"Soul Rings, appear!"
A pale white Soul Ring and a Yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath Ao Yin's feet at the same time.
At opposite ends of the Coiling Dragon Staff coiled a fiery-red Fire Glass Vine Serpent, like a dragon of flame, and a snow-white Six-Winged Frost Centipede, like a dragon of ice. The chill and heat of Ice and Fire Two Heavens sent shivers down his spine.
"Not true dragons, yet they look just like them!"
Ao Yin's eyes lit up. The staff in his hand had once been no more remarkable than a fire poker, but now it looked extraordinary. He was thoroughly pleased.
Both the Fire Glass Vine Serpent and the Six-Winged Frost Centipede were Soul Beasts with traces of Dragon Clan blood. They were simply too young for their true dragon bloodlines to have awakened!
If I raise their ages to ten thousand years, a hundred thousand, or even a million, might their true dragon bloodlines awaken?
Ao Yin pondered the idea, but testing it would take time. There was no need to dwell on it now.
What I'm curious about is what kind of Soul Ring Yu Xiaogang will find for Tang San now that I've crushed the Datura Snake Soul Ring that should have been his.
Ao Yin smiled faintly and withdrew his Soul Rings and Martial Soul. Then he used Mist Step to slip out of the Soul Hunting Forest like a ghost and headed for Notting Academy.
That evening.
Ao Yin had barely returned to Dorm Seven when he found the room in disarray. Several roommates with bruised faces rushed toward him!
"Boss Ao, you're finally back! You have to avenge the brothers of Dorm Seven!"
"Get even for us! If you hadn't come back, Dorm Seven would have lost all face. The few of us were no match for them!"
"Waaah..."
Wang Sheng even burst into aggrieved sobs.
Ao Yin paused. As far as he could recall, Dorm Seven hadn't stirred up any trouble lately.
"All right, stop sniveling. Tell me who did it."
Wang Sheng explained, "Boss Ao, have you forgotten? Those noble students you beat up at the Cafeteria not long ago! The one leading them was Ling Feng. They're the ones who bullied us!"
"Ling Feng?"
Now that he mentioned it, Ao Yin did vaguely remember...
"That's right! His boss is Xiao Chenyu. He's an eleven-level One-Ring Soul Master, and he's been using that strength to make life difficult for Dorm Seven. He even harassed Sister Xiao Wu and said he'd make her his pet!"
Ao Yin gave a cold snort. "He doesn't know his own limits!"
He looked around but saw no sign of Xiao Wu. Wang Sheng promptly added, "Boss Ao, Sister Xiao Wu was furious. Tang San went to stand up for her, and they've already gone to confront them at the training ground!"
Tang San?
Ao Yin raised an eyebrow. That guy still had tricks up his sleeve. He had even taken advantage of Ao Yin's absence to win favor with Xiao Wu again?
Still, Ao Yin was curious. Without the Datura Snake Soul Ring from the Soul Hunting Forest, what strength did Tang San have to stand up to an eleven-level
One-Ring Soul Master?
"Come on! Let's go see!"
"Yes, Boss Ao!"
Wang Sheng and the rest of Dorm Seven immediately regained their confidence.
Meanwhile, the training ground buzzed with voices.
Xiao Wu and Tang San arrived to find themselves face-to-face with the older students who had repeatedly bullied Dorm Seven's work-study students.
At their head, Xiao Chenyu swept his gaze over them, his eyes roving as a mocking smile played on his lips.
"Well, if it isn't that little girl from earlier. I didn't realize you had such a pretty figure."
His lackeys immediately joined in, jeering with outrageous arrogance.
"Junior, you're lucky Boss Xiao took a fancy to you!"
"Boss Xiao is a real One-Ring Soul Master, with the Gale Demon Wolf Martial Soul! He's one of the academy's top talents!"
"You'd be fortunate to get a few pointers from him!"
As the others sang Xiao Chenyu's praises, Tang San merely curled his lip coldly and murmured, "Interesting. A One-Ring Soul Master?"
Xiao Wu looked straight at Xiao Chenyu. "Give me pointers? I think I'd be better off giving you some."
Before her words had faded—
Bang!
The ground trembled.
Xiao Wu drove off the ground with the tips of her toes and shot forward, so fast she left only an afterimage!
A fierce rabbit kick hurtled straight at Xiao Chenyu's chest!
Xiao Chenyu's expression changed. He hastily crossed his arms to block.
Boom!
The tremendous force drove him back several steps. His feet gouged deep furrows in the ground before he barely managed to steady himself.
Xiao Chenyu shook out his sleeves. The surprise in his eyes faded, leaving only amusement.
"Who knew you were a feisty little thing with thorns?"
Xiao Wu lifted her chin slightly, her presence no less imposing than his.
"You brought people to bully Dorm Seven. Today, you owe us an explanation."
Xiao Chenyu scoffed, his face full of disdain. "An explanation? What sort of explanation do you want?"
"A match on the stage."
Xiao Wu's tone was calm, but it carried absolute confidence.
"You were acting awfully arrogant just now. Beat me, and you can do whatever you want with me."
At once, Xiao Chenyu's eyes lit up, and a wicked grin spread across his face.
"Whatever I want? You mean that?"
He advanced toward Xiao Wu step by step, leering openly.
"Fine! I accept your challenge!"
With that, he leaped onto the fighting stage and landed steadily, looking down at the girl below.
"Come on up, little girl. Let your big brother show you a good time."
As far as he was concerned, the outcome was already decided.
He had a wolf Martial Soul, which countered a rabbit Martial Soul. He had the natural advantage!
He was an eleven-level One-Ring Soul Master, while she was merely a girl whose Martial Soul had only just awakened.
Forget beating her; crushing her would be easy.
More than twenty lackeys gathered below the stage to cheer him on, making quite a spectacle.
To them, Xiao Chenyu's match was a mere formality.
Onstage, Xiao Chenyu was already planning how he would take that girl down a peg.
Below the stage, Xiao Wu pressed her lips together, her eyes clear and resolute.
These people had provoked and bullied them time and again. Today, she would give them a taste of their own medicine and beat those arrogant noble students into submission before everyone!
She lowered her stance, ready to gather her strength and spring forward.
But Tang San stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Sister Xiao Wu, I don't mean to boast, but leave this trash to me!"
"You?"
Xiao Wu looked at Tang San curiously. She didn't think much of him and hadn't expected him to stand up for her!
Tang San declared confidently, "I just want a chance to prove myself. I won't disappoint you, Sister Xiao Wu!"
Without waiting for Xiao Wu's answer, Tang San volunteered himself and strode onto the stage. He faced Xiao Chenyu and the others and declared confidently, "Why should Sister Xiao Wu lift a finger? I alone am enough to put all of you in your place!"
Buzz!
A deathly silence fell over the arena.
Three seconds later, laughter erupted.
"Hahahaha! Who are you to talk to Boss Xiao like that?"
"How noisy!"
Tang San picked at his ear. Aside from Boss Xiao, who possessed a Soul Ring, he thought nothing of anyone present.
Tang San was supremely confident. His teacher had said the Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo Soul Ring suited his Blue Silver Grass exceptionally well. He also wanted to test the limits of his current strength—and win some favor with a beauty like Xiao Wu!
Xiao Chenyu, you'll be the first whetstone for my blade since I obtained my Soul Ring!
"If you're so eager for a beating, I'll oblige!"
Xiao Chenyu sneered. He wanted to see just what this new student could do!
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