The Humiliation of the Campus F4

Xiao Wu was blooming with joy inside.

Hahaha, this blockhead Tang San, he must have been beaten into a daze!

But then again, that god-level claw machine shop let this young lady jump 8 levels in one go; your level 69 is worth nothing!

"Who am I? Don't you recognize me?" Xiao Wu stepped forward, her scorpion braid tracing an arc behind her, the heels of her crystal stilettos clicking crisply against the stone floor.

Tang San gritted his teeth and stood up from the ground, the streak of blood at the corner of his mouth still dripping. Refusing to accept this, he pushed his hands forward, pouring his soul power in frantically.

Fifth Soul Skill, Blue Silver Overlord Spear!

This was his trump card, boasting high speed and immense piercing power; even a soul master of the same rank would lose a layer of skin if they took it head-on.

Xiao Wu didn't even lift an eyelid.

First teleport, she vanished from her spot.

The Blue Silver Overlord Spear pierced the air, the tip slamming into the ground and shattering the stone slab into a web of cracks.

Second teleport, Xiao Wu appeared behind Tang San to his right, less than half a meter away.

Tang San's head was still turning, his peripheral vision just catching a glimpse of that pink skirt.

Too late. Xiao Wu lowered her waist, whipped her scorpion braid to one side, and straightened her right leg with all her might.

Bang!

The kick landed solidly on Tang San's kidney.

Tang San was sent airborne, flying horizontally for seven or eight meters before his back slammed into the stone steps at the edge of the sports field, chipping a corner right off. Gravel sprayed everywhere, and dust billowed high into the air.

The students watching on the sports field all hung their mouths open.

Some gasped, while others had already started to applaud.

Tang San lay in the pile of rubble, his stomach churning, and he opened his mouth.

"Pfft!" A mouthful of blood sprayed onto the ground, staining a small patch of stone red.

He braced his hands against the ground to climb up, but his arms shook twice before he collapsed back down.

A level 69 Soul Emperor, a direct descendant of the Clear Sky Sect.

Beaten like a dog by a girl whose braid he had even tugged at noon—Tang San's brain was nothing but mush right now.

What on earth was wrong with this world? Had she eaten some miracle elixir, or was she possessed by a Titled Douluo?

Xiao Wu brushed some non-existent dust off her skirt, put one hand on her hip, and pointed the index finger of her other hand at the Tang San sprawled on the ground.

"That's it for today. If you ever dare to scam classmates for soul rings or harass female students again, I'll beat you every time I see you. Got it? If you got it, make a sound."

Tang San lifted his head from the rubble, his face covered in dirt, a bruise forming on the corner of his left eye, and his lips still oozing blood.

"G-got it."

He truly had it. A wise man doesn't fight when the odds are against him; he didn't know what was up with this woman, or if she was some Titled Douluo in disguise, so he would wait until he figured it out.

"Hmph, that's more like it." Xiao Wu retracted her finger and turned to leave.

It wasn't that Xiao Wu didn't want to keep going, but on campus, one could only teach a lesson; anything more serious would get her hauled to the disciplinary office.

If they were off-campus, no one would care if they lived or died.

Xiao Wu's scorpion braid swayed back and forth, her pink skirt fluttering gently with her steps, and her crystal stilettos tapped out a da-da-da rhythm on the stone path as she walked away, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

The watching students automatically cleared a path, and the way many girls looked at Xiao Wu had changed—some with worship, some with envy, and others wanting to go up and cuddle.

Tang San lay alone in the ruins, his ears filled with the snickering of those around him.

Humiliating.

He had never been so humiliated in his life.

At the entrance of the girls' dormitory, the setting sun dyed the white walls a warm orange.

Ning Rongrong had just walked out, wearing a blue skirt, straight legs wrapped in white silk stockings, and a pair of light brown ankle boots. Her waist was slender, and her skirt swayed gently as she walked. She held a notebook in her hand, preparing to head to the library.

From afar, she saw a familiar figure bouncing over, her scorpion braid swinging like a bobblehead.

"Hey, Xiao Wu, where did you go? I've been looking everywhere for you."

Xiao Wu ran up to her and leaned in, her eyes shining as if they had lightbulbs inside: "Haha, Rongrong, let me tell you something really fun, want to hear it?"

"What is it? You're being all mysterious." Ning Rongrong tucked her notebook under her arm and tilted her head to look at her.

The non-disclosure agreement flashed through Xiao Wu's mind.

Can't tell any males. Didn't say I couldn't tell a female.

"I just beat Tang San up."

Ning Rongrong paused for a beat: "No way? You can beat Tang San? He's the strongest in the class, a level 69 Soul Emperor."

"Yes, I really did beat him. Do you know why?"

"Why?"

Xiao Wu looked left and right, confirming there were no boys around, then leaned in close and pressed her lips to Ning Rongrong's ear.

"Because just half an hour ago, I went from level 62 to level 70. I'm a Soul Saint now."

Ning Rongrong's pupils dilated sharply.

"Ah... Soul--"

Before the word could escape, Xiao Wu slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Shh! Keep it down!"

With her mouth covered, Ning Rongrong let out a few muffled whines before forcefully pulling Xiao Wu's hand away, lowering her voice: "Are you crazy? 62 to 70? That's impossible. Do you have any idea how long normal cultivation takes to gain eight levels?"

"Of course I do. Two or three years, maybe even longer. But I did it today."

Xiao Wu reached into her collar, pulled out a small pink rabbit pendant, and dangled it in front of Ning Rongrong.

"See this? It's because of this."

Ning Rongrong stared at the palm-sized plush rabbit. It was quite delicately made, with pink velvet fabric and two black bean-like eyes sewn on. It looked like the most ordinary little trinket imaginable.

"This... just this?"

"Don't let its appearance fool you. I caught this at a shop outside the school called 'Happy Claw Machine,' and the prize that came with it was an eight-level boost in soul power."

Ning Rongrong opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again.

"Are you sure you haven't been hexed?"

"I'm sure I'm level 70 now. If you don't believe me, try punching me."

Ning Rongrong certainly wouldn't actually strike her, but she could sense the soul power fluctuations radiating from Xiao Wu—they were indeed significantly stronger than they had been earlier that day.

Her breathing quickened.

She had been stuck at the level 59 bottleneck for three months; if it were really possible...

"Where is that shop?"

"On the pedestrian street on the west side of the school gate. Let's go, I'll take you!"

Xiao Wu grabbed Ning Rongrong by the wrist and started running.

Ning Rongrong's boot heels clattered against the stone path, and her notebook nearly flew out of her hand.

"Wait! My notes are still... forget it, never mind!"

On the other side of the sports field.

Tang San finally crawled out of the pile of rubble, patted the dust off his body, and winced as he clutched his right side.

The more he thought about it, the angrier and more fearful he became. In a single day, the same person's strength had skyrocketed so much? There was something sinister about this.

Just as he was lost in thought, a figure turned the corner.

Oscar.

He had a mop of messy golden hair and an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips.

The academy didn't allow smoking, so he just kept it there for the sensation. He wore a modified academy uniform with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the top three buttons of his collar undone, looking every bit the slacker.

"Brother San, what happened to you? You haven't even wiped the dirt off your face."

Tang San walked over, clutching his waist, his expression like he'd just swallowed a fly.

"I got beaten up."

Oscar took the cigarette out of his mouth. "What? Who's got the guts? An upperclassman? Give me a name, and I'll get Mu Bai and Hong Jun to go beat them up with me."

"Xiao Wu."

The cigarette dropped from Oscar's hand onto the ground.

"...What?"

"I was beaten by Xiao Wu."

Tang San repeated the sentence, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.

Oscar bent down to pick up his cigarette, his expression shifting through a complex range of emotions: shock, then confusion, and finally, a subtle, suppressed smirk.

"No... Brother San, you're level 69. She's only 62. You got beaten by her?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Tang San pointed to the bloodstain on the corner of his mouth and the limestone dust on his clothes.

Oscar put the cigarette back in his mouth, circled around Tang San, and looked him up and down.

"I shouldn't say this, Brother San, but... could it be that you were... letting her win on purpose? Is this some new trick to chase girls? Take a beating to build sympathy, then..."

"Shut up."

"Alright, alright." Oscar raised his hands in surrender. "Then how do you explain it? Level 62 beating level 69—that's just too absurd."

"She's become stronger." Tang San leaned against the wall, his hand trembling as he pressed it against his side. "I don't know how she did it, but her soul power surged. Her speed and strength are at least that of a level 70 Soul Saint. Four hours ago, she was still level 62. I checked."

"An eight-level jump in four hours? Are you sure you aren't bragging?"

"Do you think I wanted to say it? I even suspected whether some Titled Douluo had transformed into her appearance to mess with me, but the probability of that is very low."

Oscar finally put away his playful expression, frowning as he thought it over.

"There's something fishy about this."

"Fine, enough talk. Give me a sausage to calm my nerves first."

Oscar clamped his cigarette back between his lips. With a flip of his right hand, a sausage radiating a pink luster appeared in his palm.

Tang San took the sausage and ate it. Warm restorative energy spread from his stomach to his limbs, and the pain in his kidneys eased significantly.

"Damn it." He chewed the sausage and swallowed. "Damn Xiao Wu, just you wait."