Facing Tang San and the others' aggressive demands, Qin Chuan stopped holding back. Even with Tang Hao watching from the shadows, killing intent rose in his heart.
"Kid, you're impressive. At your age, you've actually managed to fight me to this extent!"
Fred appeared calm on the surface. He strained to maintain his sixth Soul Skill, Cat-Eagle Body Protection, while Soul Power surged violently through him. Cracks kept spreading across the glow around his body!
A storm raged in his heart, full of fear!
This was absurd!
The boy before him was so young, yet his physical body was already powerful beyond belief.
He had spent years holed up in Suotuo City. As far as the current state of the continent was concerned, he was practically blind, with little understanding of what was going on.
Now that he had encountered a genius like this—someone even more terrifying than Zhao Wuji had described—his heart raced with alarm.
"Sixth Soul Skill—Cat-Eagle Body Protection!"
Qin Chuan's physique was simply astonishing. His body contained a boundless surge of blood and vitality, and every punch landed with over seven thousand jin of force, making Fred's scalp tingle.
"A Soul Douluo... doesn't seem as strong as I imagined. I don't even need those inventions of mine. I'm enough on my own!" Qin Chuan punched again and again, each blow shaking the air, yet he felt little pressure.
That was partly because his strength had risen to the Seventh Transformation, and partly because his opponent was unwilling to burn all bridges.
"What an incredible physique! It's impossible to achieve this through a Martial Soul alone. This boy must have mastered some kind of top-tier body-tempering method."
Watching the two fight almost evenly, Yu Xiaogang grew inexplicably excited, his expression burning with fervor.
He had spent his life studying Martial Soul Theory, and what fascinated him most was any cultivation system that broke with convention!
Qin Chuan's terrifying physical body—one that transcended the limits of Martial Souls and defied the Soul Master cultivation ranks—was the perfect proof of his theories!
If he could get his hands on this top-tier body-tempering method, his Martial Soul Theory would become even more complete. He might even be able to take Tang San's talent to another level!
Maybe he could even...
At that thought, Yu Xiaogang could no longer hold himself back.
This Soul Grandmaster was fifty years old and had only reached level 29, yet he completely ignored the tense standoff, where lives hung in the balance. He charged forward and shouted:
"Stop! All of you, stop!"
"Teacher!"
"Grandmaster!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Flender hurriedly dismissed his Soul Skill, sighing with embarrassment and helplessness.
Yu Xiaogang's actions had stopped not only Qin Chuan and Flender, but also stunned everyone from Shrek Academy. They were all taken aback.
Dai Mubai nearly let go of Liu An, whom he was supporting, startling the badly injured man.
"What are you trying to do?" Qin Chuan frowned, putting distance between himself and Flender. He stepped back a few paces, warily watching the middle-aged man before him.
Yu Xiaogang completely ignored the killing intent in Qin Chuan's eyes. Despite the others trying to stop him, he strode closer with an air of superiority and absolute confidence, and asked bluntly:
"Kid, tell me: have you mastered a unique body-tempering method?"
Is this guy out of his mind?
Qin Chuan silently mocked him.
He had suddenly realized that the people at this so-called Shrek Academy all seemed to have some kind of mental problem—or perhaps personality issues.
He replied coldly, "So what if I have? What does that have to do with you?"
Yu Xiaogang failed to hear the hostility in Qin Chuan's voice. Instead, he raised his chin proudly, as though granting a favor:
"You may not know me. My name is Yu Xiaogang, but people on the continent call me Grandmaster. I wrote the Ten Core Theories of Martial Souls."
Grandmaster? More like the muddleheaded Grandmaster!
"And then?" Qin Chuan was getting impatient. His gaze stayed fixed on Tang San.
Seeing Tang San rely on Flender's protection while openly harboring killing intent toward him made Qin Chuan's eyes turn even colder.
"Now, I'm giving you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" Yu Xiaogang was confident, certain Qin Chuan would take the chance to give in.
In his eyes, this nameless boy might have some strength, but Fred had clearly been going easy on him.
Now he had the chance to attach himself to Yu Xiaogang and Shrek. It was a heaven-sent blessing!
Yu Xiaogang continued, "Hand over your body-tempering method!"
"If you swear that you'll never bother my disciple Tang San again, I'll make Flender stop and ensure you leave Suotuo City safely!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the whole place fell silent!
Flender's old face turned bright red. He was so embarrassed he wanted the ground to swallow him!
He wanted to rush over and drag Yu Xiaogang back!
What a disgrace! What a complete disgrace!
Yu Xiaogang's cultivation was so low he couldn't see how the fight was going. Did he really think Flender had been holding back against this monster of a boy?
Flender's brow furrowed. He wanted Yu Xiaogang to hurry back and stop humiliating himself, but out of respect for him, he ultimately said nothing.
Yu Xiaogang's cultivation was weak. Qin Chuan sensed that he was only a Soul Grandmaster, the weakest person here.
And yet this weakling dared to make such grand claims and demand Qin Chuan's cultivation method. It nearly made him laugh.
"Your cultivation is low, but your dreams are lofty. Get lost!" Qin Chuan said coldly, giving the fool no courtesy and looking at him with contempt.
The fact that he could stop himself from attacking this man already showed how good his temper was.
"You... don't you dare take my kindness for granted. I hope you can recognize the situation you're in..."
"Zhao Wuji and Flender are two powerful men holding the line. You can't escape! I'm sparing your life. You should be grateful!"
"Get lost!"
Yu Xiaogang kept babbling, but Qin Chuan's patience had run out. He let his aura flare, sending Yu Xiaogang flying. He crashed hard into the ground.
"Teacher!"
"You despicable coward! You actually attacked him by surprise!" Tang San hurriedly helped Yu Xiaogang up and glared at Qin Chuan.
Then he shouted to Flender and Zhao Wuji, "Dean, Teacher Zhao, now you've seen this man's true colors. Hurry up and kill this despicable coward!"
Tang San was genuinely afraid now. Even with his own extraordinary talent and all the resources accumulated by the Tang Sect, he still couldn't match Qin Chuan.
Among their peers, he was simply unmatched!
They had to use this opportunity to kill him before he could grow stronger.
"I've put up with you for long enough." Qin Chuan's gaze turned icy as he looked at Tang San as if he were already dead.
From beginning to end, all the grudges between him and Shrek had started with Tang San. Tang San had repeatedly looked for chances to frame him and pin the blame on him, all in an attempt to have him killed.
By now, Qin Chuan had made up his mind to kill Tang San once and for all, and restore his peace of mind.
"Die!" There was no point in saying more. Qin Chuan struck again. This time, he had a clear target and attacked decisively, intent on killing Tang San.
"Dean! Teacher Zhao!" Tang San used his footwork to retreat behind the others, dodging the killing blow while calling for help.
"Alas!"
Flender and Zhao Wuji sighed. They knew the matter could no longer be salvaged, and could only step in helplessly.
Whatever else Tang San was, he was still their student. And since his father was Clear Sky Douluo, there was no way they could let him come to harm.
Seeing the two charge at him like wild beasts, Qin Chuan's heart tightened. He didn't dare be careless for even an instant.
"Roar!"
"Hoot!"
Flender and Zhao Wuji were both Soul Saints or higher, and both had Beast Martial Souls—one agile, the other powerful; one attacked, the other defended. Their teamwork was flawless, completely cutting off Qin Chuan's path forward.
"Friend, this was only a momentary dispute. Why get so angry? Why don't we call a truce?"
Hearing Flender's voice, Qin Chuan ignored him completely. There was no possibility of reconciliation between them now. They were enemies locked in a fight to the death, and Qin Chuan couldn't stop here.
Besides, who knew what else Tang San, that scheming villain, might do in the future?
"These two work together extremely well, and that Soul Douluo is much faster than I am. I have almost no chance of escaping him."
Qin Chuan furrowed his brow. Their perfect teamwork had not only cut off his escape route, but also put him under immense pressure.
A weight like a mountain pressed down on him, constantly squeezing the strength from his body. His blood and vitality surged and burned, like blazing fire beneath a veil of clouds.
"A genius is still a genius, not a strong fighter." Dai Mubai sighed. He felt somewhat relieved, yet also helpless and impressed.
No one could believe Qin Chuan would escape the clutches of two powerful men, let alone injure Tang San.
"Mubai, if the dean and the others kill him, they'll have removed a great threat to Shrek. Why are you sighing?" Tang San said with a faint smile.
Dai Mubai glanced at Tang San without replying, only furrowing his brow slightly.
Tang San seemed more and more like a stranger to him. He could no longer see clearly the man who had once called him brother.
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