "Stop!"

The male student halted, glaring at Tang Wuyang with obvious anger.

Without the male student blocking their view, Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin finally noticed that the blazing light Tang Wuyang had encountered earlier had been released by Mu Xi.

Two yellow Century Soul Rings rose beneath her feet.

Above her head floated a golden orb resembling the sun, shining brilliantly.

A small cluster of orange-red flames flickered gently on Mu Xi's left shoulder, seemingly her Soul Spirit.

The scorching heat was receding, but the surrounding air temperature remained much higher.

What kind of Martial Soul was this? It felt so powerful.

The Ice Chains on the other older students finally could not hold on any longer and snapped apart.

However, they did not surround Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin again. Instead, they voluntarily moved aside to either side.

Mu Xi slowly walked up to Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin. Though the temperature of her Martial Soul was falling, her presence remained imposing.

Two Rings. She was already a Soul Grandmaster.

"I'm Mu Xi from Class One, fifth year of the Intermediate Department. I want to compete with you two in Forging. If you still plan to continue studying at this academy, don't refuse." Mu Xi spoke coldly.

She had always been a competitive girl, ever since childhood.

Tang Wuyang's gaze sharpened. What he hated most was being threatened.

Tang Wulin frowned as well. Though his personality was gentler than his younger brother Tang Wuyang's, the two brothers shared the same dislike of threats.

Just as Tang Wuyang was about to make a move, a chilly voice suddenly rang out.

"If you still want to live, stop talking nonsense and tell your lackeys to get lost!"

Mu Xi's expression changed slightly. Her slender body instantly tensed, and a flash of fear appeared in her eyes.

The others had no idea what was happening, but she could clearly feel an icy aura continuously emanating from her neck. It seemed that if she moved even slightly, her throat would be slit.

She did not dare move. She did not even dare release her Martial Soul again after it had dispersed.

"Tell them all to get lost!" the sinister voice sounded again.

A face peeked out from beside Mu Xi. Wasn't it Xie Xie?

He was much shorter than Mu Xi. It looked as though one of his arms rested on her shoulder, while his other hand held the Light Dragon Dagger against her waist.

"You bastard, do you know what you're doing?" the tall male student from before roared.

Xie Xie said coldly, "My patience is limited. If you think I wouldn't dare act at the academy, then you can try me."

As he spoke, he pressed the Light Dragon Dagger slightly harder. Mu Xi immediately groaned in pain.

"All of you, leave!" Mu Xi shouted in a low voice. She could clearly feel the killing intent behind her.

No matter how mature she looked, she was still only thirteen. Fear quickly gained the upper hand, and the older students had no choice but to disperse.

At that moment, an angry roar erupted. "Stop!"

Xie Xie's entire body went numb. The Light Dragon Dagger in one hand and the invisible Shadow Dragon Dagger in the other nearly vanished at the same time.

The next instant, he was lifted into the air by a tall figure like an eagle snatching up a chick.

Intermediate Department Academic Affairs Office.

"Speak. What happened?" Academic Affairs Director Long Hengxu asked grimly as he looked at the students before him.

Mu Xi lowered her head. "I only went to challenge Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin to a Forging match."

Xie Xie sneered. "You brought a group of lackeys to block people outside our first-year dormitory. Is that how you older students look for someone?"

Long Hengxu shot him a cold glare. "And that is why you threatened your upperclassman with a dagger? If they hadn't stopped, would you really have killed her?"

Xie Xie curled his lip and disdainfully swept his eyes over the older students present. "Maybe."

Long Hengxu turned to Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin. "What about you two? As the ones who started this, do you have anything to say?"

Anger was obvious in Tang Wuyang's black gemstone-like eyes. "They were clearly the ones who started trouble. What do we have to say?"

Tang Wulin patted Tang Wuyang on the shoulder, stepped forward, and said firmly, "When we were little, Dad taught Wuyang and me something."

"He said that if he found out Wuyang and I were bullying classmates at school, he would punish us severely."

"But if classmates bullied us, then we should fight back without hesitation. He would never blame us for it!"

Looking at the two children before him, Long Hengxu suddenly realized that after serving as director for so many years, he was actually at a loss for words.

"Well said! I don't think my students did anything wrong either." A cold voice rang out.

The office door opened, and Wu Changkong walked in with a dark expression.

Long Hengxu frowned. "Teacher Wu, have you forgotten even the most basic courtesy of knocking?"

Wu Changkong replied coldly, "Sorry."

Long Hengxu's facial muscles twitched slightly. There was not the slightest sincerity in that apology.

Back in the Advanced Department, this guy had already given the academic affairs director there a terrible headache. Now that he was here, even though he had been assigned the worst class, he still had not changed at all.

"Bullying the young with your age. You're very capable!" Wu Changkong's icy gaze swept over the students from fifth-year Class One led by Mu Xi.

"I wouldn't bully the young with my age. But if I find out that you dare provoke my students again, I'll beat up your class teacher."

Long Hengxu snapped, "Teacher Wu, please show some restraint."

Wu Changkong said coldly, "Beat me, and I'll show restraint."

With that, he reached out and ruffled Xie Xie's hair, pushing him forward two steps. Then he grabbed one brother in each hand and led the three of them straight out of the Academic Affairs Office.

"You..." Long Hengxu rose to his feet in anger, wanting to stop him.

But when he recalled what Wu Changkong had done back in the Advanced Department, he ultimately could not summon the courage to stop him.

That guy was a complete madman.

"You lot! Each of you will receive a warning! Bullying the young with your age—ah, how capable!"

The furious academic affairs director vented all his anger on the fifth-year Class One students.

After leaving the Academic Affairs Office, Wu Changkong released Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin's hands and walked ahead by himself.

Watching his straight-backed figure, Tang Wulin quickly caught up. "Teacher, thank you."

Wu Changkong said flatly, "There's nothing to thank me for. You didn't do anything wrong. No one is allowed to delay my class."

Xie Xie also came over, his face filled with a rare smile. "Teacher Wu, you were so cool just now! I'm convinced."

"Even if you train us to death tonight, I won't complain."

Wu Changkong said faintly, "Remember what you said!"

Tang Wuyang pulled Xie Xie aside, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "Xie Xie, thank you for helping us just now too."

Xie Xie's expression became somewhat strange. "Why does that sound so awkward?"

"But you two don't need to thank me either. I just couldn't stand them bullying the few with their numbers and bullying younger students."

Tang Wulin smiled. "Then we're friends from now on." Tang Wuyang nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Xie Xie curled his lip. "You brothers make friends way too easily. I never said I considered you my friends."

Tang Wuyang said, "That isn't important."