He Became a Boss

At Arena Three, Ling Yun's next opponent had a face like a baked pancake, and his body was stiff as a board. He had seen what happened to Osler and Li Hao, and he didn't want to end up seriously injured.

"Pathetic! The fight hasn't even started, and you're already backing down."

"Show some spirit! Even if your enemy is stronger, fight with everything you've got and make your mark. That's what it means to be a Soul Master."

"Besides, I'm here! I'll step in when it counts."

"Head up, chest out, stomach in. Good, just like that!"

The burly teacher's mustache twitched at the corners of his mouth, each bristling hair seeming to spur on the male student.

"You have one minute to release your Martial Souls."

The male student quickly released his Martial Soul. His pants stretched tight, and his shirt burst open, revealing exaggerated muscles. He grew a whole size larger and shot up to around two meters tall. A pair of bull horns sprouted from his forehead, and two yellow Soul Rings circled his waist.

A minute later, the burly teacher gave the signal to begin the Soul Fighting match.

The moment the male student met Ling Yun's gaze, his fighting spirit withered again. His legs trembled slightly.

If Ling Yun were already at the end of his rope, he would have happily charged in. But after two strong opponents, Ling Yun had only gotten a little dust on the hem of his clothes. What was he supposed to do now?

"Have some backbone."

"Easy for you to say, Teacher. He's vicious! Neither Osler nor Li Hao could beat him."

The male student turned his complaints on the burly teacher.

"You said you'd step in at the critical moment during the last two matches, too. Both times, you were a step too late. I don't trust you!"

The burly teacher was so embarrassed he could have dug a hole in the ground with his toes. His eyes widened. "Those first two times were just accidents. I've figured it out now. There won't be any accidents this time."

"This time, I'll keep my Martial Soul released the whole way. Don't worry!"

As he spoke, the burly teacher assumed Martial Soul Possession. His muscles grew even more exaggerated, flames patterned his face, and he rose to two and a half meters tall. Earth-yellow light shone from his eyes, and fiery red fur sprouted on his hands.

His hands turned into bear paws. His Martial Soul was the Flame Violent Bear.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black—the five Soul Rings marked him as a Soul King. His imposing pressure and burly build both proclaimed how reliable he was.

"Liu Yan, you coward! Get in there and hit him!"

"Exactly! He might not have much Soul Power left!"

"Liu Yan, don't bring shame on Class Three. Even if he hasn't used much Soul Power, he's definitely used some!"

"Get in there! Don't be afraid!"

"Liu Yan, don't you want to be with me? If you put on a good show, I'll agree to be your girlfriend."

Hearing the one-sided shouts from below the arena, Ling Yun's mouth twitched. Somehow, he'd become the big villain, and now everyone wanted to defeat him.

"Liu Yan, don't let me look down on you! Get in there and beat him!"

"..."

Quite a few spectators cheered Liu Yan on. His girlfriend's encouragement was the loudest of all.

Liu Yan felt his blood boil and strength surge through him. He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and filled his eyes with the resolve of someone who had burned his bridges.

"Ling Yun, take this! Bull Charge!"

Liu Yan's First Soul Ring lit up, and he charged at Ling Yun like a moving mountain of flesh, moving at astonishing speed.

Ling Yun didn't hold back. Since they were treating him like a great demon king, he might as well do something befitting the role.

"You're both bulls, so I won't play favorites. Have a taste of Soul-Locking Light!"

The red section of his Yin-Yang Mirror Martial Soul blazed with light, and invisible Soul Chains appeared.

In the distance, the burly teacher felt as though a mountain had been placed on his soul. The nearby spectators felt something similar.

They didn't know what Ling Yun had done, but there was no doubt the display was formidable.

The burly teacher suddenly decided he should step in and stop it. So he did.

A Soul Power barrier enveloped Liu Yan.

But Soul Chains couldn't be stopped by Soul Power. They required Spiritual Power to block them. A spiritual attack would be even better—it could snap the chains.

The Soul Chains passed through the Soul Power barrier and bound Liu Yan's soul. His body pitched forward under its own momentum and collapsed onto the ground, motionless.

It was just like a person falling asleep. Without consciousness to control it, the body went limp.

A moment later, he curled up on the ground, trembling on the arena as if trapped in a nightmare.

"What did you do to him?"

The burly teacher demanded an answer. He had clearly acted quickly, so why hadn't he stopped Ling Yun's attack? Why?

"Nothing much. Just a little illusion imposed on his soul."

"He'll wake up in less than ten breaths."

"Teacher, you'd need to project your Spiritual Power and form a Spiritual Power barrier to block the attack I just used."

The burly teacher's face turned red, then white. Ling Yun seemed to have been sent by the heavens specifically to torment him.

Below the arena, the students watching heard Ling Yun's explanation and saw the burly teacher's expression change. They couldn't help laughing aloud. Some struggled desperately to hold it in.

Many whispered among themselves, but no matter how quiet they were, a Soul King could hear every word clearly.

He wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the ground to crawl into. It was just too humiliating.

After a dozen or so breaths, Liu Yan's consciousness returned to his body. Teacher Yang casually healed the scrapes he'd gotten from falling.

Liu Yan looked at Ling Yun with sheer terror. It had been horrifying. He had been charging forward, and in the blink of an eye, he was in the Soul Beast Forest, where a ten-thousand-year Earth Violent Bear had mistaken him for a snack.

The terror of being reduced to prey lingered in his mind. The one responsible was the seemingly harmless Ling Yun standing opposite him.

Before long, another student stepped onto the arena.

His Martial Soul was a Blazing Bird. When the signal to begin sounded, he instantly released a Soul Skill. The Blazing Bird's feathers fell like a dense rain of arrows, each one powerful.

His First Soul Ring flashed five times, and feathers covered half the arena.

Then his Second Soul Ring lit up. His body turned into a streak of red, and in a flash, he darted behind the burly teacher and shouted that he surrendered.

Faced with the flood of flaming feathers, Ling Yun really couldn't dodge them easily. This kind of area-wide attack left him nowhere to step.

The Yin-Yang Mirror Martial Soul grew larger before him, and white light blazed. Light Needles rained down, meeting the feathers head-on.

Every feather that could have hit him was blocked.

The Light Needles also shot toward where he was standing. The burly teacher raised a Soul Power barrier, but still didn't feel safe. His First Soul Ring flashed. "Behold, my Flame Tyrant Body!"

The Light Needles struck his Flame Tyrant Body and exploded. His clothes tore, and the pain was every bit as real.

"Good thing I had the foresight to release my Soul Skill! You really are a freak. That attack is every bit as strong as a Soul Elder's."

After that student set the example, those who came onto the arena afterward followed suit. They released their Soul Skills, then surrendered without dragging things out.

Whenever they changed opponents or released their Martial Souls, Ling Yun seized every second to recover Soul Power.

The Soul Skills were all different, and some were difficult to dodge. In those cases, Ling Yun used up far more Soul Power.

With that level of expenditure, the breaks between matches weren't nearly enough to restore him to full strength.

The students were treating him like a boss to grind, and they were having the time of their lives.

Many more people continued to sign up. They were determined to defeat Ling Yun today.