Oscar had already caught up by then,
his little food cart parked beside Flender. He asked curiously, "Dean, what kind of talent does he have to make you come out here yourself?"
Flender shot him a sidelong glance:
"Why did you push your cart over here? Wasn't that a lot of trouble?"
Oscar scratched his head and grinned:
"I was worried the students taking the test might sneak a bite of my delicious sausages."
As they talked,
two more people approached from a distance: a tower-like strongman and a boy.
The strongman looked to be in his fifties and stood two meters tall. From far away, he looked like a wall walking toward them.
He had short black hair and bronze skin.
His build was explosively muscular. His forearms were thicker than most people's thighs, and every muscle was sharply defined, as if carefully carved by a craftsman.
Though immensely burly, his proportions were remarkably balanced.
The boy beside him, on the other hand, was a far cry from that.
He looked to be about eleven or twelve, chubby but sturdy, with rather fair skin—fairer than most people's. Beside the tower-like strongman, he looked even paler, as white as a freshly plucked chicken.
He had short red hair, small eyes, and a pair of wispy moustaches above his lip that made him look rather sleazy.
"Teacher."
The red-haired boy was naturally Ma Hongjun. Seeing Xia Yan and Dai Mubai standing ready in the arena, he walked over to Flender.
"Who's this? Is he new, too?"
Ma Hongjun was eleven that year and had joined Shrek that same year. At Flender's request, he had been studying at another Soul Master Academy until now.
Flender nodded.
Zhao Wuji came over as well and laughed heartily:
"I knew it. You'd been gone so long, so he must have arrived."
Flender had been with Zhao Wuji and Ma Hongjun just moments ago.
When Flender didn't return for a long time, they guessed he must have found someone promising.
And now, seeing them, they were right.
As a Soul Saint, Zhao Wuji could naturally sense the Soul Power fluctuations radiating from Xia Yan. A hint of shock showed in his eyes:
"A Soul Elder?"
"This kid's incredible. A twelve-year-old Soul Elder!"
Oscar and Ma Hongjun's mouths instantly gaped wide enough to fit a duck egg:
"What?!"
"Huh?!"
They thought they'd heard wrong. A twelve-year-old Soul Elder?!
Oscar had Innate Full Soul Power, but food-type cultivation was slow. At thirteen, he was only level twenty-seven.
As for Ma Hongjun, he had Innate Soul Power of level nine. At eleven, he was level twenty-five!
Reaching level twenty-five at eleven was already a lightning-fast rate of cultivation.
And there was someone who had reached level thirty at twelve?!
How was that possible?!
Even someone with Innate Full Soul Power couldn't cultivate that fast!
"He's already level thirty at twelve? That's terrifying!"
Oscar's eyes widened to the size of eggs as he stared at Xia Yan's back, utterly shaken.
Flender shook his head. "No, he isn't level thirty at twelve..."
Oscar and Ma Hongjun chorused, "Huh?"
Then,
the two of them heard Xia Yan and Dai Mubai, who were already prepared twenty meters away.
Dai Mubai extended a hand with impeccable grace. "Dai Mubai, fourteen years old. My Martial Soul is the White Tiger, level thirty-four, a Power Attack System Battle Soul Elder..."
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
Such talent and such a Martial Soul had always been his pride.
Xia Yan's expression remained calm. "Xia Yan, eleven years old. My Martial Soul is the Black Tower, level thirty-five, a Control System Battle Soul Elder..."
"?!"
"?!"
Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar's expressions changed in an instant. Their eyes twitched wildly.
Level thirty-five at eleven?!
What kind of monster was this?!
Zhao Wuji immediately slammed a fist into his palm, overjoyed. "Hahahaha, what a kid!"
"Now that's a real monster!"
Flender was just as shaken. His heart had leapt in his chest. What he'd wanted to say earlier was that Xia Yan wasn't level thirty at twelve, but level thirty at eleven—a feat no one on the continent had ever achieved.
But then Xia Yan had suddenly said
he was an eleven-year-old, level-thirty-five Control System Battle Soul Elder...
Xia Yan's reflection filled Flender's dark pupils. He could hardly believe that a monster like this could exist in the world!
He'd struck gold!
Dai Mubai's outstretched hand trembled slightly in midair.
Slowly, he lowered it.
All disdain and pride vanished from his face. He stared fixedly at Xia Yan, mouth dry as he swallowed.
In his eyes, that figure seemed to grow enormous, casting a shadow that pressed down on him until he could barely breathe.
Xia Yan had no reason to lie. There was no point in lying, either.
So what Xia Yan had said had to be true.
Eleven years old, level thirty-five!
His level was even higher than that of Dai Mubai's powerful White Tiger Martial Soul!
Could he win? Could he beat him? Could he win? Could he beat him?...
Lose? Win? Lose? Win? Lose? Win...
The two possible outcomes flashed wildly through his mind.
Could he win?
Of course...
"White Tiger Possession!"
Dai Mubai roared, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
Blinding pale light suddenly burst from his body. He spread his arms, the air filling his lungs thrusting out his chest. His bones crackled all over, and his muscles swelled abruptly, ripping through his clothes.
His full head of golden hair instantly turned black and white, with white making up most of it. The faint outline of a king-shaped marking appeared on his forehead.
His slowly lowering hands had transformed completely into tiger claws, their dagger-sharp talons glinting with a chilling light.
"Ahhh!!"
Three Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, and purple—surged into view.
"White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"
Dai Mubai's aura suddenly surged. He charged straight at Xia Yan!
He could win!
He could win!
He was the White Tiger!
Xia Yan neither dodged nor flinched. He stood calmly in place, summoned the Demon Suppressing Pagoda, and drew up his Third Soul Ring, channeling Light Power into both arms.
"Roar!!"
Dai Mubai let out a furious roar. He crossed the ten meters in an instant!
Dense white energy gathered in his mouth, aimed at Xia Yan's face.
"White Tiger Intense Light..."
In a flash, Xia Yan clamped his Light Power-infused left hand around Dai Mubai's mouth!
He forced it shut!
"Mm..."
A hand called fear suddenly gripped Dai Mubai's heart. He forcibly dispelled the white energy gathered in his mouth.
If he had fired the White Tiger Intense Light Wave, it would have burned through his own mouth before it ever scorched Xia Yan!
"Clang!!"
His sharp tiger claws slashed toward Xia Yan's arms, but the talons that could easily cut through cast iron were now as feeble as a baby's fingers.
Xia Yan blocked them with one arm!
Xia Yan let go, and Dai Mubai immediately retreated ten meters.
Once he had steadied himself, his face had turned deathly pale. Only a few seconds had passed, yet his aura had already weakened by more than half.
The White Tiger Intense Light Wave was certainly a powerful Soul Skill.
But it had one fatal flaw: once gathered, it had to be released, or it would backfire on the Soul Master himself.
On any other day, even if the fight had ended, all he had to do was open his mouth and release the energy he'd gathered.
But now,
he could only forcibly interrupt the Soul Skill, leaving himself to bear the uncontrolled energy!
"Cough, cough..."
Dai Mubai stared fixedly at Xia Yan's calm expression. It was as if Xia Yan hadn't taken him seriously at all!
His eyes were bloodshot with humiliation!
Endless humiliation surged through his heart like a rising tide!
He had actually been crushed with ease by an eleven-year-old Soul Master!
Win!
He had to win!
Before you continue