A Show of Force Upon Arriving at the Academy

Thunder Academy was far more imposing than Notting Academy. The entire academy had been built against the mountains, its gray-white walls towering five zhang high. Two stone Thunder Hawks stood at the entrance, their spread wings each three zhang wide. Pale violet thunder crystals were set into their eyes, gleaming with an eerie, cold electric light beneath the sun.

We arrived during the afternoon break. Quite a few students had gathered in the open space outside the academy gates, leaning against the walls in twos and threes as they chatted. Some were sparring with Soul Skills, while others held their meal bowls. A few sharp-eyed students spotted the carriage stopping and immediately began whispering among themselves.

"More new students?"

"The term's been going for nearly two months. Why are they only arriving now?"

"Look at that carriage. That's the crest of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. They have quite the background. To transfer in this late and still get admitted, their connections must be solid."

"So what if they're from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan? Thunder Academy isn't their property. The Lei Family is the real power here."

I lifted the carriage curtain and jumped down, with Qing Luo and Yu Xiaolou following behind me. The little fatty carried his enormous bundle on his back. The jerky inside had been shut in the carriage for three days, filling the air with the scent of five-spice seasoning and drawing several curious looks the moment he stepped down.

We had just reached the flagstone path before the gates when two young men in fitted blue uniforms blocked our way. Both wore identical waist badges engraved with Thunder Academy's emblem, but their stances and expressions made it obvious that they were no ordinary students. One stood with his arms folded, chin slightly raised, his gaze openly appraising us. The other was tall and thin, with a malicious smile at the corner of his mouth. His hands were in his pockets, his posture loose as his eyes traveled over Qing Luo before finally settling on her chest.

"Stop." The arms-folded one spoke. His voice was not loud, but his tone was aggressive.

"You're the new students reporting in today? What's your background? The term started two months ago, and you only show up now? Do you think Thunder Academy is some marketplace?"

Yu Xiaolou answered, "We're from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."

The tall, thin man snorted. "So what if you're from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan? Once you come to Thunder Academy, you follow Thunder Academy's rules. Young Master Roger said that transfers like you were probably shoved in through the back door, so he sent us to see what you're made of. Little girl, you're quite pretty. What's your name?"

Qing Luo said nothing. She merely stepped forward and raised her left hand in front of me. Her movement was natural, without the slightest hesitation.

"Move."

Only two words, not loudly spoken, but each one was crisp and clear.

The tall, thin man froze for a moment, then laughed even more wantonly. "Oh, you've got quite the temper. A mere servant girl dares to act tough here? Do you know who our young master is?"

He reached out, intending to lift Qing Luo's chin.

Qing Luo released her martial soul in an instant. The Dragon Scale Tulip Vine shot from her palm. Every scale along its dark-gold body stood erect, while the golden tulip phantom at its tip spun rapidly. A burst of poisonous pollen sprayed directly into the tall man's face. At the same time, the vine coiled around his wrist, its thorny barbs piercing his skin as venom seeped through the wound and into his meridians.

The tall man screamed. His entire arm swelled at once, purple-black poison patterns surfacing across his skin. He tried to release his martial soul and resist, but the poison disrupted the circulation of his Soul Power the moment it entered his body. He could not even summon his martial soul. Staggering back several steps, he landed on the ground with a heavy thud.

The arms-folded man instinctively tried to release his martial soul as well, but Qing Luo had already activated her second Soul Skill. Venom Python Constriction. The vines transformed into the phantom of a dark-green python that wrapped around his legs and torso, corrosive venom seeping through his clothes. He struggled twice, but the vines only tightened further. The poison made his legs weak, and he could barely remain standing.

The entire process took no more than three breaths. The watching students fell silent for a moment before shocked cries erupted one after another.

"Damn, what kind of martial soul does that girl have?"

"Look at her soul rings! Her second ring is a thousand-year ring!"

"Aren't those two Roger's lackeys? They usually swagger around the gates relying on Roger's influence. Looks like they've finally kicked an iron plate today. Look at Roger's face—it's gone green."

"Someone hurry and get a teacher! At this rate, those two might be crippled."

At the center of the open space stood a blond youth surrounded by several lackeys. A golden lightning badge was pinned to his collar, the mark of Thunder Academy's Advanced Class. He had been lounging against a stone chair with one leg crossed over the other, watching the show with a leisurely smile. But when he saw Qing Luo decisively take down his two subordinates, that smile vanished.

Roger lowered his crossed leg. He rose to his feet and walked over at an unhurried pace. His lackeys automatically spread apart behind him, opening a path for him. His gaze paused briefly on Qing Luo before shifting to me.

"Not bad." His tone carried the confidence bred from a sense of superiority.

"But even when beating a dog, you need to consider its owner. Not just anyone gets to touch my people."

Before his words had even faded, he released his martial soul. A silver-white Iron-Armored Lion appeared behind him, its body covered in metallic armor plates and tiny arcs of electricity winding around its four claws. Two soul rings lit up at once, both hundred-year soul rings. The oppressive force of his level twenty-eight Soul Power burst forth without restraint, forcing several nearby students back half a step.

"Two hundred-year soul rings. That's Roger from the Advanced Class, right? I heard he's the legitimate son of a kingdom viscount. He throws his weight around in the academy all the time, and with his father's connections, he doesn't even respect some of the teachers."

"The Iron-Armored Lion has incredible defense and attack power. Fewer than five people in the Advanced Class can beat him for certain. Those transfer students are in trouble."

"Roger wouldn't dare go too far, would he? Even he can't cover it up if he cripples someone at the gates."

"Can't cover it up? His father is a viscount. Do you think Thunder Academy's rules are anything more than decoration to him? Look at how those two lackeys usually bully people. When have they ever been punished?"

Roger looked at me, a smile returning to his lips. "Have your maid kneel and apologize to my men. Then the three of you kneel and apologize to me, and we'll call this matter settled. Otherwise..."

He did not finish.

I stepped forward. My pressure crashed down on Roger as though it had substance. The Iron-Armored Lion phantom behind him trembled violently, letting out a mournful cry before shrinking directly back into his body. Roger's knees slammed into the flagstones with two dull thuds. The composure and confidence on his face shattered in that instant, replaced by utter terror.

He tried to stand, but it felt as if an entire mountain were pressing down upon his shoulders. His arms trembled, the muscles in his back taut as a fully drawn bowstring. Large beads of sweat struck the flagstones one after another, spreading into dark patches. No matter how he struggled, his knees remained nailed to the ground, unable to rise even an inch.

Setting aside the suppression of Soul Power, true dragon bloodline alone possessed an innate suppressive effect over all beast martial souls. His Iron-Armored Lion was considered superior among ordinary beast martial souls, but before me, it did not even have the right to raise its head.

The open space fell into brief but absolute silence. Every student stared wide-eyed at the sight before them. Roger had run rampant through Thunder Academy for two years and did not even respect upperclassmen at the Soul Elder level. Yet this transfer student had not even summoned his martial soul. Mere pressure had frightened Roger's martial soul back into his body and forced him to his knees.

After the silence came an explosion of shocked cries.

"Did you all see that? What just happened? I'm not seeing things, am I? Roger's Iron-Armored Lion retreated by itself!"

"That new student's aura... what level of martial soul was that? For that instant, I felt my own martial soul trembling too."

"A top-tier martial soul. It's definitely a martial soul of top-tier quality."

"He didn't even use a move. He made Roger kneel with pressure alone. Why would someone with that kind of strength even come here to study?"

Yu Xiaolou stood behind me with his mouth hanging wide open. He knew how strong I was, but every time he saw me act, he still could not control his expression. Qing Luo withdrew her martial soul and returned to my side, watching Roger kneeling on the ground with a blank expression.

Roger was still struggling. His teeth ground audibly, veins bulging along his neck as a beastlike growl emerged from his throat. Yet no matter how he mobilized his Soul Power, his body remained firmly pinned to the ground. Before the absolute gap in strength, his struggle did not even qualify as that of a trapped beast.

I withdrew my pressure, turned, and headed into the academy. After taking two steps, I paused.

"No matter how big the Lei Family is, it cannot compare to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Your father is only a viscount. He isn't even qualified to guard my family's gates."

Roger remained kneeling on the ground, gasping for breath. His collar was soaked through with sweat, his blond hair plastered messily against his forehead. His eyes were red-rimmed, his lips trembling, yet he could not utter a single word. The watching students automatically made way for me. No one spoke. Every gaze clung to me until I disappeared around the corner of the open space.

Behind me, subdued but uncontrollable discussions rose and fell, blending into a low, buzzing murmur.