"C-charging... You charge here?" Su Yuntao was aghast. Inside his long sleeves, his hands slowly clenched into fists.
Bule pointed at the thatched hut beside them and chuckled. "Right here. I'll just do a little something."
Su Yuntao furrowed his brow slightly and turned to look at Su Yan, shooting him a desperate look.
Su Yan understood. He silently raised his hand and held up his last three fingers. OK.
Unfortunately, Su Yuntao didn't get it. He kept trying to signal him, but Bule had already half-dragged him into the hut.
Outside the hut, Xiao Chenyu waved his hand, and a crowd rushed forward, surrounding Su Yan and the other boy.
"I'm here to buy Strength Pills." Su Yan's eyes swept over the dozen or so people around them. He couldn't tell what level they were.
"Since you're here to buy Strength Pills, we won't make things difficult for you." Xiao Chenyu stood with his legs apart and pointed between them. "Crawl through here, and I'll sell you one."
A chill touched Su Yan's eyes. The boy beside him was even more furious. "Don't push us too far!"
"If you won't crawl, then I won't sell..."
"Chenyu, shut up." Lord Mo returned and sized up the two boys. "These two are fine material for Soul Power. Lock them up in the back and let Bule deal with that woman."
"Lucky you." Xiao Chenyu gave a signal with his eyes, and the crowd closed in around the two boys, herding them toward the backyard.
On the way,
"I've really got to interview you. What's your name?" Su Yan looked at the boy beside him with obvious curiosity, his eyes showing three parts confusion, three parts disdain, and four parts righteous indignation.
"My name's Yin Fang," the boy replied sullenly.
"Yin Fang, would you mind telling me how you managed to use Ice Ring so badly?" Su Yan clenched his right hand into a fist and held it up to Yin Fang's mouth.
"I..." Yin Fang was at a loss for words. "I dunno."
Then he suddenly realized something. "How do you know this is Ice Ring?"
Su Yan pointed at the sky and said gravely, "It's a heavenly secret. I can't reveal it."
Yin Fang's eyes lit up, and he unconsciously edged closer to Su Yan.
Soon, the two were taken to a woodshed in the backyard.
A woodshed again.
This situation felt strangely familiar to Su Yan.
The annual Woodshed Ceremony.
It had been more than a year since that incident. He wondered how those children were doing.
He suddenly found himself missing Yu Tianxin and Meng Yiran. He wondered how those two were doing.
The woodshed door was kicked open. Xiao Chenyu tossed the two of them inside, then walked away.
There was no one else in the woodshed. Yin Fang sidled up to Su Yan and asked in a hushed voice, "Hero, may I ask your name?"
"My surname is Su, and my given name is Yan. Just call me Su Yan."
"Lord Yan, please enlighten me." Yin Fang clasped his hands in a salute.
Su Yan returned the salute. "How many Martial Souls do you have?"
Yin Fang cocked his head. "Obviously, just one. Twin Martial Souls aren't that common."
"If you won't tell me..." Su Yan pretended to get up and leave.
Yin Fang panicked.
He hurriedly added, "Two!"
"You're not being honest." Su Yan once again pretended to get up and leave.
"I really have two, no more!" Yin Fang looked anxious. "One was born with me, and the other suddenly appeared."
At last, Su Yan settled back into place. "Do you remember what you were doing the day it suddenly appeared?"
"I remember, I remember. I've had Ice Ring for two or three years now." Yin Fang thought for a moment, dredging up an old memory. "A few months ago, I infused it with Soul Power for the first time. The cold nearly froze me to death, and when I woke up, it had become my Martial Soul."
"That's all?"
"Yeah, that's it."
Su Yan took a deep breath and motioned for Yin Fang to bring his ear closer. "When the fight starts, just say this... I guarantee it'll work!"
Yin Fang's eyes lit up. "Got it!"
"Little girl, you seem like a sensible person. Are you going to take your clothes off yourself, or should I help you?" Bule approached with a lecherous grin.
Su Yuntao's fists clenched beneath his sleeves, and a flicker of anger passed through his eyes.
"Don't be scared, little girl. I'll be gentle." Bule moved forward as if he hadn't heard a thing.
Su Yuntao suddenly swung both fists, smashing them into Bule's chest.
Bule staggered back several steps before managing to steady himself. "You're no ordinary person!"
"Lone Wolf, possess me!" Su Yuntao shouted. His huge frame burst out of his woman's clothes, tearing them to shreds, and three Soul Rings—one white, one yellow, and one purple—floated around his waist.
"You sure weren't easy to catch." Su Yuntao stepped forward, his wolf claws going straight for Bule.
"You—you're not a girl!" Bule cried out. Then, instead of getting angry, he laughed. "A man? I like that even more!"
As he spoke, his hands turned hazy. He charged forward without dodging or backing away.
Su Yuntao's purple Soul Ring lit up. "Ghost Wolf Gale Change!"
His already massive frame grew even larger.
Bule's attacks landed on him like feeble scratches.
Su Yuntao grabbed Bule and slammed him through the wall of the thatched hut, then threw him to the ground. He leaped high into the air and came crashing down with the force of a mountain.
A deep crater formed in the ground, and a cloud of dust rose.
At the last moment, Bule rolled aside, shaken. "Phew. I didn't know you liked getting on top."
Su Yuntao ignored him and pulled a signal flare from his chest, then threw it into the sky.
Bang!
The flare burst open, and everyone in the house rushed outside.
Lord Mo was at the head of the crowd. He was terrified; last year's incident was still fresh in his mind.
He leaped onto the roof and shouted, "Who's there?!"
"Spirit Hall's deacon, Su Yuntao!"
"Spirit Hall!" Lord Mo turned to Bule, furious. "Was it you, you brat? Did you lead Spirit Hall here?"
Bule hurriedly shook his head. "N-no, Lord Mo! I had no idea!"
"I'll deal with you later. Giant Lizard, possess me! Fourth Soul Skill, Giant Lizard Fall!" Lord Mo's fury was unabated. He stomped through the roof, his lizard tail flashing as it came crashing down on Su Yuntao.
The two immediately started fighting.
But Su Yuntao had only just advanced to the rank of a Three-Ring Soul Elder. Facing Lord Mo, a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor, he was already at a disadvantage after ten moves.
He could only defend himself and wait for reinforcements to arrive.
When Su Yan heard the signal flare outside, blazing flames rose around him. "Fire Wolf, possess me!"
His body swelled, and one charge smashed the woodshed door to pieces.
"You have Twin Martial Souls too?" Yin Fang cried in amazement, Ice Ring already in his grasp.
"Same as you!"
Not far away, the Xiao siblings hurried over with a crowd of people.
Xiao Chenyu's pupils contracted as resentment surged through him. "It's you! You! You're the one who made me lose face! Wolf, possess me!"
He roared and lunged at Su Yan.
Su Yan covered his nose with one hand, leaving the other free. He stopped Xiao Chenyu's charge with a single palm, then turned his hand into a claw and, just like before, slammed Xiao Chenyu into the ground.
The ground crumpled into a crater, and Xiao Chenyu naturally passed out again.
"Brother!" Xiao Rumei shouted furiously. Her body swelled as well. "Wolf, possess me!"
A yellow Soul Ring slowly rose.
She had already become a One-Ring Soul Master too. She stretched out both claws and went straight for Su Yan.
Yin Fang, standing nearby, felt a little nervous. He was about to take a deep breath when a foul smell shot straight up his nostrils, nearly knocking him out.
Fortunately, the air was fresh out here. Yin Fang finally gripped his sword with both hands and softly recited, "Sit Upon the Frosted Heavens! Ice Ring!"
In an instant, the blade glowed with a bone-chilling white light, and frost flowers formed along its edge. The originally white Soul Ring turned icy blue.
Yin Fang was stunned. He could feel the immense Soul Power coming from Ice Ring.
Was this Ice Ring's true power?
Yin Fang softly exhaled a breath of cold air, held his sword across himself, and murmured, "First Soul Skill, Ice Dragon Tail Spin!"
The temperature plunged. An ice dragon appeared out of nowhere at the tip of the blade and shot toward the surrounding crowd, frost flowers following in its wake.
The people rushing toward them turned into ice sculptures in the blink of an eye.
Su Yan knocked Xiao Rumei out with one punch. A sudden chill crept over him, and when he turned around, he saw frost flowers everywhere.
"Lord Yan, Ice Ring is so powerful!" Yin Fang was awestruck by its strength.
Calling him Lord Yan was no exaggeration!
Su Yan had never dreamed things would go so smoothly this time.
Were the people around him just too weak?
No. Quite a few of them were Two-Ring Soul Grandmasters.
It was because Ice Ring's freezing ability was just too powerful!
The battle here had ended, but the fight out front was still ongoing. The two hurriedly ran outside.
Before you continue