Light flared around Bai Chenxiang.
The first Soul Ring. Yellow, an ordinary Hundred-Year Soul Ring. Ma Hongjun had seen countless ones.
The second. Yellow.
The third. Purple.
The fourth. Purple.
The fifth Soul Ring lit up, black. A Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.
Ma Hongjun's hand stopped in midair. He stared at the Soul Rings, his mind racing.
Bai Chenxiang, Level 61 Soul Emperor. Two yellow, two purple, two black. A standard configuration. Nothing to fear.
His Soul Power was five levels higher than Bai Chenxiang's, and his Martial Soul was the attack-type Evil Fire Phoenix. He could crush her in a fight.
As he was thinking this, he suddenly felt an even more intense pressure erupt from Bai Chenxiang.
The Sixth Soul Ring was about to appear. A massive red glow rose from beneath Bai Chenxiang's feet.
The red ring of light slowly expanded, shining brilliantly and dyeing the entire garden red.
The leaves of the old locust tree trembled in the light. Pebbles on the ground began to shake, and several fist-sized stones started rolling.
This time, Bai Chenxiang held nothing back. She released her full aura.
Ma Hongjun felt as if an invisible wall had shoved him. His body retreated two steps against his will. His heel struck the leg of a stone bench, and he nearly tripped.
The wind blew from Bai Chenxiang's direction. It wasn't a natural breeze, but a current stirred up by fluctuations in Soul Power.
The branches swayed overhead, and leaves rustled down in a shower. The pebbles on the ground were swept up by the shockwave, and several struck Ma Hongjun's face and arms.
A sharp-edged pebble scraped across Ma Hongjun's right cheek, leaving a streak of blood.
It hurt. A searing, stinging pain.
Ma Hongjun touched his face. His fingertips came away wet.
He raised his head and stared at Bai Chenxiang before him.
The red Soul Ring hovered around Bai Chenxiang, exuding a weighty pressure. Its light enveloped her in a red glow, and the hem of her dress fluttered wildly in the current.
Ma Hongjun stared fixedly at that red Soul Ring. Red!
On Douluo Continent, a red Soul Ring meant only one thing.
A hundred thousand years.
Ma Hongjun's mind exploded with a bang.
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring—what did a hundred thousand years mean? That was a realm only a Titled Douluo could possibly reach!
Bai Chenxiang was a Level 61 Soul Emperor, and she had a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring?
Impossible!
But the pressure before him was real. The wound bleeding on his face was real. The stones trembling beneath his feet were real.
Ma Hongjun's thighs began to go weak.
He wanted to step back, but his legs wouldn't obey. His knees felt as if they were filled with lead, and he shook so hard he could barely stand.
The red light grew brighter and brighter, stinging Ma Hongjun's eyes until he couldn't keep them open. He raised an arm to shield his face.
Another wave of air surged toward him, fiercer than the last.
Ma Hongjun couldn't withstand it. He was hurled backward, his back slamming into the trunk of the old locust tree. The rough bark scraped against his clothes, making him hiss in pain.
He clung to the trunk with all his strength, steadying himself so he wouldn't be blown away.
The pebbles pelted him, pattering against his body. Two more scratches appeared on his face, and his left hand was bruised where it had been struck.
Ma Hongjun's heart pounded as if it were about to leap out of his throat.
He rubbed his eyes frantically and peered ahead through the gaps between his fingers.
Bai Chenxiang stood in the red light, her two braids blown behind her by the current. Her dress clung tightly to her body, outlining her slender waist.
And the red Soul Ring beneath her feet was so enormous it nearly covered the entire garden.
"Mother!"
A shriek forced its way from Ma Hongjun's throat.
"A Titled Douluo! A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring!"
His legs gave out completely.
With a thump, Ma Hongjun dropped onto his backside. Warmth spread through the crotch of his pants.
He didn't even notice that he'd wet himself.
"Ghost! A ghost!" Ma Hongjun scrambled up from the ground on his hands and feet and took off running.
After two steps, he tripped over a stone and nearly fell. He staggered out of the garden.
His soles slapped wildly against the flagstones, the hood of his gray jacket crooked to one side. He ran until he was gasping for breath, not daring to look back.
Blood still ran down his face, the bruise on his hand burned, and his wet pants clung to his legs, but he couldn't spare a thought for any of it.
All he wanted was to run, as far away as possible.
He ran out of the garden, across the main road, and up the steps to the dormitory.
After Ma Hongjun disappeared through the garden entrance, the entire garden fell quiet.
Bai Chenxiang withdrew her Soul Ring. The red light quickly faded, and the sky returned to its normal color. Sunlight fell across the leaves again, and the cicadas gradually resumed their chirping.
Bai Chenxiang stood where she was, arms hanging at her sides. The wind had tousled her two braids, leaving them draped down her back.
Her heart was racing too, pounding from her chest all the way to her fingertips.
For those few seconds when she released the aura of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, the ring had only been a fake meant for show, but the feeling of power enveloping her whole body had been real.
It was like suddenly becoming someone else. Someone powerful and terrifying.
Bai Chenxiang lowered her head and looked at her palms. They were slick with sweat.
"Hey! Chenxiang!" Xiao Wu sprang out from behind the bushes on the north side of the garden.
Two leaves clung to her Scorpion Braid, and the hem of her pink gauze skirt was smeared with dirt. She braced both hands on her knees, laughing so hard her whole body shook.
"Ha ha ha! I'm dying! Did you see the way he ran?" Xiao Wu laughed until she was out of breath, doubled over with one hand clutching her stomach. Her rabbit-ear hair ornaments had tilted to one side.
Ning Rongrong emerged from another clump of bushes, her blue skirt smudged with dust too.
Her laughter was more restrained than Xiao Wu's, but she still pressed her lips together, her shoulders shaking.
"Exactly! He was so scared he wet himself. Did you see? When he fell, wasn't the crotch of his pants all wet?"
Hearing that, Xiao Wu burst out laughing and crouched on the ground, slapping the flagstones with her palm.
"I saw it, I saw it! It was definitely wet! Ma Hongjun, that grown man, was so scared of Chenxiang that he wet himself right there!"
Zhu Zhuqing emerged from behind a sturdy camphor tree on the east side of the garden. Her black leather outfit was spotless. She'd clearly picked a better hiding place than the other two.
Zhu Zhuqing's lips curved slightly, and laughter glimmered in her eyes.
"Serves him right. Let's see if he dares harass Chenxiang again."
Bai Chenxiang stood where she was, watching her three roommates laugh together. The corners of her mouth lifted too.
Xiao Wu got up and slung an arm around Bai Chenxiang's shoulders.
"Chenxiang, you were amazing! That pressure was perfect! Anyone who didn't know better would've thought you were a Titled Douluo!"
Bai Chenxiang lowered her head and gave a little laugh.
"I startled myself too. I didn't expect the aura to be so powerful when I let it all out. It even blew the stones off the ground."
"Did you see when the stones hit Ma Hongjun in the face? They left several cuts." Ning Rongrong added.
Xiao Wu clapped her hands and took a deep breath, finally managing to stop laughing.
"All right, all right, we're done here. Ma Hongjun should've learned his lesson. He won't dare harass Chenxiang again."
Ning Rongrong nodded.
Zhu Zhuqing said coolly, "All four members of F4 have taken a hit. They should keep their heads down from now on."
Xiao Wu counted them off on her fingers.
"Tang San, I kicked him flying. Dai Mubai, Zhuqing beat him until he called her Granny. Oscar, Rongrong knocked out his front teeth. Ma Hongjun, Chenxiang scared him into wetting himself."
After finishing her count, Xiao Wu laughed again, this time with a smug grin.
Bai Chenxiang looked a little worried. "Do you think they'll come after us later?"
"What's there to be afraid of? I'm a Level 70 Soul Saint now. What could I possibly be afraid of?" Xiao Wu said.
She wasn't wrong. Xiao Wu was now a Level 70 Soul Saint, a whole realm above the strongest of them, Tang San. They had nothing to fear.
Besides, they could get good stuff from the claw machine shop outside the school later.