Consolidating His Position

But just as Lu Fan had expected,

Ma Hongjun, with only Level 12 Soul Power,

had nearly exhausted his Soul Power after using his soul skill almost ten times.

He could barely even maintain Martial Soul Possession.

Seeing this, Lu Fan strolled leisurely toward Ma Hongjun.

"Fatty, you had a great time hitting me just now, didn't you? Now it's my turn to hit you."

Watching Lu Fan draw closer and closer like a demon,

Ma Hongjun kept backing away. "Brother Fan, aren't we the best brothers? Have you forgotten our dream combo—one attacker and one defender?"

By the time Lu Fan reached Ma Hongjun, the corners of his mouth had nearly stretched up to the heavens.

"Forgotten? Of course not. But as they say, a beating is affection and scolding is love. Come, let Brother Fan take a good look at you."

"Brother Fan, no!"

"You don't get a choice!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Two and a half minutes later,

"Alright, I hereby announce that Xiao Fan is the winner."

Looking at Lu Fan sitting on Ma Hongjun's back, Flender announced with a smile.

Lu Fan got off Ma Hongjun and grinned. "Your Brother Fan is still your Brother Fan. Stop acting tough, got it?"

Ma Hongjun stared at Lu Fan, his face full of dissatisfaction.

Seeing this, Lu Fan chuckled. "Fatty, you're not convinced, huh? Then let's do it again once we break through to Soul Grandmaster."

Ma Hongjun's eyes lit up at once. "Fine! When that time comes, I'll definitely wash away this humiliation."

Flender nodded with a smile from the side. "Good. That's how a Soul Master should be—full of fighting spirit. One loss is nothing. At worst, win it back next time."

"Alright, now the two of you go run as well."

"Huh? Why?"

Lu Fan and Ma Hongjun's expressions changed immediately.

Flender snorted. "When you can run around the academy for two straight hours at a three-minute-per-kilometer pace without using Soul Power, then you can stop your physical training."

The two of them nearly blacked out and fainted upon hearing that.

With miserable expressions, they joined the running group.

"What did the Headmaster mean when he said you went to the Great Soul Arena to compete?"

With nothing better to do, the two chatted as they ran.

Lu Fan nodded and explained, "I wanted to make some money. At first, I thought I probably couldn't beat Soul Masters with higher Soul Power than mine, so I planned to have Xiao Ao place a wager on me losing. But who knew the division I was assigned to didn't qualify for betting? Registration even cost ten Gold Soul Coins. Fortunately, my opponent in that match was weak. I caught him off guard and won, then received a reward of ten Gold Soul Coins."

Even Ma Hongjun was tempted when he heard about the ten-Gold-Soul-Coin reward.

Lu Fan shook his head. "That match was entirely luck too. I won't be going again unless my Soul Power Level breaks through Level 15 and reaches a more suitable range. Otherwise, I'd probably just lose if I went, so there's no point."

"After all, I'm a defense-type Soul Master with little offensive power. But you, Fatty, could consider it. Your first soul skill is pretty powerful. With a bit of luck, you could win too."

For the current Lu Fan, his body was practically his greatest weakness.

Without Soul Power, his physical body was only about as strong as that of an elementary school student in second or third grade.

But if he absorbed his second Spirit Ring, he could immediately reach the level of a middle school student.

If he became a Soul Elder, he could reach the level of an adult.

Of course, with Soul Power reinforcing his body during Martial Soul Possession, he could improve even further.

Thinking about the issue of his physique, Lu Fan looked at Ma Hongjun beside him and smiled. "Say, Fatty, you do aerobic running training every day. Why haven't you lost any weight at all?"

Ma Hongjun felt miserable upon hearing that.

He actually had not been fat before.

It had only become like this after he awakened his Martial Soul.

"I don't know either. The Headmaster said it's because of my Martial Soul. It's probably a side effect of Martial Soul Mutation."

As he spoke, Ma Hongjun could not help looking at Lu Fan enviously.

They had both undergone Martial Soul Mutation, so why was Lu Fan so handsome?

The moment Lu Fan saw Ma Hongjun's gaze, he immediately guessed what the other boy was thinking.

Lu Fan chuckled. "I'm not this handsome because I awakened my Martial Soul. I was good-looking even before I awakened it."

"Must be genetics."

"Ah."

Ma Hongjun had nothing to say.

A year and a half later,

With only two or three months left before his ninth birthday, Lu Fan's Soul Power broke through Level 20, making him a Quasi-Soul Grandmaster.

"Headmaster, Teacher Zhao, I've broken through to Level 20."

Lu Fan greeted the two men in the square with a smile.

The two were pleasantly surprised. An eight-year-old Soul Grandmaster—what extraordinary talent!

"Hahaha, as expected of our Shrek Academy little monster. What kind of soul beast do you want for your Spirit Ring? I, Old Zhao, will personally get it for you."

Zhao Wuji stepped forward with a smile.

Flender, standing nearby, also looked at Lu Fan with gratified eyes.

As expected of his disciple.

However, Lu Fan shook his head. "No, I don't plan on obtaining a Spirit Ring for the time being."

"Not obtaining a Spirit Ring won't delay my Soul Power cultivation anyway. I'm still planning to use my Soul Power to win more money at the Great Soul Arena."

Flender and Zhao Wuji both rolled their eyes at Lu Fan.

During this period, Lu Fan had gone to the Great Soul Arena to fight at least once every week.

After nearly a hundred matches, his record was quite impressive.

69 wins, 35 losses.

Those 69 victories alone had earned him 690 Gold Soul Coins.

And since he had only gone to Spirit Hall to register his identity a full year after awakening his Martial Soul,

he had also received 9 Gold Soul Coins from the Empire's subsidy for free.

However, after tuition, daily expenses, and expanding the Flower Field, he had only saved up five hundred Gold Soul Coins.