Wait Until You're Done Showing Off, Then I'll Slap Your Face—It'll Feel Even Better

Listening to the surrounding students and teachers marvel at his hundred-year soul ring, Tang San revealed a satisfied smile. His risky absorption of the Mandala Snake's soul ring had not been in vain.

But when he heard them disparage the Blue Silver Grass martial soul, Tang San snorted angrily inwardly.

Hmph! A bunch of short-sighted fools. So what if it's Blue Silver Grass? I can still defeat Meng Chen's mutated martial soul!

Seeing that Meng Chen had yet to reveal his martial soul, Tang San assumed he had been frightened by his hundred-year soul ring and mocked him.

"Meng Chen, aren't you going to reveal your martial soul? Don't tell me you haven't obtained a soul ring yet? Or is your soul ring's quality too low for you to show it?"

Meng Chen glanced at Tang San's hundred-year soul ring and replied calmly, "No. I'm waiting for you to finish showing off. That way, slapping your face later will feel even better."

Tang San sneered. "Heh... slap my face? What are you going to use to slap my face? That martial soul and soul ring you don't dare reveal, or..."

Before he could finish, thunder rumbled, and a streak of purple light appeared before everyone's eyes. It was incomparably dazzling, completely eclipsing the yellow glow radiating from Tang San's soul ring.

The students and teachers instantly widened their eyes, their faces filled with disbelief.

Yu Xiaogang, who was hiding in the back, was especially shaken. He kept rubbing his eyes, suspecting that he had seen wrong.

The thousand-year soul ring glowing purple revolved around Meng Chen. The Thunder Hell Vine was as thick as a python, swaying gracefully as purple lightning flickered across it and an aura of destruction filled the air.

"You were right. I'll use my soul ring." Meng Chen pointed at his own ring.

Seeing the purple soul ring Meng Chen had revealed, Tang San's pupils contracted sharply, his face frozen in astonishment.

A purple soul ring! Meng Chen's soul ring was actually a thousand-year soul ring!

How was that possible?!

Hadn't the teacher said that a first soul ring could not exceed four hundred and twenty-three years at most? Why could Meng Chen absorb a thousand-year soul ring?!

"Impossible! How could a Soul Master's first soul ring possibly reach a thousand years?! Absolutely impossible! This doesn't conform to my Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls!"

Before Tang San could question him, Yu Xiaogang, his eyes bloodshot, roared at Meng Chen from within the crowd.

Quite a few people turned to look at Yu Xiaogang. He was panting like a bull, and his stiff face was filled with disbelief.

He did not believe it, and he never would believe that someone could possess a thousand-year soul ring as a one-ring Soul Master.

Even if such a person existed, that genius should have been cultivated by Yu Xiaogang.

Why did Meng Chen, some mud-legged country bumpkin, deserve to have a thousand-year soul ring as his first ring?!

Seeing Yu Xiaogang so worked up, those around him quickly moved away, afraid that his heart would burst from excitement and spray blood all over them.

After a brief silence, the other students and teachers stared at the thousand-year soul ring and erupted into thunderous cries of shock.

"A thousand-year soul ring! Didn't they say a first ring couldn't exceed four hundred years? Why is his soul ring a thousand years? Is that even reasonable?!"

"Forget whether it's reasonable or not—he's practically a monster!"

"I'm dying! That Tang San absorbed a hundred-year soul ring and thought he was hot stuff. Then Meng Chen casually pulled out a thousand-year soul ring. That slap to the face was loud as hell!"

"Say no more. A thousand-year first soul ring—how terrifying will he be in the future? I hereby declare Meng Chen my idol!"

"I only came to watch the fun, but I never expected such a huge surprise..."

Hearing the surrounding discussions and mockery, Tang San's face alternated between green and purple.

The hundred-year soul ring he had used to show off had been utterly crushed by Meng Chen's thousand-year soul ring. It was nothing at all.

Thinking of Meng Chen's words—letting him finish showing off before slapping his face—Tang San felt as if he had been slapped several times, each one louder and more painful than the last!

He gritted his teeth and swept his gaze over everyone's expressions before finally landing on Yu Xiaogang, whose eyes were bloodshot as he panted like a bull. A trace of resentment flashed through Tang San's eyes.

Tang San looked at Meng Chen again and snorted. "Hmph, so what if you have a thousand-year soul ring? A soul battle isn't determined solely by soul ring quality."

"Meng Chen, today I'll teach you a lesson. Without sufficient experience and theoretical support, even if you had a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, you still wouldn't be my match!"

At those words, Yu Xiaogang nodded along and spoke up in agreement with Tang San.

"That's right, Meng Chen. So what if you luckily absorbed a thousand-year soul ring? Without enough theoretical support, do you even know how to use it?"

Looking at the two stubborn fools, Meng Chen merely raised his hand and crooked a finger at Tang San, urging him to make a move.

"What are you wasting so many words for? Hurry up and finish this. I still need to eat. The cafeteria has pork knuckles today, and if I get there late, they'll be gone."

"You!" Tang San glared furiously at Meng Chen.

At a time like this, he was still thinking about eating. He clearly did not take Tang San seriously at all!

"Fine, fine, fine! You're in such a rush to eat, are you? I'll grant your wish right now!"

Seeing that the soul battle was about to begin, the onlookers consciously backed away several steps, leaving space for Meng Chen and Tang San.

Tang San shifted his feet lightly, ready at any moment to activate Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and evade Meng Chen's soul skill.

"First Soul Skill: Entanglement!"

At the same time, his first soul ring immediately lit up. More than a dozen blue vines rapidly emerged from the Blue Silver Grass in his hand, slithering across the ground like Mandala Snakes.

Seeing Tang San use his soul skill, Yu Xiaogang immediately began introducing the origin of Tang San's soul ring.

"Little San's soul ring came from a Mandala Snake that was nearly four hundred years old. I don't need to explain how terrifying a Mandala Snake is, do I?"

"Not only is his Blue Silver Grass exceptionally tough, it also possesses the Mandala Snake's venom. Once it wraps around you, even a Great Soul Master cannot break free immediately!"

Everyone was greatly astonished upon hearing this.

After all, Blue Silver Grass was a plant martial soul and generally only absorbed plant soul beasts. It was almost unheard of for someone like Tang San to use an animal soul beast as a soul ring.

Those who had originally believed Meng Chen would definitely win now felt that he was in some danger. Tang San's soul skill possessed the Mandala Snake's deadly venom, after all!

Just as everyone around them was sweating for Meng Chen, his first soul ring lit up as well. Its purple radiance was magnificent, setting off his calm expression.

The next instant, more than a dozen Thunder Hell Vines extended from his hand.

They were like ferocious thunder flood dragons baring their fangs and claws, lightning flashing over them. They were more imposing and fiercer, and more than twice as thick as the blue vines Tang San had released!

"So thick! So big!" a female teacher cried out, covering her mouth as she instinctively squeezed her legs together.

Tang San had not expected Meng Chen's mutated lightning vines to be even thicker than his Blue Silver Grass. He immediately controlled the Blue Silver Grass, trying to bypass the Thunder Hell Vines.

But the Thunder Hell Vines unleashed a burst of violent lightning that ravaged the area within ten meters. The Blue Silver Grass could not resist at all; every vine was charred to ash by the electricity and dissipated into nothingness.

Tang San's face turned pale. After the Blue Silver Grass was destroyed, more than half the soul power in his body had been consumed as well.

But before Tang San could release new Blue Silver Grass, the Thunder Hell Vines attacked him again.

"Trying to catch me? Watch my Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track."

Tang San smiled disdainfully and was just about to use Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track when the Thunder Hell Vines suddenly accelerated, moving as fast as lightning.

Under Tang San's astonished gaze, the Thunder Hell Vines wrapped around him in an instant with lightning speed. His limbs were pulled apart, and the vines began tightening bit by bit.

It had happened far too quickly. In merely three or four seconds, before anyone could react, Tang San had already been captured and lost all ability to resist.

Yu Xiaogang was horrified at the sight of Tang San being instantly defeated. The other students and teachers also fell silent, and the entire training ground became quiet.

But soon, Meng Chen's voice rang out, echoing in everyone's ears.

"So this is the soul skill granted by a Mandala Snake soul ring close to four hundred years old? Pretty average. Why do I feel like the soul skill granted by my fifteen-hundred-year Azure-Scaled Thunder Flood Dragon soul ring is a little stronger..."