Mu Jin lowered his eyes and glanced toward the edge of the platform. Huang Tao had just fallen off and was now like an overturned turtle, grunting and struggling for ages without managing to get back up.
He withdrew his gaze and swept it across the students below, who were cowering like turtles. Raising a brow, he asked, "Who's next? Or do you want me to call someone out myself?"
The crowd below was so quiet that a pin dropping would have been audible. The lingering force of that palm strike still haunted them—who would dare invite trouble now?
Mu Jin did not bother being polite. His gaze flashed as he casually pointed. "Long Yanzu. You're second. Get up here."
Long Yanzu's face instantly stretched longer than a donkey's, every inch of it screaming, This is too hard. He shuffled forward at a snail's pace, as though he wanted to turn those ten meters of stairs into a journey of ten thousand miles.
After finally making it onto the arena, Long Yanzu took a deep breath. Whether it would help or not, he raised his hand and released his Martial Soul. A Shadow Dragon Brush shimmered into existence in his palm, radiating a dark, ink-black glow. Eighteenth-level Soul Power, one Soul Ring.
I'm going all out! Long Yanzu gritted his teeth and charged forward with his brush in hand.
The result was exactly as expected. He did not even last two moves before that fair, delicate palm lightly flicked him away. Like a kite with its string cut, he flew through the air and landed precisely beside Huang Tao.
The students below nearly popped their eyes out of their sockets. They looked at one another, left with only a single thought: What the hell are we supposed to fight with? This isn't sparring—it's a complete stomp! A one-on-one is just feeding ourselves to him, and even if we all went together, we'd probably still get crushed.
Even Mu Jin, standing at the edge of the platform, was at a loss. What was the point of continuing? Were they really going to take turns throwing themselves at him?
Just as the entire arena fell deathly silent, the figure who had remained calm all along spoke. His tone was as casual as if he were commenting on the weather. "Since one-on-one fights are boring, come at me together. All of you can join forces. I'll take you on alone."
The moment those words fell, the place exploded.
"Holy shit! Did you hear that? Is that even something a human would say?"
"My god, he wants to challenge our entire class alone? Isn't that way too arrogant? Is there any justice left in the world?"
Wufeng's eyes turned red amid the crowd. His fists clenched with loud cracks, Soul Power surging wildly through his body. As an agility attack-type Soul Master, he could not stand being ignored and provoked like this.
Even Ning Tian, who had always been steady and composed as a support-type Soul Master, was fired up. Though he was only support, his young master's pride would not allow him to back down. He had to join this fight!
Mu Jin hesitated for half a second. After weighing the pros and cons, he gritted his teeth. "Fine! Since you've talked such a big game, I'll grant your wish! The whole class, attack together!"
There were over ninety students in the class. Aside from the two who had just been knocked down, the remaining eighty-eight swarmed onto the platform like dumplings dropping into a pot.
The previously spacious Soul Battle Platform was instantly packed to the brim, leaving barely any room to stand.
"Martial Soul Possession!"
Multicolored lights flashed so brightly they hurt the eyes. Blades, spears, swords, halberds, birds, and beasts—all ordinary Martial Souls. Looking around, there was a sea of gleaming yellow first Soul Rings. The more eye-catching students had, at most, two yellow rings.
Only Ning Tian, standing in the center of the crowd, was different. A Seven-Story Glazed Pagoda floated above his head, its two yellow and one purple Soul Rings pulsing in rhythm. Its lavish splendor stood utterly apart from the rest of these bumpkins.
"Begin!"
With Mu Jin's command, the battle erupted in an instant.
Wufeng took the lead, Red Dragon Soul Power surging across his body as he roared, "Young master, buff me! Burn him to death!"
Ning Tian changed his hand seal, and the Glazed Pagoda blazed with light. His first and second Soul Rings flashed in succession as immense amplifying power flooded into every person present.
"Go! Don't give him a chance to catch his breath!"
Yu Chen stood where he was. Facing the dense mass of people, he did not retreat even half a step. Barehanded, he charged straight into the crowd. His movements were plain and unadorned, yet terrifyingly efficient.
One punch, one person down; one kick, one person sent flying.
This was not sparring at all. It was simply an adult beating up children.
Mu Jin, watching from below the platform, stared so hard his eyes seemed unable to move. His mouth hung slightly open as he muttered, "Th-this... is he even human? This is ridiculous."
The female students at the edge of the arena no longer cared about winning or losing. Their eyes were full of pink stars as they clasped their hands to their chests, utterly lovestruck. "Wow! He's so handsome! That aura is incredible!"
To the male students nearby, this scene was agonizing. They wanted nothing more than to rush up and grind that pretty boy into the dirt. It was too discouraging. How were they supposed to pursue girls now? There was no room for ordinary people in those girls' eyes anymore!
On the Soul Battle Platform, the melee dragged on.
A fine layer of sweat finally appeared on Yu Chen's forehead. After all, he was facing wave after wave of opponents, and the physical exertion was enormous. Yet around him, only a dozen or so people remained standing.
Those dozen people were on the verge of collapse, their hearts filled with nothing but trauma.
"Red Dragon Fire, burn him!"
Wufeng was fighting with everything he had. With Martial Soul Possession activated, flames engulfed his entire body. He let out a roar and launched his final strike.
However, it was completely useless.
As time passed, the Soul Battle Platform became carpeted with fallen bodies, strewn everywhere like corpses on a battlefield.
The last dozen people did not last much longer either. Ning Tian supported himself with the Glazed Pagoda, his face white as paper as he gasped for breath. His Soul Power was completely exhausted. Wufeng, who had charged at the front, had collapsed directly onto the ground. Even the flames on his body had gone out, and he no longer had the strength to move a finger.
The entire arena fell silent.
Everyone stared at the figure still standing tall, left with only one thought: he was a monster from an entirely different world.
Not long after that farcical sparring match ended, Yu Chen's feat of taking on the entire class alone spread through Shrek Academy as though it had grown wings.
From the dean and teachers to the cafeteria aunties, everyone was talking about it. His name had truly become famous throughout Shrek.
Shrek Outer Court, Dean's Office.
"What?!"
That roar nearly blew the roof off the dean's office. Even the lids of the teacups on the table rattled loudly.
Yan Shaozhe, the dean of the Outer Court, sprang from his leather chair. His usual refined and easygoing demeanor had vanished completely as he stared wide-eyed, his face plainly saying, Did I hear that wrong?
Ever since Yu Chen enrolled, this young man had been nothing but a record-breaking machine. Anyone with a weak heart would have been scared into developing a condition by now.
Thinking back to the freshman registration period, the kid had shown up with a Golden Dragon Martial Soul and a terrifying Soul Power level of forty-five, frightening the admissions teachers half to death. Yan Shaozhe had thought that was already the limit. But what happened next?
Soon afterward, on the Soul Battle Platform, the brat beat up Xu Sanshi, one of Shrek's Twin Stars. He had even crushed Xu Sanshi's defense with one hand. That was the Eternal Defense of the Outer Court, yet in Yu Chen's hands, it had seemed no sturdier than paper.
The incident was still being discussed fervently in the Inner Court, to the point that those little monsters there could no longer sit still and wanted to come down to see him for themselves.
Yan Shaozhe rubbed his throbbing temples, feeling his blood pressure rise again. "And now he takes on an entire class by himself? Those little brats really know how to endure. Every one of them calls themselves an elite normally, but when faced with a monster like him, they were beaten into sieves?"
He took a deep breath, looked at the trembling teacher reporting below, and waved a hand. His voice was full of helplessness and a faint, barely detectable excitement. "Enough, I understand. That kid... he's crazy, but he's undeniably a genius. Have Mu Jin give the injured students more compensation. Tell them it's the dean's consolation fund."
"Shrek Academy may be about to change."
Suddenly, Du Weilun rushed in. "Dean, something terrible has happened!"
Yan Shaozhe frowned and scolded him, "Why are you panicking? Have you found out what I told you to investigate?"
"Dean, I did. I used every intelligence network Shrek has and searched through everything. But... you should see this yourself."
He handed the files to Yan Shaozhe, who opened them and flipped through several pages.
"You mean Yu Chen's identity and background are completely blank? As if he appeared out of nowhere?"
Du Weilun nodded. "Yes, Dean. That's exactly what I mean."
Yan Shaozhe fell into thought. The more he considered it, the more impossible it seemed. There was not even any information about his birth?
Du Weilun interrupted him.
"Dean, could he be a spy sent by an enemy nation? If not, why would his identity and background be completely blank? We can't even find where he lived."
Yan Shaozhe nodded, then spoke.
"Enough, Du Weilun. Go back for now."
After Du Weilun left, Yan Shaozhe was alone in the office. The more he thought about it, the more something felt wrong, and suspicion quietly began to grow in his heart.
"It seems I'll need to convene a Sea God Pavilion meeting and let those old fellows decide."
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