Provocation

Yu Mingxiao followed the team to the Soul Fighting Arena.

Skywater Academy's Soul Fighting Arena was an oval, open-air structure. It was not very large, with tiered seats rising layer upon layer on all sides.

No matter where one sat, the central fighting platform could be seen.

By the time their group arrived, quite a few people were already seated in the arena. At a glance, nearly all of them were girls wearing Skywater Academy uniforms.

Among the group, the three disciples from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan saw the youthful, beautiful girls all around them, and their eyes immediately lit up. They were restless, eager to go over and strike up a conversation.

An elderly woman approached with a smile on her face. "You must be friends from Thunder Academy. I am Xue Mei, Skywater Academy's dean of instruction. Your seats are over there. Please follow me."

As she spoke, she raised a hand in invitation, gesturing for them to follow her.

"Thank you," Yu Luoxiao said calmly.

Their group was arranged on the other side, where Blazing Fire Academy and Godwind Academy also happened to be seated. Clearly, the visiting academies had all been placed together here.

Yu Mingxiao sat down and turned his gaze toward the central fighting platform.

The platform was not very large. He even suspected it was not meant for fighting at all, but rather for performances. Still, it should be spacious enough for low-level Soul Masters to fight on.

"Tch, such a tiny brat dares to enter the competition? Has Thunder Academy run out of people?"

A voice full of mockery suddenly rang out.

Yu Mingxiao's ears twitched. He withdrew his gaze and looked toward the source of the voice.

In Elephant Armor Academy's group, a muscular man around five foot seven stood up, his face full of ridicule.

The man looked as though he had been pumped full of steroids. The muscles on his arms bulged in knots, their lines exaggerated to the point of seeming grotesque.

"Young Clan Master, that's the guy who was shouting at you earlier," Yu Tianjing said in a low voice.

"That's right, it was me. Soul fighting is a game for grown-ups. You little brat should crawl back and drink milk, hahaha..." The muscular man burst into loud laughter.

"Insolence!" Yu Tianjing glared at him furiously. "Do you know who you're insulting?"

The other two accompanying disciples also darkened, glaring at the muscular man.

Yu Mingxiao was the Young Clan Master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Insulting him was no different from insulting the clan itself!

For these three direct-line disciples, who valued the clan's honor above their very lives, this was a provocation they could never tolerate!

"Tch, why should I, Huyan Men, care who he is? So what if he belongs to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?" Huyan Men said disdainfully.

"You're courting death!"

Yu Tianjing was enraged and immediately moved to rush forward.

But the moment he moved, Yu Mingxiao reached out and stopped him.

His tone carried lofty contempt. "He's just a clown jumping about. Why bother with him?"

Huyan Men snapped angrily, "Brat, who are you calling a clown?"

"Whoever answered is the clown. You chose to apply it to yourself," Yu Mingxiao said coldly.

"You..." Huyan Men's face turned red with rage.

"What about me?" Yu Mingxiao said. "Weren't you acting arrogant just now? I hope you can stay this arrogant when the match begins."

"Hmph, just wait and see. I'll beat you until you're crawling around looking for your teeth!" Huyan Men said coldly, leaving behind those words.

Over in Skywater Academy's seating area, a girl with icy blue hair watched the farce end with a smile, her gaze lingering on Yu Mingxiao.

"Sister Xiwei, what are you looking at so intently?" a petite girl beside her asked.

Shui Xiwei said softly, "That person from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Judging by his appearance, he can't be more than eight years old. How can he represent Thunder Academy in the competition?"

"So you were looking at that kid. I thought you were lovesick." The girl immediately lost interest and curled her lips.

"You little brat, what nonsense are you talking about?" Shui Xiwei's ears warmed, and a faint blush quietly spread across her cheeks.

As the teams from the various academies arrived one after another, Yu Luoxiao had Yu Mingxiao and the others head to the Waiting Area. After instructing Sixth Brother to look after them, he walked straight toward the judges' seats at the front.

He was both Thunder Academy's headmaster and one of the referees for this friendly match.

Skywater Academy's headmaster was a beautiful middle-aged woman. She stood and began announcing the format of the friendly match.

This friendly match had five participating teams, each with seven members. A single round-robin format would be used, with each match consisting of seven fixed one-on-one bouts.

A win awarded two points, a draw one point, and a loss zero points. There would be no elimination.

Killing due to personal grudges was strictly forbidden during the competition.

After all matches were completed, the teams would be ranked by total points from highest to lowest.

The team with the highest total score would win the championship of this friendly match!

Based on the format, Yu Mingxiao did a quick calculation.

With five academies playing a single round robin, there would be ten matches in total. It would likely take until tomorrow or the day after to determine the final champion.

After Skywater Academy's headmaster announced the rules in one breath, she slowly rose to her feet.

She walked to a box beside the platform, reached inside, and began drawing lots.

She drew out a pair of slips bearing academy names, then turned and handed them to the teacher temporarily serving as the host.

The teacher immediately stepped forward and looked down at the slips in his hand. "First round of the friendly match: Thunder Academy versus Elephant Armor Academy!"

"Enemies really do meet on a narrow road. Let me go," Yu Mingxiao said, rubbing his fists together, eager to fight.

Yu Luobin frowned slightly and advised, "Mingxiao, we don't know Elephant Armor Academy's strength. We must not be careless. Let the others test them first."

"There's no need." Yu Mingxiao said calmly, "Sixth Uncle, I don't think I'll lose."

Ever since obtaining the Prajna Ghost Mask, he had possessed absolute confidence.

At the Soul Grandmaster stage, he was confident that no one could defeat him.

"Then you'll go first." Seeing that he could not persuade him, Yu Luobin could only wave his hand.

Yu Mingxiao walked out of the Waiting Area with a smile and headed straight onto the fighting platform.

A muscular man stepped up from the other side as well, but he was not Huyan Men, who had insulted Yu Mingxiao earlier. He was someone else.

The two stood facing each other thirty meters apart.

"Why is it you? Thunder Academy actually sent you out first?"

The Elephant Armor Academy student was slightly stunned.

At such a young age, his strength surely could not be much. What was Thunder Academy thinking?

"Enough nonsense. Martial Soul Possession."

Yu Mingxiao gave a low shout. Soul Power surged around him, his pupils transformed into golden vertical slits, dragon scales rose across his arms, two dragon horns emerged from his head, and his aura abruptly soared.

"What kind of Martial Soul is that...?"

The Elephant Armor Academy student furrowed his brows. Not daring to be careless, he shouted, "Diamond Mammoth Martial Soul Possession!"

A layer of diamond crystal covered both his arms, glittering brightly. His head began to twist and change shape, his ears swelled, and two tusks grew out.

"First Soul Skill, Mammoth Charge!" The first Soul Ring beneath the Elephant Armor Academy student's feet lit up as he launched the first attack.

His hulking body, wrapped in white force, charged ferociously toward Yu Mingxiao!

Yu Mingxiao's gaze sharpened. He leaped into the air, evading the attack as his first Soul Ring flashed with light.

"First Soul Skill, Sacred Dragon Flame Light."

His aura surged again, the dragon scales over his body becoming increasingly solid as he spat out a stream of dragon breath.

The instant the scorching light dragon breath struck his body, intense light exploded and agonizing pain swept through him. The Elephant Armor Academy student could not help letting out a miserable scream.

Yu Mingxiao closed in and sent him flying with a powerful punch. Then he pressed forward step by step, his fists raining down in succession until his opponent no longer had the strength to stand. Only then did he stop.

The surroundings suddenly fell into dead silence. Even a pin dropping could be heard.

A moment later, the entire arena erupted into an uproar, cries of shock ringing out everywhere!

"Huyan Men, get up here!"

Yu Mingxiao looked down arrogantly as his cold shout echoed through the entire Soul Fighting Arena.