No Way to Watch, Absolutely No Way to Watch

Yan was truly drenched in sweat.

His Martial Soul was the Flame Lord, and in the state of Martial Soul Possession, he had extremely high resistance to heat.

But first and foremost, he was still human. High heat resistance did not mean he was not afraid of high temperatures.

Everything had its limit.

Once that limit was exceeded, the damage caused would be unimaginably terrifying.

Especially when he saw the white mist around him gathering thicker and thicker, Yan began to panic. In just a few breaths, he had already started to feel the heat.

These elements were unlike water. They were not matter and contained no impurities; they were pure energy.

Thus, once they fused together, their reaction speed was exceptionally fast.

Frightened, Yan immediately dispelled all the effects of his soul skill and forcibly withdrew it.

When he sensed that the rapidly rising temperature around him had finally stopped increasing and was instead slowly subsiding—

Yan finally let out a long breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and looked warily at Xu Yuan not far away.

That had been close!

If he had waited another dozen breaths, if he had charged at Xu Yuan without a care—

He would have steamed himself alive today.

Seeing this.

Xu Yuan smiled calmly and lightly snapped his fingers.

Snap~!

The next moment.

A silver-white Thunder Curtain several meters wide instantly enveloped Yan, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, along with the white mist surrounding him.

Dozens of bolts of lightning descended.

Like a silver-white cage of thunder, they pinned Yan firmly beneath it.

The sizzling never stopped. Crackling arcs of electricity shot in every direction, mixed with Yan's agonized howls.

The entire Soul Fighting Arena dimmed with the appearance of the silver-white Thunder Curtain.

"..."

Looking at Xu Yuan at the edge of the Soul Fighting Platform, then at the Thunder Curtain at its center, covered in lightning, the students below fell silent in terror.

Monster!

What an absolute monster!

From beginning to end, Yan had not possessed the slightest ability to fight back. Even Yan's own soul skill had become a means for Xu Yuan to deal with him.

This was simply too absurd!

Was this really a one-ring Soul Master? And he was only six years old?

They felt as though they and Xu Yuan belonged to two different worlds, cultivating entirely different things.

It was much like the gap in Xu Yuan's previous life between seventeen- or eighteen-year-olds bringing glory to their country and those still ignoring the risks and continuing installation at seventeen or eighteen.

Both sides found it absurd.

A few seconds later.

The Thunder Curtain vanished, and the Soul Fighting Platform returned to how it had been before.

The white mist swirling around Yan's body had completely disappeared, and most of the water elements at the scene had vanished as well.

The only change was probably Yan himself.

He had gone from vertical to horizontal.

He lay on the ground groaning, his long red hair transformed into a dark-red explosive mess. Much of his clothing had been scorched, leaving it tattered and torn.

His body was covered in all kinds of scalds and burn wounds.

Every now and then, he twitched once or twice, while occasional sparks of electricity crackled and jumped around his body.

How could one word, miserable, possibly suffice?

Seeing this, the already silent spectators fell even quieter.

Everyone looked at one another.

Then, in perfect unison, they threw back their heads, raised their hands, and smacked their foreheads with a slap.

No way to watch.

Absolutely no way to watch!

Seeing this, the referee teacher from the Soul Fighting Arena quickly stepped forward to inspect the situation and soon announced Xu Yuan's victory.

There was no way the fight could continue.

Setting aside how much strength Yan could still display while badly injured, even at his peak not long ago, he had been toyed with in Xu Yuan's palm.

How could they continue fighting?

The two sides were simply not on the same level.

After stepping down from the platform.

Many students from Class Six had already arrived. Those who came early had watched the entire match, while those who came late and only saw half of it regretted it terribly.

Although they later learned the full course of events from the others, witnessing it firsthand and hearing about it from someone else were completely different things.

Especially since Xu Yuan had defeated a stronger opponent and then crushed Yan in a brutal beating.

Opportunities like that were rare. If they could gain even a little combat experience from watching the battle—

They were not greedy. They did not expect to beat stronger opponents like Xu Yuan; being slightly better than others at the same level would already satisfy them.

Not long afterward, their homeroom teacher, Lor Diarra, arrived, and the practical combat class officially began.

However, with Yan's fate as a warning, not a single third-year student dared step forward to spar with Xu Yuan.

It left Lor Diarra completely dumbfounded.

After teaching students for so many years, he had always seen younger students afraid of their older sparring partners, just like the other students in his class.

But he had never heard of older sparring partners being afraid of younger students.

It was certainly an eye-opener.

Still, when he remembered Xu Yuan's identity as the Pope's disciple, Lor Diarra found it perfectly normal.

Could the Pope's disciple possibly be the same as everyone else?

So what if he was stronger?

With no opponents and nothing else to do, Xu Yuan directly asked Lor Diarra for leave and went back to read.

As the saying went, books held fair ladies and houses of gold.

Reading was far more interesting than watching the utterly unremarkable fights of Class Six.

That evening.

Sitting on the sofa in the dormitory living room, Xu Yuan rapidly flipped through a copy of Compendium of Soul Beast Categories in his left hand and Appreciation of Continental Customs in his right.

One was a book about the types of soul beasts, complete with illustrations, while the other was an appreciation of the customs and local traditions throughout Douluo Continent.

Just as he was reading intently, the room door was suddenly opened from outside.

Xu Yuan looked up and saw that Hu Liena had returned.

"Why are you back so late today?"

Setting down his books, Xu Yuan asked as he handed over a cup of fresh fruit Milk Tea that had long been prepared on the table.

"I went to see Teacher."

Hu Liena flopped onto the sofa with a huff. She took the cup Xu Yuan offered her and was just about to drink when she realized it was not the usual Happy Water, making her pause in surprise.

"What is this?"

Xu Yuan smiled faintly. "Milk Tea. Give it a try and see how it tastes."

Milk Tea?

Hu Liena wrinkled her nose and gave it a light sniff. It smelled quite fragrant, so she immediately took a large gulp.

The next instant, her slightly alluring eyes widened.

Fragrant!

It was too fragrant!

The aroma of milk, tea, and fruit lingered in her mouth!

One sip left an endless aftertaste. It felt as though all her taste buds were blossoming. It was an experience completely different from Happy Water.

Happy Water had a peculiar taste and was delicious too, but after only one sip of this Milk Tea, Hu Liena had fallen deeply in love with it.

It felt as though her heart had suddenly been struck by a delightful surprise.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan smiled faintly. Of course. What girl in the world did not like Milk Tea?

Milk Tea was the product he planned to launch next.

As time passed, summer was nearly over. After autumn came winter.

Happy Water without ice had no soul.

As the weather turned colder, Happy Water's explosive popularity would definitely take a hit. That would be when Milk Tea made its entrance.

Who could refuse their first cup of Milk Tea in autumn?