A Duel with Xu Sanshi

The ice mist slowly dispersed, and a man and a woman walked out, stepping before Cao Longyan and the others.

The boy, wearing a fifth-year uniform, had handsome features but an arrogant expression, while the girl in a fourth-year uniform clung to his arm, her eyes filled with a timid, apologetic look.

"Xu Sanshi!"

Tang Ya frowned, stepped forward, and scolded him angrily.

"What do you think you're doing? Daring to launch a sneak attack and hurt people in broad daylight?"

Xu Sanshi sneered, his gaze arrogant and overbearing as he swept over the grilled fish stall, finally landing on the fish in Huo Yuhao's hand with undisguised possessiveness.

"My Meier just wanted to eat this grilled fish, Tang Ya. Why are you getting so worked up?"

Bei Bei stepped forward, shielding Tang Ya and Huo Yuhao with a cold expression.

"Xu Sanshi, are you trying to forcibly snatch something from my junior brother?"

"Your junior brother? Snatch?"

Xu Sanshi let out a scoff.

"Bei Bei, you've misunderstood me. I was just afraid the fish would run out, so I had to resort to such measures. I'm willing to pay ten times the price to buy this fish, how about it?"

Tang Ya pointed at Xu Sanshi and said furiously.

"Xu Sanshi, do you think having a bit of money makes you special? Who cares about that? This fish belongs to Nannan, and you aren't taking it!"

Xu Sanshi glared at Tang Ya, looking displeased. Just as he was about to retort, Hu Meier quickly tugged on his sleeve and whispered in his ear.

"Sanshi, let it go."

She hurriedly turned to the others, apologizing repeatedly.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. We were impulsive... Sister Nannan, I'm sorry about earlier, we scared you."

Seeing this, the expressions of Bei Bei and Tang Ya softened slightly.

Jiang Nannan nodded at her slightly, though her gaze toward Xu Sanshi remained cold, offering him no warmth.

Hu Meier breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Huo Yuhao with a gentle tone.

"Little junior, I'm sorry for disturbing your business... Will you be here tomorrow? What time? We'll come earlier then and buy a few more."

Huo Yuhao was still in a daze from the sudden turn of events and only snapped back to reality when Hu Meier asked him.

"Senior sister, I'll be here tomorrow, and I should have a larger quantity... As for the time, it will be about an hour after our first-year classes end in the afternoon."

"Thank you, junior. We'll definitely be here tomorrow."

Xu Sanshi curled his lip. Seeing that Hu Meier had already said as much, he couldn't very well continue his outburst, so he spoke to her in a soft, gentle voice.

"Alright, Meier, let's go. I'll just come earlier tomorrow; you should go rest in the dorm."

The way Xu Sanshi treated Hu Meier was like a completely different person compared to before, making the others feel quite uncomfortable.

But just as they turned to leave, a cold, bone-chilling voice suddenly exploded, striking the depths of everyone's soul.

"Stop."

Cao Longyan stepped forward, his blue hair fluttering slightly. His blue eyes held not a trace of warmth as he stared straight at Xu Sanshi's back, speaking word by word.

"Apologize! Apologize to Yuhao and Sister Nannan!"

The scene fell into dead silence.

Xu Sanshi whipped his head around, only then noticing the youth who had sent his folding fan flying with a single strike earlier.

A first-year freshman?

He was startled at first, then completely enraged by the condescending, icy gaze of Cao Longyan.

"What kind of thing are you? A first-year brat, and you dare to order me around?"

Xu Sanshi laughed in fury, his soul power surging as he radiated the aura of a Soul Ancestor and the divine beast Black Tortoise.

Cao Longyan felt it too, and couldn't help but feel a surge of surprise.

That ritual... it seemed Xu Sanshi had completed it... and perfectly at that.

"I won't apologize. What are you going to do about it?"

But at this moment, Tang Ya, Bei Bei, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong were all frozen in place.

They were completely stunned by the way Cao Longyan had addressed her as "Sister Nannan."

When did Longyan and Jiang Nannan... become so close?

As for Jiang Nannan, her delicate body trembled violently.

She stared fixedly at the back of Cao Longyan, a silhouette so familiar it was etched into her very marrow.

He really was little brother Longyan...

Six years... she had finally found him after all this time...

Six years had passed, and the figure who used to be shorter than her but still stood in front to protect her was now taller than her. He had shed his childishness, replaced by a cold, handsome maturity, but what hadn't changed was that he was still standing in front of her...

Jiang Nannan's eyes turned slightly red, her heart pounding uncontrollably.

Cao Longyan ignored the shock of the crowd entirely, keeping his cold gaze fixed on Xu Sanshi. His tone was calm, yet carried an unquestionable air of dominance.

"Soul Fighting Zone. Do you dare? If you lose, you apologize."

Xu Sanshi was stunned for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world.

"Hahaha! A first-year brat like you wants to challenge me, a fifth-year student? I am known as the strongest defense in the outer courtyard; can you even break my guard? But don't go crying to your mommy if you get thrashed!"

Suddenly, his eyes turned sinister, and his tone shifted into a cruel sneer.

"Fine! I accept! But if you lose... you will kowtow to me in public, slap yourself ten times, and get the hell out of Shrek!"

"Xu Sanshi, you've gone too far!"

"Don't push your luck!"

"I'll fight you instead!"

Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan shouted their rebukes almost simultaneously.

Cao Longyan merely offered them a faint smile, declining their kindness with a wave of his hand to signal that they need not worry.

He looked at Xu Sanshi with contempt, his tone remaining icy and devoid of any emotion.

"Agreed. Soul Fighting Zone. Now."

Half an hour later.

The Shrek Soul Fighting Zone was completely packed.

"Did I hear that right? A first-year freshman is challenging Xu Sanshi? The Xu Sanshi with the strongest defense in the outer courtyard?"

"He's insane! That's a fifth-year Soul Ancestor!"

"He's dead meat. He's definitely going to be crushed into nothingness!"

"Still... that blue-haired kid is so handsome! This level of looks is just cheating!"

In the stands, Hu Meier kept apologizing to Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan.

Both women shook their heads; the fault did not lie with her.

In the preparation area.

Xu Sanshi crossed his arms, looking at Cao Longyan with a playful expression.

"First-year brat, if you admit defeat now and kowtow to me, I might let you off easy. Otherwise... once we're on the stage and you're crying for your daddy and mommy, it won't be a pretty sight... Hahaha!"

Cao Longyan kept his eyes closed, surrounded by swirling ice mist, not even sparing him a glance.

A direct dismissal... a naked, blatant disregard.

Xu Sanshi's face turned livid, and he gritted his teeth, though he said nothing more.

He wanted to see how this arrogant, ignorant brat would be ground into the dirt before all of Shrek later on.

"Both sides, enter the arena!"

The referee shouted.

Cao Longyan and Xu Sanshi stepped onto the soul fighting platform at the same time.

In an instant, the entire Soul Fighting Zone erupted into a deafening roar of noise!

"Xu Sanshi! Xu Sanshi!"

"Crush him! Let him know the power of us upperclassmen!"

"A first-year acting so wild? Truly courting death!"

The crowd was almost entirely one-sided; no one favored Cao Longyan.

Except for the five people sitting in the corner of the stands: Tang Ya, Bei Bei, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Jiang Nannan.

Their gazes were locked onto the blue-haired figure in the center of the arena, filled with trust and anticipation.

Especially Jiang Nannan...

Her hands were tightly clenched, her beautiful eyes fixed unblinkingly on Cao Longyan.

Brother Longyan... you definitely won't lose.

Cao Longyan stood in the center of the platform, looking up at Xu Sanshi with cold eyes, radiating a chilling aura.

At that moment, Xu Sanshi felt his own martial soul trembling in response to that presence.

What is going on? What is his martial soul, and what is this aura? It's actually making my Black Tortoise of Mystery martial soul—which has fully awakened the divine Black Tortoise bloodline—feel fear. This... how is this possible?

Right, it's an illusion... it must be an illusion...

Xu Sanshi forced down the shock in his heart, maintaining a composed expression. The mockery remained on his face as he looked down at Cao Longyan, yet when he met those eyes, he felt as though he were the one being looked down upon.

Before he could think further, the referee arrived at their side.

"Are you ready?"

Both of them nodded almost simultaneously.

"Then, let the soul fight begin!"