Xue Beng's Daily Bloodbath

Facing the eight wastrels, Lan Si sneered. The moment they summoned their martial souls, he channeled his Supreme Universe Art to the fourth level and activated his newly mastered "Flash" skill (ps: not true teleportation, merely extreme speed that appears as such to the naked eye; for reference, see the teleportation used by the Medium Heaven Realm Water and Fire Judges in The Degenerates). His figure vanished instantly, reappearing right before the eight of them, his fists connecting solidly with flesh.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A rapid succession of impacts rang out. The eight were instantly sent sprawling, tumbling to the ground in a heap. Some clutched their chests, others their abdomens, and some grabbed their lower regions, wailing in agony.

The entire scene fell into stunned silence. The surrounding onlookers gasped, and the air was filled with the incessant sounds of screaming and moaning.

Glancing at the wastrels sprawled on the ground and then at Xue Beng, who hadn't yet run far, Lan Si's lips curled into a playful smirk. He activated his Flash skill again, closing the distance in a few blinks.

Not far away, Xue Beng heard the screams of his companions behind him and was struck with terror. Not daring to look back, he wished his parents had given him an extra pair of legs, quickening his pace. If he could just find an academy teacher, the other party wouldn't dare touch him. Then, he could find his uncle, Prince Xue Xing, to help him wash away this humiliation.

Just then, a voice that sounded like a judgment echoed right beside his ear: "Your Highness Xue Beng, where are you planning to go?"

Xue Beng's body stiffened. The next moment, he felt a hand clamp onto his left shoulder, pinning him down so firmly he couldn't move an inch further. He turned his head with great difficulty, swallowed hard, and stammered, "What do you want? I am the Fourth Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire!"

"I don't want anything. I just want to help Your Highness loosen up your muscles. Your Highness, have you ever heard of a move called the Front Lotus? It involves throwing you high into the air, grabbing your body, and spinning at high speed while diving head-first toward the ground. Before you make contact, I separate, and your head gets to have an intimate encounter with the ground at extreme velocity."

Lan Si narrowed his eyes, speaking of the taijutsu technique from his past life's anime, Naruto, with an innocent expression. He didn't bother to lower his voice, and since the surrounding spectators were all Soul Masters with keen hearing, they caught every word.

When they heard Lan Si describe this so-called Front Lotus, their eyes widened in shock, and they couldn't help but gasp. Good heavens, this guy was truly ruthless! If Xue Beng took that hit, would he even survive? Did he really dare to publicly execute a prince of the Heaven Dou Empire?

"You wouldn't dare!" Xue Beng's eyes were hollow, his pupils filled with terror. Before he could finish, Lan Si grabbed his shoulders, hoisted him into the air, and delivered a reverse hook kick that sent him soaring. "Watch closely!"

Suspended in mid-air, Xue Beng felt dizzy and disoriented. Catching a glimpse of Lan Si still standing on the ground, his scalp went numb. A devil. This guy is absolutely a devil.

Lan Si took a step back with his left foot, bent his right knee slightly, and pressed his palms against the ground. He vanished in a flash, reappearing behind Xue Beng, his body flying horizontally alongside him.

Just then, a vigorous voice suddenly rang out: "Stop!" A figure flew quickly along the shaded path on the hillside. He was dressed in silver training gear, appeared to be in his fifties, with a face like a silver platter, thick eyebrows, and large eyes, his hands clasped behind his back. He carried the air of a true expert.

Lan Si's lips curled upward. So, after watching the show for so long, you finally decided to come out? he thought.

Without needing to be told, Lan Si had already guessed the man's identity: Sun Buyu, an instructor at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Ever since he reached the rank of Soul Elder and obtained the Soul-Devouring Eight Spider Lances External Soul Bone, Lan Si had become exceptionally sensitive to soul power fluctuations. Aside from the few Soul Elders in the crowd, Sun Buyu, who had been watching from the shadows, had not escaped his notice.

The fact that the man hadn't intervened immediately when the conflict with Xue Beng began, combined with the fact that it had been nearly a month since he parted ways with Qian Renxue, made it clear that the instructor had been notified by the person posing as Xue Qinghe.

It was likely a test of his strength.

He just hadn't expected things to spiral out of control to this extent; if he hadn't intervened, Xue Beng might very well have lost his life.

Lan Si kicked Xue Beng away, used the momentum to perform a backflip in the air, and landed steadily. Xue Beng crashed to the ground face-first, eating dirt, but his life was spared. He lay there like a dead pig, his heart pounding with lingering fear.

Sun Buyu glanced at the ashen-faced Xue Beng, confirmed he had only suffered minor abrasions, and walked straight toward Lan Si. "You are Lan Si, correct? I am Sun Buyu, a Purple-Gold Instructor at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. His Highness the Crown Prince has given instructions: if you arrived, you were to be enrolled immediately. Come with me; I will take you to see the three members of the Education Committee."

"Then I shall trouble you, Instructor Sun," Lan Si said with a nod and a smile.

At this, the wastrels on the ground scrambled up in a disheveled state, gasping for air as they helped Xue Beng to his feet. "Instructor Sun! This madman broke into the Heaven Dou Academy and beat Prince Xue Beng like this! You can't let him leave!"

"Hmm?" Sun Buyu's expression sharpened. He glared at the speaker, who immediately fell silent, not daring to utter another word. As a Purple-Gold Instructor, Sun Buyu held a high status at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Even Xue Beng had to behave in his presence, because standing behind him were not only the three Soul Douluo committee members but also the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe.

He said coldly, "Was I not clear enough? Student Lan Si is being enrolled by order of the Crown Prince. Not to mention that you were the ones looking for trouble, is it not shameful enough that so many of you were beaten by a single freshman? Get lost."

With that, Sun Buyu led Lan Si toward the academy's administrative building.

Watching the backs of Sun Buyu and Lan Si as they walked away, one of the wastrels asked Xue Beng cautiously, "Your Highness, what should we do? That kid is one of the Crown Prince's people."

"Hmph, so what if he's my big brother's man? He dared to beat a prince of the empire! Let's go, you're coming with me to report this to my father. And call my uncle, too!" Xue Beng snorted. In his view, swallowing his pride didn't fit his image as a wastrel, and he couldn't stomach the insult. From childhood until now, even when facing that unfathomable older brother of his, he had never been so close to death.

On the other side, Lan Si followed Sun Buyu, strolling along the shaded path.

Sun Buyu slowed his pace to walk alongside Lan Si and asked casually, "If I hadn't spoken up just now, would you have really killed Xue Beng?"

Lan Si laughed. "Instructor Sun, you joke. I was merely scaring him. Xue Beng may be a wastrel, but he is, after all, a prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. A dispute between students is one thing, but if I were to kill him, I fear there would be no place for me in the entire Heaven Dou Empire."