Tempering Oneself

Qin Chuan's gaze swept over Tang San, and with a wave of his hand, a vast expanse of divine radiance bloomed. The pressure was overwhelming; even though he held back, it still forced the group to retreat step by step.

His fists, limbs, and even his entire body seemed to be forged from the most terrifying immortal gold. His skin shimmered with a brilliant, blood-red luster.

Had it not been for Tang San sensing the danger and hiding behind the others to direct their movements, combined with his own uncanny footwork, he would likely have fallen the moment the battle began.

Even so, he still took several punches from Qin Chuan. The area around his eyes was bruised, his nasal bridge was sunken and bleeding, and his already plain face had become even uglier—a truly miserable sight.

Only now did the group realize the extent of Qin Chuan's strength. This handsome youth was like a god or demon, radiating such brilliance that they could barely breathe.

Boom!

The void trembled. Qin Chuan kicked Dai Mubai away, then broke through the group's heavy blockade to strike directly at the panicked Tang San.

He unleashed a heavy punch, channeling a thousand jin of force, and slammed it deep into Tang San's abdomen.

"Ah..."

Tang San's face twisted instantly, becoming hideous. His stomach felt as if it had been punched through by Bai Hao.

Even so, his insides were churning, and he felt as if he were about to vomit bile.

The others watched with twitching eyelids, feeling the pain as if it were their own—it looked agonizing!

"Let's end this!"

Enveloped in a brilliant mist of light, Qin Chuan leaped high into the air and began to spin rapidly. His right foot was wreathed in starlight as he locked onto the group and descended like a falling meteor.

Boom!

It was as if a meteorite from the starry sky had crashed into the earth. The intense shockwave overturned everything; flames soared into the sky, and the ground within a radius of dozens of meters was utterly destroyed, trees shattered, and boulders sent flying.

This move, like the Five Poison Pill Recipe, was an ancient technique he had obtained from the system's novice gift pack. Although it was only a fragment, it was more than enough to deal with these people.

"What a ruthless brat. Didn't your elders teach you to leave a way out for others?" A middle-aged man walked out from the billowing smoke and dust. He was burly, resembling a giant bear.

Watching Qin Chuan, who remained as elegant as ever, Zhao Wuji's hands, hidden behind his back, trembled slightly. A trace of shock flickered deep within his eyes.

The power of that soul skill was unheard of; it was hard to imagine it had been unleashed by a mere youth. Had he not intervened in time to protect them, the entire Shrek Academy group would likely have been wiped out.

What kind of monster was this?

The falling meteor had been world-shattering, shocking even the Shrek Academy teacher Zhao Wuji and nearly injuring him, forcing him to wonder about Qin Chuan's origins.

The smoke and dust gradually dissipated, revealing the unscathed Shrek group, who were just as shocked as Zhao Wuji.

Even Ma Hongjun and Oscar still had looks of terror on their faces; they had truly felt the breath of death just moments ago.

The path of a soul master was as difficult as ascending to heaven. Cultivation was arduous and required the accumulation of years to achieve even the slightest success.

Yet, Qin Chuan's appearance shattered this perception.

What kind of genius could possess such power at this age!

Such talent made the Shrek group envious, even fearful. Now that they had offended him, there was no longer any possibility of reconciliation.

The Tang Sect's Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record stated that once an opponent was identified as an enemy, if they possessed a path to death, one should not hold back; leaving them alive would only bring unnecessary trouble.

Thinking of this, Tang San's gaze turned cold. He touched his swollen face and urged, "Teacher Zhao, kill him quickly! If someone like this is allowed to grow, he will definitely be a great threat to our Shrek Academy."

As soon as these words were spoken, even his former partners, such as Dai Mubai, looked at Tang San in disbelief.

You snatched their soul beast, and now you want to kill them all?

They could never do such a thing.

Zhao Wuji frowned. The conflict had started because of Tang San, but the moment he thought of Tang San's father, he felt his face ache again.

He took a deep look at Tang San, this fellow who had now become his student, and said calmly to Qin Chuan:

"Although I don't know where you come from, the hatred between you and Shrek Academy has been forged, so you are destined not to leave this place today."

"This is the Star Dou Great Forest. The soul masters buried here are as numerous as the stars; no one will ever know what happened today."

Qin Chuan smiled, brushed some non-existent dust off his white clothes, and said, "I sensed a strong expert hiding here earlier. So, it was just the elder of these chickens and dogs. Truly, just as unreasonable as the rest."

The moment he finished speaking, Qin Chuan moved.

His figure was like lightning, leaving behind afterimages. In the blink of an eye, he was already in front of Zhao Wuji, his speed vastly different from before.

Even Zhao Wuji, whose cultivation had reached the Soul Saint level, was startled and hurriedly performed a roll to dodge Qin Chuan's attack.

When he realized what had happened, his face turned bright red. He, a dignified Soul Saint, had actually been startled by a mere brat—it was damnable!

"Brat, you are courting death!"

With that, Zhao Wuji activated Martial Soul Possession. His already sturdy muscles seemed to expand, and his entire frame grew a full size larger.

"Vajra Palm!"

Seeing Zhao Wuji's furious strike, Qin Chuan did not dodge; instead, he charged head-on. He wanted to truly experience just how high the power level of this world really was.

Boom! It was like a comet collision!

Qin Chuan felt as if he were battling a savage bear. A cold, beastly aura permeated the surroundings, making one feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.

Yet, he was completely fearless. Six thousand jin of divine strength erupted, surpassing the limits of humanity.

Wherever his fist landed, a series of explosions followed. That terrifying power made even Zhao Wuji's heart leap with fear.

He dodged everywhere, not daring to take Qin Chuan's fists head-on for fear that a single blow would send him straight to his grave.

He had no choice but to rely on his extensive combat experience and profound soul power to suppress his opponent as much as possible.

"Kid, you surprise me more and more. I have no idea when such a genius appeared on the continent! But the more that is the case, the more I cannot let you leave today, no matter what."

Such astonishing physical fitness, combined with those combat techniques that seemed specially trained—everything pointed to the extraordinary nature of Qin Chuan.

Even Zhao Wuji and the Shrek group still did not know what Qin Chuan's martial soul actually was, seeing only the four soul rings he displayed externally.

"So this guy really was just playing with us before."

The Shrek group smiled bitterly, feeling severely demoralized. The existence of someone capable of going toe-to-toe with Zhao Wuji made them, who prided themselves on being monsters, wish they could crawl into a hole and leave.

Tang San, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing wore strange expressions as they watched the battle between Qin Chuan and Zhao Wuji, ripples of emotion rising in their eyes as they pondered who knows what.