Trouble in Nuoding

Nuoding Academy's work-study student dormitory was an old, two-story wooden building.

The plaster was peeling, and the floorboards creaked. Seven beds crammed the room, packed together like sardines in a can. The air reeked of mold and sweat.

Wang Sheng lay on the floor, bruised and swollen, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Three work-study students cowered in the corner beside him, trembling.

Across from them stood three teenagers in silk clothes, arms crossed as they sneered. The blond boy in the lead was Xiao Chenyu, the son of the city lord's chief guard. Two Yellow Soul Rings revolved beneath his feet—he was a Level 12 Soul Master, and his Martial Soul was an Iron-Armored Bear.

"Work-study students should know their place." Xiao Chenyu planted his foot on Wang Sheng's hand and ground it under his heel. "Double the protection money this month. Two Gold Soul Coins each. If you can't pay by tomorrow..."

He bent down and patted Wang Sheng's cheek. "I'll break one of your legs."

The door swung open.

Lin Mo and Tang San walked in, arriving just in time to see what was happening.

"New here?" Xiao Chenyu raised an eyebrow. "Know the rules? One Gold Soul Coin per person, per month, or..."

He pointed to Wang Sheng on the floor. "You'll be carried out just like this piece of trash."

Tang San furrowed his brow, his right hand quietly moving toward his waist.

Lin Mo said nothing.

He walked over to the empty bed in the corner and set down his shabby bundle. He moved at an unhurried pace, as though he hadn't even noticed the others in the room.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" One of the lackeys snapped, reaching for Lin Mo's shoulder.

Before his hand could touch him, Lin Mo had twisted his wrist behind his back.

Lin Mo hadn't even turned around. He simply twisted his own wrist.

Crack!

The sharp sound of a bone breaking rang out. The lackey screamed and dropped to his knees, his wrist bent at a grotesque angle.

Xiao Chenyu's expression changed. "You're asking for death!"

The Iron-Armored Bear's phantom appeared. His First Soul Ring lit up, and his bear paw swelled as he swung it toward the back of Lin Mo's head with a rush of wind!

If that blow landed, Lin Mo would either die or be left an idiot.

At last, Lin Mo turned around.

He didn't summon his Martial Soul. He simply stepped aside to avoid the blow, then whipped a kick into Xiao Chenyu's ribs. His movements were clean and precise, as if he'd practiced them thousands of times.

Bang!

Xiao Chenyu flew backward, smashing through two beds as splinters scattered everywhere.

"You—you dare hit him?!" The last lackey stumbled back, his legs shaking.

Only then did Lin Mo summon his Martial Soul.

Dark golden flames rose from beneath his feet, and the phantom of a Chaos Dragon Mastiff formed behind him, throwing its head back in a soundless roar. Yet everyone felt as if an invisible hand had gripped their hearts. Then a deep purple Soul Ring rose into view.

Purple light illuminated half the dormitory.

"P-Purple... a Thousand-Year Soul Ring?!" The lackey collapsed to the floor, wetting himself.

Xiao Chenyu scrambled to his feet. When he saw the purple Soul Ring, he froze too. His father was a Level 38 Soul Elder, and even his Third Soul Ring was only a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. How old was this kid?!

"Get out." Lin Mo spat out two words.

The three scrambled away without even daring to threaten him.

Wang Sheng struggled to sit up, clutching his chest as he coughed. "Th-thank you... But they're from the Xiao family. They have a lot of influence in Nuoding City. You beat Xiao Chenyu, and his father won't let this go..."

"It's fine." Lin Mo waved a hand and started making his bed.

Tang San gazed at Lin Mo's Soul Ring, deep in thought. "The age of your Soul Ring defies common sense."

"I got lucky," Lin Mo said.

"It wasn't luck." Tang San shook his head. "A six-year-old body couldn't withstand the energy of a four-hundred-year Soul Ring. Unless..."

He left the rest unsaid.

They had just finished making their beds when the door opened again.

A pretty little girl walked in.

Her pink hair fell to her ears, and her big, sparkling eyes seemed to speak. Her delicate little face was framed by clothes that had been patched but were spotlessly clean. She carried a small bundle and curiously looked around the room.

"Hello, I'm Xiao Wu. Wu, as in dancing."

Wang Sheng hurriedly explained the dormitory rules. When he got to the part about the "boss," Xiao Wu's eyes lit up. "The strongest person gets to be boss? That's easy."

She looked at Lin Mo. "Your Soul Ring is impressive, but I'll only know what you're really capable of after we fight."

Before Lin Mo could reply, Xiao Wu had already sprung at him!

She was so fast she left an afterimage! Her long leg lashed like a whip toward Lin Mo's neck!

So fast!

Lin Mo leaned back, and the wind of her kick skimmed past his nose. Her second kick was already coming for his face, her knee thrusting toward his chin. He raised an arm to block. With a thud, he was forced back two steps—this girl's strength was absurd!

"Interesting!" Xiao Wu giggled, pressing her attack even harder.

She unleashed her Soft Technique, her body moving as if she had no bones, attacking from every impossible angle. The dormitory was too small; the tables and chairs bore the brunt of it, shattering in a clatter.

Tang San watched from the side, growing more alarmed by the moment.

Xiao Wu's Soft Technique was exquisite. Every move carried a clever twist of force and targeted joints and vital points. But Lin Mo's battle instincts were even more frightening. He didn't use a Soul Skill, relying only on the simplest blocks and dodges, yet he predicted the trajectory of every attack and defused it with the slightest movement.

As if... as if he were a veteran who had survived countless life-or-death battles.

At last, Lin Mo found an opening.

When Xiao Wu flipped through the air with a kick, her waist and abdomen were left exposed. Lin Mo closed in, caught her ankle with his left hand, and pulled down while pressing her shoulder with his right.

"That's enough."

Xiao Wu struggled, but couldn't break free. She pouted. "You win. You can be the boss."

Lin Mo let go. Xiao Wu jumped up and dusted herself off. She didn't hold a grudge. "What's your Martial Soul? It looks fierce."

"The Chaos Dragon Mastiff."

"Never heard of it." Xiao Wu blinked. "But it feels really powerful."

That night, the students repaired their beds and went to sleep.

Late at night, Lin Mo opened his eyes.

A system interface appeared in the darkness:

[Defeat opponents of the same level (3/3), mission complete]

[Reward: Evolution Points ×100]

[Current Martial Soul Evolution progress: 15%]

[Spend 100 points to initiate the first evolution. Proceed?]

"Proceed."

The Martial Soul inside him suddenly ran wild!

Dark golden flames seeped from his pores, forming a cocoon around his body. His bones seemed to be taken apart and put back together as waves of excruciating pain crashed over him. Lin Mo clenched his teeth until blood seeped from his gums—he couldn't make a sound. He couldn't let anyone find out.

An hour later, the cocoon split open.

Lin Mo felt the changes within him.

His strength had increased by at least thirty percent. Faint scale patterns showed beneath his skin, stretching from his forearms to his elbows. His Soul Power had become more concentrated, flowing through his meridians like mercury. Most importantly, a new set of information had appeared in his mind:

[First evolution complete]

[Chaos Dragon Mastiff → Dragon Mastiff: Scale Armor Form]

[New talent: Scale Armor Protection (passive damage reduction: 20%)]

[Next evolution requirements: Level 30 + 1 Dragon-type Soul Bone]

He gently clenched his fist.

The air popped with a sharp crack, like a tiny firecracker going off.

In the moonlight outside, a dark figure stood silently on the roof, holding a bottle of wine and watching the dormitory.

Tang Hao tipped his head back and took a swig. The wine ran down his chin.

"An evolving Martial Soul... The continent's about to be thrown into chaos."

He turned and vanished, as if melting into the night.

Inside the dormitory, Tang San was pretending to sleep too.

He pushed his Purple Demon Eye to its limits, faintly making out the mass of dark golden light around Lin Mo's bed and the scale patterns appearing and disappearing on his skin.

Just who was this roommate of his?

The next morning, a crowd gathered in front of the academy's bulletin board.

Lin Mo pushed through and took a look. The schedule for the new students' practical combat assessment had been posted, with the first-round matchups.

His opponent: Xiao Chenyu.

Wang Sheng turned pale. "The Xiao family's young master... Lin Mo, why don't you forfeit? His father is the city lord's chief guard. If you beat him, you'll have even more trouble. Besides, he's Level 15, and you're only Level 11. That's a four-level gap..."

Xiao Wu curled her lip. "What's there to be afraid of? Just fight him! Four levels is nothing. That guy looks like he's been pumped up on pills—he's all show."

Tang San looked at Lin Mo. "Are you confident?"

Lin Mo stared at the match schedule, then suddenly smiled.

A system mission appeared:

[Practical combat assessment: Win the championship undefeated]

[Requirement: Do not use the evolved form; rely on your basic strength alone]

[Reward: Evolution Points ×300, Dragon Blood Crystal ×1 (can purify bloodline)]

He turned and headed for the training grounds.

"Since he's practically begging for it..."

"Then I'll just break his leg."

Ten fighting platforms had already been set up at the training grounds.

Xiao Chenyu stood on Platform Three with his arms crossed and a look of arrogance. His father had given him a bottle of potion the night before, stabilizing his Soul Power at the peak of Level 15. He'd also told him to beat Lin Mo as badly as he could—if he crippled him, the family would take care of the fallout.

The referee struck the bell. "Platform Three: Lin Mo versus Xiao Chenyu—begin!"

Xiao Chenyu summoned his Martial Soul at once.

The Iron-Armored Bear phantom roared, and two Yellow Soul Rings lit up. He activated his First Soul Skill, covering both arms in iron-gray armor that looked like a pair of metal gauntlets.

"Kid, I'll pay you back tenfold for what happened yesterday!"

He charged and threw a punch at Lin Mo's face.

Lin Mo didn't dodge.

He raised his right hand, spread his fingers, and caught the punch as casually as if it were nothing.

Bang!

A shockwave burst outward.

Xiao Chenyu froze. He'd thrown that punch with all his strength, yet it felt like he'd struck an Iron Wall—Lin Mo hadn't budged an inch.

Lin Mo looked up, a flash of dark gold passing through his eyes.

"My turn."