"What did you say?"
A muscular student stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "You think you can just see the Student Council President whenever you want?"
"Brat, you're getting a little too big for your boots."
As he moved, the muscles on his body rippled.
It was obvious that he was extremely strong.
Men would weep at the sight of him, and women would swoon.
By comparison, Xia Mu's muscles weren't nearly as exaggerated, so he didn't look all that strong.
"Get lost, or I'll make you regret it." His booming shout made some of the more timid students shrink their necks.
"Xia Mu..."
Some students who knew Xia Mu were confused. They had no idea what he was trying to do.
He'd never been one to do things by the book.
With everyone's eyes on him, Xia Mu calmly walked forward. "What, is the Student Council President some general with the power of life and death? Am I not allowed to see him?"
Seeing that Xia Mu had come looking for trouble, the scantily clad girl frowned and swung a roundhouse kick at him, sending up a spray of golden sand.
Her sandals were made of wood. If that kick had landed, Xia Mu's face would probably have been branded with a huge red mark.
"Whoosh!"
Xia Mu merely bent at the waist, and her long leg swept past his cheek.
Then he quickly reached out with one hand, applied a little force in the opposite direction, and gave her leg a gentle push.
The girl lost her balance. With just the right amount of force from Xia Mu, she toppled backward and landed sitting on the sand without getting hurt.
But her underwear slipped off, and two impressive mounds popped out, drawing a chorus of cheers from the crowd.
She was embarrassed, but not because everyone had seen her private parts. She was embarrassed because she'd lost to a mere first-year kid.
"Sanhe, take him down!" she shouted at the muscular boy.
Even without her telling him to, the moment she lost, the boy had already raised his fist and swung it at Xia Mu.
But to Xia Mu, that punch was as slow as a Nascent Soul cultivator would seem to a wandering cultivator.
He tilted his face slightly and dodged, then pushed both hands forward and caught the boy by the wrist. A sharp crack rang out.
The boy let out a cry of pain as Xia Mu twisted his hand in the opposite direction from his body. Then Xia Mu lightly kicked the joint in his right leg.
The force of the blow made him drop to his knees on the spot.
He hit the sand with a thud, spraying it everywhere.
In just one exchange, Xia Mu had nearly taken two students out of the fight.
And he'd even captured a guy who looked incredibly strong.
"L-let go of me!" Sanhe's face twisted in pain, but he still shouted at Xia Mu.
There was no helping it. Xia Mu had to keep applying pressure and teach him a little lesson.
"Ahhh!" Sanhe's face turned pale as he screamed. He no longer had time to bark at anyone.
"They attacked me first. I was only defending myself." Xia Mu looked up, meeting Manabu Horikita's cold gaze.
Xia Mu could sense the anger hidden beneath that calm gaze.
That's right. Just like that.
"What are you doing? He's your senior!" The girls from Class A of the Third Year were terrified. The boys grabbed whatever they could find nearby, vowing to teach this first-year brat a lesson.
"Everyone, stop!"
At that moment, Manabu Horikita spoke.
As he walked over, the other students parted to make way for him.
In terms of both prestige and overall ability, Manabu Horikita was number one at the school.
The other students glared at Xia Mu with gritted teeth, their eyes blazing, but their leader had spoken, so they could only put down their weapons for now.
Lucky brat.
Seeing Manabu Horikita approaching, Xia Mu moved his hand swiftly.
Crack. He put the student's bone back in place, then kicked him in the back.
Carried forward by the force, the student stumbled several steps before managing to stop.
"Manabu, I-I'm sorry..."
He lowered his head and apologized to Manabu Horikita, then turned around, ready to go after Xia Mu and win back some face.
At that moment, Manabu Horikita put a hand on his shoulder. "You're no match for him. Get some rest."
The others thought they'd misheard.
But those words had come straight from the Student Council President himself.
They all turned to look at Xia Mu, their expressions strange.
"Hiss..."
Some of the third-years who knew the situation sucked in a sharp breath.
That student was the most athletic person in Class A of the Third Year aside from Manabu Horikita.
Had the Student Council President really admitted that his right-hand man was no match for Xia Mu?
Although Xia Mu wasn't comfortable with all those eyes on him, this was exactly what he wanted.
And this wasn't the end. The real surprise was still to come.
"Let's talk over there."
Xia Mu looked toward the empty space beside the pool.
Manabu Horikita frowned but said nothing. He simply walked straight to the poolside.
He knew what Xia Mu meant.
And he was starting to take an interest in him.
As for whether Xia Mu could beat him...
If Xia Mu could only manage what he'd just shown, then he could forget about it.
Those were just a few grappling tricks.
The two of them stopped beside the pool, where there weren't many students around.
The others were curious, but they knew the conversation between these two clearly wasn't meant for outsiders.
If they went over there, wouldn't they just be asking for trouble?
Among the crowd, Suzune's heart gave a sudden jolt. Her hands, usually steady and composed, trembled. "Xia Mu!"
"What exactly do you want with my brother?"
Her gaze was so cold it seemed to freeze everything around her.
Kanji and the others were badly shaken.
During the stretch from midterms to finals, Xia Mu had come to her with all sorts of strange remarks.
Things like, "Your brother didn't become this strong all by himself," and, "You can be yourself."
Nonsense. Her brother was clearly the strongest person in the world. Even on his own, he could keep everything under control!
But now, she suddenly felt her conviction wavering.
Then she immediately reaffirmed it.
Her brother must have had his reasons for not punishing Xia Mu.
One day, she would become like her brother: strong and head and shoulders above everyone else!
Meanwhile, the conversation between Xia Mu and Manabu Horikita was getting underway.
Xia Mu looked at the beach ball floating on the pool's surface and got straight to the point. "I want your younger sister, Suzune Horikita, to listen to me."
Most older brothers would have flown into a rage at hearing that, but Manabu Horikita merely pushed up his glasses calmly. "She has a mind of her own. I can't control whose words she listens to."
At that, Xia Mu couldn't help but shake his head with a laugh. "President Horikita, let's just speak frankly."
"You know that yourself, don't you?"
"Your sister is actually very, very obedient to you."
Xia Mu deliberately emphasized the words "obedient to you."
That made Manabu Horikita uncomfortable, but he still didn't attack Xia Mu.
Besides, Xia Mu was right.
Before you continue