Ma Hongjun and His Group Get Beaten

Dai Mubai glared fiercely at Oscar, who was still retreating, then glanced at Ma Hongjun, who was scared out of his wits, cursing his bad luck under his breath.

But since things had come to this, he, as the leader, could not simply flee the battlefield.

Dai Mubai had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Senior Bu Le, we were indeed young and impetuous, and we offended you. We are here to offer our apologies."

As he spoke, he tugged at Ma Hongjun, signaling him to lower his head and admit his mistake.

Although Ma Hongjun was unwilling, under the pressure of a Soul Ancestor, he could only lower his head in humiliation and mumble, "I... I'm sorry."

Bu Le, however, acted as if he had heard a joke, a sinister grin spreading across his fat-layered face: "An apology is enough? That wasn't your attitude just a moment ago."

He suddenly stepped forward, his fleshy palm slamming violently toward Dai Mubai's face, "Kneel down and kowtow three times, and perhaps this daddy will consider sparing you!"

The palm wind carried a greasy, foul stench. Dai Mubai's pupils constricted, and as he dodged to the side, his soul power erupted: "Third Soul Skill: White Tiger Intense Light Wave!"

A purple soul ring lit up, and a pale golden beam of light erupted from his mouth, aiming straight for Bu Le's face.

Seeing this, the fat on Bu Le's face shook, and a trace of disdain flashed in his eyes: "A petty trick!"

"First Soul Skill: Heavenly Net Cover!"

In an instant, a translucent, pale golden light barrier emerged from his body, like an inverted glass bowl, shielding his upper body tightly.

This barrier looked thin, yet it radiated an extremely resilient aura.

"Boom!"

The White Tiger Intense Light Wave slammed into the Heavenly Net Cover with a dull, thunderous sound, the golden light rippling like a stone thrown into a lake.

But the barrier only trembled violently, blocking the attack entirely without even a single crack appearing.

"Is that it?" Bu Le sneered, his hands pushing outward violently, "Second Soul Skill: Dual Cover Harmony!"

The second soul ring at his feet lit up, and the Heavenly Net Cover that had been protecting his upper body suddenly split, transforming into two smaller light barriers that hovered in front of him, one behind the other.

The front barrier remained defensive, while the rear one emitted a faint suction, showing signs of being able to reflect the attack back.

"Oh no!" Dai Mubai's expression changed drastically; he tried to retract his soul power, but he was a step too late.

The suction from the rear barrier erupted, and the reflected force, like a spinning blade, slammed into Dai Mubai's chest.

"Pfft!"

Dai Mubai felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer; his body flew backward uncontrollably, crashing heavily against the alley wall. As he slid down, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, his chest stained crimson.

"Boss Dai!" Ma Hongjun cried out in alarm.

Bu Le rushed toward Dai Mubai, throwing a punch at his face.

Bu Le's fist carried a gust of wind, landing solidly on Dai Mubai's face.

"Boom!"

With a dull thud, Dai Mubai felt his vision go black. His cheek swelled up instantly, and the numbness from his loosened teeth mixed with the blood at the corner of his mouth.

Already injured by the reflected force, he had no strength to resist and could only watch helplessly as Bu Le's fist descended again.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three consecutive punches, each one landing squarely on flesh.

Dai Mubai's face swelled at a visible rate; he saw stars, and his consciousness began to blur.

"Boss Dai!" Ma Hongjun's eyes turned blood-red with anxiety. He tried to rush forward but was swept to the ground by a casual wave of Bu Le's hand.

Although Bu Le was not using his full soul power, it was more than enough to deal with a Soul Master in his twenties.

Ma Hongjun fell to the ground, grimacing in pain, unable to crawl up for a long time.

Oscar, watching from the side, was terrified out of his wits. He turned to run, but was locked onto by Bu Le's peripheral vision.

"Trying to run?" Bu Le grinned hideously, raising his foot to kick Oscar in the lower back.

"Ah!"

Oscar was kicked like a discarded sack, flying into a stone pillar at the mouth of the alley. He curled into a ball in agony, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.

He tried to crawl up, but found his lower back felt as if it were broken; every movement sent a piercing pain through him.

Seeing Dai Mubai lying on the ground with no strength left to resist, Bu Le turned his attention to Ma Hongjun, who was trying to get up to protect his companion, and kicked him in the stomach.

Ma Hongjun arched his back in pain like a trampled shrimp. Just as he was about to cry out, Bu Le's fist smashed into his face, and nosebleed instantly gushed out, covering his entire face.

"Still moving?" Bu Le spat, grabbing Ma Hongjun by the hair and throwing him toward Dai Mubai.

The two collided, letting out muffled groans of pain.

Bu Le turned to look at Oscar, who was trying to sneak away. He chased him down in a few steps, stepped on Oscar's back to pin him firmly to the ground, grabbed a wooden stick from the side, and began to beat him mercilessly.

"Trying to run! Being arrogant!" Bu Le cursed as he struck, the wooden stick thudding against Oscar's body.

Oscar wailed and begged for mercy, his tears mixing with the dust on the ground to smear his face.

After beating them for a good while, Bu Le stopped, panting heavily. Looking at the three of them groaning on the ground, a look of disgust and greed appeared on his face.

Bu Le squatted down, first patting Dai Mubai down, pulling out the money pouch from his waist and the bag of soul coins from his chest, weighing them before stuffing them into his own clothes with satisfaction.

Then he grabbed Ma Hongjun, rudely tore open his coat, fished out a money pouch embroidered with flame patterns from an inner pocket, felt its thickness, and grinned.

Finally, it was Oscar's turn; pinned down and unable to move, Bu Le reached out and yanked open his waistband, dragging out the small cloth pouch hidden inside.

Bu Le poured out the few silver coins and the pile of copper soul coins from within, and although it wasn't much, he stuffed them into his own pocket all the same.

"Consider yourselves sensible," Bu Le said, patting his bulging pocket before kicking Dai Mubai's leg. "If you dare challenge me again, it won't be as simple as just taking your money."

With that, he whistled and swaggered away, leaving Dai Mubai and the other two lying on the ground.

The three of them were covered in injuries, their faces and bodies bruised black and blue; the spot where their money pouches had been ripped away felt hollow, as if a piece of them had been gouged out, aching not just in their bodies, but in the last remnants of their pride.

Dai Mubai struggled to crawl up and help his companions, only to find he couldn't even lift his arms, his cheeks so swollen he could barely open his eyes.

Ma Hongjun clutched his bleeding nose, hissing in pain.

Oscar lay flat on the ground, the agony in his lower back making it difficult even to roll over.

The alleyway was filled only with their stifled groans and the mournful whistling of the wind in the distance, making the arrogance of moments ago and their current wretched state stand out in stark contrast.

After a long while, the three of them climbed off the ground and, supporting one another, began to walk toward Shrek Academy.

Ma Hongjun complained, "Damn it, we're telling Teacher Zhao when we get back. We'll have Teacher Zhao avenge us."

Dai Mubai leaned against the wall and spat out a mouthful of blood, his voice hoarse but filled with vicious intent: "We will! We absolutely will! I can't swallow this insult! We'll find Teacher Zhao the moment we get back; I refuse to believe he can't deal with a mere Bu Le!"