Tang Yin's mouth twitched. The first half of that speech had been normal enough, but why had the second half gotten so vulgar?
"Little boss, are you here to pick a fight?" Tang Yin asked.
"What do you mean, little boss? My surname's Xiao!" Xiao Chenyu's forehead veins bulged as he snapped.
Seriously!
These little brats sure knew how to infuriate someone!
"I've already asked around!"
"You're called Xiao Wu, right?"
"If you've got the guts, come to the back hill!"
"Bring all your work-study students. This time, I'm going to beat you poor beggars into submission once and for all!"
Xiao Chenyu gave a cold snort.
Then, with an air of haughty arrogance, he strode past Tang Yin and Xiao Wu with several lackeys in tow, deliberately bumping into them as he went. He was utterly shameless.
Xiao Wu's temper flared in an instant. She grabbed Tang Yin and chased after them. "Tang Yin, let's go to the back hill! We'll show them what we can do!"
"Shouldn't we tell Wang Sheng and the others?" Tang Yin asked.
Xiao Wu shook her head decisively. "No need! You just watch from the sidelines. I'll take them all on by myself! Just watch me send them scattering like fallen blossoms and running with their tails between their legs!"
Calm and unhurried, Tang Yin pulled a Forging Hammer from his Storage Soul Tool. "Even though my Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass and has no attack power, I'm pretty good with a hammer. Let's fight side by side."
Xiao Wu stared at the Forging Hammer in Tang Yin's hand, which was bigger than his head. Her eyes lit up, though she also looked a little worried.
"Then go easy on them. Don't smash their heads open. We're only trying to beat them into submission, not kill them."
Tang Yin smiled and nodded.
The academy's back hill.
Tang Yin and Xiao Wu stood shoulder to shoulder, quietly watching Xiao Chenyu and the others pose and act cool across from them.
Xiao Chenyu had seven or eight followers with him. His upper-year uniform collar was tugged askew, and he eyed Tang Yin and Xiao Wu up and down with a challenging look. A mocking smile curled his lips. "You two actually dared to show up for the appointment. Should I call you brave, or just clueless?"
Xiao Wu's brows shot up as she stepped in front of Tang Yin. "Enough nonsense! Today, I'll show you that kids aren't pushovers!"
Xiao Chenyu gave a disdainful laugh. "If you two surrender now, I might go easy on you. Otherwise... heh!"
"The academy won't care about work-study students like you. If you break an arm or a leg, they won't treat you. They might even expel you!"
"Young people shouldn't get too cocky," Tang Yin said, his gaze turning cold as he readied himself to move.
"Then what would be the point of being young?" Xiao Chenyu replied, haughty as ever.
But a moment later, he froze, then angrily turned to Tang Yin. "You're a first-year brat. What gives you the right to say that to me?"
"Are you all coming at once, or one by one?" Tang Yin whipped the Forging Hammer into his hand and swept his gaze across Xiao Chenyu and the others.
"Is that bracelet of yours a Storage Soul Tool?" Xiao Chenyu asked in astonishment.
"Not bad, kid. You've got sharp eyes!" Tang Yin pulled Xiao Wu behind him, slowly lowering his stance as he prepared to spring into action.
Xiao Chenyu furrowed his brows.
He was the son of Nuoding City's lord, and even he had only heard of treasures like Storage Soul Tools.
Even his father, the city lord, couldn't afford to buy one.
"You're a Soul Master, yet you fight with a weapon? Whatever. You'll lose either way!" Xiao Chenyu sneered, then turned to someone beside him. "Liu Long, you're up!"
"Got it, boss!" A boy named Liu Long stepped out from the crowd. He gripped his hands, and a long staff appeared. Fixing Tang Yin with a cold stare, he said, "Kid! I'll let you make the first move!"
Tang Yin hefted the Forging Hammer in his hand and walked toward the boy, saying nothing as he gathered his strength.
Chaotic Cloak! Eighty-one strikes!
Each swing stronger than the last!
With thirteen levels of Soul Power, Tang Yin stacked the force of his hammer technique fifteen times in the blink of an eye!
The wind howled!
Liu Long saw Tang Yin's expressionless face and the Forging Hammer hurtling toward him. His expression changed drastically.
He instinctively raised his staff horizontally to block.
But—
The instant Tang Yin's hammer came down, Liu Long felt an unstoppable force slam into him.
He lost consciousness in an instant, flying backward like a kite with its strings cut, completely beyond his control.
"Ah!!!"
Xiao Chenyu and the others had no time to dodge before Liu Long crashed into them, knocking them all down.
"Damn it!"
Xiao Chenyu was the first to get back up. Seeing Liu Long unconscious and badly injured, along with his lackeys sprawled on the ground, his face flushed with rage.
"Xiao Chenyu, sixth-year student, Martial Soul: Wolf, eleven levels of Soul Power. Please, enlighten me!" As he introduced himself, Xiao Chenyu activated Martial Soul Possession. Wolf-like traits appeared on his body, and a white Soul Ring quietly emerged beside him.
That vicious glare would have frightened most people.
Tang Yin was about to knock Xiao Chenyu down, too.
"Let me handle this!" Xiao Wu grabbed Tang Yin and introduced herself in the same way as Xiao Chenyu. "Xiao Wu, first-year student, Martial Soul: Rabbit, twelve levels of Soul Power!"
Before her clear shout had faded, a pale pink glow billowed from around Xiao Wu like a thin mist.
A pair of soft, pink-and-white ears suddenly appeared atop her head. The tips were a pale pink, and they trembled gently as her Soul Power flowed.
Her already lively almond-shaped eyes shimmered with a clear, rosy gleam. Some of their childishness faded, replaced by a touch of maturity.
Her figure subtly unfolded, her waist growing slimmer and more supple, her limbs flowing into long, graceful lines.
What shocked Xiao Chenyu and the others was that the Soul Ring beside Xiao Wu was yellow.
"Twelve levels of Soul Power! And a Hundred-Year Soul Ring!?"
Xiao Chenyu blurted out in shock, his wolf-like pupils contracting sharply.
"Yah!"
Xiao Wu didn't give Xiao Chenyu a chance to react. She pushed off with one foot and sprang forward.
"First Soul Skill, Waist Bow!"
In an instant, Xiao Wu's body became far more supple, and she unleashed her Soft Technique.
Xiao Chenyu had barely reacted before Xiao Wu had him under control and flung him into the air.
"Let me show you my Soft Technique!"
Before Xiao Wu had even finished speaking, she was already using her Soft Technique on Xiao Chenyu.
Tang Yin stared, wide-eyed.
The tall, burly Xiao Chenyu was repeatedly slammed into the ground by Xiao Wu's petite frame. When she tossed him into the air, she struck him hard again and again.
Just watching made Tang Yin feel the pain.
Xiao Wu only wanted to teach Xiao Chenyu a lesson. She wasn't trying to kill him.
"Thud!"
After slamming Xiao Chenyu hard into the ground, Xiao Wu clapped her hands and brushed the dust from her clothes. She gave him a disdainful smile. "Is that all you've got?"
"Boss!!!"
Xiao Chenyu's lackeys hurried to check on him.
"The world's really gone to the dogs!"
"Are first-year students this terrifying now!?"
Xiao Chenyu muttered to himself.
"Hmph!"
"Kid, looks like you're still not convinced!"
"Then let's keep fighting!"
Xiao Wu came to stand beside Tang Yin, one hand on her hip. She narrowed her eyes at Xiao Chenyu and called out in a sweet voice.
Tang Yin hefted the Forging Hammer in his hand at just the right moment.