The moment the words fell.
The brocade-robed boy in the middle of the road darkened.
He stared at Xiao Wu, as if he hadn't expected a Work-Study Student from Nuoding City to actually talk back like that.
"You—"
He had only just begun to speak.
Su Chen was already stepping down from the carriage.
His boot touched the ground lightly.
Yet the surroundings seemed to fall silent all at once.
The brocade-robed boy instinctively swallowed the rest of his words. His gaze shifted from Xiao Wu to Su Chen's face.
His Adam's apple bobbed.
His tone was nowhere near as aggressive as before.
"I was only delivering a message for my young master."
Su Chen walked to Xiao Wu's side and looked up at him.
"Finished delivering it?"
The boy nodded without thinking.
"Then get lost."
Su Chen's tone was indifferent.
"And tell Zhou Ling this."
"Whether she leaves the arena with dignity is none of his business."
"But if he loses too badly today, he can save his tears."
The boy's face turned pale, then green.
The guards behind him instinctively took half a step forward, then forcibly stopped.
Before they came, they had all been warned.
The one from Nuoding City wasn't someone they could lay a hand on lightly.
The boy gritted his teeth.
"I'll pass on your exact words."
With that, he turned and left.
His steps were much faster than when he'd arrived.
Xiao Wu stood where she was, watching them walk away. She gave a soft snort.
"Pretty quick on their feet."
She turned her head toward Su Chen.
"How was my comeback just now?"
"Not bad."
"Just not bad?"
Su Chen glanced at her.
"You had the presence."
"You were just a little short on words."
Xiao Wu blinked.
"Then what would you have said?"
"I usually don't say anything."
"Then what do you do?"
"Hit them."
Xiao Wu froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"That line was better than mine."
Shen Zhi dismounted and walked ahead to lead the way.
"Let's not waste time at the entrance."
"They're already waiting inside."
There were even more people outside the Soul Fighting Training Ground.
The flags snapped and fluttered in the wind.
Guards from Suotuo City and academy instructors stood on either side of the entrance. A wooden sign hung high, displaying the first match's names in large letters.
Zhou Ling versus Xiao Wu.
Su Chen glanced around.
There were more than students in the stands.
Some well-dressed young nobles were there too, watching with folded arms, their eyes full of scrutiny and disdain.
They were watching Xiao Wu.
And him, too.
A Work-Study Student from Nuoding City.
The Martial Soul Hall Holy Son, who had recently become the talk of the town.
This arena match in Suotuo City was no longer just an assessment.
It was more like a crowd waiting to inspect their goods.
At the entrance, a middle-aged instructor in charge of registration hurried over.
"Shen Zhi, you finally got them here."
As he spoke, he turned to Su Chen and bowed his head slightly.
"Your Highness the Holy Son."
"The arena is ready, and we've reserved a separate row of seats for you."
"This way, please."
Then he looked at Xiao Wu.
"Xiao Wu is a competitor, so she needs to go backstage to prepare first."
Xiao Wu frowned.
"Prepare what?"
"Draw lots, verification, changing into arena shoes, and—"
"No need to change."
Su Chen cut him off.
He glanced at the training shoes on Xiao Wu's feet.
"She'll wear these."
The middle-aged instructor froze.
"But the arena has standardized—"
"Then change the rules."
Su Chen's tone was mild.
"Her shoes fit better than the ones you prepared."
The middle-aged instructor's mouth twitched. He immediately swallowed the rest of his sentence.
"Yes. Then she won't change."
Xiao Wu lowered her head and glanced at the training shoes on her feet.
Su Chen had retied the laces himself before they set out.
The corners of her mouth shifted, but she said nothing.
Su Chen continued.
"Is she the only one allowed backstage?"
"By the rules, yes."
"Not anymore."
Su Chen raised his hand and tossed the other man a small token.
It was the Special Recruitment Pass prepared in advance by the Suotuo Branch Hall.
The middle-aged instructor caught it and nodded hurriedly.
"Of course, of course."
Xiao Wu walked beside Su Chen and lowered her voice.
"You even have to manage this?"
"What else?"
"I'm not a child."
"Right now, you're someone about to enter the arena."
Su Chen turned his head toward her.
"This isn't the time to prove how tough you are."
Xiao Wu's ears warmed slightly, but she still refused to back down.
"I wasn't trying to prove anything."
"Mm."
"That 'mm' sounds like you don't believe me."
"You heard wrong."
The backstage area was a long, narrow corridor.
The walls on either side had been freshly whitewashed, and there was still a faint smell of lime. Coarse sand covered the floor, making a soft scraping sound underfoot.
The farther they went, the clearer the noise outside became.
Like waves, it crashed in again and again.
As they walked, Xiao Wu's steps slowed a little.
She didn't look up, just stared at the bright exit ahead.
Su Chen noticed.
"Nervous?"
"Who's nervous?"
Xiao Wu answered at once.
Very quickly.
And a little stiffly.
Su Chen didn't call her out. He simply picked up a clean cup from a nearby table, poured in half a cup of warm water, and handed it to her.
"Have a sip."
Xiao Wu took it and drank a little.
The cup was warm against her hands.
The water slid down her throat, easing the tightness in her chest.
"Zhou Ling is level twenty-eight."
She set the cup down and suddenly spoke.
"I know."
"If he's even heavier and tougher than I expect—"
"Then don't meet him head-on."
Su Chen answered quickly.
"Isn't that what you've been training for these past three days?"
Xiao Wu looked up at him.
Su Chen leaned against the wall, his voice steady.
"Remember three things."
"First, don't let him force you to the edge."
"Second, if your first hit doesn't move him, get away at once."
"Third."
He paused.
"Don't watch his fists. Watch his shoulders."
Xiao Wu stared at him and nodded.
"What else?"
"One more thing."
"What?"
"You're faster than him."
Xiao Wu was momentarily stunned.
Light from the corridor fell across Su Chen's profile, bringing his features into sharp relief. His voice, however, was calmer than usual.
"Your speed, your changes of direction, your judgment at close range—all of them are better than his."
"What he has over you is his level and his ability to overpower you head-on."
"So this match isn't about whether you can take a hit."
"It's about whether he can even touch you."
After listening to him, Xiao Wu's tense shoulders slowly relaxed.
She stared at Su Chen for two seconds, then suddenly smiled.
"When you put it that way..."
"Suddenly, I feel like Zhou Ling isn't all that impressive."
"He never was."
Su Chen raised a hand and lightly tapped her forehead with a bent finger.
"Go on."
Xiao Wu instinctively covered her forehead.
"You flicked me again."
"To clear your head."
"My head's already clear."
"Then get up there and beat the hell out of him."
That was way too blunt.
Xiao Wu couldn't hold it in. Her eyes lit up.
"Fine."
"Just watch."
Just then, footsteps came from the other side of the corridor.
Heavy ones.
More than one person.
First came two boys who looked like lackeys, followed by a tall, broad-shouldered boy who strode in from the other end.
He wore the deep-red training uniform of Suotuo City Intermediate Academy. A black band was wrapped around his wrist, and his hair was short, with a prominent brow ridge.
The moment he entered, his gaze went straight to Xiao Wu.
"You're Xiao Wu?"
Xiao Wu lifted her chin.
"And you're Zhou Ling?"
Zhou Ling kept walking, stopping only when he was three paces away.
He glanced at Xiao Wu, then looked at Su Chen.
"The Martial Soul Hall Holy Son even escorts people backstage?"
Su Chen ignored his snide remark.
"Go fight your match."
"Stop wasting your breath."
Zhou Ling smiled.
There wasn't much kindness in it.
"Fine."
"Then I'll be blunt."
"Xiao Wu, you're just a Work-Study Student from Nuoding City. Making it this far is already more than you deserve."
"When we get onstage, I won't bully you."
"Give up now, and I'll let you walk off on your own."
Xiao Wu was so angry she laughed.
"Why do you talk just like that guy at the entrance earlier? So unpleasant."
"Is everyone in Suotuo City like this?"
Zhou Ling's expression cooled.
"You've got a sharp tongue."
"Don't cry later."
Only then did Su Chen look up.
"Do you know what makes you so annoying?"
Zhou Ling turned to him.
"What?"
"You talk too much for someone who hasn't won yet."
The corridor fell silent.
The two lackeys behind Zhou Ling changed expressions.
Zhou Ling stared at Su Chen, the corners of his mouth tightening.
"You're not competing today."
"No."
"Then you'd better stay out of it."
"You think you're worth my interference?"
Su Chen's voice was cool as ice.
"If you're really any good, try touching her first."
Zhou Ling's chest heaved once.
He'd been used to throwing his weight around Suotuo City lately. This was the first time anyone had put him down to his face.
But it was Su Chen who'd said it.
He couldn't lash out.
And he didn't dare make too much of a scene.
Zhou Ling stared at Xiao Wu, then suddenly smiled.
"Fine."
"Then I'll show you how she loses."
With that, he turned and left.
His two lackeys hurried after him.
Only after their footsteps faded did Xiao Wu curl her lip.
"He looks awful when he smiles."
"Mm."
"That's all you ever say."
"Then let me put it another way."
Su Chen looked at her.
"He'll look even worse in a moment."
Xiao Wu froze for a moment, then laughed, her shoulders shaking softly.
At the end of the corridor, a bell suddenly rang.
The match was about to begin.
A stagehand hurried over.
"Xiao Wu, get ready to go on."
Xiao Wu straightened and took a deep breath.
Just before leaving, she suddenly looked back.
"Su Chen."
"Mm?"
"You'll keep watching, right?"
Su Chen didn't waste words.
"I'm here."
Those two words weren't loud.
But they landed by her ear with a reassuring weight.
Xiao Wu nodded.
Then she turned and headed for the bright exit.
She didn't walk quickly, but with every step, she grew steadier.
Her Scorpion Braid hung down her back, and the Carrot Wooden Hairpin swayed lightly in her hair.
Like a tiny anchor.
And like the confidence she could now keep firmly in her heart.
Su Chen followed her to the edge of the spectator area.
As the exit opened, the roar outside flooded in all at once.
The Soul Fighting Training Ground was much larger than the grounds at Nuoding Academy.
The ring was a standard circle, its edge paved with Black Stone and its center covered in fine sand. It gave way slightly underfoot, enough to push off from—and enough to make sliding steps possible.
The stands all around were already full.
Zhou Ling had taken the stage first and was rolling his wrists.
He didn't rush to release his Martial Soul. He simply surveyed the crowd, clearly enjoying the attention.
The instructor overseeing the test stood beside the ring and announced loudly.
"First match of the Suotuo City special recruitment assessment."
"Zhou Ling versus Xiao Wu."
As soon as he finished speaking,
Xiao Wu stepped onto the ring from the opposite side.
The crowd fell silent at first, then broke into a wave of chatter, unmistakably full of disdain.
"That's her?"
"Just a little girl?"
"Does Nuoding City really have nobody else?"
"She's pretty, I'll give her that. Wonder if she can take a punch from Zhou Ling."
Su Chen stood at the front of the stands, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.
He said nothing.
Yet the voices that had been chattering just moments ago somehow grew quieter.
Shen Zhi stepped up beside him and spoke under his breath.
"Zhou Ling knows this ring well."
"Judging by the depth of the sand, he tested his footwork here yesterday."
"Mm."
"Aren't you worried?"
"Worrying won't help."
Su Chen kept his eyes on Xiao Wu in the ring.
"She has to win this herself."
In the ring,
Zhou Ling rolled his neck and stared at Xiao Wu.
"Last chance."
"Give up now while you still can."
At the other end of the ring, Xiao Wu didn't answer right away.
She tested the sand's softness underfoot, then raised her eyes to Zhou Ling.
"You really do talk too much."
Zhou Ling's expression darkened.
Seeing that the tension had built enough, the Chief Instructor immediately raised a hand.
"Both contestants, get ready."
"Assessment rules: stop when there's a clear winner. Stepping out of bounds counts as a loss. Deliberately injuring your opponent is forbidden."
"Begin—"
The moment the final word fell,
Zhou Ling stamped down hard. Even the Black Stone at the edge of the ring shuddered with a muffled thud.
His Beast Martial Soul instantly possessed him.
Two Yellow Soul Rings rose, one after the other.
His shoulders and back seemed to swell in an instant. He pitched forward, and his first step went straight for the centerline.
Fast and heavy.
A round of cheers erupted from the Suotuo City stands.
"Zhou Ling's making his move!"
"Crush her in one go!"
"Don't give her a chance to run!"
Xiao Wu didn't meet his charge.
She shifted onto one foot and leaned lightly to the side, giving ground by half a step.
Zhou Ling's eyes sharpened. He pressed forward at once, driving his shoulder ahead as his left leg moved in to cut her off.
It was the same rhythm they had been breaking down again and again over the past three days.
Force her into position, speed up, drive her to the edge.
Below the ring, Su Chen's gaze didn't waver.
He tapped the railing lightly with his fingertips just as Zhou Ling shifted to cover his left flank.
In the arena, Xiao Wu's gaze seemed to catch the rhythm a beat ahead of time.
She didn't retreat in a straight line.
First, she feinted half a step to the left.
Zhou Ling followed, just as she expected.
The moment he did, Xiao Wu abruptly pivoted on her foot, darting diagonally past his right side like a shadow skimming the ground.
She was so fast that only a pink blur remained.
The cheers from the stands cut off abruptly.
Before you continue