Suotuo City Turmoil! The Price of First Blood!

Flender showed a rare moment of kindness and announced a day off for everyone.

Ma Hongjun was the first to jump up, waving his hands in cheers so loud he nearly blew the roof off the cafeteria.

Oscar joined in the commotion, clamoring about going to Suotuo City to eat something good.

Although Ning Rongrong didn't say anything, her eyes lit up.

She had been at Shrek for nearly a month, yet she had never once stepped outside the academy gates.

Fu Wen stood to the side with a calm expression, though he was mentally calculating the medicinal herbs he needed to buy in the city.

The formula for his medicinal bath required a few new ingredients that the academy didn't have in stock, so this was the perfect opportunity to procure them.

The group of four left the academy and headed toward Suotuo City.

Flender didn't follow; in his own words: "You all need to go out and walk on your own; you can't always hide behind your old man."

Zhao Wuji was worried and tried to follow them quietly, but Flender stopped him.

"Let them go themselves. They need to experience things."

And so, the four children swaggered into Suotuo City.

Suotuo City was bustling.

The streets were lined with shops selling food, clothing, and spirit beast materials—everything one could imagine.

Ma Hongjun didn't have enough eyes to take it all in, looking here and there, wishing he could move the entire street back to the academy.

"Brother Ao, that grilled meat skewer smells so good!"

"Brother Ao, that sugar figurine is so pretty!"

"Brother Ao, that..."

"Shut up."

Oscar slapped him on the back of the head.

"Your Brother Ao has no money."

Ma Hongjun rubbed his head, aggrieved, and dared not shout anymore.

Ning Rongrong walked in front, hands behind her back, looking around.

She was in a great mood, a smile lingering on her lips.

Back at the sect, she was always surrounded by attendants and shuttled about in carriages whenever she went out; she had never wandered the streets so freely.

Even though she only had three peers with her, it made her happier than any other outing she had ever had.

Fu Wen walked at the very back, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings.

He didn't have the leisure to window-shop; he was observing the environment.

Although Suotuo City wasn't large, it was filled with all sorts of people from every walk of life.

With four children traveling alone, there was no guarantee they wouldn't be targeted.

As it turned out, his concerns were not unfounded.

"Yo, whose little lady is this? She's quite the looker."

A greasy voice drifted over from the side.

Ning Rongrong turned her head to see three grown men standing by the roadside, watching her with smirks.

The leader was bald with a scar on his face, wearing gaudy clothes; one look was enough to tell he was no good.

Behind him, one was as thin as a bamboo pole and the other as short as a winter melon, making for a comical sight.

Ning Rongrong frowned, said nothing, and turned to leave.

"Don't go, little lady."

The bald man blocked her path.

"How about you join us brothers for a drink?"

"Get lost."

Ning Rongrong spat out the word coldly.

The bald man's expression shifted.

"Little girl, don't be ungrateful. Do you know who I am? I'm the boss of this area, a Soul Elder-level powerhouse. If you know what's good for you, be a good girl and have a drink with us, and there will be plenty of benefits for you."

Ning Rongrong didn't speak, but she looked at the bald man as if he were already a dead man.

Fu Wen stepped forward, shielding Ning Rongrong.

He wasn't tall, but standing before the bald man, his presence was not the least bit inferior.

"Move."

The bald man was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

"Little brat, you haven't even grown your hair out yet, and you're already trying to play the hero saving the beauty?"

"Last warning, move aside."

Fu Wen's tone was devoid of any inflection.

The bald man's smile froze.

He didn't know why, but facing this six-year-old child, a chill surged in his heart.

"Boss, stop wasting time with them, just take them."

Thin Bamboo Pole leaned in, reaching out to grab Ning Rongrong's hand.

Before his hand could touch her, it was seized by another.

Fu Wen's hand.

"Ah!!"

Thin Bamboo Pole let out a miserable shriek as his wrist was squeezed by Fu Wen, the bones creaking audibly.

Fu Wen's grip was so immense that Thin Bamboo Pole felt as if his bones were about to shatter.

"You little brat, you're courting death!"

The bald man flew into a rage, throwing a punch at Fu Wen.

Fu Wen dodged to the side, and the bald man's fist missed its mark.

His body lost its balance, and he stumbled forward.

Seizing the opportunity, Oscar consumed a Flying Sausage, unfurled his blue Light Wings, and dove from the air, kicking the bald man in the back.

The bald man lunged forward, face-planting into the dirt.

"Seven Treasures Famous, first: Power!"

Ning Rongrong's amplification light enveloped Oscar and Ma Hongjun.

Ma Hongjun spread his arms, and five golden Light Feathers coalesced behind him.

"Phoenix Holy Light Strike!"

The five Light Feathers shot out, heading straight for Thin Bamboo Pole and Short Melon.

The two tried to dodge, but Ma Hongjun's accuracy was no longer what it used to be; all five feathers struck true.

Boom, boom, boom!

With two screams, Thin Bamboo Pole and Short Melon were blasted away, crashing to the ground, charred all over and unable to move.

The bald man scrambled up from the ground, his eyes bloodshot.

"You little brats, I'm going to kill you!"

His spirit rings lit up; two yellow and one purple ring rose from beneath his feet.

Fu Wen's pupils constricted.

A Soul Elder, three rings.

Although it was only three rings, the gap between them and the two-ringers was significant.

"Scatter!"

Fu Wen shouted, charging forward himself.

He was fast, but the bald man was faster.

The three-ringed Soul Elder unleashed his full Soul Power, throwing a punch at Fu Wen's chest.

Fu Wen didn't dodge, taking the punch head-on.

His body retreated a few steps, but he held his ground.

"What?"

The bald man's eyes widened.

His punch was enough to kill a century-old spirit beast, yet this child had only retreated a few steps?

"Flow-Severing!"

Fu Wen turned and delivered a tail whip; the tail of the Divine Crocodile Phantom swept out, striking the bald man squarely in the waist.

The bald man felt the flow of his Soul Power forcibly interrupted; his spirit rings flickered out, and his spirit skill failed to manifest.

"Now!"

Fu Wen shouted.

Oscar dove from the sky, kicking the bald man in the face.

The bald man fell backward, blood gushing from his nose.

Ma Hongjun's golden Light Feathers followed immediately, all five striking the bald man's chest.

Explosions rang out; the bald man's clothes were shredded, leaving his chest charred black.

But a Soul Elder's vitality was tenacious, and he was not yet dead.

"Rongrong, buff me!"

Fu Wen shouted.

"Seven Treasures Famous, First: Power!"

A golden light enveloped Fu Wen.

Fu Wen rushed toward the bald man, summoning the Divine Crocodile Phantom.

"Primordial Bite!"

The giant maw of the crocodile opened, clamping down viciously on the bald man's neck.

Snap.

The sound of shattering bone.

The bald man's eyes widened, his mouth agape, wanting to say something, but nothing came out.

His body twitched a few times before going completely still.

Fresh blood surged from the bald man's neck, staining the ground red.

Fu Wen released his grip, stood up, and took a step back.

He looked at the corpse on the ground with a calm expression, though an indescribable feeling welled up inside him.

It wasn't fear, nor was it disgust; it was a strange sense of tranquility.

Having lived two lives, this was not his first time witnessing death, but it was the first time he had killed someone with his own hands.