Xu Mochen had told his teacher everything for several reasons. First, there was no way to keep this under wraps. Even if he said nothing, Hu Liena would report it.
Second, he could use this opportunity to make others curious—even a little awed—by the various abilities at his disposal. That would benefit his life and prospects in Spirit Hall.
Third, and most importantly, he could reveal a little of his knowledge to pique Spirit Hall's interest and offer them some benefit, then hint that he had much more knowledge he could trade. Besides, this was all common knowledge in the Sun Moon Empire. Even if he said nothing, Spirit Hall would learn it sooner or later.
But by sharing it early, Xu Mochen could use the opportunity to make a request in exchange. For example, he could ask the Pope to let him cultivate near the Pope Palace or the Elder Hall. That way, he might successfully fleece the Angel God and the Rakshasa God!
Of course, he could have traded some of the Sun Moon Empire's products to Spirit Hall in exchange for a chance to enter the Pope Palace or the Elder Hall. But Xu Mochen would rather rely on his own abilities and knowledge to get what he wanted. These weren't even any of the Sun Moon Empire's truly core secrets, so why not trade them to Spirit Hall for the knowledge he wanted?
Besides, Xu Mochen hoped this would bring him closer to Hu Liena, making it possible to draw more useful information from her about Spirit Hall and Douluo Continent.
Just then, Qin Ze, who had been unconscious all this time, finally began to stir. The first thing he did upon waking was let out an agitated roar. "No! I didn't lose! You, Xu Mochen, must've used some underhanded trick! I won't accept this!"
Even the students nearby couldn't stomach such shameless words. Yan covered his face, as if he couldn't bear to acknowledge the foolish younger brother he'd taken under his wing.
Xu Mochen merely sneered and walked up to Qin Ze. "A loss is a loss! You made the bet, so keep your word! Time to make good on it, isn't it?" The students who had been about to leave stopped when they saw this, watching with interest to see what would happen next.
Qin Ze's heart skipped a beat. He immediately started playing dumb. "A bet? What bet? I don't remember anything! Xu Mochen, just because you got lucky and didn't lose to me doesn't mean you can spout nonsense! I'm in a good mood today, so I don't feel like dealing with you. Otherwise, you'd be in for it!"
With that, Qin Ze seemed ready to break the deal and walk away, pretending it had never happened. He sneered inwardly. So what if I don't keep my word? What can you do about it? Don't forget, my grandfather is a Platinum Bishop in Spirit Hall! If that kid knows what's good for him, he'll act like none of this ever happened. Otherwise, once my grandfather hears about this, he'll make sure Xu Mochen pays for it!
But just as Qin Ze tried to leave, Xu Mochen stepped in front of him. It was clear he had no intention of letting him off the hook. The corner of Xu Mochen's mouth curled into a cruel smile, though his voice remained calm. "So you're going to break the deal by force? That won't do! Where would that leave my dignity? Looks like you're ready to test what I can do!"
"You! What are you doing? I'm warning you! My grandfather is a Platinum Bishop of Spirit Hall, a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse! Are you sure you want to make an enemy of me? Aren't you afraid of my grandfather's wrath?"
Qin Ze was clearly panicking now. He had barely any Soul Power left, and his fourth Soul Skill was still sealed. Worse, the Chaos Dragon Qi still inside him kept gnawing at his body. In this condition, he had no confidence that he could stop Xu Mochen, so he could only try to threaten him and make him back down!
Xu Mochen looked at Qin Ze, who was shamelessly trying to wriggle out of it, and gave a thoughtful nod. Then, without another word, he activated Martial Soul Possession and layered his first and second Soul Skills, unleashing a merciless flurry of attacks on Qin Ze.
Qin Ze panicked and hurriedly activated Martial Soul Possession to defend himself. But he was already in terrible shape, and even summoning his third Soul Skill, Snow Wolf Ice Armor, took all he had. This time, before the armor could fully form, Xu Mochen shattered it with ease! Then a punch landed squarely on Qin Ze. Qin Ze cried out again, spat out a mouthful of blood, and was sent flying!
Just as Xu Mochen prepared to press his advantage, a figure wreathed in flames appeared in front of him, two yellow and two purple Soul Rings circling the figure. The stranger threw a full-force punch, and a terrifying blast of fiery rock power surged toward Xu Mochen!
"So you did decide to get involved?" Xu Mochen didn't dodge. He met the punch head-on! With a bang, an attack carrying the fierce aura of fire, earth, and molten rock crashed against his body. Even his Chaos Dragon Body couldn't completely absorb and neutralize that violent force!
Xu Mochen staggered back four or five steps, then coughed lightly. It was clear he'd come off worse in that exchange.
The figure wreathed in flames had only taken one step back, but his face had flushed an unnatural red, and his expression turned grim. It was none other than Yan! After all, Qin Ze was his underling. If he didn't step in while his underling was getting beaten, he'd lose face as the boss.
What Yan hadn't expected was that Xu Mochen would be so strong. He'd driven Xu Mochen back, but Xu Mochen's attack had forced him back a step too. Let's see how many more of my moves you can take! Yan seethed inwardly. His third Soul Ring lit up, and a huge ball of molten flame rapidly formed in front of him. The next moment, he was about to hurl it at Xu Mochen.
Xu Mochen only sneered. If he relied solely on his Martial Soul, defeating Yan, whose Martial Soul was the Flame Lord, would be difficult. But his Martial Soul wasn't the only power at his disposal! To ensure his safety, Kong Dehan had specially made several custom Soul Guidance Weapons for him. If he used them, he could knock Yan so far off course he wouldn't know north from south!
"Yan! Don't you dare!" A loud shout rang out again. Just as Xu Mochen was about to strike back, a lovely figure with fox ears and a tail appeared beside him. She had two yellow and one purple Soul Rings circling her, and her entire body brimmed with bewitching charm. Her third Soul Ring lit up.
A flicker of Phantom Shadow passed over Hu Liena. Before Yan could react, he suddenly felt his mind plunge into chaos. It was as if every cell in his body had burst into flame. His Soul Power suddenly ran wild, as though it were an untamed horse charging through his body.
Blood surged backward. Blood spurted from Yan's nose and mouth, and he grunted as he slumped to the ground. The attack he had just formed in his hands vanished as his Soul Power slipped out of his control!
Damn! No wonder they call her Sister Nana! She actually managed to drive Yan back despite being a whole rank below him! Xu Mochen was secretly stunned. The beautiful figure who had just struck Yan and saved him from danger was none other than Hu Liena!
Yan was a level below Qin Ze, but he was far stronger in a fight than the likes of Qin Ze. From his earlier conversation with Hu Liena, Xu Mochen already knew that her third Soul Skill was called "Mind Confusion."
It made its target lose control of their mind in an instant, as though their spirit had been lit ablaze. Their mind would briefly go blank, their thoughts would turn frenzied and chaotic, and their whole body would feel feverish and restless, with blood surging through their veins. Even their Soul Power would feel as if it had slipped out of their control, charging wildly through their body.
At worst, the target would bleed from the nose and mouth and be unable to focus their Soul Power or mind. If a Soul Master with insufficient mental fortitude was struck, they might even writhe around in agony, scream like a madman, crash into things, hurt themselves, or lose control and unleash their Soul Power in a wild attack! This Soul Skill was terrifying indeed!
This kind of chaos was nothing like the damage caused by the Chaos power inside Xu Mochen. Chaos power entered a Soul Master's body from the outside and disrupted them, throwing their Martial Soul and Soul Power into disarray. It caused physical harm, but no mental damage.
Hu Liena's "Mind Confusion," however, inflicted both mental and physical harm from within. At its core, it made a Soul Master's mind and body lose control, inflicting severe mental trauma and disrupting their coordination until their Soul Power ran wild!
"Boss! Are you all right, boss?" Yan's two underlings panicked and hurriedly rushed over, clumsily helping him up. Hu Liena didn't attack Yan again. She simply flashed past him and charged straight at Qin Ze, who was behind him!
Qin Ze had already taken several blows. How could he possibly defend himself against Hu Liena now? And as for threatening her? Give me a break! His grandfather might hold a lofty position, but in the eyes of Hu Liena's teacher, Bibi Dong, he was nothing more than a slightly larger ant!
Hu Liena showed Qin Ze no mercy. First, she slammed him face-first into the ground, making him eat dirt. Then, without a care for how he felt, she grabbed him and tossed him toward Xu Mochen like a piece of trash.
With Hu Liena's precise control, Qin Ze flew straight through the air and landed right in front of Xu Mochen. By then, his face was smeared with dirt and blood, and his whole body was caked in mud and dust, a wretched sight.
"Now! Make good on your bet! Or take a guess at what your grandfather will do?" Hu Liena's voice was cold, devoid of emotion. Qin Ze, who had been lying there like a dead dog, panicked when he heard her. He struggled upright and immediately dropped to his knees in front of Xu Mochen, kowtowing repeatedly. "I'm sorry, Brother Xu! I was wrong! I'm a dog! Just treat me like a fart and let me go! Woof, woof, woof..."
"Nana! We're all classmates! You should let bygones be bygones! How can you show so little regard for your classmates?" Yan saw what was happening. Though his blood was still surging, he forced it down, shook off the two underlings supporting him, and stood as straight as he could as he angrily confronted Hu Liena.
Hu Liena couldn't even be bothered to look at the freeloader. "Got a problem? You can fight me, or you can go complain to my teacher! But take this as a friendly warning: I'm saving you too! Xiao Chen, let's go."
Hearing Hu Liena's words, Xu Mochen had already lost interest in the groveling dog before him. He answered and left with Hu Liena.
"Sister Nana! Wait for me!" Chu Hanxiang glanced at Qin Ze with pity, but couldn't find a shred of sympathy in her heart. Then she hurried after them.
The other students wore all kinds of expressions as they watched. But the next moment, the two-meter-tall, sturdily built young man at their head gave a light cough. "Ahem. Everyone, move along. There's nothing more to see." He turned and left, and the others quickly followed the big shot's lead.
The only ones left were Qin Ze, Yan, his two underlings, and a tall, valiant-looking woman with long brown hair. "Serves you right!" she scoffed at Yan with disdain. Under Yan's furious, helpless gaze, she turned and strode away. Qin Ze finally stopped kowtowing and begging for mercy, but his eyes brimmed with boundless hatred!
He didn't dare take revenge on Hu Liena, but Xu Mochen's name was already carved deep into his heart! Just you wait, Xu Mochen! I'll make you wish you were dead! Qin Ze swore inwardly.
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