Spirit Hall had always protected its own. Su Ming should never have tried to kill Xiao Chen.
Although Xiao Chen had not officially joined Spirit Hall yet, in Chrysanthemum Douluo's eyes, Xiao Chen was even more important to Spirit Hall than he was, a Titled Douluo.
Chrysanthemum Douluo, clad in a black robe, landed beside Xiao Chen. Two yellow, two purple, and five black Spirit Rings lit up around him, confirming what the Soul Emperor had said.
"Greetings, Your Eminence!"
The Soul Masters around them bowed in unison. Although they did not know which Titled Douluo had arrived, they still showed him the respect he was due.
Hu Liena and Xie Yue had already come to Xiao Chen's side. Hu Liena anxiously asked whether he was hurt, and only relaxed once she was sure he was unharmed.
"Xiao Chen, how do you think this man should be dealt with?" Chrysanthemum Douluo asked quietly from beside him.
Given Chrysanthemum Douluo's temperament, Su Ming—who had dared to harm an important member of Spirit Hall—would have already been dead.
But in Xiao Chen's presence, Chrysanthemum Douluo was very mindful of his thoughts. He did not want Xiao Chen to develop any bad impressions of Spirit Hall.
"Kill him," Xiao Chen said calmly. Since the man had tried to kill him, Xiao Chen naturally would show no mercy.
Chrysanthemum Douluo was quite pleased by his answer. He had worried Xiao Chen might be too kind, but it seemed he had been worrying for nothing.
When Su Ming first heard Chrysanthemum Douluo asking Xiao Chen what to do, he thought he might still survive.
In his view, Xiao Chen shouldn't have much of a taste for killing. He had seen Xiao Chen hold back when dealing with the students from Canghui Academy.
He was still hoping Xiao Chen would show him mercy too when he heard the words, "Kill him."
He immediately begged for his life, but Chrysanthemum Douluo gave him no chance to say another word. His formidable Soul Power crushed Su Ming's heart meridians in an instant, and the fifty-three-level Agility Attack Soul King died on the spot.
"What about them?" Chrysanthemum Douluo asked, turning to the students from Canghui Academy.
Chrysanthemum Douluo's gaze slowly swept over the five students from Canghui Academy. When they met his eyes, they felt as if they had fallen into an icy pit, chilled to the bone.
They knew their lives were in Xiao Chen's hands.
Xiao Chen turned to look at the three injured Soul Masters, then said, "Those three have already been punished. I'm sure they won't talk nonsense again."
The three immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
The Agility Attack Soul Master dropped to his knees and repeatedly kowtowed in apology, fearfully swearing that he would never again speak so recklessly.
Xiao Chen kicked him away.
The man hit the ground hard, but he didn't dare waste a moment. Enduring the pain all over his body, he scrambled up and bowed low. "Thank you, Young Master Xiao, for sparing my life!"
Xiao Chen paid him no further attention and turned to the one with the foulest mouth.
The moment Chrysanthemum Douluo had appeared, the man's legs had gone weak, and he had collapsed to the ground.
Now he had his head buried even lower, not daring to raise it at all. His whole body trembled uncontrollably, consumed by fear.
"Xiao Chen, would you mind if I dealt with this man?" Chrysanthemum Douluo suddenly asked.
Xiao Chen considered it briefly, then nodded. "All right."
He trusted that Chrysanthemum Douluo had already thought of the best way to handle things.
Seeing Xiao Chen agree, Chrysanthemum Douluo looked at the man and said, "Boy, under normal circumstances, you'd already be a corpse for daring to offend my young lady. But I never bully the weak. I'll give you a chance. If you can defeat that young man, I'll let you leave unharmed."
As he spoke, Chrysanthemum Douluo pointed at Ma Yan.
He remembered Chu Ruolan saying earlier that Ma Yan had obtained a four-hundred-year Soul Bone. Chrysanthemum Douluo had never seen a Soul Bone with such a low age, so he wanted to take this opportunity to have a look.
The Soul Masters nearby secretly praised the Titled Douluo for his benevolence.
Since Ma Yan's Soul Power was one level lower than his opponent's, they naturally assumed Chrysanthemum Douluo was deliberately going easy on the man.
Little did they know that Chrysanthemum Douluo had already sent a message to Ma Yan with his spiritual power. "You're Ma Yan, right? Don't disappoint me."
Ma Yan understood what Chrysanthemum Douluo meant, and he was secretly delighted. I can't believe this Titled Douluo remembers my name!
The Strong Attack Battle Soul Master had already been plunged into despair, but when he heard he could escape by defeating Ma Yan, hope flared within him, and joy swept over his face.
He knew that a Titled Douluo wouldn't make such a promise lightly.
So the two squared off and fought again.
Both were Attack System Soul Masters. Their blows landed flesh to flesh, and the muffled thuds of fists and feet colliding rang out one after another.
Although Ma Yan's cultivation was one level lower than his opponent's, the physical enhancement and strengthened constitution granted by his Soul Bone let him stand his ground. He not only held his own in their head-on clash, but even gradually gained the upper hand.
The man had already found Ma Yan difficult to deal with in their earlier fight. Now, facing him again, he finally realized Ma Yan's strength was no less than his own.
But he had nowhere left to retreat. With death looming over him, he fought more and more fiercely, breaking through his limits in the heat of battle and raising his Soul Power by one level.
Yet before he could celebrate, a pale glow suddenly appeared between Ma Yan's brows.
In an instant, intricate, mysterious patterns slowly emerged on Ma Yan's forehead, spreading and intertwining until they formed the illusory outline of a Black Mane Wolf Head Soul Bone.
"Black Mane Devouring Thought!"
Ma Yan gave a low shout. A streak of gray light shot from between his brows and plunged straight into the man's forehead.
"Soul... Bone..." he weakly said, pointing at Ma Yan. Then he could hold on no longer, and his vision went black as he toppled over.
Ma Yan knew the Soul Skill could only stun the man briefly, so he immediately activated his second Soul Skill, "Black Mane Frenzy," and charged at him.
The brutal impact sent the man flying. He rolled dozens of meters before finally coming to a stop.
Just as the dizziness from Black Mane Devouring Thought wore off, the man came to his senses and realized in horror that his Soul Power was dissipating. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't summon it.
His pupils contracted, and his face turned as white as paper. His throat bobbed as he cried out in a trembling voice, "You... you destroyed my dantian..."
After that, he could hold on no longer and passed out.
No one nearby cared about him. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Ma Yan.
"A twenty-two-level Soul Grandmaster, and he actually has a Soul Bone?"
"And a Head Soul Bone, no less! That's incredibly rare. Unbelievable!"
"The Soul Bone's skill is a spiritual attack, too. For that split second, I felt like even with my level-thirty strength, I might not have been able to withstand that Black Mane Devouring Thought!"
"..."
Whispers of astonishment and discussion rippled through the crowd. Everyone looked at Ma Yan with shock and envy—and, of course, a hint of greed.
"Not bad. After you graduate, if you want to join a faction, come find me in Spirit City," Chrysanthemum Douluo said to Ma Yan.
Those words would solve a lot of problems for Ma Yan. They were as good as a golden pass that would keep him safe.
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