Smoke, No Harm? No Smoke, No Harm Either!

"Shrek Outer Court student Han Ruoruo, level 45 Tool Soul Ancestor."

"Shrek Outer Court student Wu Ming..."

"..."

With Zhang Lexuan leading the vanguard, the remaining students followed suit, announcing their names and manifesting their Martial Souls.

In no time at all, they had formed a 2-3-2 formation in the alley, with warriors and tanks in the front, control and mages in the middle, and support and assassins in the rear.

"Wow! Such a luxurious setup just to deal with me? I'm truly flattered!"

Watching the Shrek group arrayed in strict formation opposite him, Fang Le wore an expression of pleasant surprise.

The delight and wonder on his face were such that if he weren't holding a sword, one might think he would have applauded Zhang Lexuan and the others for the respect they were showing this battle.

Fang Le took a step forward, and Shrek took a step back.

"Whoa! Are you serious about retreating? Don't panic~ I'm not some kind of devil."

Seeing Zhang Lexuan and the others backing away, the surprise vanished from Fang Le's face, replaced by a look of feigned sadness.

"Drama queen!"

"He's got a screw loose!"

"Evil Soul Masters are all lunatics!"

Though they didn't say it aloud, the slightly flickering, vigilant gazes of the Shrek students said it all.

Fang Le ignored them entirely; after all, a drama queen only knows how to start a performance, never how to stop.

"Still too tense? To ease the atmosphere, allow me to introduce myself. Fang Le, six years old this year, level 19 Soul Master. As for my Martial Soul...? You could say it's myself. I have a healthy lifestyle: I go to bed early and wake up early, or late and wake up late, ensuring a full ten hours of sleep every day. A good night's sleep keeps my mind sharp. I don't smoke, and if someone occasionally urges me to drink, I'll have a little low-alcohol beverage. The chances of me developing lung cancer or alcoholic liver disease are extremely low. I am incompatible with gambling and drugs; I am an excellent, model citizen under socialism. My personality is mature and steady, with just a hint of childishness. I have strong empathy and a slight tendency toward tearfulness. Although I can be a bit neurotic at times, it, like my occasional mood swings, is a very rare occurrence. Given the ability, I will do good deeds. I don't consider myself a bad person, but I don't want to be a living Bodhisattva either. I perfectly accept my own ordinariness and mediocrity. Overall, I am just a plain, ordinary Soul Master with no real strength. Right now, while defending myself, I simply want to test my current self-defense capabilities, so you all needn't be so tense. After all, I am just that plain and ordinary."

The long string of self-introduction, imitated from a certain ordinary salaryman, left the Shrek group opposite him stunned for a moment.

His small face was full of solemnity, yet he would occasionally make small gestures (some not very friendly toward men), which, combined with his chubby, undeveloped cheeks, made him look like a serious little adult.

How cute!!

Jiang Nannan and Rui'er, watching the show from behind, were itching to pull him into their arms and dote on him.

Standing on the opposite side, however, Zhang Lexuan and the others felt a strange, cold breeze brush against their backs after hearing Fang Le's confession.

It was ridiculous; a little brat of only level 19, not even a Soul Grand Master, was actually making them feel a strong sense of crisis.

It was like facing a venomous snake in the dark—if they made even the slightest mistake, they would be bitten hard.

Hmm—if not fatal, then severely wounded.

The oppressive atmosphere was like a pressure cooker that had reached its limit.

Frustration, anger, fear—all sorts of pressures continued to build within.

"Bang!"

The pot finally exploded.

"You despicable, shameless Evil Soul Master, stop feigning pity! Watch as I take you down, cripple your Martial Soul, and grind you into dust!!!"

Already mentally unstable from being beaten earlier, Xu Fangmiao now needed to release his pent-up emotions, using brute force to mask his inner fragility.

"Xuanming Defense!"

"Mystic Ice Shield!"

"Shield Charge!!! Die, you brat!"

As his soul rings flickered, the defender who should have been guarding the front of the formation launched the first attack.

With the activation of his soul skills, black light surged around Xu Fangmiao, his defense suddenly strengthening while his physique and strength attributes rose accordingly.

The charge he launched was no ordinary move.

Under the amplification of his soul skill, his soul power surged, leaving footprints an inch deep in the ground with every step.

Unlike the Ye Zhiqiu who appeared in the first volume, whose turtle shell was worn on his back during Martial Soul Possession, the Xuanming Turtle Martial Soul belonging to the "protagonist" faction was a beast-type soul, and its possessed form was far more elegant.

While enhancing physical fitness, the hardest part of the turtle shell would transform into a shield that served as the primary defensive tool for a Xuanming Turtle soul master.

Its formidable defensive power ranked among the best in the entire soul world.

In Xu Fangmiao's hands, that shield, originally intended for defense, was now covered in rows of jagged, icy spikes as he charged toward Fang Le.

At this moment, Xu Fangmiao was like a rampaging rhinoceros, and the shield in his hands was his horn. He was confident that this strike would force the detestable little evil soul brat before him to his knees.

It had to be said that he was worthy of coming from a major sect; the combination of his soul skills could be considered top-tier.

This was not a negative assessment; based on Fang Le's observations, the setup was already quite impressive.

With both defense and offense, capable of protecting teammates while standing still or charging forward to tank damage, he was already a qualified tank.

However.

This was not enough!

Fang Le's observation and Xu Fangmiao's charge occurred in a mere instant.

In just a few blinks of an eye, Xu Fangmiao had already reached Fang Le and raised his shield to smash down.

Seeing Fang Le standing still, looking almost dazed, a ferocious grin spread across his face, completely failing to notice the way Fang Le was eyeing his shield with keen interest.

"Bang!"

The massive shield slammed down overhead, the powerful impact producing a dull, booming sound.

There was no flying gravel, so there was no "no smoke, no damage" trope; there was only...

"Something's wrong! The sound is wrong!"

Xu Fangmiao had just been about to gloat, but the quiet atmosphere—save for Xuan Zi's howling—made him freeze abruptly.

It was too quiet!

He looked sharply at the figure beneath his shield.

"Oh ho! That had some strength behind it!"

It wasn't "no smoke, no damage," but rather "no smoke and no damage" (after all, there was no explosion, and they weren't in the back mountains).

The small figure held a greatsword horizontally, easily blocking his full-force strike.

His relaxed, analytical demeanor made it seem as if he hadn't just received the full-force blow of a Soul Elder, but had instead caught a bottle of mineral water tossed his way.

Hmm... a 200-milliliter one.

"But you can put more strength into it next time; I can take it. Also, don't hit the face, really... hmm... so please allow me a small retaliation."

Looking at the spike-covered shield smashing toward his handsome face, a faint smile rose on Fang Le's adorable little face.

"Trouble lowering your face a bit, I can't reach.

Forget it... I'll go through the trouble of standing on my tiptoes!!

Please accept this little return gift!"