I said, only by cooperating with me do you have a chance to win. Do you believe me now?

Jiang Yang lightly raised his foot, landing a precise kick on the side of the Soul Suppressing Cauldron as it barreled toward him, a deafening metallic clang instantly echoing across the entire field.

The heavy, momentum-laden Soul Suppressing Cauldron was sent flying by this single kick, spinning through the air before crashing into the open ground. The earth trembled slightly, and the cauldron's spiritual light dimmed as it slowly drifted back to Xiao Xiao's side, leaving her standing there completely dumbfounded.

At the same moment, Jiang Yang shifted his body slightly, letting the opponent's guillotine-like wings graze the tip of his nose before they slammed into a tree trunk, leaving behind a deep, jagged scar.

Wang Dong's attack had missed, leaving her in that brief window where her old strength was spent and her new strength had yet to manifest. Jiang Yang's right hand, which had been behind his back, suddenly shot out like a phantom, firmly locking onto her wrist.

"Ouch—"

A massive force surged from Jiang Yang's palm, and Wang Dong couldn't help but cry out in pain.

In the blink of an eye, her entire arm went numb and swollen, and the soul power within her body suddenly stagnated. Before she could even react, her body was pulled along by Jiang Yang's momentum, causing her to stumble forward.

Jiang Yang did not retreat but advanced, closing the distance with calm, measured steps. His tall, upright figure slowly pressed in on Wang Dong's petite frame, and an intense sense of oppression instantly enveloped her.

Wang Dong could clearly sense the scent of him and the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. With her entire person trapped beneath his shadow, she was unable to move a muscle, appearing both disheveled and caught in an indescribable, ambiguous tension.

This entire sequence of events had transpired in the blink of an eye.

Xiao Xiao stared at the dim Soul Suppressing Cauldron, her mind a complete blank, standing frozen in place and at a loss for what to do.

Wang Dong was even more mortified, her cheeks flushed a deep red. Exposed to the eyes of the crowd, she wanted to struggle, but her body felt devoid of strength, leaving only her rapid, shallow breathing and a heart that wouldn't stop racing.

"Is... is this too heaven-defying?"

"Is it over?"

"I didn't see anything at all!"

"Could they be faking it on purpose?"

"Hm? What do you mean!"

"Don't you know? Wang Dong and Jiang Yang are roommates. They're as thick as thieves, so it's hard not to suspect they're just putting on a show."

"Could it be that Jiang Yang is going back on his word?"

"Unlikely to be that. He probably just wanted to scare us so we wouldn't bet anything too valuable."

"So that's how it is..."

This fight.

It was simply too fast.

This resulted in many people, even those standing nearby, failing to see the whole process.

Even Mu Jin had only caught a rough glimpse of it.

However.

She was experienced and knowledgeable, and even from just a few clues, she could deduce the general situation.

Naturally, she wouldn't be like the others and dismiss this fight as a performance.

"Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, what is the meaning of this?"

"Give me a satisfactory explanation, otherwise, don't blame me for invoking academy rules."

Although Mu Jin was kind-hearted and didn't like to expel students at the drop of a hat.

But if students were truly unruly and had caused a severely negative impact, she would still mete out a certain degree of punishment.

"I'm sorry, Teacher, I was the one who asked Wang Dong to..."

"Teacher, this has nothing to do with Xiao Xiao. It was all my own decision, and I dragged Xiao Xiao into it."

"Student Jiang Yang, how do you think we should handle this?"

Seeing Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao both taking responsibility for each other, Mu Jin felt a surge of joy.

At the very least, this showed that the students she taught still possessed good character.

The remaining question, then, was up to Jiang Yang, the aggrieved party.

Because the authority of the Outer Court Chief was so immense.

Especially in matters that could be considered either trivial or serious, if Jiang Yang insisted on pursuing the matter, even if she were willing to step in to protect Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, it would be difficult to save them.

"It's a small matter, just consider it a practice drill."

Jiang Yang waved his hand.

This was originally a trivial affair.

There was no need to make a mountain out of a molehill.

Having said that.

He immediately went back to leaning against the tree, sitting cross-legged to begin his meditation.

Wang Dong, meanwhile, secretly made a face at him.

Then, she pulled Xiao Xiao over to sit down not far from Jiang Yang, and the two began to discuss the details of what had just happened.

Before long.

Two and a half hours had passed.

Mu Jin saw that everyone was basically ready, so she stood up, walked over to Jiang Yang, and said a few words to him.

After receiving Jiang Yang's permission.

Mu Jin also excitedly walked over to a higher step and stood there.

"Students, the friendly match for our Freshman Class One is now—"

"Officially beginning!"

"The first match: the challengers, Tai Long, Tang Ling, and Yun Xiaopiao, will challenge the defender, the Outer Court senior brother—Jiang Yang!"

"The stakes are twenty Gold Soul Coins and a bottle of healing medicine worth over a dozen Gold Soul Coins."

"Who will win and who will lose?"

"Let us wait and see!"

"Now, I announce that the first offense-defense match—"

"Officially begins!"

As soon as Mu Jin finished speaking.

Tai Long and the others immediately activated their Martial Souls.

Although the three of them were all one-ring Soul Masters, their composition was quite decent.

One power attack type and two control types.

"Senior Brother—"

"Here we come!"

After Tai Long finished speaking, he immediately used Martial Soul Possession to manifest his Mad Dog Martial Soul on his right hand and charged at Jiang Yang.

Tang Ling and Yun Xiaopiao acted as flanks, compensating for Tai Long's lack of damage while controlling Jiang Yang's movement.

However.

Just at this moment, Jiang Yang, who had been standing in place, suddenly flashed, and he was gone!

His speed was so fast it left afterimages.

By the time Tai Long and the others regained their senses, they had already been sent flying backward.

"What?!"

Dai Huabin, who had been staring at Jiang Yang the whole time, suddenly stood up in excitement.

Such strength made even him feel a chill.

"What is going on?!"

"How did Tai Long and the others lose just like that?!"

"Oh my god! Senior Brother is so handsome—"

"Senior Brother!"

"Senior Brother!!"

"..."

While everyone was discussing, a group of infatuated girls stood up one after another to cheer for Jiang Yang.

There was no helping it.

They truly could not resist a young man who was handsome, held a high status, and possessed heaven-defying strength.

"The second match—"

Seeing that Jiang Yang's strength was indeed astonishing, Mu Jin was also wild with joy inside.

As long as she earned enough class funds, she would be confident in helping more students in the class pass this freshman assessment.

"I told you, only by cooperating with me will you have a chance to win. Do you believe me now?"

As one student team after another was crushed by Jiang Yang at a lightning-fast speed, Huo Yuhao, guided by Sky Dream Ice Silkworm in his spiritual sea, arrived at Dai Huabin's side.

Even though this legitimate son of Duke White Tiger disgusted him to the point where he wished he could eat his flesh, for the sake of his upcoming plan.

He had no choice but to seek cooperation with Dai Huabin.

Of course.

Even so, Huo Yuhao was still somewhat unwilling to approach Dai Huabin, but because of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's advice.

Combined with his own dissatisfaction with Jiang Yang.

And his desire to become stronger.

All these feelings piled together, which was what drove him to take this step.

"Tsk, why should I believe you, a one-ring Soul Master whose first soul ring is only ten years old?"