This is the Benefit of Having Both Influence and Strength

Under this suffocating standoff, Flender was the first to yield, retracting the pressure of his Spirit Saint cultivation.

He did not want to abandon Xiao Wu, but she was, after all, merely a stranger who had just joined his academy.

Fortunately, he had already done his best to help his sworn brother Yu Xiaogang's disciple, Tang San, ensuring he would not be arrested and effectively saving his life.

As for Xiao Wu, he was truly powerless to intervene.

He could not risk himself and everyone else for a genius who had only just joined the academy, possessed no background, and lacked the strength to back it up.

Such things were commonplace on this continent; only a genius who managed to grow up could truly be called a genius.

Falling halfway was a frequent occurrence, regardless of whether it was man-made or not.

As Flender gave up, the fear already etched on Xiao Wu's face intensified, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Tang San, his right hand calloused from years of farm work, gripped Xiao Wu's delicate left hand tightly, standing resolutely before her to provide her with a sense of absolute security.

Her cold left hand was warmed slightly in Tang San's palm, and his sonorous, forceful voice rang in her ears:

"No, I don't agree!"

"Xiao Wu is my sister. Whatever happens, I should be the one by her side. Besides, we have been together for the past six years; it is impossible for her to have committed a crime!"

Watching Tang San's protective stance and Xiao Wu's pitiful appearance, Lin Chuan's gaze turned icy:

"Who do you think you are? Do you think your disagreement matters when I want to take her?"

"Get lost!"

The moment his words fell, a surge of spirit power erupted, slamming into Tang San and Xiao Wu.

In the direct collision, the two were sent stumbling backward, clutching their aching chests, their faces deathly pale.

Just then, an angry roar erupted from the village to the left:

"Brat, you dare come to Shrek Academy to cause trouble? Are you tired of living!"

It was a middle-aged man, looking to be in his fifties, with a burly build and a naturally imposing, fierce expression. His muscles bulged prominently, and his broad shoulders were like city walls; his coat could barely contain his menacing, thick physique.

Seeing the student who had just joined his academy being bullied, he didn't even think twice. With a massive leap, he cleared seven or eight meters, leaving a deep crater in the road where he had pushed off, before landing in front of Tang San and Xiao Wu.

Flender sensed disaster and rushed forward, grabbing the middle-aged man's thick arm and whispering explanations to Lin Chuan:

"Pardon the intrusion. This is the vice-dean of our Shrek Academy. He is unaware of the situation, so please don't take offense. I will take him away immediately."

He dared not act arrogant at such a critical juncture; the other party's identity was not simple, and every glance he took left him terrified.

Whether they could win in a fight was one thing, but whether they could survive after the fight was what mattered most.

However, Zhao Wuji, oblivious to the situation, struggled and looked at Flender in confusion, asking:

"What is going on with you? Outsiders have come into the academy to bully our students..."

Before he could finish, Flender covered his mouth.

Assuming the authority of an elder brother, he said with a stern expression:

"Do not get involved in this. That is the Holy Son of Martial Soul Hall. Not to mention the people protecting him from the shadows, he himself is a Spirit Saint. What do you have to protect yourself with?"

"Don't forget you were hunted by Martial Soul Hall in the past. If I hadn't led you to escape in time back then, the grass on your grave would be three or four meters tall by now."

Upon hearing that the other party was the Holy Son of Martial Soul Hall, Zhao Wuji's body trembled imperceptibly.

He knew the terror of Martial Soul Hall; the pursuit he faced back then was nothing more than a minor skirmish.

If he truly offended this person, he likely wouldn't even be left with a whole corpse.

"Flender, but... the one who beat me a few days ago..."

Zhao Wuji spoke hesitantly, but Flender knew exactly who he meant: Clear Sky Douluo.

If they failed to protect Tang San, the man might well wipe them out to vent his rage upon learning his son had been taken by Martial Soul Hall.

"It's fine, the Holy Son said he is only taking Xiao Wu."

With that explained, both men visibly relaxed.

The difficulty of having neither strength nor influence meant that even watching a spectacle could be dangerous.

They wanted to help, but they couldn't afford to offend either side.

As the few watched on, Lin Chuan took a step forward, slowly moving toward Tang San and Xiao Wu.

The simple steps felt as if they were treading on the hearts of the two, each movement causing their hearts to tremble.

The sleeve arrow on Tang San's left wrist was already primed and ready; he was waiting for the prey to get close to strike a fatal blow!

However, his movements were fully exposed under Lin Chuan's spiritual perception.

Just as Tang San silently counted down to "four meters."

A terrifying gravitational force instantly pressed down on him, making him feel unbearable agony. His hand, resting on the sleeve arrow, slammed painfully into the ground to support his weight.

The pressure of Void-Stepping was focused entirely on Tang San, causing him to suffer immensely.

Lin Chuan took one more simple step.

The even more towering pressure forced Tang San to his knees, his entire skeleton emitting a teeth-grinding creak.

"Tang San, if you want to live, shut your mouth and behave. I am only giving you this one chance."

Unsure if Tang San could even hear him under this pressure, Lin Chuan couldn't be bothered to pay him any more mind.

With a light tap of his toes, the ground instantly spiderwebbed with fine cracks, and he appeared before Tang San in a flash, kicking him away.

Before Tang San's battered figure could recover from the gravity, he suffered another heavy blow.

He went flying backward, crashing into a nearby abandoned shack, and passed out cold.

No one around dared to intervene.

This was the benefit of possessing both influence and strength.

Lin Chuan extended a slender finger, his large right hand effortlessly gripping Xiao Wu's fair, delicate neck.

Xiao Wu trembled in terror.

Her eyes, veiled by a hazy mist, slowly reflected the face of the youth before her and his suddenly indifferent brows.

She clutched at the large hand choking her throat, struggling in vain as teardrops the size of beans fell from her eyes; her desperate appearance was enough to stir pity in anyone.

Lin Chuan, however, remained completely unmoved, holding her by the neck as if he were merely dangling a rabbit that could only kick feebly.

Her usual carefree nature became starkly clear in the face of death, as scenes from the past echoed in her mind.

In this mundane world filled with the smoke of human life, she had inevitably become tainted by the mortal coil, long forgetting her resolve to avenge her mother.

"I... I... hate... you all!"

Memories of her mother surfaced, and Xiao Wu's eyes filled with resentment as she stammered the words.

But with her throat gripped tight, every breath was a struggle, making her speech intermittent and her hoarse voice impossible to understand.

Even if Lin Chuan heard her, he paid it no heed.

What use was hating him? Weakness itself was the original sin.

Instead, she had taken human form not to cultivate with her life on the line, but to come to the human world to learn knowledge and satisfy her curiosity.

In human society, being weak meant being ostracized, looked down upon, ignored, shunned, and loathed...

These common reasons were not because everyone was evil.

They were changes forced upon people just to survive.

Yet, there were still those who could not hold onto their original intentions and went astray, just as there were those who persisted and saved lives.

Conflicts of interest arose even between people, let alone between soul beasts.

In the end, this was a complex world; the law of the jungle was the law of the world, and every form of existence was merely a variation revolving around it.