The dull crack of gunfire split the din and rang across the world.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl. The bullet spun at high speed as it left the barrel, wrapped in dazzling flames and streaking through the air.
The bullet tore through the air, leaving a scorching trail that vanished in an instant. Even space itself seemed to shudder.
Down below, every hair on Guang Biao's body stood on end. An overwhelming sense of mortal danger pierced his mind.
In that split second, he had no time to think. He instinctively drove all the Soul Power in his body into action.
His dazzling Soul Rings flared into existence, and Martial Soul Possession came in a rush. Layer upon layer of dense Soul Power defense covered his body.
The next moment, the bullet slammed into the defensive layer around his head.
A thunderous crash erupted. His Soul Power shield shuddered violently, countless cracks spreading across its surface in an instant.
He had barely managed to withstand the deadly blow, stopping the shot that would have blown his head off, but the terrifying force of impact did not dissipate.
His massive, burly body was struck as if by a giant hammer. His balance gave way completely, and his two-meter frame lurched backward through the air before crashing heavily to the ground.
The whole scene fell abruptly silent. The previously noisy crowd stopped speaking at once.
Wu Zhangkong had already spotted what was happening on the rooftop.
The moment Xiao Mu raised the sniper rifle, Wu Zhangkong had noticed the boy looking down from above.
He sighed inwardly. The kid had some nerve. The weapon in his hands was a genuine restricted Soul Tool, and he was aiming it at the captain of the East Sea City Mecha Brigade.
He really wasn't afraid of the Federation military.
Others might not understand the weight of that title, but Wu Zhangkong knew all too well. The East Sea City Mecha Brigade belonged to a division-level unit and held an extremely high position. It ranked only one level below the city's administrative head. The two were independent of each other, each wielding real authority—not the sort of people ordinary folks could afford to provoke.
Clearly, Xiao Mu was no ordinary person in Eastsea City.
As the thunderous echo faded, Guang Biao regained his footing, and his fury exploded. He glared up at the teaching building's rooftop and roared, his harsh voice drowning out the noise around him.
"Coward hiding in the shadows! You dare ambush me? Get down here!"
On the rooftop, Xiao Mu's expression didn't change. He showed not the slightest fear. With a small twist of his wrist, he worked the bolt and chambered another round in one smooth motion.
Two dull gunshots rang out in quick succession. Two bullets, wrapped in waves of scorching air, tore through the sky toward the ground.
Guang Biao's Soul Rings flashed. A defensive Soul Skill lit up, and layers of protection tightened around his body as he took both bullets head-on.
The repeated impacts made his arms go numb and his chest churn. Even with his Martial Soul's defensive boost, he couldn't withstand the crushing force.
He knew his defenses would be broken sooner or later, and reacted at once.
A humanoid mecha, black from head to toe, landed in the open space with a heavy thud. Its thick metal frame had sharp, angular lines. It was a typical power-type mecha, its crushing presence bearing down on everyone nearby.
Guang Biao leaped into the mecha's cockpit, and the hatch sealed shut. A cold mechanical hum sounded as the mecha slowly rose to its feet. Its heavy steps made the ground tremble, and it turned to face the rooftop high above.
"Kid, you're the one who hurt my brother, aren't you? Surrender nicely, and I'll spare your life!"
The students watched the intimidating mecha, their hearts sinking as one.
Tang Wulin turned to Xie Xie beside him. "Xie Xie, can he still fight?"
"I don't know, but you should understand this: a Six-Ring Soul Emperor piloting a Black-Grade Mecha is on par with a Soul Saint," Xie Xie explained to Tang Wulin.
On the rooftop, Xiao Mu looked down at the mecha with its full presence unleashed, completely unruffled. It was just a bit of iron plating. He had plenty of ways to deal with it.
Two deep-yellow Soul Rings rose slowly from beneath his feet, floating steadily in the air. His Second Soul Ring suddenly lit up. He pulled the trigger, and another sniper round left the barrel, racing down through the air.
Inside the mecha, Guang Biao saw the incoming bullet and sneered. "A mere bullet dares to show off in front of an expert? This is a Black-Grade Mecha. Ordinary weapons can't pierce my armor!"
As far as he knew, the defenses of a Black-Grade Mecha were enough to withstand every attack from any low-level Soul Tool.
But the next moment, something that overturned everything he knew happened.
The high-speed bullet didn't strike the armor. It passed straight through the thick mecha plating like a ghost, ignoring every defensive barrier.
The bullet emerged from the mecha and hit its target with pinpoint accuracy, slamming into Guang Biao's shoulder.
A dull thud sounded inside the cockpit. The sudden, excruciating pain burst from his shoulder, and Guang Biao's body jolted. "How is this possible? How could your attack get through my mecha's defenses?"
That bizarre attack, which had just passed straight through the armor, was the effect of Xiao Mu's Second Soul Skill: Quantum Tunneling.
The bullet didn't need to pierce the armor. It could simply pass through every macroscopic barrier. The mecha's thick alloy plating and its Soul Power defenses were meaningless against this ability.
But the power wasn't entirely under Xiao Mu's control. He could apply it to external objects, but once they left his body, how far they penetrated was a matter of luck.
He couldn't precisely control the depth or point of impact. Everything was subject to random variables.
Beyond that, the Soul Skill had another exceptionally unusual property.
If he applied Quantum Tunneling to himself, he could keep his body in a tunneling state for an extended period, avoiding the vast majority of physical attacks.
Of course, Xiao Mu had tested it himself: drowning and fire could still hurt him in that state.
One caused suffocation; the other burned him with heat.
Down below, Xie Xie stared at the Black-Grade Mecha again and again. There wasn't even a bullet hole. So what had caused that scream just now?
Tang Wulin looked up at Xiao Mu in the sky, baffled. "What happened? Did the attack just go inside?"
Wu Zhangkong explained, "Xiao Mu's attack just passed straight through the mecha. It must be a Soul Skill."
"His Martial Soul must be exceptionally compatible with Soul Tools. If he'd been around ten thousand years ago, the Sun Moon Empire would have fought over him. But in this era, Battle Armor is more of a close-combat weapon."
Wu Zhangkong personally surmised that Xiao Mu's Martial Soul was probably compatible with Soul Tools in the same way as the Three-Legged Golden Toad.
Unfortunately, he was both right and wrong.
If Xiao Mu's Martial Soul underwent a Second Awakening, it would be far more compatible than the Three-Legged Golden Toad.
Inside the cockpit, Guang Biao endured the pain in his shoulder. Nothing remained in his heart but bone-deep dread. He didn't dare stay there any longer. He immediately piloted the Black-Grade Mecha into the air, trying to escape the battlefield and call for help.
After all, he'd been in the East Sea for years. He still had some connections higher up.
On the rooftop, Xiao Mu saw it clearly and casually tossed aside the heavy sniper rifle in his hands.
The First Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up. A strange wave of Soul Power spread out, completely freeing him from the pull of gravity.
He sprang forward and strode through the air, darting straight toward the Black-Grade Mecha as it rose.
His Second Soul Ring lit up right after it, and the effect of Quantum Tunneling instantly covered his whole body.
In the blink of an eye, Xiao Mu was beside the mecha. Riding the momentum of his leap, he delivered a fierce kick right into the cockpit hatch.
The tunneling effect triggered at the same time. His foot ignored the mecha's thick alloy plating and passed straight through the cockpit's structure.
Guang Biao had no way to resist. The kick sent him flying out of the cockpit.
A faint black glow surrounded them both as they crashed to the ground.
Guang Biao landed hard on his backside and shouted, "You actually dare stand in front of me! Don't you know I'm a Six-Ring Soul Emperor?"
"So what?" Xiao Mu sneered coldly. A coin appeared in his hand, as if he still had a trump card up his sleeve. "In Eastsea City, there aren't many people above me. Don't think I'm helpless against you."
Suddenly, he heard a rumble in the sky. He slowly put the coin away. "Looks like there's no need to bring out the big guns."
As his words fell, dozens of Black-Grade Mechas landed. Dozens, then hundreds, of Purple-Grade and Yellow-Grade Mechas lined up in the air.
"Y-you... who are you...?"
"Me? Just a passing Soul Master!"