"Level nineteen, level twenty without a Second Soul Ring... You really dared to say that!"
Flender looked at Le Bai as though he were looking at an idiot. "If I remember correctly, your Innate Soul Power was only level two. After two years of cultivation, you could have risen three or four levels at most. Your Soul Power should only be around level five or six now... Hm? Why can't I sense your Soul Power?"
Le Bai was stunned as well.
Flender said his Soul Power could have risen at most three or four levels, but he had actually gained six. He had just been about to enjoy Flender's surprised expression and quietly show off when Flender said he couldn't sense his Soul Power?
"How could that be... Are you joking with me?"
Le Bai gathered a ball of Soul Power in his palm. "I worked very hard these past two years. My Soul Power increased by six levels, and I'm already level eight now."
"What did you say?!"
Flender indeed looked surprised, his eyes fixed on the Soul Power in Le Bai's hand. "This Soul Power fluctuation is strange. I can't actually judge your Soul Power Level! And you don't even have a single Soul Ring, yet you can release Soul Power outside your body. Not to mention how condensed it is... You really aren't an ordinary Soul Master!"
"Ahaha."
Le Bai gave a dry laugh. Flender's reaction was rather different from what he had expected, and he somehow did not get the satisfaction of successfully showing off. "Maybe my Soul Power is too low, while yours is too strong, Dean, so my Soul Power fluctuations aren't very noticeable."
"Hm..."
Flender hummed, but he did not believe Le Bai's casual nonsense. After pondering for a moment, he said, "I've thought of someone suitable to be your opponent."
"Can he fight right now?"
Le Bai immediately pressed, "I'm ready anytime."
"He should be able to."
Flender walked in the direction opposite from where Oscar had stopped him earlier. "Do you know where I went these past two days?"
Le Bai and Oscar: "No."
"You two should have seen the state of our academy clearly over these past two years."
Flender's tone suddenly became heavy. "This is the time of year when the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremonies are held most frequently across the continent. I thought I'd take a look around and make some... take a stroll, hoping to find one or two talented children like Oscar and recruit them into the academy."
"It seems you gained something during your trip these past two days."
Le Bai guessed Flender's intentions. "Could it be that the opponent you arranged for me is someone you brought back from outside?"
"That's right. Le Bai, you really are smart."
Flender's tone suddenly relaxed again. "That child has Innate Soul Power at level nine. While it isn't as good as Oscar's Innate Full Soul Power, it's still quite good. More importantly, his Martial Soul is a mutated Martial Soul, and it is extremely powerful."
"From what you've said, he should have only just awakened his Martial Soul and be six years old. And if his Innate Soul Power is level nine, isn't that only one level higher than my current Soul Power?"
Le Bai felt that the person Flender had arranged might not be enough to challenge him. "Against that kind of opponent, winning would feel only natural. It wouldn't be enough to prove that I'm a Monster."
"I hope you'll still be this confident in a moment."
With his hands behind his back, Flender continued speaking about the child he had just brought back. "I already said that his Martial Soul is a mutated Martial Soul, and it's very powerful. Your Martial Soul, on the other hand, is food with no offensive power whatsoever. Never mind that your Soul Power is one level lower than his—even if your Soul Power were ten levels higher, his chances of defeating you would still be far greater than your chances of defeating him."
"You seem very confident in him."
Le Bai put on a slightly uneasy expression. "What exactly is his Martial Soul?"
In truth, Le Bai had already guessed who his next opponent would be. Two years younger than him and Oscar, with a mutated and extremely powerful Martial Soul, brought back by Flender—there was a ninety-nine percent chance that it was Ma Hongjun, that Evil Fire Fatty.
Sure enough, Flender said with a hint of pride, "Phoenix! In terms of Martial Soul quality alone, I doubt there are more than a few Martial Souls on the entire continent that can compare with his."
"Th-that amazing?"
Those words did not come from Le Bai, but from Oscar, who had been listening for a long time. He had developed a certain fear of the person Flender was describing. "M-maybe, Le Bai, you should ask the Dean to give you another opponent?"
"No need."
Le Bai was very confident. "Even if it's the strongest Martial Soul on the continent, his Soul Power Level is only one level above mine, and he hasn't added a Soul Ring yet. I don't think I'll lose."
"It's good that you're confident. Besides, it's too late to change opponents now."
As Flender spoke, they had already arrived outside Shrek Academy's dormitory.
Seeing that the dormitory door was closed, Flender sensed Soul Power fluctuations coming from inside. "Wait here. He's cultivating his Soul Power, and he shouldn't be disturbed. I'll go in and see if I can wake him."
Le Bai and Oscar nodded and quietly waited outside the dormitory.
A few minutes after Flender entered the dormitory, its door opened again, and Flender led a chubby little boy outside.
"Le Bai, Oscar, come. Let me introduce you."
Flender smiled and beckoned Le Bai and Oscar over, then pulled the chubby little boy from behind him. "This is the child I brought back. His name is Ma Hongjun, and he's six years old. Hongjun, these two: the one on the left is Oscar. He's a student of our academy and also your senior. The one on the right is Le Bai, the person you'll be fighting next."
"Hello, I'm Le Bai."
Le Bai stepped half a pace forward and extended his hand in friendship. "The person who'll be fighting you next."
"Hello, I'm Oscar, your senior."
Oscar copied him and extended his hand as well. "And the brother of the person who'll be fighting you next, Le Bai!"
"Hello! I'm Ma Hongjun, Teacher's disciple."
Ma Hongjun copied their introductions. "And the person who'll be fighting Le Bai next."
"Teacher?"
Pretending he did not know, Le Bai looked at Flender in surprise.
Only then did Flender reveal, "I forgot to mention it. Although Hongjun is a student of Shrek Academy, he is also a disciple I just took in."
"Hiss!"
Le Bai sucked in a breath as if his teeth hurt. "Dean, you're having me fight your disciple? If I hit too hard, will you step in and teach me a lesson?"
"Hongjun's Soul Power has just broken through level ten. He's already two levels above you. You'll be lucky if you can win, yet you're worried about hitting too hard?"
Flender truly felt that Le Bai lacked a Battle Soul Master's beating, which was why he had developed the illusion that a Support System Soul Master could defeat a Battle Soul Master in combat. "I'll watch from the side while you fight. Whether it's you or Hongjun, if either of you is in danger, I'll stop it immediately—are you satisfied now?"
"Yes, that puts me at ease."
Le Bai gave him a relieved smile. "Where will Hongjun and I fight? Here?"
"Here is fine."
Flender pointed at the open space in front of the dormitory. "It's spacious enough. Neither of you even has a Soul Ring, so it's enough for you to move around. Stand facing each other! Don't release your Martial Souls until I say start!"
Le Bai and Ma Hongjun took their positions, about five meters apart.
"Ready—"
Flender stood on the midpoint between them, raised his hand, then lowered it. "Begin!"
Le Bai assumed a stance to throw a punch and activated Spirit Power Overclocking with all his strength.
It was Ma Hongjun's first battle, and he was not used to it. After Flender called for the start, more than a second passed before he slowly released his Martial Soul.
"Pfft...!"
Oscar, watching from the side, could not help laughing. "Dean, this is the Phoenix you mentioned? Why do I think he looks more like a plump old hen?"
"Hongjun's Soul Power Level is still low. He hasn't added a Soul Ring, and his Martial Soul has not yet developed, which is why it looks like this."
Flender spoke with a calm expression. "Although it does not look like a Phoenix right now, it lacks none of the power a Phoenix should possess."
As if to verify Flender's words, flames ignited around Ma Hongjun's fist, which still had a bit of baby fat.
In an instant, the surrounding temperature rose noticeably.
Even from five meters away, Le Bai could clearly feel a wave of heat rushing at his face.
"So hot!"
Oscar jumped in fright as he looked at Ma Hongjun's burning fist. "Le Bai, be careful!"
"Ahhh!"
Ma Hongjun shouted as he ran toward Le Bai—his short, chubby legs moved so slowly that "charge" was not a fitting description.
Le Bai simply stood still. Only when Ma Hongjun reached him and swung his burning fist did he suddenly step half a pace forward and, guided by the Panel, throw the strongest punch he could!
At that instant, Flender's pupils contracted sharply.
"That Soul Power fluctuation!!"
(December 30, 2020) While writing later chapters, I discovered that I had overlooked something earlier.
In the original work, Ma Hongjun was only discovered and brought back by Flender at the age of nine.
Additional setting here (explanation)—because Flender discovered Oscar and the protagonist, he increased the frequency of his trips outside and expanded the scope of his "temporary business," allowing him to discover Ma Hongjun earlier.
(Revised January 22, 2021) Thanks to reader [Guang Shi Dong] for pointing out that Ma Hongjun's Innate Soul Power Level setting was unreasonable. It has now been revised.
I deeply apologize for the impact caused by these revisions.
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