Xu Sanshi

Jiang Nannan paused for a moment, but quickly realized what Xia Linyuan meant. She said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I just did a quick calculation. It was presumptuous of me. If there's a chance in the future, I'll try it then." After saying this, she turned around, intending to leave.

"Kid, you dare not sell to me?" A low, deep, yet furious voice suddenly rang out.

Immediately following, a point of golden light shot toward their direction like a bolt of lightning, aimed directly at the grill.

"I knew it," Xia Linyuan muttered, then moved with lightning speed, intercepting the golden light with ease.

This point of golden light was none other than a Gold Soul Coin.

At the same time, a figure strode over, reaching Huo Yuhao's stall in the blink of an eye, raising a hand to grab the two grilled fish on the stove.

Just as the person was about to snatch the two fish, a calm voice sounded, "Senior, don't you know what 'first come, first served' means?"

Before the words had even faded, an arm—neither thick nor thin—suddenly shot out, striking the newcomer's elbow while simultaneously scooping up the two grilled fish from the grill.

"Ow!" A numbing sensation spread through the entire arm like an electric current. The newcomer cried out in pain and reflexively pulled his hand back.

Only then did they get a clear look at the person.

The man wore a purple school uniform (in the original work, Xu Sanshi was said to be a sixth-year student during his first appearance, but this changed to fifth-year a year later; here, we follow the later setting). He was tall, with thick eyebrows, tiger-like eyes, a straight nose, and a square jaw—a truly imposing figure.

Seeing that the one who had blocked him was actually a first-year freshman in a white uniform, Xu Sanshi was secretly shocked but also somewhat irritated. "Kid, are you looking for death?"

As he spoke, he swept his right leg out, kicking Huo Yuhao's grill aside. At the same time, he took a step forward, his large hand reaching straight for Xia Linyuan's chest.

Through Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection, Xu Sanshi's seemingly simple grab appeared to contain thousands of variations. Although Huo Yuhao could spot some flaws, his own cultivation was too weak; if it were him, he wouldn't have been able to dodge this move at all.

But to the battle-hardened Xia Linyuan, the move was full of openings.

He merely took a step back, and Xu Sanshi brushed past him, grabbing nothing but air. Xia Linyuan lifted his right leg, his knee slamming heavily into the latter's lower abdomen. Xu Sanshi's handsome features immediately twisted into a knot from the intense pain.

"Hiss~"

Seeing Xu Sanshi's face twisted into an unrecognizable mess from the agony, the surrounding passersby couldn't help but gasp.

It looked painful just watching.

"It seems that not only does this senior not know what 'first come, first served' means, but he also doesn't know that senior students attacking junior students is grounds for expulsion," Xia Linyuan said indifferently.

Hearing Xia Linyuan say this, Xu Sanshi, who had still been burning with rage, felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, and he instantly calmed down.

The incident had happened too suddenly, the entire process so swift that only now did the surrounding crowd react.

Huo Yuhao looked at Xia Linyuan with gratitude.

Because he was grilling fish, his Spirit Eye had been active the whole time. When Xu Sanshi suddenly attacked, he had subconsciously released his Spiritual Detection.

Through Spiritual Detection, Huo Yuhao knew that his cultivation was far inferior to Xu Sanshi's. If it were him, even with the divine skill of Spiritual Detection to assist, he wouldn't have been able to resist in the slightest, let alone respond as calmly as Xia Linyuan.

While feeling grateful, Huo Yuhao was also secretly shocked. Just how strong was Xia Linyuan to be able to contend with a fourth-year senior?

"What are you doing!"

"Xu Sanshi! You actually dare to bully my people while I'm away! And you wanted to snatch my beloved grilled fish! Do you believe I'll fight you to the death, you jerk?"

Two sharp cries rang out simultaneously. The former was from a shocked and angry Jiang Nannan, and the latter was from Tang Ya, who had just returned from looking for Beibei.

Hearing Tang Ya's fierce self-reference, the surrounding crowd felt a wave of embarrassment.

Xu Sanshi, who had been jolted out of his anger by Xia Linyuan's words, listened to Tang Ya, clutched his still-aching abdomen, and pointed at Xia Linyuan. "Is this guy one of yours?"

Tang Ya was stunned, then shook her head and pointed at Huo Yuhao. "He is my disciple."

Beibei, who followed closely behind, said, "Xu Sanshi, you bullied my junior brother. You must give me an explanation for this, otherwise, we'll have to settle this in the Soul Fighting Zone."

Xu Sanshi curled his lip. "Is that necessary? Your junior brother's classmate didn't give Nannan face, which means he didn't give me face. Besides, it was just two grilled fish. I even paid for them! Not only did I not get the fish, but I also got bumped by this guy, and now I'm in agony. You still want to go to the Soul Fighting Zone? Do you even have any humanity left?"

"Paid?" Before Beibei could say anything, Xia Linyuan shook the Gold Soul Coin held between his index and middle fingers. "Is this what you're talking about?"

Xu Sanshi said smugly, "That's right. You sell one grilled fish for five Copper Soul Coins. I'm buying two with one Gold Soul Coin. That's a pretty good deal, right?"

Looking at his smug expression, with his nostrils flared as if they were reaching for the sky, only one word could describe him:

Despicable!

Xia Linyuan said calmly, "Senior Xu Sanshi, I'm sorry, but I'll say it again: everything follows the rule of first come, first served. We bought these two grilled fish by waiting in line honestly. Even if you paid first, I won't be giving these two fish to you."

Xu Sanshi's expression darkened, and he said, word by word, "Do you think that because the academy has a clear rule against senior students attacking junior students, you can act so recklessly in front of me?"

"No." A cold, thin smile curled on Xia Linyuan's lips as he flicked the Gold Soul Coin to Huo Yuhao. "I heard that winning a match in the Soul Fighting Zone earns quite a few academic credits."

Hearing this, everyone except Gu Yuena looked at the freshman in the white uniform in disbelief.

The Soul Fighting Zone was located in the northwest corner of the Outer Court's Martial Soul Department. To hold a soul fighting match, both sides had to pay at least ten Gold Soul Coins as a venue fee; the higher the cultivation, the higher the fee.

Not only did it cost money to compete, but it also cost money to watch—one Silver Soul Coin per ticket.

However, this amount of money was trivial to the students of Shrek Academy. After all, everyone who could study at Shrek Academy, except for Jiang Nannan and Huo Yuhao, came from wealthy or noble families. Would they lack a single Silver Soul Coin?

The soul master cultivation subsidies issued by the three great empires to Shrek Academy students were rarely collected by the students themselves; the fame and money eventually ended up in the pockets of certain people.

The news that a junior student had taken the initiative to challenge a senior student on the first day of school spread like wildfire.