At that moment, several more young nobles dressed in finery caught up with them. Among them was a tall woman with blue-green hair, who watched the scene with speechless disbelief. She hadn't expected Yu Tianheng, a dignified Soul Grandmaster, to actually have the nerve to bully a child.
"If you lose, will you agree to one condition?" Chu Qing grinned, his youthful face radiating an utterly harmless air.
For some reason, though the boy before him wasn't even ten years old, Yu Tianheng suddenly felt a chill run through his entire body.
I must be imagining things. What strength could a little brat possibly have? Yu Tianheng dismissed it as a trick of his imagination and paid it no mind.
"Fine by me. If you can beat me, name whatever condition you want!"
The young nobles couldn't help laughing, either. They looked at the little brat before them. Though they disapproved of Yu Tianheng's behavior, they didn't believe the child's boastful words, either.
One young man chuckled. "Kid, I'd advise you to back down while you can. Let's call this whole thing off. Don't try to act tough."
Chu Qing said, "Thanks for the concern, big brother, but there's no need to worry about me!"
"Hmph! Ignore good advice, and you'll pay for it!" Yu Feng stamped his foot. He'd wanted to help the kid, but hadn't expected him to refuse.
Seeing that the atmosphere had built up enough, Chu Qing grinned. "Then you'd better be ready!" In an instant, Soul Power surged around him, and two Soul Rings, one yellow and one purple, circled his body!
"What?! He's a Soul Grandmaster? A Soul Grandmaster under ten? Which family is this young master from?" someone cried out.
The woman's face showed her astonishment, too. She hadn't expected the little brat to be a Soul Grandmaster! A Soul Grandmaster under ten!
Chu Qing, Level 25 Battle Soul Master. Martial Soul: Void Devouring Flame. Please instruct me!
Yu Tianheng stared at the scene in shock. He hadn't expected the kid to really be a Soul Grandmaster. Daring not to be careless, he hurriedly summoned his Martial Soul. His muscles swelled all over, ballooning in size, and a fierce look came over his face.
"Hmph, even if you're a Soul Grandmaster, can you beat my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon? And with that Void Devouring Flame of yours, which I've never even heard of?" Yu Tianheng sneered. The boy might have some talent, but in front of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, one of the continent's top Martial Souls, he was still insignificant.
"First Soul Skill! Flame Devouring Heaven Burning!" Black flames shot out in clusters. The space along their path buckled under the searing heat of the Void Devouring Flame. In the blink of an eye, they slammed into Yu Tianheng's transformed body.
"Hmph, what can you do to me? It's just an ordinary fire-type Martial Soul..." Before Yu Tianheng could finish, a wave of scorching heat engulfed him. His vaunted transformed body was utterly insignificant before those strange black flames! He could even hear the bones in his transformed body snapping!
The light vanished from his eyes, and his whole body toppled backward! He crashed against his own horse's leg. The horse was already injured, and the sudden shock startled it; it kicked Yu Tianheng in the abdomen!
Pain twisted Yu Tianheng's face!
Chu Qing kept grinning broadly. "How was that?"
The woman's eyes went wide! She hadn't expected a boy she'd never heard of to possess such terrifying strength!
This boy was terrifying!
Yu Feng, who'd been fuming earlier, fell silent as well. Yu Tianheng was usually arrogant, but everyone acknowledged his strength.
He couldn't even withstand one hit? Chu Qing chuckled to himself. He'd held back on that strike and hadn't unleashed its full power. Otherwise, if someone had died, he wouldn't have been able to leave Heaven Dou City.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was at the height of its power. He was only a little Soul Grandmaster, and couldn't afford to offend them completely. But if he simply defeated Yu Tianheng, surely the clan wouldn't stoop to bullying a junior like him.
After a long while, Yu Tianheng managed to get back to his feet. "I was just careless this time. I took your hit, so now it's my turn!"
Yu Tianheng gathered his Soul Power again. Bolts of lightning coalesced around him. This time he didn't transform his whole body. Instead, he focused all his power into his transformed dragon claw and lunged at Chu Qing with lightning speed!
"Surely that little kid won't be able to withstand this hit! What do you think, Sister Yan?" Yu Feng analyzed calmly.
"I'm not so sure."
Chu Qing didn't flinch. This time, he even withdrew his Soul Power and threw a punch using only his physical strength, meeting Yu Tianheng's incoming dragon claw head-on.
After a crisp clash, a figure fell to the ground!
It was Yu Tianheng! His dragon claw, reinforced with all his lightning power, was shattered by Chu Qing's punch, and every bone in his hand was broken.
Yu Tianheng stared in despair at the harmless-looking, even somewhat handsome little boy before him, ready to cry!
He couldn't believe the gulf between people could be this great! His whole worldview had been turned upside down!
He was a genius of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan! At such a young age, he'd already reached Level 28 as a Soul Grandmaster! He'd always crushed others, and no one had ever crushed him—not like this, in such a humiliating fashion!
This kid's Soul Power was three levels lower than his, and this time he hadn't even used any Soul Power! He'd beaten Yu Tianheng's strongest transformed dragon claw with nothing but physical strength!
Was this even human?
"Big brother, you'd better keep your word, okay? People who break their promises get struck by lightning!"
A childish voice rang beside Yu Tianheng's ear. At some point, Chu Qing had walked over to where Yu Tianheng lay. He crouched down and spoke with a cheerful grin.
Yu Tianheng looked at the young face before him and said weakly, "Fine, I agree. Tell me what you want. I, Yu, am an upright man of my word. I'll never go back on what I've said." He'd already braced himself for the other boy to demand an outrageous price, and lamented inwardly, Looks like I'm going to take a huge hit this time.
Yu Feng had fallen completely silent. His whole worldview had been turned upside down just by going out today! To make Yu Tianheng, who feared nothing, back down? This boy was surely no ordinary talent!
Dugu Yan was puzzled, too. How had she never heard of such a genius before? Could he be some family's hidden prodigy?
The others were unsettled as well, whispering among themselves.
Yu Tianheng's face flushed red. When he saw that Chu Qing wasn't speaking and was instead watching him with interest, he grew furious with embarrassment. "Hurry up and say it! What, are you worried I'll go back on my word?"
Chu Qing said, "It's nothing. I was just thinking about what to ask for. Give me some Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue!" He believed that with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's resources, they were bound to have some Whale Glue stored away.
Yu Tianheng had been waiting for Chu Qing to make some outrageous demand, expecting him to ask for some rare treasure. When he heard "Whale Glue," he froze and gave the boy a strange look.
Everyone knew that old nobles used the stuff to boost their virility when age and frailty caught up with them. And Chu Qing was still so young...
Could it be that even a prodigy's strength came at a price?
Dugu Yan's face turned red, too, as she looked at the little brat before her who wasn't even ten.