"Did you really think you were some kind of extraordinary genius?"
The young man grew more agitated with every word.
"You're just riding on the title of Innate Full Soul Power!"
"You're nothing but an untested nobody, and you dare put on airs on Spirit Hall's turf, right in front of Cardinal Lang?"
"I'd say you have no idea how high the heavens are or how deep the earth!"
The girl beside him hurriedly tugged at his sleeve, frightened, and whispered a plea.
"Senior Brother, don't make a scene..."
"Get lost!"
The young man flung her hand away and glared at Zhu Zhuqing, roaring,
"If you've got the guts, fight me one-on-one! If you lose, you'll kneel and apologize to the teacher, then get out of this quiet room. You'll never set foot at his door again!"
Lang Taihui set down his teacup with a heavy thud and scolded him sternly.
"Lei Xiang, shut up! What kind of behavior is it to shout and carry on?"
Yet there was no real anger in his eyes, despite his feigned indignation. Instead, he let out a sinister chuckle in his heart:
Good, very good. You really are a fine student, just as I taught you to be.
That was the perfect opening. I can use this brat to sound out Zhu Zhuqing and fulfill Miss Hu's instructions.
Even after being reprimanded in front of everyone, Lei Xiang remained unconvinced and shouted,
"Teacher! I just can't stand the way she looks down on everyone!"
"You show her respect, and she takes it as license to climb all over you. Someone like her doesn't deserve to be your student!"
Lang Taihui spoke again, this time with solemnity.
"Do you know who she is?"
"This young lady is a direct descendant of the Zhu Family of the Star Luo Empire, the true heir to the Hell Spirit Cat Martial Soul."
"The Dai and Zhu families of Star Luo have governed the empire's military and civil affairs for generations. The Martial Soul Fusion Skill of the Hell Spirit Cat and the Evil Eye White Tiger is peerless across the continent."
"Tell me, does that make her some untested nobody?"
Zhu Zhuqing's face remained expressionless, but a storm stirred in her heart.
This cardinal must have learned of her past from Hu Liena.
He knew perfectly well she was a fugitive, hunted by the Star Luo Imperial Family after fleeing her clan, yet he had deliberately thrust the title of Zhu Family heiress into the spotlight for all to see.
His intentions were obvious.
"Old fox."
Gu Chensha's sneer rang out in her sea of consciousness, followed by his question.
"Qing'er, do you think you should accept this challenge?"
Zhu Zhuqing fell silent for a moment, then lifted her eyes to Lei Xiang.
"I accept your challenge."
At those words, Hu Liena, who had watched the whole scene with a strand of red hair curled around her fingertip and an amused smile on her face, exchanged a glance with Lang Taihui.
Lang Taihui gave a slight nod and seized the opportunity to settle the matter.
"Since Miss Zhu has agreed, sparring and testing one another's skills is, after all, a longstanding rule of our Spirit Hall."
"Very well. We'll go to the academy's Martial Arts Arena. Remember, stop when a clear winner is decided. Don't let this harm your friendship."
The group passed through a side gate and entered the grounds of Martial Soul Academy.
The entire academy was built around a central Martial Arts Arena, with its elementary, intermediate, and advanced teaching districts arranged in a ring around it.
There were no gates separating the three districts, and junior disciples were never barred from visiting other areas to observe or issue challenges. The academy even strongly encouraged it.
This design reflected the survival rules Spirit Hall had carved into its very bones:
First, strength was supreme, and the law of the jungle had to be etched into a disciple's mind from the moment they entered. Challenging those above one's rank was the fastest way to shed the softness of a sheltered life and bring out one's potential.
Second, it completely broke down barriers of rank. It let younger disciples witness the best of their generation early and set clear goals for their cultivation, while forcing older disciples to stay alert and never slack off.
Third, placing the Martial Arts Arena at the heart of the academy meant that every disciple, wherever they were, could reach it at once, turning every spar into a public trial.
It was a contest between two people, but also a model lesson for the entire academy.
The disciples of the Advanced Academy, which occupied the innermost ring, could all be called geniuses selected from ten thousand.
They were grouped in threes, with powerful instructors of cardinal rank personally serving as their mentors. However, most cardinals also held important duties within Spirit Hall, so they rarely had time to supervise their students closely.
More than eighty percent of the disciples' daily cultivation depended on their own efforts.
They only asked their mentors for guidance when they hit a dead end in their cultivation or were preparing to break through to the next Soul Ring.
Of course, there were exceptions.
The moment the group entered the Martial Arts Arena, the news spread across all three districts as if it had sprouted wings.
Lang Taihui was widely recognized as the strongest Red Cardinal in the academy's Agility Attack System. The news that his personal disciple was about to fight an unfamiliar new girl one-on-one instantly drew dozens of disciples to watch.
Children from the elementary district clung to the railings and stood on tiptoe to get a better look, while disciples from the intermediate district gathered in groups, whispering among themselves.
Several disciples from the Advanced Academy, who had been cultivating on the far side of the arena, also withdrew their Soul Power and folded their arms to watch the show.
Even the guards patrolling the edge of the arena stopped and leaned against the railing, gazing over with interest.
"Look! It really is Senior Brother Lei Xiang, Cardinal Lang's personal disciple!"
"I heard he just broke through to level 24 last month. He's never lost to anyone in the same rank in the Power Attack System!"
"Who's that black-haired girl fighting him? I don't recognize her. Is she new?"
"I heard from a senior brother at the branch hall that she's a noble lady from the Star Luo Empire. She only got to become Cardinal Lang's student because she knows Miss Hu."
"A noble lady? Coming to our Spirit Hall to prove her strength? Isn't she just here to gild her reputation?"
"Senior Brother Lei Xiang hates nobles who throw their weight around because of their family background. This should be good!"
Lei Xiang stood in the center of the Martial Arts Arena, and the murmurs around him only swelled his pride.
He swept both arms outward, and two Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet.
Yellow, yellow!
The standard, ideal Soul Ring configuration for a Soul Grandmaster.
His level 24 Power Attack System Soul Power surged outward. Behind him appeared a half-human-sized Mad Shadow Wolf Martial Soul, its mane bristling and fangs bared, its ferocity pressing down on those nearby.
He looked scornfully at Zhu Zhuqing, ten meters away, his thoughts crystal clear:
This was Spirit Hall. From the academy to the main hall, everyone had fought their way through layer upon layer of trials. No exceptions.
Royal blood and ducal lineage were worthless here.
He himself was an orphan whom Cardinal Lang had picked up from a slum.
Most of the disciples around him were either orphans or children whose families had been destroyed by nobles. They were born with resentment and hatred for nobles who had come into the world with silver spoons in their mouths.
Even if she was the true heir to the Hell Spirit Cat, in his eyes she was still just a pampered young lady relying on her family's bloodline.
Despite the contempt in his heart, he followed every formality of Spirit Hall's dueling etiquette.
Lei Xiang clasped his fists before his chest and announced himself in a deep voice.
"Lei Xiang, Martial Soul: Mad Shadow Wolf, level 24 Agility Attack System Battle Soul Master. Please, instruct me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of cheers erupted from the crowd.
"Senior Brother Lei Xiang's presence is so impressive! No wonder he's Cardinal Lang's personal disciple!"
"That Soul Power is terrifyingly steady. Who at the same level could withstand a full set of his Soul Skills?"
"That girl's bound to lose. He's three levels above her!"
Before you continue