Little Brother, Be Good and Don't Move!

Huo Yuhao met Du Qingyuan's hesitant gaze and smiled faintly. "Let's go take a look."

His Spirit Detection had long since spread out. He knew that the strongest Soul Power fluctuations from both sides were only at the Soul Ancestor level, so they truly posed no threat to him.

Seeing that Du Qingyuan was still frowning, Huo Yuhao added gently, "There must be patrols around the Spirit Pagoda. They'll be here in no time once they hear the commotion. There won't be any danger."

Du Qingyuan took a deep breath at those words, and the hesitation in his eyes turned to resolve. "Alright, let's go take a look together!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already darted into the alley, with Huo Yuhao close behind.

The moment they rushed into the alley entrance, they turned left, the bluestone road racing beneath their feet.

After only a few dozen meters, a small open area appeared ahead.

Three people stood facing off. More accurately, a young man of around twenty was being suppressed by two boys of eleven or twelve.

Four Soul Rings circled the young man, marking him as a Soul Ancestor, while the two boys, despite their young age, had both already reached the Three-Ring Soul Elder realm.

By the time they arrived, the battle had reached its final stage.

The icy gleam of one boy's longsword Martial Soul flashed coldly, its tip pressed firmly against the young man's chest.

Although the other party had not dealt a killing blow, this young Soul Master had just left the Spirit Pagoda only to be inexplicably beaten up. The humiliation and fury in his heart were easy to imagine.

Just then, Du Qingyuan's stern shout rang out. "Who are you? How dare you fight near the Spirit Pagoda!"

Who on the continent had not heard of the Spirit Pagoda's great reputation?

The young Soul Master hurriedly shouted, "They ambushed me! I was only defending myself!"

His face was mottled with red and green. Being defeated in the street by two boys had already cost him all his dignity. If the Spirit Pagoda detained him on charges of causing trouble as well, that would truly make matters even worse.

The gazes of the two boys facing him, as well as the other two boys behind them who had not acted before, instantly focused on Du Qingyuan.

Yet in the face of Du Qingyuan's questioning, they showed no fear at all. It seemed that even the Spirit Pagoda was nothing much in their eyes, not worthy of special regard.

That indifferent attitude completely ignited the anger in Du Qingyuan's heart.

Once he confirmed that they were merely a few Three-Ring Soul Elders, he no longer waited for any patrol. He decided to act himself and teach these ignorant brats a lesson.

"Hmph!"

A cold snort left Du Qingyuan's mouth. Then, four deep purple Soul Rings beneath his feet suddenly bloomed.

At fourteen, he was already a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor. It was precisely because of such talent that Tower Master Lin Feng had accepted him as a Personal Disciple.

As Du Qingyuan underwent Martial Soul Possession, Huo Yuhao saw his pupils instantly turn crystalline ice-blue. As his fingers spread, sharp claws condensed into shape, reflecting a frigid gleam beneath the sunlight.

The most eye-catching change was the pair of long, pointed beast ears that quietly rose from his head. Their fur was snow-white, while their tips glimmered with a faint blue light.

Behind him, four long, fluffy fox tails unfurled, their tips seeming dusted with fresh snow as they swayed gently with the fluctuations of Soul Power.

Du Qingyuan's Martial Soul was called the Moonlight Spirit Fox, a top-tier Beast Martial Soul.

Ordinary fox Martial Souls usually followed the agility-attack path, but his Moonlight Spirit Fox also possessed spiritual attributes, making it a rare dual cultivation Martial Soul of agility attack and control.

Facing this Four-Ring Soul Ancestor, the four boys opposite him not only did not panic, but a flicker of excitement even appeared in their eyes.

The boy who had held the sword earlier called out, "A Four-Ring Soul Ancestor? Perfect timing! Shao Feng, Xingchi, leave him to you!"

The named Shao Feng and Ren Xingchi stepped forward in response, their eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

As Soul Power surged, they simultaneously completed Martial Soul Possession.

A heavy, round black shield appeared before Shao Feng. Ancient patterns covered its surface, while dark light faintly flowed along its edges.

Ren Xingchi, meanwhile, bent slightly at the waist as his muscles bulged. His entire body grew much larger; it should have been an ape-type Beast Martial Soul.

Three deep purple Soul Rings rose beneath each of them, their lights reflecting one another.

A cold glint flashed through Du Qingyuan's eyes as his First Soul Ring suddenly lit up.

His body transformed into an Afterimage as he pounced toward the two of them.

Shao Feng thrust his black shield forward, colliding head-on with the sharp claws and producing a teeth-grinding screech.

Ren Xingchi charged in from the flank, sweeping out with his ape-like arm as the Gust howled.

Though they were only Soul Elders, they coordinated seamlessly, and their Soul Rings were clearly of considerable age. They actually fought Du Qingyuan evenly, with neither side able to gain the upper hand for the moment.

There were many geniuses on the continent, but most of them had been recruited by major powers.

Like this time—four young geniuses appearing at once was absolutely no coincidence.

Huo Yuhao had already formed a rough guess about the origins of these four boys!

Huo Yuhao quietly watched the battle. Du Qingyuan had been unable to break through for a long time and was clearly becoming anxious, to the point that he made mistakes in the fight and nearly took a punch from Ren Xingchi.

As a member of the Spirit Pagoda as well, Huo Yuhao naturally would not stand by and do nothing.

He did not activate his Martial Soul, nor did he release any Soul Rings. He simply walked calmly toward the three people fighting.

However, Huo Yuhao had only taken two steps when a figure blocked his path like a gale. It was the boy who had held the sword earlier.

Though the longsword had been put away, the way he stood was as upright as a drawn blade.

This person was named Li Luo. He was the captain of the four-man team and the strongest among them.

Li Luo sized up Huo Yuhao, a somewhat arrogant smile curling at the corner of his lips. "Little brother, be good and stand still. This battle... isn't something you can interfere in."

In his eyes, Huo Yuhao was even younger than they were and could not possibly be a match for them. After all, they were all geniuses from Shrek Academy!

That was right—they were all first-year students of Shrek Academy.

They had acted here in order to complete the Academy's final examination mission.

In every city they visited, they had to defeat opponents stronger than themselves!

At this moment, Shao Feng and Ren Xingchi's joint battle against Du Qingyuan was no longer merely a simple exchange. To the two of them, it was also an examination.

As the team captain, Li Luo naturally would not allow anyone to interfere.

Even if the youth before him seemed... utterly incapable of posing any threat.

Li Luo lifted his chin, the arrogant smile characteristic of Shrek's geniuses still lingering at the corner of his lips.

Huo Yuhao said nothing. Three black Soul Rings, deep as night, slowly rose beneath his feet.

That pure black radiance, so intense it made one's heart tremble, appeared especially dazzling beneath the afternoon sun.

The smile on Li Luo's lips abruptly froze. His pupils contracted, and shock instantly swallowed his gaze as he looked at Huo Yuhao.

Three rings—all ten-thousand-year!

As an elite of Shrek Academy, he knew better than anyone what kind of terrifying talent and foundation that represented.

All his contempt vanished in an instant.

His Martial Soul, the Cold Star Sword, was already in his hand. Three Purple Soul Rings emerged, and the second ring flared brilliantly as he chose to seize the initiative without hesitation!

Frosty mist coiled around the blade, and chilling sword energy tore through the air as it stabbed straight toward Huo Yuhao's face.

Yet Huo Yuhao had no interest in sparring now, because his Spirit Detection had sensed an even stronger presence nearby.

The first black Soul Ring beneath his feet merely flickered.

An invisible Soul Lash cracked precisely into Li Luo's Spirit Sea!

"Urgh!"

The sword blade froze abruptly in midair. Li Luo let out a short Cry of Pain and curled up as if struck by lightning, while even the Cold Star Sword Martial Soul in his hand instantly dissipated.

Huo Yuhao had shown no mercy with that Soul Lash.

Because he truly disliked the condescending contempt he had seen in the other party's eyes earlier.