So I Didn't Beat You Up Instead?

Dai Mubai remained in the posture of unleashing his White Tiger Intense Light Wave, his right hand extended forward and his left hand clenched into a fist. The expression on his face was frozen between madness and rage; his eye sockets were bloodshot, the veins on his forehead bulged, and the mud from where he had been trampled earlier still clung to the corner of his mouth.

Ji Ye stood still before him, staring at his face.

"You can't even beat them, yet you want to fight me?"

"Dai Mubai, you are truly overestimating yourself."

Ji Ye raised his right hand.

His five fingers pressed together.

Then, he swung down violently.

"Smack!"

The slap landed on Dai Mubai's face, the sound ringing out with startling clarity in the frozen world.

Dai Mubai's head jerked violently to the side, and a tooth flew from his mouth, tumbling through the air with a trail of blood.

Second Martial Soul, "Time," deactivated.

Time resumed.

The sound of the slap finally reached everyone's ears in its entirety.

Dai Mubai's body was sent flying as if struck by a speeding carriage, slamming into the wall of the inn with a thunderous "boom."

He slid down the wall and slumped to the floor. His left cheek was swollen high, and blood from the corner of his mouth dripped down his chin, mixing with the phlegm spat on him earlier, making him look utterly wretched.

Everyone was stunned.

Ma Hongjun's nosebleed dripped onto the floor with a soft tap, though he didn't even notice.

Oscar's eyes were twice their usual size, his Adam's apple bobbing as he tried to speak, but no sound came out.

Tang San's hand, which had been reaching out, hung suspended in mid-air before slowly retracting. His gaze shifted from Dai Mubai to Ji Ye, his pupils slightly constricting.

What just happened?!

He hadn't seen anything.

He had only seen Dai Mubai charge at Ji Ye, and the next second, Dai Mubai was flying.

The process in between was completely missing!

Ning Rongrong's mouth hung open in an "O" shape, and she blinked several times to confirm she hadn't misread the situation.

Zhu Zhuqing's movement of turning her head stopped halfway; she then slowly sat up straight, watching Ji Ye's back, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Dai Mubai slumped on the ground, half his face swollen, blood and phlegm dripping down in a steady rhythm.

"You!"

Dai Mubai kept his head low, his shoulders trembling and his fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his flesh, yet he never looked up.

"Trash."

Ji Ye continued to walk toward him.

Ma Hongjun was the first to react, lunging forward to stand in front of Ji Ye and spreading his arms to block him.

The nosebleed on his face hadn't been wiped away, mixing with sweat to smear across his features, making him look both ridiculous and desperate.

"Don't, don't, don't! Ji Ye! We're all on the same side!"

Oscar also snapped out of it, rushing to Ma Hongjun's side and nodding like a chicken pecking at rice.

"Right, right, same side, same side! Mubai just lost his head in a fit of anger; he didn't mean it!"

Tang San walked over, not to stop Ji Ye, but to crouch before Dai Mubai and reach out to help him up.

This time, Dai Mubai didn't shake him off. He gritted his teeth and stood up, leaning half his weight on Tang San's shoulder, muttering something unintelligible—his voice too low to be heard.

Ning Rongrong stood up and walked over as well, attempting to mediate.

"Ji Ye, stop fighting. He's already been taught a lesson."

Ji Ye stopped in his tracks and swept his gaze over the group.

He said nothing, turned around, and walked back to his seat.

He picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of food, chewed twice, and then lifted his teacup to take a sip, acting as if nothing had happened at all.

Ma Hongjun let out a long breath, his legs nearly giving out beneath him.

"My god, you scared the life out of me."

Oscar also relaxed, collapsing into a nearby chair and wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"I thought another fight was about to break out."

Tang San helped Dai Mubai sit in another chair and pulled a cloth from his pack to hand to him.

Dai Mubai took it, wiped the blood and phlegm from his face, and kept his head down, remaining silent.

His left cheek was swollen high, the skin at the corner of his mouth torn, and blood dripped from his chin onto his collar.

"Xiao San, I'm fine."

On the other side, the people from Canghui Academy were still eating.

The tall student watched this series of events, that look of contemptuous mockery reappearing on his face.

He propped one foot on his stool, crossed his arms over his chest, and spoke up, eager to stir up trouble.

"Yo, infighting? Is this all Shrek Academy amounts to? Fighting among your own kind—it's enough to make one laugh their teeth out."

The few people behind him followed suit with laughter, the noise raucous and grating, sounding exceptionally loud in the quiet inn.

"That kid in white, you were quite fierce when hitting your own people, so why didn't you dare come out earlier? Hiding in your room like a tortoise, only getting energetic after beating your own."

"A coward, what else could it be."

The female student from Canghui Academy with the ponytail did not laugh, her gaze toward Ji Ye still filled with curiosity.

Ji Ye set down his teacup.

He did not speak, yet everyone's attention was drawn to him.

He stood up, turned around slowly, and faced the group from Canghui Academy, a faint, chilling smile hanging at the corners of his mouth.

"Did beating him mean I didn't beat you enough?"

The laughter from Canghui Academy came to an abrupt halt.

The tall student frowned, his mouth twitching, though his face remained full of disdain.

"Kid, don't think that just because you know a trick or two—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Ji Ye moved.

His second soul ring lit up.

"Second Soul Skill."

"Void: Inch-Distance."

His figure left a trail of afterimages in the air, crossing a distance of over ten zhang in an instant to appear behind the seven students of Canghui Academy.

The speed was so fast they couldn't even react.

"Bang!"

A kick landed on the tall student's lower back.

The tall student was sent flying, landing face-first and sliding over a zhang, a layer of skin scraped off half his face.

He let out a muffled groan as he sprawled on the ground.

He struggled to get up, but his waist had no strength left in it.

The remaining six had not yet reacted when Ji Ye moved again.

He wove through the crowd, one punch or one kick for each.

The sturdy boy swung a fist at him, but he dodged to the side and brought his elbow down, smashing it into the opponent's shoulder blade; the sturdy boy let out an "ouch" and dropped to one knee.

Another boy lunged from the side, but he raised his leg and kicked the man in the chest, sending him flying sideways to crash into the doorframe before sliding down.

The short-haired female student reached out to prepare a soul skill, but he flashed behind her and flicked the back of her neck lightly; her vision went black and she went limp.

The girl with the ponytail dropped what she was holding, raised her hands, and shouted, "I'm not fighting, I'm not fighting," so Ji Ye left her alone.

In a quick flurry, taking less than ten breaths, all seven Canghui Academy students were sprawled on the floor—some prone, some supine, some curled up—all groaning and unable to get back up.

Only the ponytail girl remained standing, hands raised above her head, her face pale and her legs trembling.

Both inside and outside the inn, silence fell.

Ma Hongjun and Oscar stood with their mouths agape, not knowing what to say.

Tang San's gaze shifted from the complexity it held moments ago to one of absolute gravity.