Conflict

A flicker of surprise passed through his violet eyes. Seeing Ling Tianchen's refined clothes and extraordinary bearing, he immediately came to a conclusion.

This roommate was most likely from some great clan.

His father had once instructed him to make full use of Shrek Academy as a platform to befriend influential people. Seeing this, he naturally did not hesitate. He flipped off the bed, landed on his feet, put on an enthusiastic smile, and proactively extended his right hand.

"Hello, I'm Tang Ling, from Soto City in the Tianhun Empire. My martial soul is the Blazing Fire Anchor, and I'm a level twenty-one Assault-type Battle Soul Master."

"Ling Tianchen, from Tianshui City. Also, why are you reporting your martial soul and soul power level the moment we meet? Anyone who didn't know better would think you wanted to duel me."

"Ah? No, no! I just thought that since we'll be roommates from now on, we should get to know each other first so we can get along better later."

Tang Ling hurriedly waved his hands, looking somewhat embarrassed. He had not expected the other party to be so cold.

Ling Tianchen raised an eyebrow slightly.

"There'll be plenty of time to get to know each other later. Besides... I'm not used to getting along with people who are overly familiar. Can you keep quiet?"

Tang Ling gave an awkward smile and withdrew his outstretched hand in embarrassment.

"Sorry, sorry. I was too presumptuous. I've been like this since I was little. Whenever I meet someone new, I like to chat a bit more. I didn't mean anything by it."

Ling Tianchen nodded lightly and did not continue the topic. They were merely randomly assigned roommates—did he really think they could become good friends?

He walked over to the other empty bed, took out his uniform and some daily necessities from his storage soul tool, arranged them neatly, then headed out to take a look around.

"Tch, who's he trying to impress?"

The moment the door closed, the smile on Tang Ling's face vanished. He muttered under his breath:

"He looks intimidating, but he's probably just a pretty face. He doesn't even dare reveal his soul power. Isn't he just afraid that no matter how good his family background is, he might still be weaker than me?"

He had taken the initiative to show goodwill, only to receive a cold response. Having his warm face pressed against a cold backside, Tang Ling naturally felt displeased.

What he did not know was that, before Ling Tianchen's hearing, which far surpassed that of ordinary people, his deliberately lowered voice was almost no different from saying it to his face.

Ling Tianchen stopped walking.

Bang—

He kicked the door open.

With his arms folded across his chest, he leaned against the doorframe and looked down at Tang Ling. His voice was so calm that it carried not the slightest ripple.

"Say that again."

Tang Ling was startled at first, but his expression soon darkened as well.

Since he had already been heard, there was no point hiding anything.

He rose to his feet and met Ling Tianchen's gaze without yielding.

"I'll say it again, then. Who the hell do you think you are? Didn't you just happen to be born into a good family? We're all new students at Shrek Academy. Who here isn't a noble? I gave you some face, and you really think you're somebody?"

Tang Ling snorted coldly. Two yellow soul rings slowly rose beneath his feet, while a flaming anchor wrapped in chains appeared in his hand.

As the son of a viscount of the Tianhun Empire, and having broken through to level twenty-one at the age of twelve, he could be considered outstanding among his peers.

That strength was the confidence that gave him the nerve to turn hostile on the spot.

"Hmph. Let's go outside. Don't wreck the place where I sleep."

Ling Tianchen merely cast him a cold glance and spoke indifferently:

After saying that, he turned and walked out of the dormitory.

Tang Ling's face shifted between green and white, and a vicious glint suddenly flashed through his eyes.

He could not let Ling Tianchen seize the initiative!

Those indifferent eyes Ling Tianchen had shown earlier had been filled with pity for him.

That gave him the feeling that his heart had skipped a beat. This guy might actually have some ability.

In that case, he would strike first!

Tang Ling's first soul ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up, and scorching soul power poured into his martial soul.

"First Soul Skill, Anchor Fury!"

The heavy Blazing Fire Anchor dragged a long chain behind it, tearing through the air with a piercing howl as it smashed straight toward Ling Tianchen's lower back.

"He really is courting death."

Ling Tianchen did not even turn around. His tangible yet formless spiritual power had already taken in everything behind him.

Just as the anchor was about to strike, he shifted his body slightly, dodging the blow by a hair's breadth. At the same time, his right hand shot out and grabbed the chain flying past him.

His arm suddenly exerted force.

"Come here."

A terrifying force that Tang Ling could not resist at all traveled down the chain.

Tang Ling's expression changed drastically. He felt as though his martial soul had slipped out of his control, and his entire body was yanked off the ground against his will.

Before he could react, Ling Tianchen casually swung the chain in his grasp.

Boom!

Tang Ling was flung out of the dormitory like a sandbag.

He traced an arc through the air before crashing with astonishing precision into the center of the courtyard, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The huge commotion also caused the old man reclining half-lounged in a wheelchair before the dormitory building to slowly open his eyes.

Mu En narrowed his eyes, a strange glint passing through his cloudy gaze.

"Oh? It's that young man with the ultimate ice from earlier. Interesting."

It took Tang Ling quite a while to barely crawl to his feet. His face was twisted into something rather ferocious by the mixture of rage and injury.

When he saw Ling Tianchen still standing calmly not far away, his eyes instantly turned blood-red.

His anger had already overwhelmed the last of his reason.

In his eyes, Ling Tianchen had merely been lucky enough to dodge the anchor earlier.

If that attack had landed, how could a new student who did not even dare reveal his soul rings possibly withstand him?

"Second Soul Skill—I've Got a Big Anchor!"

Accompanied by an angry roar, Tang Ling's second soul ring suddenly lit up beneath his feet.

The Blazing Fire Anchor rapidly expanded in the wind, swelling to nearly three meters tall in the blink of an eye. Blazing flames ignited across its surface. Tang Ling gripped the middle of the anchor with both hands and swung himself fiercely through the air using the chain.

The gigantic anchor was hurled high into the air, drawing a shocking arc under the combined force of gravity and momentum. Then, with its tip pointed downward and a shrill scream tearing through the air, it came crashing down toward Ling Tianchen.

Before the dormitory building, Mu En narrowed his eyes and nodded lightly.

"Not bad. This kid knows how to borrow the force of gravity, combining the weight of his martial soul with his soul power. Now let's see how that little Ice Phoenix handles it."

"Get blasted away!"

Tang Ling roared with a savage grin.

Watching the giant anchor hurtle toward him, Ling Tianchen remained calm.

Yet a thought flashed through his mind: What would be the coolest way to catch it?

After his bloodline tempering, his physical strength was comparable to that of a Soul Sage. Stopping a huge anchor barehanded would be effortless.

But wasn't this exactly the opportunity he wanted? As long as he revealed his martial soul, his name would soon spread throughout all of Shrek Academy, wouldn't it?

One yellow, one purple, and one black soul ring rose simultaneously beneath his feet.

The yellow first soul ring had naturally been slightly disguised using his Simulation Soul Skill. Gold only needed a minor alteration to become yellow.

An icy blue radiance suddenly bloomed, and a pair of crystalline ice wings slowly unfolded behind his back.

The temperature in the air instantly plummeted, and a thin layer of frost even formed across the ground.

Ice Phoenix, possess!

The instant his martial soul possessed him, Ling Tianchen's aura surged explosively.

Facing the enormous anchor that could grievously injure an ordinary Grand Soul Master, he merely slowly raised his right hand.