Battle on the Back Mountain

Shi An narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched the two figures disappear into the distance.

It seemed the bond between this master and disciple was anything but simple.

But that was fine. With those two wreaking havoc together, it was truly a cause for celebration across the land.

The thought of Tang San's Blue Silver Emperor martial soul being ruined into poisonous grass made Shi An want to laugh.

Fools were not frightening. What was frightening was fools who did not know they were fools, yet insisted on pretending to be profoundly learned.

Over the next few days, Shi An attended classes as usual and visited the library whenever he had time, reinforcing those theories.

Yu Xiaogang and Tang San did not go to the Soul Hunting Forest either. After all, the two of them had yet to recover from their enlarged rear gates.

If anything unexpected happened, the two of them would probably end up dead in the Soul Hunting Forest.

Shi An also arranged little accidents for them from time to time, turning old wounds into new ones and keeping them from setting out for the Soul Hunting Forest.

That day, just after Shi An left the library, he learned something from the students around him.

The work-study students and the children of noble families were going to fight on the back mountain.

Shi An's eyes flickered as he followed the crowd toward the back mountain.

Tang San had not absorbed a soul ring yet, and he was injured. It was hard to say whether he could defeat those noble children this time.

But judging from Tang San's hidden weapon techniques, those noble children might not necessarily win.

That meant it was time for him, the one meant to deal with Tang San, to make a move.

By then, a huge crowd had already gathered on the back mountain.

Two groups stood in the open space at the center, facing each other in a tense standoff. Their clothing made the contrast between them especially stark.

"Wang Sheng, are there no one left among you work-study students? You actually chose a newly arrived little girl as your boss!"

The boy standing at the center of the noble children spoke up. His eyes were filled with contempt and mockery as he looked at Wang Sheng's group. From the bottom of his heart, he simply looked down on them.

Wang Sheng's face reddened, but he did not know how to retort.

Xiao Wu stood with her hands on her hips, looking arrogant as she spoke to Xiao Chenyu.

"You're the boss of this academy?!"

"Fight me. If you lose, you'll be my little brother! Call me Sister Xiao Wu!"

The people opposite her burst into laughter. Xiao Chenyu was the most exaggerated, clutching his stomach as he laughed so hard he bent over.

"Did you hear that?! She actually wants to fight me!"

"Little girl, you probably don't know Boss Xiao's strength! He's a real soul master, the kind with a soul ring!"

"Exactly! I think you should obediently become Boss Xiao's pet. Maybe if he's in a good mood someday, he'll even reward you with a bite of meat."

"..."

Mocking voices rose one after another, and Tang San's expression suddenly turned ice-cold.

In his eyes, Xiao Wu was already his possession.

Their mockery and humiliation of her was practically an insult to him.

Killing intent flashed through Tang San's eyes. His left hand slowly rose, his fingers already resting on the mechanism of his Sleeve Sword.

"Damn it! Today, I'll show you what it means to be left scrambling for your teeth!"

At that moment, Xiao Wu suddenly shot forward and charged toward Xiao Chenyu, her little face red with anger.

Tang San's hand froze in place.

He also wanted to see what level Xiao Wu's strength was at. A purple gleam appeared in his eyes as he stared intently at her figure.

Seeing Xiao Wu charge over, a boy beside Xiao Chenyu took the initiative to rush out, shouting:

"Little girl, let me see what strength you have to dare make such a racket here."

A long staff suddenly appeared in his hand, and he swung it down at Xiao Wu's head.

The staff swept through the air in a semicircle, producing a sharp whistling sound.

Xiao Wu snorted coldly. With astonishing flexibility, she twisted her waist and dodged the strike. Then a yellow soul ring suddenly lit up around her lower leg.

"First Soul Skill—Waist Bow!"

Xiao Wu leaped into the air and kicked toward the boy's face.

"What?!" The boy's eyes widened as he froze in place, his face full of disbelief.

The next second, his face was struck hard by the kick, and he flew backward like a torn sack.

Dead silence!

The entire scene fell into utter silence.

No one spoke again. Everyone's eyes focused on Xiao Wu.

More precisely, they were focused on her soul ring. The bright yellow soul ring gave off ripples of soul power, drawing the eye like a flame in the darkness.

Xiao Chenyu's expression changed at once. He had been watching as though it were a show.

He was also a soul master, but his first soul ring was only a white ten-year soul ring.

Yet this little girl before him possessed a yellow hundred-year soul ring.

This was not merely a difference in soul rings. If a soul master wanted to obtain a hundred-year soul ring as their first soul ring, they either had to be lucky or have someone backing them.

Xiao Chenyu was reckless, but he was not stupid.

Even Tang San was somewhat surprised. He had been skipping class in Yu Xiaogang's dormitory these past few days, so he naturally knew what a yellow soul ring meant.

He reevaluated Xiao Wu and secretly pondered.

With hidden weapons in hand, killing her would take no effort at all.

But... he would not do that. The thought arose in his mind automatically.

Xiao Wu landed on the ground and looked at Xiao Chenyu. With her chin raised high, she looked at him with pride and disdain.

"You're a soul master too. Come fight me. If you lose, I'll be the boss of Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy!"

Xiao Chenyu hesitated. Whether Xiao Wu was lucky or had a powerful background, he did not intend to fight her.

If he lost, he would lose face.

If he accepted, he feared the people behind Xiao Wu might harm the Xiao Clan.

Seeing the hesitation on Xiao Chenyu's face, Xiao Wu gave a soft snort. "What? Scared?"

"If you're scared, call me Great-Aunt three times, and I can spare you."

Xiao Chenyu was still a child. No matter how rational he was, he could not endure such provocation.

He craned his neck and shouted, "Who's scared of you! You're a soul master, and so am I. It's not certain who'll win or lose!"

"Then come on! If you lose, obediently kowtow to Great-Aunt three times!"

Xiao Wu provoked him again, hands on her hips and her face full of smugness. Her spoiled and domineering nature was on full display.

"Fine! If you lose, you'll obediently become my pet. You'll do whatever I tell you to do!" Xiao Chenyu stepped forward and stood in the center of the field, pointing at Xiao Wu as he spoke.

"Hmph! Talk after you win!" Xiao Wu tapped the ground with her toes and charged toward Xiao Chenyu at high speed.

Xiao Chenyu did not dare be careless. His martial soul instantly possessed him, and his body suddenly grew taller. A gray wolf phantom appeared behind him, gray fur sprouted across his body, his muscles bulged, and sharp claws extended from his fingers.

A white soul ring also lit up around his lower leg.

"First Soul Skill—Wolf Claw!"

Rather than retreating, Xiao Chenyu advanced, rushing swiftly toward Xiao Wu. His Wolf Claw carried a sharp aura as it swiped at her.

Xiao Wu moved with nimble, ever-changing grace. She dodged Xiao Chenyu's attack with twists and leaps, then kicked toward his kidney.