Xue Qinghe blushed and struggled to resist.
She pushed hard against Gu Sheng's solid chest with both hands.
"Stop fooling around. We're outside."
"Watch your image. I'm the crown prince right now!"
At that,
Gu Sheng finally stopped, still looking reluctant to let go.
He stepped back half a pace and looked at the beauty before him, her cheeks faintly flushed.
Gu Sheng grew serious and stated his thoughts outright.
"I want to join the Spirit Hall Team and compete in this year's Soul Master Tournament."
At this request, Qian Renxue furrowed her brows slightly.
She straightened her somewhat rumpled collar, looking hesitant.
A lingering worry still weighed on her heart.
"The tournament is no child's play."
"The Golden Generation of Spirit Hall is full of formidable people."
"Your Soul Power is only at level twenty. Even if your combat strength is astonishing, I'm afraid they won't accept you."
Gu Sheng cut off her worries.
He folded his arms across his chest, confidence written all over his face.
"Don't worry."
"With my strength, claiming the team captain's position will be a piece of cake."
"If anyone refuses to accept me, I'll beat them until they do."
Qian Renxue looked at his unwavering gaze.
She recalled the terrifying strength Gu Sheng had displayed that day, as well as those two Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings.
She knew that the man before her had every reason to be confident.
Qian Renxue nodded gently and made her promise.
"All right. You can."
"I'll submit the application as soon as possible."
The afterglow of the setting sun fell across the imposing gates of Blue Tyrant Academy.
Two battered figures supported each other as they limped toward the entrance.
The person on the left was stout, his face smeared with blood.
He was missing nearly half his front teeth. This was Ma Hongjun, who had just suffered a crushing beating on the streets of Heaven Dou City.
The one supporting him was Yu Xiaogang, equally disheveled and covered in dust.
The miserable state of the master and disciple immediately caught Tang San's attention as he happened to be heading out.
Tang San recognized them, and his expression changed at once. He hurried over.
He grabbed Yu Xiaogang before he could collapse, his eyes full of alarm.
"Teacher, Fatty, how did you end up like this?"
Tang San's voice brimmed with concern, while a flame of anger quietly ignited in his heart.
In Heaven Dou City, someone had actually dared to beat Shrek's people this badly.
They've earned a death sentence!
The moment Ma Hongjun saw Tang San, he clung to him like a drowning man grabbing a lifeline.
His toothless mouth immediately launched into a furious complaint.
"Third Brother! You have to get justice for me!"
"Grandmaster and I were minding our own business, setting up a stall on the street, when some arrogant brat suddenly showed up and started throwing his weight around."
"He was relying on some crooked Soul Skill trickery, and attacked us without a word!"
As Ma Hongjun spoke, he squeezed out a few tears, looking deeply aggrieved.
"Not only did he ambush me, he pointed at us and called everyone at Shrek Academy a bunch of useless trash."
"He even humiliated Grandmaster in front of everyone!"
The more Fatty spoke, the more worked up he became, placing all the blame on Gu Sheng.
As Tang San listened to Ma Hongjun's exaggerated account, his brows knitted tighter and tighter.
He turned to Yu Xiaogang, hoping to hear a more accurate version of events.
Yu Xiaogang sighed, his expression complicated.
"Hongjun exaggerated a little, but that boy really was extraordinary."
Remembering what had happened, Yu Xiaogang unconsciously clenched both hands.
"His Soul Power clearly only gave off the aura of level twenty, yet there was something strange about him."
"Especially his Soul Rings... they were actually two black Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings!"
Tang San froze at those words.
He stared at Yu Xiaogang, shock and doubt in his eyes.
A level-twenty Soul Grandmaster absorbing two Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings?
That was utterly absurd, completely against the basic common sense of the Soul Master World.
Even he, with his Twin Martial Souls, would never dare try absorbing a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast for his second ring.
"Teacher, how is that possible?"
Tang San couldn't help asking. He wondered if his teacher had seen it wrong.
Yu Xiaogang gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"I saw it with my own eyes. There's no mistake."
"That boy's Martial Soul is unusual. He can even summon six wings of light."
"Fatty's Evil Fire Phoenix couldn't put up the slightest resistance against him."
Tang San fell silent, his mind racing.
Though the story sounded outrageous, looking at the two men's pitiful state, he couldn't help but believe it.
Seeing the hope in Ma Hongjun's eyes,
Tang San took a deep breath and patted Fatty's shoulder.
"Fatty, go back and rest up."
"No matter who he is, if he dares hurt someone from Shrek, I'll make sure you get even."
With Tang San's promise, Ma Hongjun let out a long breath of relief.
He gave a vicious snort, already plotting how to make Gu Sheng look bad.
Meanwhile,
at the Spirit Hall Academy Team's private training ground,
several young people were sweating it out in the spacious, brightly lit hall.
Waves of Soul Power surged across the training ground, proclaiming the extraordinary talent of everyone there.
They were all immersed in their own training.
Suddenly, the training ground's doors slowly swung open.
The team's instructor entered, leading a tall young man dressed in dark robes.
The young man looked perfectly calm as his gaze swept over everyone inside.
The instructor cleared his throat, signaling for them to stop what they were doing.
"Everyone, gather around. I've got a new member to introduce."
Yan and Hu Liena, who had been sparring, stopped along with the others and gathered around curiously.
The instructor gestured toward Gu Sheng beside him, his tone solemn.
"This is Gu Sheng."
"Starting today, he'll be the official captain of the Spirit Hall Team."
The words landed like a bombshell.
Everyone froze in place, their eyes swinging toward Gu Sheng in unison.
After sensing his presence, they erupted in an uproar.
The Soul Power radiating from this Gu Sheng was clearly only at level twenty!
A level-twenty Soul Grandmaster had come to lead a group of Soul Kings?
This was utterly laughable.
Yan, whose temper was the fiercest, was the first to step forward.
He made no effort to hide the hostility in his eyes as he sized Gu Sheng up.
"Teacher, are you joking with us?"
Yan pointed at Gu Sheng, his tone aggressive.
"With only level-twenty Soul Power, what makes him qualified to command us?"
"Any one of us could crush him with a single finger!"
The other team members didn't speak as bluntly as Yan, but they all nodded in agreement.
Clearly, no one was willing to accept a captain so weak.
The instructor sighed helplessly, a bitter smile crossing his face.
He knew this decision would be hard for them to accept, but he had no choice.
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