Three Thousand Burning Flame

The ward was so quiet that the fall of a needle could be heard. Everyone stared at Xiao Yi with curious expressions, unable to fathom how he had accomplished what even a 96th-ranked Healing-type Titled Douluo could not.

Xiao Yi took a deep breath; he had not intended to use this power unless he was facing a life-or-death crisis.

As Xiao Yi slowly raised his right hand, the onlookers were baffled yet felt a sense of awe—wasn't his Martial Soul supposed to be his eyes?

"Could it be!?" several of them gasped in disbelief. A soul ring emerged beneath Xiao Yi's feet; it was not any color known to the soul master world, but a black-purple ring that seemed to be formed by a swirling, deep-purple flame.

"Twin Martial Souls? A thousand-year soul ring? No, this energy fluctuation is heart-stopping."

A deep-purple flame danced upon Xiao Yi's right hand, and the temperature in the room spiked the moment the fire appeared.

The flame took the shape of a giant dragon, its color reminiscent of the deep, starry sky. It was breathtakingly beautiful, yet the terrifying heat sweeping through the room felt as if it could incinerate the heavens and boil the seas.

Three Thousand Burning Flame!

"Twin Martial Souls, and how could such a soul ring exist?"

Xiao Yi pressed his hand against the wound. As the Three Thousand Burning Flame flowed into Huo Yutong's body, her entire form was engulfed in raging fire, yet it did not harm her in the slightest.

Under the gaze of everyone, filled with wonder and curiosity, Huo Yutong let out a muffled groan. Flesh, bone, and finally skin began to grow back over her severed limb at a speed visible to the naked eye. Before long, it looked no different than it had before the injury; if anything, the skin of the newly grown limb was even fairer.

Jiang Nannan, watching from the side, was first struck by disbelief, then by a wave of joy, though she didn't quite know how to voice it.

Huo Yutong stared at her arm in disbelief, completely restored. Her brain went blank, and even Tian Meng in her spiritual sea was stunned. She had just been talking about finding a way to use a soul bone to replace the limb; she never expected Xiao Yi to simply regenerate it out of thin air.

"Junior Brother Xiao Yi, are you a twin Martial Soul user?" Bei Bei asked, unable to hide his shock. Even with Xiao Yi's careful control, the temperature of the flames was terrifying—it was clearly an Ultimate Fire.

"Good lad, the healing ability inherent in your fire Martial Soul is truly formidable," Elder Zhuang said with a hearty laugh, stroking his beard, his eyes filled with admiration.

"I was just lucky, Elder." Xiao Yi bowed, but before they could say anything more, a figure lunged straight at him.

"Big Brother Xiao Yi!" Huo Yutong clung to Xiao Yi like a koala, drawing a burst of laughter from those around them.

Xiao Yi gently stroked the top of Huo Yutong's head, her soft blue hair a bit messy, though it was unclear if it was from sleep or his touch.

"Alright, Yutong, get some rest. Leave the rest to us." Huo Yutong froze at these words, looking up at Xiao Yi, finally understanding his intent.

Stepping down from Xiao Yi, Huo Yutong's eyes turned incredibly firm.

"No, Big Brother Xiao Yi. This isn't over; I will seek justice for this myself in the future." Huo Yutong clenched her fists. Once she reached level twenty, she would be able to obtain the second Martial Soul—the Ultimate Ice that Tian Meng had mentioned—and by then, Dai Huabin would be no match for her.

Xiao Yi pinched Huo Yutong's small cheek.

"Very well. However, I'll go collect some interest for you this time. I need him to understand that those who touch my people must pay a price."

Huo Yutong's face flushed red; Big Brother Xiao Yi had said she was his person.

"That's right, those who touch the people of our Tang Sect must pay a price!" Tang Ya chimed in, suddenly energized. Huo Yutong was part of the Tang Sect, and Huo Yutong was Xiao Yi's person, so didn't that mean Xiao Yi was part of the Tang Sect?

Others called Tang Ya foolish, but in reality, she was sharp as a tack.

Xiao Yi's mouth twitched. He gave Tang Ya a strange look and thought, Forget it, let her be. Besides, the God Realm was gone, and he was planning to woo Tang Wutong anyway—the Tang Sect was practically his own family business.

He glanced at Tang Wutong, who was disguised as a boy, thinking he needed to strip away her disguise. Tang Wutong glared fiercely at him when she noticed his gaze, though she didn't understand why she felt angry seeing Xiao Yi hold another girl.

By the shores of Sea God Lake.

"Huabin, you crippled that kid from Class One yesterday. What if that Tang Sect person comes looking for trouble?"

Dai Huabin sneered. He had already investigated; the boy was just the child of a servant, and he was a perfect match for that pathetic sect that only had three members left.

"It's just the Tang Sect. Aside from that fifth-year 'Thunderbolt' Bei Bei, what other heavy hitters do they have? Besides, even if they do come, it's not like I'd lose." Dai Huabin spoke with arrogance. In truth, he really couldn't beat Bei Bei, but the upperclassmen weren't allowed to attack the lowerclassmen.

"Is that so? Then why don't you dare accept my challenge?" Dai Huabin stiffened at the voice, his expression turning unnatural. He turned around to see Xiao Yi and his group.

When he saw Huo Yutong, he couldn't help but freeze: Wasn't this little bastard crippled by me? How is he recovered?

"What, Senior, do you want to make a move? I'm a freshman; what can you do to me?" Dai Huabin spread his hands, his face full of mockery.

"Why waste breath on him? I'm a freshman too, and I'm not afraid of you." Tang Wutong had been holding back for a while. A pair of magnificent butterfly wings unfurled behind her, and with one yellow and one purple soul ring flashing, she charged forward.

Golden light enveloped her wings, forming blades that slashed toward Dai Huabin.

Dai Huabin stood his ground, and Zhu Lu, who was behind him, transformed into a black shadow and attacked Tang Wutong's flank. Caught off guard, Tang Wutong could only block hastily with her wings, only to be knocked back by Zhu Lu.

The atmosphere on both sides turned tense and volatile.

"Students over there! Private duels are forbidden in the academy! If you want to fight, go to the Soul Fighting Arena!" A shout echoed from afar before either side could strike again.

"Fine, let's go to the Soul Fighting Arena. I'll fight you there," Xiao Yi said coldly, determined to make Dai Huabin taste despair.

"We're both freshmen; why wouldn't I dare?" Dai Huabin gave a contemptuous laugh, looking at Xiao Yi's freshman uniform with disdain. He didn't believe any freshman had talent that could surpass his own.

The atmosphere among Xiao Yi's group was subtle. Jiang Nannan, unaware of Xiao Yi's true strength, looked confused, while Tang Ya beside her was struggling to hold back a laugh.

Before long, the news was spread by students in the know. After all, the inhumane act Dai Huabin had committed had caused quite a stir at the Soul Fighting Arena that day. It wasn't just his notoriety that spread, but his formidable strength, which was highly sought after.

That was how the world worked: the weak were at best pitied, while only the strong held the right to speak. No one would blame a genius for crippling a piece of trash; they would only marvel at the genius's power.

Just then, a blonde girl walked by with a red-haired girl.

"Young Mistress, that Dai Huabin is being challenged again," the red-haired girl said to the blonde.

A look of interest appeared on the blonde girl's face. "Interesting. Feng Mei, let's go take a look."