"Introductions are complete."
Yan Shaozhe's voice interrupted Xia Ming's thoughts.
He looked at the six people in the arena, a faint smile curling at his lips.
"Since some of you are unconvinced, we'll follow Shrek Academy's rules.
Xia Ming, aside from Gongyang Mo, who is from the auxiliary system, choose any one of them to spar with.
If you win, you stay. If you lose, this spot will be revoked."
The moment his words fell, the atmosphere in the training ground tightened abruptly.
Six gazes fell upon Xia Ming as though they had substance. Surprise, scrutiny, dissatisfaction, fighting spirit—countless emotions intertwined in silence.
Why should a seven-year-old Soul Grandmaster stand alongside Soul Elders and Soul Ancestors like them, who had fought through who knew how many battles to earn their places?
No one believed Xia Ming truly stood a chance.
"Senior Dai, let's have a spar."
Without the slightest hesitation, Xia Ming raised his hand and pointed directly at the blond youth with the strongest aura among the six.
Dai Yueheng's expression shifted slightly as he said in a low voice,
"Junior Xia Ming, are you sure you're choosing me? It's not too late to change opponents."
He truly did not want to fight Xia Ming here.
Fighting a seven-year-old child would bring him no glory even if he won, and he would inevitably offend the other party.
If he lost, it would be utterly humiliating!
Unlike his younger brother Dai Huabin, Dai Yueheng was a qualified heir.
He could tell that Shrek Academy placed great importance on the child before him.
Moreover, the other party's talent had to be terrifying. His level alone made that clear.
Level twenty-six at seven years old!
Dai Yueheng considered himself fairly talented, yet he had only broken through the level-twenty bottleneck at the age of nine.
Not to mention level twenty-six—his Soul Power Level had not been that high even when he was ten.
"There's no need to change opponents."
Xia Ming seemed utterly unmoved by Dai Yueheng's goodwill.
Naturally, he could see Dai Yueheng's concerns, but he did not care.
Who his opponent was made no difference to him.
Even if he suppressed his strength to the Soul Ancestor level, none of these six could defeat him.
Over the past year, it was not only his Soul Power that had grown.
With his goodwill ignored, a trace of anger rose in Dai Yueheng's heart as well.
He decided to teach this junior a proper lesson first. At worst, he could smooth things over afterward.
He drew a deep breath, and his eyes suddenly sharpened.
"Fine, then excuse me!"
"White Tiger, Possession!"
Amid his low roar, dazzling golden light erupted from Dai Yueheng's body. His figure abruptly grew taller, while black-and-white tiger stripes surfaced across his skin.
Two yellow and two purple Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet, and vast Soul Power fluctuations swept across the entire arena.
"Third Soul Skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"
His third Soul Ring shone brightly. Dai Yueheng's muscles bulged, and his aura surged once more.
He pushed off with his feet. The ground trembled faintly, and he shot toward Xia Ming like a tiger pouncing on its prey.
The wind from his fist tore through the air with a deep howl.
"Good!"
Xia Ming neither dodged nor retreated. He activated Martial Soul Possession, and two purple Soul Rings rose beneath him, stunning everyone else.
"What?!"
The pupils of the five people at the edge of the arena constricted sharply, and cries of shock nearly burst from their mouths.
A thousand-year first Soul Ring? How was that possible?
Dai Yueheng's charge faltered as well. A flash of horror crossed his eyes, but it was swiftly replaced by fighting spirit.
A thousand-year Soul Ring was indeed astonishing, but he possessed two thousand-year Soul Rings as well.
His Soul Power Level surpassed the other party's by a full twenty-one levels. What was there to fear?
"First Soul Skill, Red-Gold Transformation!"
Red-gold radiance wrapped around Xia Ming's body. Facing Dai Yueheng's attack, he neither dodged nor avoided it, instead meeting fist with fist directly!
Arrogant!
Dai Yueheng snorted inwardly and added another thirty percent to the force of his punch.
The instant their fists collided, his expression changed drastically.
A vast, mountain-like force surged from the other party's fist, crushing his fist force with unstoppable momentum!
Bang—!
The shockwave exploded. Dai Yueheng let out a muffled groan and staggered back three steps, his right arm going numb.
Meanwhile, Xia Ming stood as steady as a boulder, not moving even half a step.
How was this possible?!
Stormy waves rose in Dai Yueheng's heart.
He did not know that Xia Ming had already held back most of his strength.
Otherwise, that punch alone would have been enough to kill him!
Mm, this amount of strength is about right. Xia Ming nodded inwardly.
The basic strength he was currently using was roughly equivalent to the limit a top-tier beast Martial Soul could reach at the Soul Ancestor stage, which was already greater than Dai Yueheng's.
Combined with the amplification of Red-Gold Transformation, which surpassed White Tiger Vajra Transformation, easily suppressing Dai Yueheng was only natural.
I'm probably going to lose.
After personally experiencing Xia Ming's strength, Dai Yueheng could not help but have that thought.
But he had no intention of giving up. His second Soul Ring lit up.
"White Tiger Intense Light Wave!"
A massive white glow condensed instantly. Accompanied by a tiger's roar, a milky-white sphere of light shot from Dai Yueheng's mouth.
Xia Ming still did not retreat.
He drew his right fist back to his waist as red-gold streams of light surged and gathered around it, then threw a punch.
The strike was simple and direct, yet it seemed to carry the might to shatter mountains and split boulders!
Boom—!
The instant his fist collided with the sphere of light, the white radiance exploded and scattered into countless motes that vanished into the air.
Xia Ming moved like lightning. Before Dai Yueheng could recover his old strength and generate new force, he stepped directly in front of him.
His left fist swung like a hammer, striking straight for his opponent's abdomen!
If this punch landed, Dai Yueheng would be seriously injured at the very least.
In that flash of lightning, a figure slipped between them like an illusion through mist.
Yan Shaozhe lightly pressed one hand against Xia Ming's shoulder and gently pushed with the other, sending Dai Yueheng three zhang away.
"That's enough."
Yan Shaozhe's voice was calm, yet it brought this brief clash to an end.
Dai Yueheng stood there blankly, lowering his head to look at his faintly trembling hands, his expression dazed.
"I lost..."
Dai Yueheng looked somewhat lost.
From the moment Xia Ming's punch shattered the White Tiger Intense Light Wave, he had understood that he had no chance of winning.
His fourth Soul Skill, White Tiger Meteor Shower, was powerful, but it was an area attack.
Against an opponent who broke through finesse with sheer force, it was completely meaningless.
The edge of the arena fell deathly silent.
Chen Zifeng, Xixi, Ling Luochen, Yao Haoxuan, and Gongyang Mo all wore expressions of utter disbelief.
Dai Yueheng's strength stood far above the rest of them, yet he had lasted only two moves against this seven-year-old youth?
If even he had lost so thoroughly, how long could any of them last against Xia Ming? Let alone defeat him.
Strength was always the most effective way to establish authority.
At this moment, no one opposed Xia Ming joining them anymore.
In fact, that was one of the reasons Xia Ming had chosen Dai Yueheng.
Only by easily defeating the strongest could he achieve the greatest deterrent effect.
Otherwise, even if he could instantly defeat the others, the effect would be weaker.
Yan Shaozhe swept his gaze across the group, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Is anyone still unconvinced?"
No one answered.
After a long while, Yao Haoxuan was the first to let out a bitter laugh. "Junior Xia Ming, you should've told us you had this kind of strength earlier!
If we'd known, how could we possibly have opposed you joining?"
"Exactly!"
The others nodded repeatedly in wholehearted agreement.
"If I hadn't made a move, how would you have believed in my strength?"
Xia Ming did not put on any lofty airs either, and he quickly became friendly with everyone present.
Before you continue