What's Wrong with Having No Soul Rings?

The Rose Hotel lobby was littered with shattered glass.

Chen Xuan hitched the iron wok stained with black soot higher onto his shoulder and waved at Tang San outside the door.

Tang San's face turned green. His hand clamped tightly around the Twenty-Four Bridges Under Moonlight at his waist, his knuckles blanching from the force.

Just then, Yu Xiaogang climbed the steps with his hands behind his back, moving at a leisurely pace. The moment he stepped through the entrance, he looked up and came face-to-face with Chen Xuan—and that wildly shaped frying pan.

Yu Xiaogang's masterly composure instantly crumbled. His face twitched violently beyond his control. He subconsciously took half a step back and nearly missed the stair. The memory of that vicious beating at Nuoding Academy's training grounds began attacking him again.

Chen Xuan ignored the master and disciple. He stored the iron wok back in the system space, walked to the front desk, and slammed the wooden room tag heavily onto the marble counter.

"This place is too noisy. Refund me."

The lobby manager was still trembling beneath the counter. Hearing that, he hurriedly grabbed two Gold Soul Coins from a drawer and offered them up with both hands raised over his head.

Chen Xuan took the money and turned to leave.

Dai Mubai stood where he was, his face alternating between green and white. As the dignified prince of the Star Luo Empire, when had he ever suffered such humiliation? The third soul ring around him flashed, as though he intended to make a move.

Chen Xuan stopped and turned his head to look at him.

"You blasted through the ceiling. Pay for it." Chen Xuan pointed at the huge hole overhead. "If we keep fighting, you'll be washing dishes here to pay off your debt today."

Dai Mubai followed Chen Xuan's finger and saw the lobby manager staring at him with an utterly resentful expression. He gritted his teeth and forcibly suppressed his soul power. This brat was too strange. That iron wok could even deflect the White Tiger Fierce Light Wave. If they really fought, he might not come out ahead.

Chen Xuan chuckled, shoved both hands into his pockets, and headed straight for the door.

As he passed Tang San, Tang San's body tensed, ready to fire hidden weapons at any moment.

Chen Xuan did not even spare him a glance. He brushed past Tang San's shoulder and left behind a casual remark.

"Excuse me."

Tang San froze in place. Being completely ignored like this felt even worse than being mocked to his face. He turned to watch Chen Xuan's retreating back, his fists clenched until they crackled.

"Teacher, he came to Soto City too." Tang San took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart. "Judging by his direction, he's leaving the city."

"Leaving the city?" Yu Xiaogang adjusted his collar and snorted coldly. "There's only Shrek Academy outside the city. A freak who can't even explain his own martial soul will only embarrass himself if he goes there. Come, we're going to Shrek too. I'd like to see whether those few lousy stones of his can pass Shrek's assessment."

Outside Soto City, Shrek Village.

The blazing sun hung overhead, and a long line stretched from the village entrance. Parents and new students all around were drenched in sweat from the heat.

"What kind of trash academy is this? It doesn't even have a proper gate."

"Exactly. They want ten Gold Soul Coins just to register? That's robbery!"

Noisy complaints rang out without end.

Chen Xuan stood in the middle of the line, with seven or eight people ahead of him. He took out the Gold Soul Coins he had just gotten refunded and casually tossed them up and down in his hand.

Before long, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Yu Xiaogang also arrived at the village entrance and lined up at the back. Tang San stared silently at the back of Chen Xuan's head.

The line shuffled forward.

At last, it was Chen Xuan's turn.

Behind a battered wooden table sat an old man in his sixties. He wore coarse cloth clothes and held a long smoking pipe in his hand, his eyes closed as he dozed.

Li Yusong, the teacher in charge of Shrek Academy's initial test, a level sixty-three Soul Emperor.

"Registration fee is ten Gold Soul Coins. Put them in the box." Li Yusong did not even lift his eyelids as he tapped the wooden box on the table.

Chen Xuan tossed the Gold Soul Coins inside, producing a crisp clinking sound.

"Hold out your hand." Li Yusong set down his pipe.

Chen Xuan extended his right hand.

Li Yusong's dry fingers rested on Chen Xuan's wrist, ready to examine his bones and determine his age.

The instant he squeezed down, Li Yusong's fingers abruptly stopped. He opened his eyes and gave Chen Xuan a surprised look. This boy's wrist bones were exceptionally tough, and his muscles were absurdly firm.

Unwilling to believe it, Li Yusong secretly infused a trace of soul power into his fingers and squeezed harder.

He could not budge it.

Chen Xuan's wrist did not even tremble.

Li Yusong sucked in a cold breath. He had examined the bones of countless new students, but he had never encountered a physique like this. This was not physical conditioning a twelve-year-old should possess. Even a level thirty assault-type Battle Soul Master could not compare to this level of bodily strength.

"Bone age twelve. Qualified." Li Yusong withdrew his hand and pointed at the white crystal ball on the table. "Put your hand on it and test your soul power. Shrek only accepts monsters. Anyone below level twenty-one can leave immediately."

Chen Xuan placed his hand on the crystal ball.

A faint white glow lit up within the crystal ball. The light was not dazzling and occupied only a small portion of it.

Li Yusong frowned and stared at the crystal ball for several seconds.

"Level eleven?" Li Yusong looked up at Chen Xuan, obvious dissatisfaction in his voice. "Kid, you've trained your body well, but your soul power is too low. Shrek's rule is that you must reach level twenty-one before fifteen. You haven't even touched the threshold."

Chen Xuan withdrew his hand without speaking.

Li Yusong waved impatiently. "Enough. Next. Show me your martial soul and soul rings. We'll go through the motions, then you can go back wherever you came from."

Chen Xuan spread open his right hand.

Five dull gray stones appeared in his palm, quietly floating in midair.

Li Yusong waited for a long while, but no soul rings rose up.

"Where are your soul rings?" Li Yusong tapped the table.

"I don't have any." Chen Xuan's tone was calm.

The surroundings fell silent for a second.

Then the parents and students in line erupted into uproarious laughter.

"Hahaha! No soul rings? Is this kid here to be funny?"

"Level eleven soul power, and he doesn't even have a ten-year soul ring. How did he cultivate to level eleven?"

"Shrek Academy really is a gathering place for scammers. Any stray cat or dog dares come here to register."

At the back of the line, Yu Xiaogang heard this and immediately pushed through the crowd. Pointing at Chen Xuan, he loudly declared, "Absurd! It is clearly written in the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls that after a soul master reaches the level ten bottleneck, they must absorb a soul ring before they can continue breaking through. Without a soul ring, soul power absolutely cannot rise to level eleven!"

Yu Xiaogang's voice was loud enough for everyone present to hear clearly. He had finally found an opportunity to trample Chen Xuan in public.

"This kid is clearly faking it! Either he used some evil technique to hide his soul rings, or that crystal ball is broken!" Yu Xiaogang spoke with absolute certainty.

Li Yusong's expression darkened. He hated it most when people caused trouble at Shrek Academy.

"Boy, how dare you toy with me?" Li Yusong suddenly rose to his feet, and the pressure of his level sixty-three soul power burst forth. A fierce gale swept outward from him, making the battered wooden table creak while the surrounding parents backed away in fright.

"Get out!"

Li Yusong shouted coldly and casually waved his right hand.

A powerful visible blast of air shot straight toward Chen Xuan's chest. Though it was merely a casual strike from a Soul Emperor, without even using a soul skill, it was still not something a student in the teens could withstand.

Tang San stood in the back with his arms folded, waiting to see Chen Xuan make a fool of himself. He wanted to see what Chen Xuan could pull out to block this time.

Chen Xuan remained where he was, not even taking half a step back.

He lightly flipped his right hand.

Among the five floating stones, the black one suddenly burst with dazzling light.

A deep blue glow rapidly condensed before Chen Xuan.

A heavy shield with an ancient design and water-ripple patterns covering its surface appeared out of thin air in Chen Xuan's hand.

Epic armor—Water Armor Shield.

Bang!

The blast of air Li Yusong had sent out slammed heavily into the Water Armor Shield, producing an exceptionally muffled boom.

The moment it touched the shield's surface, the blast was directly dissipated by a gentle yet resilient force. It slid along the shield's edges to both sides, carving two deep furrows across the ground.

Chen Xuan held the Water Armor Shield one-handed, his feet firmly planted. Not even the hem of his clothes was disturbed.

The entire area fell deathly silent.

Everyone's laughter caught in their throats, their eyes wide open.

Li Yusong was stunned. He looked at his palm, then at the deep blue shield in Chen Xuan's hand. He was a level sixty-three Soul Emperor! That strike just now would have sent even a level thirty Soul Master flying, yet this boy had blocked it with one hand? Without even activating his martial soul?

Yu Xiaogang's face flushed crimson. He pointed at the Water Armor Shield and stammered, "Th-this... what is this thing now?! Yesterday you had a repeating crossbow and an iron wok. How did it turn into a shield today?!"

Chen Xuan slammed the Water Armor Shield onto the ground. With a muffled thud, a shallow pit was smashed into the earth.

"What's wrong with having no soul rings? Is it eating your rice?" Chen Xuan looked at Yu Xiaogang, his tone full of mockery. "Who says cultivation has to follow your lousy theories? Just because you can't do it doesn't mean others can't."

Tang San's expression froze completely. The hidden weapons he was so proud of looked like a joke before Chen Xuan's endless stream of defenses.

Just as the situation reached a stalemate.

A sudden rustling of leaves came from the lush old tree at the village entrance.

A figure leaped down from the canopy and landed steadily beside the wooden table at the registration area.

The newcomer wore a faded gray robe and a pair of black-framed crystal glasses perched on his nose. He had a long horse face and a chin sharp enough to stab someone to death.

Flender pushed up his glasses. His small, gleaming eyes stared fixedly at Chen Xuan—or more precisely, at the Water Armor Shield in Chen Xuan's hand and the five stones floating in midair.

He rubbed his hands together and grinned.

"You're the freak mentioned in the letter? You can level up without needing soul rings?" Flender looked Chen Xuan up and down. "Interesting. Come inside with me. I'll personally test what kind of monster you are."