Xiao Wu was bursting with joy.
Hahaha, that stupid Tang San must have been beaten silly!
But come to think of it, that God-Tier Claw Machine shop had raised her level by eight in one go. His measly Level 69 was nothing!
"Who am I? You don't recognize me?" Xiao Wu stepped forward. Her Scorpion Braid swept through an arc behind her, and the heels of her crystal high heels clicked crisply against the stone pavement.
Tang San gritted his teeth and struggled to his feet. The trail of blood at the corner of his mouth was still trickling down. Unwilling to accept it, he thrust both hands forward and poured in Soul Power like mad.
Fifth Soul Skill, Blue Silver Overlord Spear!
This was his trump-card attack: fast and powerful enough to pierce through anything. Even a Soul Master of the same level would be badly hurt if they took it head-on.
Xiao Wu didn't even raise an eyelid.
First Teleport. She vanished from where she stood.
The Blue Silver Overlord Spear stabbed through empty air, its tip plunging into the ground. The stone slabs burst apart, a ring of cracks spreading across them.
Second Teleport. Xiao Wu appeared behind Tang San's right shoulder, less than half a meter away.
Tang San's head was still turning. His peripheral vision had just caught sight of that pink skirt.
Too late. Xiao Wu lowered her hips, swung her Scorpion Braid to one side, and drove her right leg out with all her strength.
Bam!
Her foot landed squarely on Tang San's kidney.
His entire body lifted into the air and hurtled sideways for seven or eight meters. His back slammed into the stone steps at the edge of the sports field, knocking a chunk right off the corner. Shards of stone flew everywhere, and a cloud of dust billowed high into the air.
Every student watching from the sports field gaped.
Some drew in sharp breaths. Others had already begun to applaud.
Tang San lay sprawled among the rubble. His stomach churned, and he opened his mouth.
"Pfft!" A mouthful of blood sprayed onto the ground, staining a small patch of stone red.
He braced himself against the ground and tried to get up. His arms trembled twice, then gave way beneath him.
A Level 69 Soul Emperor, a direct descendant of the Clear Sky Sect.
The girl whose braid he'd tugged at lunchtime had kicked him down like a dog. Tang San's mind was a complete muddle.
What in the world was going on? Had she taken some miraculous elixir, or was she possessed by a Titled Douluo?
Xiao Wu patted at the nonexistent dust on her skirt, planted one hand on her hip, and pointed the index finger of the other at Tang San, who was sprawled on the ground.
"That's enough for today. If you dare trick your classmates about Soul Rings or harass the girls again, I'll beat you every time I see you. Got it? If you got it, squeak."
Tang San lifted his head from the rubble. His face was covered in dirt, his left eye was bruised, and blood still seeped from his lips.
"I... I got it."
He really had gotten it. A wise man didn't fight when the odds were against him. He had no idea what was going on with this woman—maybe she was a Titled Douluo in disguise. He'd figure it out before doing anything else.
"Good. That's more like it." Xiao Wu lowered her hand and turned to leave.
It wasn't that Xiao Wu didn't want to keep hitting him. It was just that, on campus, she could only teach him a lesson. If she went too far, they'd haul her in front of the disciplinary office.
If it had happened off campus, nobody would care if he lived or died.
Xiao Wu's Scorpion Braid swayed behind her, her pink skirt fluttered lightly with each step, and her crystal heels tapped out a cheerful rhythm on the stone path. She walked with a spring in her step.
The watching students automatically made way for her. Quite a few girls looked at Xiao Wu differently now: some with admiration, some with envy, and some eager to go over and cling to her.
Tang San lay alone in the rubble, surrounded by the snickering voices of the crowd.
Humiliating.
He had never been so humiliated.
At the entrance to the girls' dormitory, the setting sun painted the white walls a warm orange.
Ning Rongrong had just come out. She wore a blue skirt, white stockings over her long, straight legs, and a pair of light brown ankle boots. Her waist was slender, and her skirt swayed gently as she walked. She carried a notebook and was about to head to the library.
From far away, she spotted a familiar figure bouncing toward her, a Scorpion Braid bobbing like a rattle.
"Hey, Xiao Wu, where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you."
Xiao Wu ran up to her and leaned in, her eyes shining like light bulbs. "Haha, Rongrong, I've got something really fun to tell you. Want to hear it?"
"What is it? Why so mysterious?" Ning Rongrong tucked the notebook under her arm and tilted her head.
The Confidentiality Agreement flashed through Xiao Wu's mind.
She couldn't tell any men. It hadn't said she couldn't tell a girl.
"I just beat up Tang San."
Ning Rongrong paused, stunned. "You're kidding, right? You could beat Tang San? He's the strongest in our class, Level 69, a Soul Emperor."
"I really did beat him. Want to know why?"
"Why?"
Xiao Wu glanced around to make sure there were no boys nearby, then leaned closer, pressing her lips to Ning Rongrong's ear.
"Because half an hour ago, I went from Level 62 to Level 70. I'm a Soul Saint now."
Ning Rongrong's pupils suddenly widened.
"Ah... Soul—"
Before she could finish, Xiao Wu clapped a hand over her mouth.
"Shh! Keep your voice down!"
With Xiao Wu's hand over her mouth, Ning Rongrong let out a couple of muffled cries, then yanked it away and lowered her voice. "Are you crazy? From Level 62 to 70? That's impossible! Do you know how long it normally takes to advance 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 the little pink rabbit charm, and waved it in front of Ning Rongrong.
"See? It's this."
Ning Rongrong stared at the palm-sized stuffed rabbit. It was fairly well made, with pink plush fabric and two black-bean eyes sewn on. It looked like the most ordinary little charm imaginable.
"This... this thing?"
"Don't let its ordinary appearance fool you. I won it at a shop outside school called 'Happy Claw Machine.' The prize that came with it was eight levels of Soul Power."
Ning Rongrong opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again.
"Are you sure someone didn't put a hex on you?"
"I'm sure I'm Level 70 now. Don't believe me? Try punching me."
Ning Rongrong wasn't about to actually hit her. But she could feel the Soul Power radiating from Xiao Wu, and it really was far stronger than it had been earlier that day.
Her breathing quickened.
She'd been stuck at Level 59 for three months. If this really could...
"Where's the shop?"
"On the pedestrian street west of the school gate. Come on, I'll take you!"
Xiao Wu grabbed Ning Rongrong by the wrist and took off running.
Ning Rongrong's ankle boots clattered against the stone path, and her notebook nearly flew out of her hand.
"Wait! My notes—forget it, I don't need them!"
At the other end of the sports field.
Tang San finally climbed out of the rubble. He brushed the dirt off himself and grimaced as he rubbed his right side.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got—and the more afraid. The same person's strength had skyrocketed in a single day? Something about this stank.
As he stood there, lost in his thoughts, a figure came around the corner.
Oscar.
His head was covered in short, tousled blond hair, and an unlit cigarette dangled from his mouth.
The academy didn't allow smoking, so he just chewed on it for the pleasure of it. He wore a modified academy uniform, sleeves rolled to his elbows and three buttons undone at the collar, looking thoroughly carefree.
"Third Brother, what happened to you? You haven't even wiped the dirt off your face."
Tang San walked over, one hand supporting his back, looking as though he'd swallowed a fly.
"I got beaten up."
Oscar took the cigarette from his mouth. "What? Who'd dare? An upperclassman? Give me a name, and I'll get Mu Bai and Hongjun to go beat him up with me."
"Xiao Wu."
The cigarette fell from Oscar's hand.
"...What?"
"I got beaten up by Xiao Wu."
Tang San repeated the words, each one squeezed through gritted teeth.
Oscar bent down to pick up the cigarette, his expression shifting through a whole range of emotions. First shock, then confusion, and finally a very subtle attempt to suppress a laugh.
"Wait... Third Brother, you're Level 69. She's only Level 62. She beat you?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Tang San pointed to the blood at the corner of his mouth and the dust all over him.
Oscar stuck the cigarette back in his mouth and circled Tang San, giving him an up-and-down look.
"I probably shouldn't say this, Third Brother, but you didn't... let her win on purpose, did you? Some new trick for chasing girls? Take a beating first to earn her sympathy, then..."
"Shut up."
"Okay, okay." Oscar raised both hands in surrender. "Then how do you explain it? A Level 62 beating a Level 69? That's ridiculous."
"She got stronger." Tang San leaned against the wall. The hand pressed to his kidney trembled. "I don't know how, but her Soul Power surged. Her speed and strength were at least those of a Level 70 Soul Saint. Four hours ago, she was still Level 62. I checked."
"She gained eight levels in four hours? You sure you're not making that up?"
"Do you think I'd want to say it? I even suspect some Douluo turned into her and came to mess with me, but that's unlikely."
Oscar finally dropped his joking expression and furrowed his brow in thought.
"Something's fishy."
"Fine, enough talk. Give me a sausage to calm my nerves."
Oscar put the cigarette back in his mouth. With a turn of his right hand, a sausage radiating a pink glow appeared in his palm.
Tang San took the sausage and ate it. Warm, restorative energy spread from his stomach through his limbs, and the pain in his side eased considerably.
"Damn it." He chewed the sausage and swallowed. "Damn Xiao Wu. Just you wait."