Xu Sanshi, You Deserve to Die!

(Alternate setting: Jiang Nannan and Xu Sanshi have no physical contact!)

Going by his memories, Su Chen quickly identified the newcomer as Jiang Nannan—the outer courtyard's number-one beauty, a future member of the Shrek Seven Devils, and the wielder of the Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul.

There was no denying that Jiang Nannan had a top-tier figure. Slim waist, long legs, curves in all the right places—calling her the Zhu Zhuqing of the new generation of Shrek Seven Devils would be no exaggeration. From Su Chen's angle, the contours beneath her purple uniform were especially pronounced. The fabric clung to her shapely figure, leaving every curve on full display. It really did look like it was "squeezing her senseless."

"Ding! Key character Jiang Nannan detected. Check-in successful. Reward: Self-Created Soul Skill! Invincible Golden Body (ignores all damage for five seconds)."

The system's notification rang out in his mind.

Su Chen's heart stirred. Invincible Golden Body? Wasn't that the signature Soul Skill of Jiang Nannan and Xiao Wu? It lasted only five seconds, but "ignores all damage" was a heaven-defying effect—a bona fide conceptual divine skill. This was a great reward. It could save his life at a critical moment.

"Nannan!" Tang Ya spotted Jiang Nannan too and waved happily. "What brings you here?"

Jiang Nannan walked over lightly, a gentle smile on her face. Her gaze swept over Tang Ya, then naturally settled on Su Chen, whose looks and bearing were striking, and whose hand Tang Ya was holding. A flicker of unmistakable admiration and curiosity crossed her eyes.

"What, Tang Ya? You're allowed to come to the night market, but I'm not?" Jiang Nannan teased with a light laugh, her voice soft and sweet. Her gaze lingered for a moment on the hands Tang Ya and Su Chen had clasped together. Then she glanced at Wang Dong, who was standing nearby with puffed-out cheeks, and a knowing, teasing glint appeared in her eyes. She deliberately asked, "By the way, who's this handsome guy with you? He's really good-looking. Where's Bei Bei? How come he didn't come with you? Don't tell me..."

She drew out the final words. Her meaning was obvious.

Tang Ya's face instantly flushed red. Embarrassed and flustered, she feared Jiang Nannan might say something in front of Su Chen that would leave her mortified. In her haste, she shoved the half-eaten grilled fish in her hand straight into Jiang Nannan's mouth!

"Eat your fish! And don't say another word!" Tang Ya scolded, cheeks burning.

With a mouthful of grilled fish, Jiang Nannan froze for a moment. Then the amusement in her eyes deepened. She chewed elegantly, looking at Tang Ya and Su Chen with an expression that said, "I get it, I get it."

After finally swallowing her food, she walked up to Su Chen and extended her slender, pale hand with an open, charming smile.

"Hello, junior. I'm Jiang Nannan, a good friend of Tang Ya's. What should I call you?"

Su Chen looked at the delicate hand before him, then at Jiang Nannan's clear, smiling eyes. He was about to shake her hand and introduce himself.

But just as his hand was about to touch her fingertips—

"Kid! Stay away from Nannan!!"

A low, thunderous roar, thick with rage and fury, exploded through the bustling night market! The Soul Power packed into the voice made the air around them tremble!

Everyone turned toward the sound. A towering, powerfully built boy was striding toward them in a rage. He had thick brows, fierce eyes, a straight nose, and a broad mouth. He would have been handsome, but his extreme anger had twisted his face into a menacing scowl.

He wore a purple uniform—signifying fourth year—and was an upper-year student in the outer courtyard. Powerful Soul Power rolled off him. He was clearly a Soul Elder!

"Hey, look, it's Xu Sanshi!"

"This is going to be good! Xu Sanshi is famous for being Jiang Nannan's 'self-appointed knight in shining armor'!"

"That junior's in trouble. Xu Sanshi comes from the Xuanming Sect, has powerful backing, and he's strong himself. He's a fourth-year student, too!"

"Right? He's always hounding Jiang Nannan. Anyone who gets close to her gets a piece of his mind!"

The students around them began whispering. Many looked at Su Chen with pity or anticipation.

Su Chen's brows knitted together, and a chill flashed in his eyes. He had been about to politely introduce himself to Jiang Nannan when this troublemaker came barging in out of nowhere, rude and overbearing.

Xu Sanshi reached them in just a few strides. First, his gaze fell on Jiang Nannan, hungry and pained. Then his blazing eyes locked onto Su Chen!

When he saw Su Chen's almost unfairly handsome face, Jiang Nannan's outstretched hand, and Tang Ya standing beside him with the same evident closeness, jealousy, fury, and a sense of being challenged surged together and swallowed Xu Sanshi's reason.

He pointed at Su Chen's nose. His voice was hoarse with rage, brimming with undisguised hostility and menace.

"Kid! I don't care who you are or what family you come from! I'm warning you—get away from Nannan! Right now! Or don't blame me for what happens next!"

Su Chen's gaze turned icy. He was about to teach this arrogant fool a lesson and show him exactly what "what happens next" meant.

But Jiang Nannan moved faster. Her pretty face turned cold, and she stepped in front of Su Chen, shielding him behind her. She glared at Xu Sanshi, her voice icy and resolute.

"Xu Sanshi! What's gotten into you?! He's Tang Ya's friend, so naturally he's my friend too! My affairs are none of your business!"

"I've turned you down clearly so many times already! Leave at once! Stop making a scene!"

Being scolded so harshly by the woman he loved as she stood up for another man left Xu Sanshi stunned. It felt as if someone had stabbed him straight through the heart. But then even fiercer jealousy and rage erupted like a volcano!

"Friend? He's just a pretty boy who lives off his looks!" Xu Sanshi blurted, pointing at Su Chen and cursing. "Nannan! Don't let that face fool you! Pretty boys like him are all smooth talk and can't be trusted!"

The moment he heard the words "pretty boy," Tang Ya's face darkened. How dare he insult Su Chen?!

Without a word, she flipped her wrist. Several hair-thin Dragon Whisker Needles, gleaming with cold light, appeared between her fingers. Soul Power surged as she prepared to stick a few into Xu Sanshi's mouthy hide and let him taste the might of Tang Sect Hidden Weapons!

But a warm, firm hand gently pressed down on her wrist.

It was Su Chen.

He shook his head at Tang Ya, signaling her to hold back. This level of provocation didn't call for her to use Hidden Weapons. Besides, Xu Sanshi had insulted him, so he would return the favor himself.

Su Chen lightly patted Jiang Nannan's shoulder, where she stood in front of him, signaling for her to move aside.

Jiang Nannan felt the steady strength of his hand and paused. She looked back at Su Chen and met his calm yet faintly authoritative golden eyes. An inexplicable sense of reassurance settled in her heart, and she instinctively stepped aside.

Su Chen took a step forward, facing the furious Xu Sanshi head-on. They were about the same height, but Xu Sanshi was bulkier, while Su Chen looked taller and more slender.

Looking at Xu Sanshi, Su Chen's lips curved into the faintest smile, cold enough to cut to the bone. His voice was quiet, yet everyone heard it clearly. It carried a detached arrogance and an unquestionable chill.

"Warn me?"

Su Chen repeated the words with a light laugh, as if he had just heard a joke. Then his gaze suddenly sharpened like a blade.

"What do you think you are?"

His gaze swept over Xu Sanshi, then flicked toward Jiang Nannan, whose expression was displeased. He continued with a hint of mockery in his voice. "Whatever relationship Nannan and I have, whether as friends or something else, what business is it of yours, Xu Sanshi? What gives you the right to interfere?"

He paused, and his voice suddenly dropped. His expression darkened completely, and a fierce, invisible pressure began to rise.

"And another thing..."

Su Chen stared at Xu Sanshi, speaking each word slowly. Every one sounded as though it had been dragged up from an ice cellar.

"You. Called. Me. A. Pretty. Boy?"

His eyes were a cold abyss. Even Xu Sanshi, raging as he was, felt a shiver of unease.

"What? Are you jealous because you're built like a bear and ugly as sin, and someone else is handsome? All you can do is bark like a mad dog, spewing filth and picking fights?"

Su Chen unleashed his sharp tongue, each word a dagger aimed straight at Xu Sanshi's deepest insecurity.

"Heh..." He gave a laugh that was impossible to read, but there wasn't a trace of warmth in it. "Of course, if you're confident in your strength and can't accept it, you want to fight me..."

Su Chen raised his chin slightly, his golden eyes glinting with both fighting spirit and icy disdain.

"Then I'll—fight you to the end."

"But if you don't have the guts to fight..."

Su Chen's voice suddenly rose, his words carrying an unmistakable order to get out.

"Then—get lost!"

"Never heard that a good dog doesn't block the road?"

He'd actually dared to call Su Chen a pretty boy in public?

Su Chen sneered inwardly, a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes.

This man had already earned his own death!

Huh? Why did that sound familiar? Never mind. It rolled off the tongue!

Wang Dong watched from the side, her pout forgotten and her eyes wide. Her mind was racing. Wow... I didn't know Su Chen could be this infuriating when he chewed someone out.

Xu Sanshi's face turned the color of pig liver.

He was the young master of the Xuanming Sect, a fourth-year elite, and one of the most prominent figures in the outer courtyard. When had some first-year newcomer ever scolded him in public like this?

That one word—"get lost"—had landed like a resounding slap across his face, stinging hot.

"You...!"

Xu Sanshi forced out a hoarse sound, his fists clenched so tightly they creaked. His fingernails dug into his palms. He felt like a volcano on the verge of eruption, rage about to burst from every orifice.

"You what?"

Su Chen couldn't even be bothered to lift his eyelids. He sounded as leisurely as if he were commenting on the weather.

"You can't even get a sentence out, but you want to threaten people?" Su Chen raised his head, his golden eyes sweeping over Xu Sanshi's rage-twisted face. A blatant sneer tugged at his lips. "Looks like you're not just growing ugly in a hurry—your brain's growing just as slowly. What, does the Xuanming Sect only teach you how to harden your shell and not how to talk?"

"Pfft—"

Wang Dong, who had been pouting and sulking nearby, was the first to lose it. She burst out laughing. She hurriedly covered her mouth, but her pretty pink-and-blue eyes were already sparkling with schadenfreude, curving into crescents.

Jiang Nannan froze for a moment, then the corners of her lips rose despite herself. Turning her face aside, she lifted a hand to cover her mouth, her shoulders trembling slightly as she tried to suppress her laughter.

Tang Ya openly gave Su Chen a thumbs-up and called out, "Well said, Su Chen! I've been sick of that black tortoise for ages. He's always pestering Nannan—it's so annoying!"

How could Xu Sanshi stand such provocation?

Especially in front of the girl he loved—Jiang Nannan was right there watching! His already fiery temper was pushed over the edge by Su Chen's casual remarks, and the last shred of reason burned to ash.

"A pretty boy dares to act arrogant in front of me?!"

Xu Sanshi roared, his voice cracking like thunder. He didn't waste any more words, and he didn't summon his Martial Soul. In his eyes, using his Martial Soul against a first-year student would be beneath him.

He charged straight at Su Chen, relying solely on his powerful physique!

The Black Tortoise Bloodline granted him terrifying strength and defense far beyond those of Soul Masters at the same level. Even without a Soul Skill, that punch could break the bones of an ordinary Soul Grandmaster!

His fist, as big as a cooking pot, cut through the air and shot straight at Su Chen's face!

The punch came fast and hard, compressing the air into a sharp whistle. The watching students gasped. Several girls even covered their eyes, unable to watch the bloody scene that was about to unfold.

But Su Chen didn't even furrow his brow.

He had wanted to teach Xu Sanshi a lesson for a while. He'd disliked men who used their family's backing to relentlessly pester women even in the original story. Now that Xu Sanshi had walked straight into his hands, this was the perfect opportunity.

Just as the fist was about to strike his face—

Su Chen moved.

His movements were so fast they were almost impossible to see. His right hand shot out like lightning, and a faint golden glow surfaced in his palm. It wasn't dazzling, but it carried an indescribably profound aura.

"Smack!"

A crisp sound rang out.

Su Chen caught Xu Sanshi's unstoppable punch in one hand, his fingers clamping around the boy's wrist like an iron vice!

"What?!" Xu Sanshi's pupils contracted.

He knew better than anyone how much force he'd put into that punch. Even a Soul Elder specializing in defense wouldn't dare block it head-on! Yet this frail-looking pretty boy had actually—

Before Xu Sanshi could react, Su Chen turned his wrist. A gentle yet irresistible force traveled down his arm.

Xu Sanshi felt an overwhelming force sweep through him. He lost his balance and was flung backward before he could do a thing!

"Bang!"

He crashed heavily onto the ground three or four meters away, sending up a cloud of dust.

The entire crowd fell silent.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the scene, unable to believe what they were seeing.

Xu Sanshi, the outer courtyard's strongest defense and one of the top students in fourth year, had been tossed aside with one hand by a new student?!

And Su Chen hadn't even summoned his Martial Soul!

"H-How is that possible...?" one student murmured.