Tiger Might, Xiao Chenyu

Having obtained the meditation technique, Wang Xian naturally became immersed in it. Since today was registration day, there were no classes.

Because he had brought his own dry rations when he came to school, he ate both lunch and dinner in the dormitory, spending all his remaining time in cultivation.

It wasn't until the next morning, under the soft calling of Wang Sheng, that Wang Xian finally emerged from his meditative state.

"Wang Xian, we need to go to class."

"Alright, wait for me a moment, I'll be right there."

Wang Xian got up from his bed, picked up his basin, and ran out to wash up.

There was a communal sink outside Dorm Seven, where water flowed as soon as the tap was turned.

The morning water was icy cold; splashing it on his face gave him a jolt, instantly making him much more alert.

As he washed his face, he felt the changes in his internal soul power.

After a night of cultivation, his soul power had indeed improved slightly. Although it wasn't much, the sensation was very distinct.

Compared to his previous state of cultivation, where he stumbled along and couldn't find the way for half a day, it was now incredibly smooth.

The meditation technique really made a world of difference.

Returning to the dormitory after washing up, the others were already packed and waiting for him.

Wang Xian put the basin away and reached for the school uniform by his pillow to put it on.

The white fabric looked quite sharp on him, though it was a bit large, requiring him to roll up the cuffs twice.

As he adjusted his collar, he silently recited in his heart.

"Open system panel."

A translucent light screen unfolded before his eyes. Before he could look closely, a system notification popped up.

"Battle Tiger (E-rank), training complete. Obtained 50 Cultivation Points. Obtained trait: Tiger Might."

"Trait fusion has reached the limit; fusion is currently unavailable."

Wang Xian glanced at his Cultivation Points; adding the remainder from before, he now had a total of 320.

An E-rank martial soul gave 50 points, which was more than he had expected. At this rate, he would need to capture a dozen more to reach one thousand.

"It seems that if I want to cultivate martial souls again in the short term, I'll have to find more people to challenge me."

His gaze fell back onto the new trait.

"Tiger Might?"

Wang Xian clicked on the trait description, and a line of text emerged.

"Tiger Might: When releasing your martial soul, generate a sense of mental oppression that weakens the target's fighting spirit. The effect is more significant against targets with weaker mental strength than your own."

A mental attack?

Wang Xian's eyes lit up.

In this era, mental attack methods were rare.

Most soul masters relied on soul skills for head-on collisions; those who could suppress opponents directly from a mental level were few and far between.

Although his fusion slots were full and he couldn't use it for now, he knew the value of this trait.

"Once my martial soul quality improves and my fusion slots expand, this definitely has to be on the list," Wang Xian noted silently.

"Let's go." Wang Xian closed the system panel and spoke to Wang Sheng and the others.

The others swarmed out behind him.

They hadn't gone far when Wang Sheng leaned in and said, "Boss, let's go grab some breakfast first. I know where the cafeteria is; I'll take you. My treat today."

Wang Xian looked at him and shook his head. "No need, I have my own money."

When he was at Emperor Soul Village, Old John had given him some silver coins before he left. Although it wasn't much, it was enough for a few meals.

Moreover, he didn't want to owe Wang Sheng any favors. After all, he had just taken the position of "boss," and he needed to maintain the proper boundaries.

Wang Sheng didn't insist, just gave a silly grin and led the group toward the cafeteria.

The Notting Academy cafeteria was behind the teaching building. The first floor was the dining area for ordinary students, while the second floor was said to be a place only wealthy students could go, offering better dishes.

Just as Wang Xian and the others reached the cafeteria entrance, another group arrived from a different path.

The leading youth looked to be about eleven or twelve years old. He was quite handsome, wearing a well-tailored school uniform with his hair combed meticulously; one could tell at a glance that his family background was good.

He was followed by four or five lackeys, chatting and laughing as they walked toward the cafeteria.

Both groups stepped into the cafeteria entrance almost simultaneously.

The youth saw Wang Sheng and the others, his lips curling in deep disdain.

He extended a finger, shaking it toward Wang Sheng's direction, his tone full of mockery.

"Poor ghosts are always poor ghosts; I'm afraid you'll never be able to eat on the second floor."

Wang Sheng's expression darkened instantly. The other work-study students also lowered their heads and clenched their fists, but no one dared to speak up.

Wang Xian glanced at the youth, then back at the frustrated expressions of Wang Sheng and the others, and he roughly understood the situation.

Wang Sheng leaned into his ear and lowered his voice, "Boss, this guy is called Xiao Chenyu, and everyone in the academy calls him Boss Xiao."

"His father is some kind of official in Notting City, and his family is rich and powerful. He's the one who's always bringing people around to bully us work-study students."

Wang Xian nodded slightly without a word, stepped forward, and stood before the youth.

"My name is Wang Xian, the boss of the work-study students."

His voice was not loud, but everyone present heard him clearly.

Xiao Chenyu raised an eyebrow, looked him up and down, and scoffed, "The boss of the work-study students?"

"Wang Sheng, when did you give up your position to a kid like this? You work-study students really are going downhill."

Wang Sheng's face flushed red, and just as he was about to speak, Wang Xian raised a hand to stop him.

Wang Xian looked at Xiao Chenyu, his tone indifferent, "I couldn't do anything about you bullying the work-study students before."

"But from now on, if you want to keep bullying them, you'll have to get past me first."

Xiao Chenyu was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, and the lackeys behind him followed suit.

"Get past you?" Xiao Chenyu finished laughing, looked down at Wang Xian, and his eyes held a hint of amusement, "Kid, do you know who you're talking to?"

"I know," Wang Xian said, his expression unchanged, "Xiao Chenyu."

Xiao Chenyu stopped smiling and narrowed his eyes, "Since you know, how dare you talk to me like that?"

"Dare or not, the words are already out," Wang Xian stared straight at him, "If you aren't convinced, let's have a fight."

The number of people watching the commotion in the cafeteria grew, and many gathered around, whispering to each other.

Xiao Chenyu glanced around, feeling a bit embarrassed.

If he refused a challenge from a work-study student in front of so many people, how could he continue to be Boss Xiao once word got out?

"Fine," Xiao Chenyu sneered, "Since you've delivered yourself to be beaten, I'll grant your wish. Tell me, how do you want to fight?"

"It's simple, just the two of us, one match to decide the winner," Wang Xian said calmly.

"Good," Xiao Chenyu sneered.

He was at rank nine soul power, and it wouldn't be long before he broke through to rank ten to fuse his first soul ring.

This Wang Xian looked like nothing more than a kid who had just enrolled; there was no way he could be his match.