Soul Fighting

The boy, stung by the jab, grew thoroughly annoyed. He stepped forward, nearly pressing his face against Gongyang Mo's, and growled, "You've got guts! Don't you dare leave after class! Do you have the nerve to spar with me?"

Seeing the conflict escalate, Yue Ling slowly stood up. With a faint trace of disdain in his eyes, he chimed in with a mocking tone.

"I'm dying of laughter. You've grown some backbone? Picking a fight with a support-type soul master—is this the soul master quality you're so proud of?"

As soon as these words left his lips, the surrounding students turned their gazes toward the boy, their eyes filled with disgust.

The boy's face turned a mix of green and red, utterly humiliated.

He never imagined that such a handsome, striking youth would be a support-type!

If he backed down now, he would never be able to hold his head high in class again.

He bit the bullet, turned his head to glare fixedly at Yue Ling, and gritted his teeth. "Then you! You're definitely not a support-type, right? Do you dare to spar with me after class?"

Yue Ling raised an eyebrow, his tone reckless and arrogant. "A fight is a fight, who's afraid of whom? Do you dare to make a big bet? Whoever loses drops out of school voluntarily."

The moment this was said, the entire room erupted in an uproar.

No one expected that their first conflict would result in such a desperate wager. Cheers and jeers instantly broke out across the classroom.

He hesitated for a long moment before nodding.

"Fine! I accept! Don't come crawling on your knees begging for mercy later!"

Yue Ling let out a scoff, saying nothing more.

His dismissive attitude instantly infuriated the boy.

"You!!"

A heavy scent of gunpowder permeated the classroom. The girls who had gathered around retreated, consciously clearing the center of the conflict to wait for the post-class duel.

In the back row of the classroom, Dai Yueheng leaned lazily against his seat, taking in the entire conflict with a playful, mocking glint in his eyes.

Interesting.

He had been intending to observe these few focal points of the class to see if they were worth recruiting.

From the moment he entered, the youth with orange hair had kept his aura restrained and hidden; he was definitely not someone to be trifled with.

He would wait and see, observing their true strength before making a decision.

In the classroom.

Tensions were high, as if they would come to blows at the slightest provocation.

At this moment, the homeroom teacher finally arrived fashionably late.

Yue Ling glanced over to see a male teacher in formal black attire walking in with a flat expression, as if he were accustomed to such scenes.

"Oh? A spectacle? That's perfect. You're freshmen, after all; getting into a fight is normal."

"It just so happens that there will be a freshman assessment in three months. Those who fail will be expelled. Even normally, if your performance or studies are problematic, I can have you expelled."

"As the saying goes, those who dare not cause trouble are mediocre. This has been the ancestral motto of Shrek since its founding. You two boys, come with me to the Soul Fighting District. I heard the bet you made; no need to wait until after school. We go now. Everyone else, head to the stands to watch!"

"Yeah!"

Hearing that they didn't have to attend class, the crowd cheered.

Gongyang Mo looked at Yue Ling with a worried expression, but was calmed by a "don't worry" look from him.

Crowds of people headed toward the Soul Fighting District in the northwest. They arrived shortly, and once everyone was seated, led by a more outgoing student, they began placing bets with gold soul coins.

Seeing this setup, more and more students gathered at the arena, and soon someone recognized Yue Ling.

"Look! Isn't that the guy who fought the Flame Maniac?"

"Eh? It really is! I didn't expect him to be a freshman!"

"Damn, he's that strong? By the way, who is the Flame Maniac?"

"The red-haired female devil, though she changed her title because she's Dean Yan's disciple!"

"So that's how it is..."

"..."

Meanwhile, at the betting station, a crowd was shouting loudly.

"Hmm... that handsome guy, I'm betting ten gold soul coins!"

"I'm betting twenty!"

"He looks frail, but you can't judge a book by its cover. I'm betting one hundred gold soul coins on the ugly one!"

"I'm betting thirty!"

Gongyang Mo gritted his teeth on the side.

"I'm betting one hundred gold soul coins on Yue Ling!" As soon as he finished speaking, everyone looked at him in surprise.

Gongyang Mo sat down slowly with a blank expression, but he couldn't help but pray internally: Little ancestor, you must win. I've bet all my pocket money on this.

The homeroom teacher acted as the referee. "Summon your martial souls!"

"Liu Tianhua, martial soul Cracked Rock Rhino, twenty-third-level assault-type battle soul master!"

As soon as he finished, the boy couldn't wait to talk trash. "Kid, I've put up with you for a long time! I really hope you're still as glorious as you were just now when you're defeated!"

Following that, a massive brown rhinoceros appeared behind Liu Tianhua, looking extremely sturdy, with two yellow soul rings flickering beneath his feet.

The homeroom teacher pushed up his glasses as he looked at Liu Tianhua.

Cracked Rock Rhino, a beast martial soul known for decent defense and outstanding attack. If this youth was at the same level, he would be in for a world of hurt.

At this moment, he also summoned his martial soul.

"Yue Ling, thirty-fourth-level assault-type tool soul grandmaster, martial soul Wonder-Silk Heavenly Chrysanthemum!"

As the words fell, a giant, golden-shimmering phantom of a chrysanthemum appeared faintly behind Yue Ling, and in his hand was the elegant and beautiful Wonder-Silk Heavenly Chrysanthemum itself.

Yellow, purple, and purple—three soul rings descended slowly to his feet. The moment he summoned his soul rings, a few small chrysanthemums even sprouted from the hard ground around him.

"I hope you're still as sharp-tongued later."

"Th-th-thirty-fourth level? How is that possible?"

"Why don't you try and find out!"

The homeroom teacher was stunned.

The second ring was actually absorbed beyond his level? And he could subconsciously alter his surroundings? Not only was this kid's physique powerful, but his martial soul was also the best of the best!

He never expected a thirty-fourth-level genius to appear in the class he was teaching! There was no suspense left in this match.

The students in the stands were dumbfounded, staring in shock at the one yellow and two purple soul rings flickering at Yue Ling's feet.

"Damn, he's that strong? Absorbing a second ring beyond his level? This guy really is a monster!"

"Yeah, this Liu Tianhua had to go and provoke him. Now he's going home right after enrolling. I wonder if his mom and dad will beat him!"

"By the way, this martial soul is so beautiful..."

"Beauty doesn't mean fragile."

"That's true..."

On the outermost edge of the viewing platform, Dai Yueheng's eyes lit up.

A twelve-year-old thirty-fourth-level soul grandmaster! A genius! A top-tier martial soul! Worth recruiting!

He felt he had lost his composure slightly and calmed himself down.

No rush. Forcing things too quickly could be mistaken for having ulterior motives. He would wait for an opportunity to make contact...

In the arena.

Liu Tianhua gritted his teeth, sweat dripping down his forehead, but he remained stubborn.

"So what if you're a thirty-fourth-level soul grandmaster? So what if you have a thousand-year second soul ring? I don't believe you can break my defense!"

"Then come and try!"

Liu Tianhua held his hands in front of his chest and shouted, "First soul skill, Rock Shield!" "Second soul skill, Firm as a Rock!"

Yue Ling widened his eyes as he watched Liu Tianhua curl into a ball and chuckled.

"Wait, are you a turtle?"

"If you have the ability, break my defense. Otherwise, don't even think about winning!"