"First Soul Skill—huh?"
Just as Jiang Nannan was about to stand up for Jiang Yang, she caught sight of the figure sprawled on the ground and froze.
"Xu Sanshi?"
"Holy crap! That's insane!!"
"My god! Somebody pinch me, damn—hey, you really pinched me?! A sixth-year senior got sent flying?"
"Beibei, do you think... that freshman might've cheated?"
"Hard to say. Let's go check on Sanshi first."
The young man and woman who had come with Xu Sanshi were Beibei and Tang Ya.
As Beibei went over to help Xu Sanshi up, Wang Dong, standing behind Jiang Yang, stared in stunned amazement.
"So... last night, he was holding back the whole time?"
"Looks like Jiang Yang's actually a pretty decent guy. He may talk kind of harshly, but he still has a sense of compassion."
At the thought of this, Wang Dong looked at Jiang Yang again, and her gaze had changed slightly.
Meanwhile, Jiang Nannan turned back and stared at Jiang Yang in astonishment for a long moment. Once her nervousness had eased, she put away her Martial Soul.
A flash of delight first appeared in her eyes, then gave way to a touch of disappointment. "Congratulations, Brother Jiang Yang. You've gotten stronger again."
Yes, Brother Jiang Yang had gotten stronger again.
He was still so young, yet he was already this powerful.
Sigh... I should've known. Wherever he goes, he still shines just as brightly as ever, just like back then...
"Heh, Nannan, he was just too weak."
Jiang Yang smiled faintly.
Xu Sanshi had a Divine Beast bloodline Martial Soul and was a prized disciple whom the Mysterious Underworld Sect had spared no effort to cultivate. Yet at his age, he was only a three-ring Soul Elder.
Calling him trash would be an insult to the word "trash."
"What? Beibei, what did you say? Xu Sanshi's sternum is broken?!"
Tang Ya was utterly dumbfounded.
She often bickered with Xu Sanshi and threatened to smash his turtle shell, but she knew perfectly well that his true strength was far beyond what she could take on.
Across the entire Outer Court, only Beibei—the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Soul Master hailed as the Outer Court's strongest attacker—could match him.
She simply couldn't understand why Xu Sanshi had lost to a freshman.
Although neither of them had released their Martial Souls, a Soul Master's body was already far beyond an ordinary person's.
And Xu Sanshi was a three-ring Soul Elder famed as the Outer Court's strongest defender, on the verge of breaking through to become a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor.
No matter how you looked at it, what had just happened shouldn't have been possible.
But reality was reality, whether they believed it or not.
"Little Yuhao, that person's dangerous. You should stay away from him."
Just then, Huo Yuhao, who had come running at the sound and was watching from the crowd, heard the voice of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm in his spiritual sea.
"Brother Sky Dream, isn't he a freshman just like me? Why do you say he's dangerous?" Huo Yuhao asked in his spiritual sea.
"You don't understand, do you?"
"Our Sky Dream Clan has an especially keen sense of danger. Don't be fooled by how young he looks—his actual combat strength is formidable!"
"But you don't have to worry. Once you reach level 20, I'll naturally give you a great gift. I guarantee you'll be able to beat him senseless from then on!"
"Mm-hmm. Thanks, Brother Sky Dream. I'll definitely work hard at cultivating!"
With the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's assurance, Huo Yuhao was once again filled with motivation to press forward.
The first freshman assessment would take place in three months. He was certain he could pass it—and take first place!
"Kid! Good! Let's go again!"
Xu Sanshi shoved Beibei aside. Three Soul Rings—two yellow and one purple—lit up beneath his feet, and a phantom Black Tortoise appeared behind him.
It looked like he was ready to get serious.
"Sanshi, don't be rash. You'll be violating the academy's rules like this. There'll be trouble!"
Beibei immediately tried to stop him.
But it was obvious that a verbal warning wasn't going to do much good.
"Senior, what are you trying to do? Freshmen aren't here to be bullied!"
Wang Dong suddenly stepped out from behind Jiang Yang and stood in front of him. Two Soul Rings, one yellow and one purple, appeared beneath her feet. She was clearly no pushover either.
The crowd couldn't help falling somewhat quiet.
Even Jiang Yang was taken aback.
But he wasn't surprised by Wang Dong's Soul Rings. He simply hadn't expected this proud, tsundere daughter of a God King to go this far for him.
Looks like last night's fight hadn't been for nothing.
"Xu Sanshi, if you don't stop, don't blame me for telling the teachers!"
Jiang Nannan was already standing beside Jiang Yang, and she immediately revealed her Soul Rings too.
The scene had suddenly turned into three against one.
"Outrageous!"
However, just as everyone was anticipating the three-on-one fight, a stern shout rang out.
Immediately afterward, a middle-aged man approached. He wore lavish clothes, had a slightly plump build and a kindly face, yet carried an air of authority.
A second man followed behind him, looking exceptionally sharp and capable.
From their clothes, it was obvious that they were teachers from the Soul Tool Academy.
"Dean Qian?!"
"Teacher Fan Yu?!"
Beibei and Tang Ya immediately bowed to greet them.
Jiang Nannan noticed them too and politely bowed. "Dean Qian, Teacher Fan Yu!"
"Dean Qian, Teacher Fan Yu." The moment Xu Sanshi saw them, his anger died down.
He looked as if he'd wilted.
"Well, well~"
"What a lively scene. Xu Sanshi, what are you doing? Go on, keep at it. Just pretend I'm not here."
Qian Duoduo said with a smile, idly playing with a coin that moved in his hand.
He seemed like nothing more than a kind, amiable elder.
But the stern look on Teacher Fan Yu's face revealed how the two of them really felt.
"No, no, haha. Dean Qian, I was just joking around with the new junior. I wasn't going to fight him, haha..."
Xu Sanshi immediately put away his Martial Soul and gave Qian Duoduo a sheepish laugh.
"Oh? Is that so?"
"You there, new student. Is that what happened?"
Qian Duoduo turned to look at Jiang Yang.
Everyone's gaze followed.
Even Xu Sanshi, who had been eager to teach Jiang Yang a lesson, was watching him.
Anyone could tell that Dean Qian Duoduo was trying to establish how the incident should be classified.
If he called it horseplay, then at most it would be treated as a scuffle.
But if he classified it as a fight between students in an area other than the Soul Fighting Arena, that would be serious.
Everyone involved would certainly be punished, and in severe cases, they could be expelled outright.
So Jiang Yang's answer seemed obvious. Although everyone was looking at him, in their hearts they had already answered for him.
"More or less—"
The moment Jiang Yang said this, it only convinced everyone further that their assumption was right.
They figured that no matter how powerful or cocky this freshman was, he was still just a student. How could he possibly say anything else?
"He indeed dared not make a move."
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