"Oh? Really?"
Xuanyuan Sheng smiled faintly. His hand suddenly trembled, and the sword twisted along with it.
"Hey, hey... hey..."
Frightened, Huo Yuhao shifted in the direction the sword was moving.
"Looks like you're not as tough as you think. You can't even handle a sword." Xuanyuan Sheng turned his wrist, and his Martial Soul vanished. "Leave now, and you won't have to take a punch."
Huo Yuhao refused to give up this chance, which was right within reach. He wanted to make one more attempt.
After all, with Spirit Eyes and his spiritual power, he could predict the movements ahead of time.
But someone not far away had seen the two of them facing off, and her expression was one of barely contained exasperation.
Zhou Yi truly hadn't expected Huo Yuhao, one of her students, to neglect cultivating his Soul Power and learning about the Soul Tool Department from Fan Yu, only to pick a fight with students from another class.
Did he have any idea how high his Soul Power Level was?
She remembered when Huo Yuhao had gotten into a conflict with another student in class. He'd said, "Even if I die, I'll bite a chunk out of your neck."
Those words had left her with the impression that Huo Yuhao was rather amusing. In such a short time, all that ferocity had been completely worn away.
He still pushed his daily training to the limit.
But that savage look in his eyes from the beginning had disappeared.
As for her ability to recognize talent...
Zhou Yi might not have read many books.
But Yu Xiaogang, as she remembered him, had read plenty. So after analyzing the Martial Souls of the students in her class one by one that day,
she had decided to recommend Huo Yuhao to Fan Yu.
Although she hadn't sent the truly talented student to the Soul Tool Department to help Fan Yu develop it,
she'd noticed something secretive when she saw some basic information about Xuanyuan Sheng in Director Du Weilun's office that day, drawing on her extensive knowledge.
Many Tool Martial Soul owners had said that when Xuanyuan Sheng wielded his sword, they felt a chill in their hearts, as if they were naturally part of it.
If his Martial Soul was superior to theirs, then their Martial Souls should have shown signs of submission. The most likely reason Xuanyuan Sheng's Martial Soul had that effect was that he possessed a spiritual talent.
He was a natural candidate to become a Soul Engineer.
So this time, Zhou Yi had to be cautious. She'd win his favor, then bring him under Fan Yu's tutelage.
But what was that brat Huo Yuhao still doing over there? Did he really want to get beaten up?
Huo Yuhao kept his eyes fixed on Xuanyuan Sheng, who was holding Xiao Xiao. With Xiao Xiao there, the other man couldn't move freely. Maybe Huo Yuhao had a chance to get the pills from her hand.
It would probably be difficult to find out where they came from. The other person was set on keeping quiet, and had likely already made an agreement with whoever sold the pills.
All he could do was rely on Purple Demon Eye and his technique to take the little object slung across her body.
In the Tang Sect, Huo Yuhao had specialized in practicing Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, one of the Tang Sect's top grappling and control techniques.
He'd asked Teacher Tang Ya to bring him a few fish from the campus kitchen's supplies, but she'd been busy and hadn't helped him.
So he'd had to practice on his own, then apply and adapt Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon while catching fish.
One grab, one control.
Huo Yuhao was very confident.
He was sure that even against a Soul Master well beyond the three-ring level, he still had a chance.
He'd seen the person holding Xiao Xiao before. They were in the same year, and even if he was a genius, he couldn't possibly be above the four-ring level.
Otherwise, why would he still be in the first year?
Huo Yuhao was utterly confident. He used Purple Demon Eye and his Spirit Eyes in advance to study his opponent's movements.
Then he curled his fingers into a shape meant to seize and hold someone.
Xuanyuan Sheng vaguely sensed something clinging to him, but the sensation and the force binding him were about as strong as a strand of hair.
Realizing that his technique had already latched onto his opponent, Huo Yuhao's lips curled into a smile.
He suddenly sprang into action, watching the other man's stance as he repeated the movements with his hands.
But things didn't go as planned.
Xuanyuan Sheng simply slapped Huo Yuhao across the face.
Quick and brutal, without a single wasted movement.
Huo Yuhao covered his face in disbelief. How could this have happened? He'd prepared so much. There was no way someone could hit him so easily.
"You're too weak. Do you really have no idea how strong you are right now?" Xuanyuan Sheng spread his hands and shook his head.
Xiao Xiao, whom Xuanyuan Sheng had been holding fast, had her arms crossed over her chest, enjoying the warmth of his embrace. But before she'd had the chance to savor it properly,
she slipped and fell straight to the ground.
Huo Yuhao was unwilling to accept it. If Xuanyuan Sheng hadn't been there, he might have gotten that pill by now.
Then he could give it to Brother Sky Dream.
With Brother Sky Dream's experience, he'd surely figure out the ingredients in the pill with ease. Then Huo Yuhao could try making it himself. Everything seemed to be going according to plan.
Unfortunately, he didn't have a chance now.
The golden sword appeared, and fear rose from the depths of his heart. Even Brother Sky Dream was urging him to leave.
"Go, Yuhao! Watch out, or you'll get cut! Go!"
Huo Yuhao could only grit his teeth and leave, afraid Xuanyuan Sheng would suddenly attack at any moment.
Xuanyuan Sheng scratched his head. He ran off that fast? That didn't make sense.
Besides being the Holy Sword of Humanity, his Xuanyuan Sword had another identity: the Benevolent Sword of Humanity.
Xuanyuan Sword was indeed far higher in quality than those other Tool Martial Souls, but it didn't naturally exert any inexplicable pressure on them. That was precisely because it was the Benevolent Sword.
Those Soul Masters just had poor nerves, which was why they felt so pressured.
Only if they let Xuanyuan Sheng actually take a swing at them—
and survived, would Xuanyuan Sheng admit that his sword was what had frightened them.
After waiting a long time and still not seeing anyone, Xiao Xiao got up, rubbing her butt, and glared at him resentfully. "How could you do that? That was no fun at all."
We'd finally had a moment of peace, and you still made me lose so badly, Xiao Sheng.
"Come on, Sister Lexuan's here... Uh, Sister Xiaotao's here too?"
Zhang Lexuan and Ma Xiaotao walked toward him side by side from not far away.
What Xuanyuan Sheng found strange was why the two of them had arrived together.
He lived in the attic with Zhang Lexuan, so he saw her every day. Ma Xiaotao, on the other hand, was different.
After Sister Very Juicy's remark had gone viral at the Mimicry Cultivation Ground, many people had speculated about it for a while.
Fortunately, people in this era didn't have anything like cell phones. Otherwise, Xuanyuan Sheng definitely wouldn't have been able to leave the attic.
Still, it had caused him some trouble.
It was gossip, after all, passed from mouth to mouth.
As luck would have it, during those few days of free time, Zhang Lexuan heard a passerby reenact Ma Xiaotao's wickedly arrogant expression at the Mimicry Cultivation Ground.
Then they added, "Zhang Lexuan, your little brother... is really juicy!"
Her little volcano had been simmering all this time.
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