An Ineffectual Husband

Ma Xiaotao didn't dwell too much on Yang Jian's dark history. She quickly led him and Gongyang Mo to nearby seats, then watched the battle between Dai Yueheng and Ling Luochеn on the stage with eager interest.

Before long, Yao Haoxuan, Chen Zifeng, and Xi Xi came over too.

After briefly introducing themselves, they all settled down to watch the match.

Yao Haoxuan looked like an extremely thin and short man. His Martial Soul was the Heaven-Shaking Ape, a rather rare Martial Soul that combined support and control. When he released it, his small frame would suddenly swell, becoming tall and powerful.

He was also the unluckiest of this generation of Shrek Seven Devils.

A future accident that would leave Xuan Zi with a lifetime of regret and turn him into an unofficial vice-leader of the Holy Spirit Cult would result in one death and six injuries. The only one who died was the unlucky Yao Haoxuan.

Sitting beside Yao Haoxuan was Chen Zifeng. His looks were fairly ordinary, but his frame was long and lean as a sword. His eyes were sharp as an eagle's, and a keen, cutting aura surrounded him.

As for Xi Xi, she was petite and delicate. Even sitting among them, she hardly stood out, save for her lively, sharp eyes.

Though this generation was called the Shrek Seven Devils, Ma Xiaotao was the only one who could be considered a peerless genius. Even while troubled by Evil Fire, her Soul Power Level had left the others far behind.

Dai Yueheng came next. Though he had always kept close to Ma Xiaotao in Soul Power Level, there was still a gap between their abilities. Once the flaw in Ma Xiaotao's Martial Soul was remedied, that gap would gradually widen.

As for the other five, they had talent enough to enter Shrek Academy, become reserve members of the Shrek Seven Devils, and join the Inner Court. But compared with Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng, they still fell short.

By the time they competed in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament three years later, only Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng would have broken through to the Soul Emperor level.

"Luo Chen's about to lose... The gap's still pretty big."

Yao Haoxuan shook his head helplessly.

Following his gaze, Yang Jian saw the figure of a young woman on the verge of defeat.

"Dai Yueheng's improved quite a bit lately! He's got me itching to fight."

Ma Xiaotao rubbed her wrists, practically bursting with eagerness.

But there was no point in fighting Dai Yueheng.

If she was going to fight, she wanted to challenge someone ranked above her in Soul Fighting points!

Ma Xiaotao searched the crowd with her eyes, passing over one person after another before settling on a rather languid figure.

"You're the one!"

With that, Ma Xiaotao left the others behind and strode toward a girl leaning back against the seat in the stands.

"Who... is that?"

Yang Jian looked puzzled.

"Oh, she's the one ranked just above Ma Xiaotao in Soul Fighting points. She's also a senior who's completed twenty-nine Supervision Group missions. If she completes one last mission without a hitch, she'll graduate from the Inner Court."

Gongyang Mo explained, "With that senior's Six-Ring Soul Emperor cultivation, her final Supervision Group mission should be easy."

?

I'd advise you to take that back.

The moment you said that, I felt like a health bar had appeared over that senior's head. There's a good chance something will go wrong on her final mission.

"If Ma Xiaotao challenges a senior who's about to graduate, it'll count as a challenge against someone of a higher rank. If Ma Xiaotao wins, she'll get double the points. There isn't much difference between their scores, so if Ma Xiaotao wins... one more victory should shuffle their rankings around a little."

Gongyang Mo patted Yang Jian on the shoulder, encouraging him. "What do you say, Second Brother? Want to go up and have some fun?"

As he spoke, Gongyang Mo looked Yang Jian up and down.

The last time he'd returned to the Offering Hall in the Star Luo Empire had been two and a half years ago. Back then, Yang Jian had already obtained his Second Soul Ring, and his Soul Power Level had nearly reached thirty. His strength had been astonishing.

Two and a half years had passed since then. Yang Jian could only be even more terrifying now, right?

"I'd like to, but I'm still not an Inner Court student. Can I take part in Soul Fighting?"

"Of course. They're not so strict about the rules here at the Soul Fighting Arena. But in your situation, you'll probably be assigned an opponent at random. You can only choose someone if you come to an agreement with them first. Both sides have to consent before you can name your opponent."

Gongyang Mo gave him a wary look. "I'm warning you, don't pick me! I'm a support-type Soul Master. I can't take whatever you dish out."

At this, Yao Haoxuan and the others looked on with curiosity.

Other than Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng, Gongyang Mo had the highest Soul Power Level among them. And because of his Martial Soul's unique nature and powerful support abilities, he held a high standing among their group.

For him to speak to this young man like that, while seeming so close to Ma Xiaotao...

Just who was this young man?

They all looked curious. Xi Xi, the only woman among them, was especially friendly. "You can choose me as your opponent. I don't think I'd refuse."

Forget that Yang Jian was friends with Ma Xiaotao and Gongyang Mo. Just looking at his handsome face was enough to make her reluctant to say no.

"Second Brother, aside from me, you can pick any of those three. I guarantee none of them will refuse."

Gongyang Mo gave a mischievous grin and pointed to each of them in turn. "Yao Haoxuan, a forty-seventh-level control-support Battle Soul Ancestor with the Heaven-Shaking Ape as his Martial Soul."

"Chen Zifeng, a forty-ninth-level Power Attack System weapon Soul Ancestor with the Soul-Chasing Sword as his Martial Soul. And Xi Xi, a forty-seventh-level agility-attack Battle Soul Ancestor with the Lightning Leopard as her Martial Soul."

Although all three were weaker than Zhou Yi, Yang Jian didn't turn down their offer.

After all, if he were matched at random, there was no telling who he might face. He could end up against one of the top-ranked Soul Saint students. That was exactly why Gongyang Mo had suggested that he challenge one of his teammates.

Yang Jian wasn't afraid to face a Soul Saint, but Gongyang Mo had meant well.

"Then I'll choose Senior Chen. Is that all right?"

Yang Jian politely glanced at Chen Zifeng, who looked like a razor-sharp blade.

Compared with Xi Xi, an agility-attack specialist, and Yao Haoxuan, a control-support specialist, he would much rather fight Chen Zifeng, who was a Power Attack specialist.

"Of course."

Chen Zifeng agreed without hesitation, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

He wanted to see what gave Yang Jian the confidence to challenge an Inner Court student as an Outer Court student.

Yang Jian's choice was also overheard by Dai Yueheng, who had finished his Soul Fighting match and returned to the stands to find his teammates.

Dai Yueheng was surprised to see Yang Jian here, but what he found even harder to accept was that Yang Jian hadn't chosen him as his Soul Fighting opponent. Instead, he'd picked Chen Zifeng!

Like an ineffectual husband, he could only watch helplessly as Yang Jian and Chen Zifeng headed for the waiting area.