The timid girl took out a limp, deflated money pouch and held it out to Yu Xiaogang with trembling hands.
At the sight of this rather pretty girl,
Yu Xiaogang and Ma Hongjun's attitudes did a complete 180.
Especially Ma Hongjun.
In his tiny eyes, squeezed into slits by rolls of fat, a brazenly lecherous gleam immediately shot forth.
Yu Xiaogang pretended to clear his throat and put on what he thought was a gentle expression.
"Little girl, your Martial Soul is rather unusual."
"Just looking at it, even I, the Grandmaster, can't make the most accurate judgment."
"How about this? You'll need to cooperate with us for a more thorough physical examination."
"Only after we've thoroughly examined your body can we tailor a cultivation plan just for you."
Ma Hongjun, standing nearby, nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Disgusting drool even seemed to glisten at the corner of his mouth.
His fat hand shot out, reaching to grab the girl's slender wrist.
The girl turned pale with fright and let out a shriek.
She hurriedly shrank back, tears instantly welling in her eyes.
This sight pushed the surrounding onlookers past the limits of their patience.
As their anger erupted, curses came surging in like a rising tide.
"Have you no shame?!"
"You actually made such a filthy demand of a young girl? You're animals!"
"Give us our money back! Refund everyone you swindled!"
The outcry against Ma Hongjun and Yu Xiaogang grew louder with every wave.
Faced with everyone's accusations, Ma Hongjun didn't care in the slightest.
He jiggled the rolls of fat on his face. Far from showing restraint, he burst out laughing.
"What would a bunch of penniless wretches like you know?!"
"To have the Grandmaster and me personally examine her body is a blessing her ancestors earned through eight generations of good deeds!"
Hearing such deranged, shameless words,
Qian Renxue couldn't hold back any longer.
She clenched her fists so hard that her knuckles cracked.
The Holy Soul Power in her body had already begun racing wildly through her meridians, ready to erupt at any moment.
If not for the fact that she had to remain undercover as Xue Qinghe and couldn't expose herself in public,
she would have drawn the Angel Holy Sword long ago and hacked off that fat bastard's pig's head.
Just as Qian Renxue was about to throw caution to the wind and attack,
Gu Sheng moved before her.
A piercing voice rang out above the noisy street, booming like a great bell.
"Such a renowned Grandmaster, yet you're nothing like your reputation!"
"Basking in broad daylight, you feast on the people's blood while taking their money and doing nothing but dirty work!"
"People like you are nothing but frauds trading on a stolen reputation—self-important hypocrites and thoroughgoing villains!"
His sharp denunciation instantly drowned out the clamor and silenced everyone.
As the crowd watched in astonishment, Gu Sheng released his arm from around Qian Renxue.
He strode straight out of the packed crowd.
Gu Sheng clasped his hands behind his back.
His steps were steady as a mountain, not the slightest bit flustered.
His black martial outfit perfectly outlined his tall, upright figure.
His expression was cold as ice.
His eyes fixed on Yu Xiaogang and Ma Hongjun at the center of the scene.
The onlookers erupted in an uproar.
Everyone was heartened to see a young man brave enough to stand up for what was right.
At last, someone had dared to step forward and deal with these two scoundrels.
But soon,
many keenly perceptive Soul Masters sensed the fluctuations of Soul Power coming from Gu Sheng.
Level twenty.
He had only level twenty Soul Power.
That amount of Soul Power was no match for a Soul Elder.
Worried sighs immediately rippled through the crowd.
"Goodness, that young man's so handsome. How can he be only level twenty?"
"He's too impulsive. He's bound to suffer for sticking his neck out."
Having been exposed in public by Gu Sheng, Ma Hongjun flew into a rage.
He whipped around, pressed two fingers together, and pointed them at Gu Sheng like a sharp sword.
"Where did you crawl out from, you bastard?!"
Ma Hongjun cursed furiously, the fat on his face quivering as his eyes turned vicious.
"You dare ruin my fun? Are you tired of living?!"
As soon as the words left his mouth,
Soul Power surged from Ma Hongjun without restraint.
His three Soul Rings whirled wildly, their light dazzling.
Then a terrifying aura burst forth with a boom.
The pressure swept toward Gu Sheng like a tangible wave, bearing down on him.
Under its weight, the bluestone slabs on the ground even began to crack faintly.
The crushing pressure made the onlookers turn deathly pale.
Everyone instinctively backed away, afraid of being caught in its reach.
Yu Xiaogang stood beneath the large banner.
He still had his hands behind his back, struggling to maintain the bearing of a great expert.
But his slightly ashen complexion betrayed the anger in his heart.
Yu Xiaogang stared coldly at Gu Sheng and demanded in a harsh voice,
"You ignorant brat, stop spouting nonsense here."
"You've slandered the good name of this Grandmaster in public. Do you have any actual evidence?"
Faced with that overwhelming aura bearing down on him,
Gu Sheng stood utterly motionless, as though he couldn't feel even a breeze against his face.
He walked straight to the frightened girl who had fallen to the ground.
Bending down, Gu Sheng gently helped her to her feet.
Only after confirming that she was unharmed did he slowly turn around.
Gu Sheng looked Yu Xiaogang straight in the eyes and publicly stripped away his hypocritical facade without the slightest courtesy.
"Evidence?"
"Which of your so-called invincible theories did you come up with through your own painstaking study?"
"You're nothing but someone who once got their hands on the secret texts of a few major sects."
"You stole other people's ideas and passed them off as your own, shamelessly plagiarizing them."
His words were like a razor-sharp knife.
They struck straight into Yu Xiaogang's most sensitive wound.
Yu Xiaogang's breath caught, and his eyelids twitched twice.
Gu Sheng didn't give Yu Xiaogang a chance to retort. He turned straight to Ma Hongjun.
"Grandmaster."
Gu Sheng put extra emphasis on the word, dripping with mockery.
"You just kept saying that there are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters."
"Then why don't you say it in front of everyone?"
"Which of us is stronger, me or this so-called genius you so carefully trained?"
At this outrageous question,
Yu Xiaogang and Ma Hongjun both froze for a moment.
Then the two of them burst into unrestrained laughter.
Ma Hongjun laughed so hard that tears nearly sprang from his eyes, his face full of contempt.
To them, Gu Sheng had to have been kicked in the head by a donkey.
A mere level-twenty Soul Grandmaster dared to challenge a Soul Elder.
It was utterly ridiculous.
The enormous gap in levels was right there, an insurmountable chasm.
What's more, Ma Hongjun was the Evil Fire Phoenix, with a top-tier Martial Soul!
He was also a Shrek genius!
He wasn't just some stray cat or dog anyone could pick a fight with!
Before you continue