Just Here and Already Fighting?

A Fight Right After Arriving?

Douro Federation: Eastsea City.

As the sole intermediate and advanced soul master educational institution in this city, Eastsea Academy held a pivotal status. The annual enrollment day always managed to stir up a ripple of moderate proportions throughout the city.

At the school gates, a crowd milled about. Parents stood on tiptoes to peer inside, while children clutched their application forms with expressions of either excitement or tension. The air was permeated with a scent that mixed sweat, anxiety, and anticipation.

Yet on one side of the bustling school gate, two figures completely out of place with the surrounding tense atmosphere sat slumped in a posture bordering on salted fish.

Tang Wulin had a piece of dogtail grass dangling from his mouth, held the newly filled freshman registration form in his hand, and absentmindedly cracked melon seeds. Xie Xie beside him was even more exaggerated, his entire body nearly shrinking into that slightly oversized garment, his gaze vacant as though his soul had already left his body.

"Boss," Xie Xie spat out a melon seed shell and said incoherently, "why do you think there are so many people applying this year? It's jammed like the Spring Festival travel rush."

Tang Wulin's gaze swept over the crowd, his brows slightly furrowed as if contemplating some serious problem. After a long moment, he slowly replied, "Mn... I guess people with good talent are increasing. The Federation is expanding, soul tools are becoming popular, and opportunities for civilian soul masters are increasing too."

"Tch." Xie Xie curled his lip in a thoroughly dismissive manner. "Can good talent compare to mine? I'm a Twin Martial Souls embryonic vessel after all."

Watching Xie Xie begin his habitual bragging once more, Tang Wulin helplessly shook his head and did not poke fun at those little thoughts of his. The Golden Dragon King's bloodline lay dormant within him, granting him a much deeper understanding of so-called talent than ordinary people—sometimes talent did not represent everything, and hard work along with opportunity were equally important.

Right at that moment, Xie Xie abruptly straightened his body like a cat that had just been stepped on its tail, poking Tang Wulin with his elbow.

"Hey! Boss! Wake up! Look at that girl!"

Tang Wulin was knocked sideways by the nudge, the piece of dogtail grass in his mouth almost dropping out. Speechless, he raised his head and followed the direction Xie Xie indicated.

With just a single glance, his movements involuntarily paused.

Amidst the crowd, a single figure stood out exceptionally.

She was a young girl, appearing to be around their age, roughly thirteen or fourteen years old. A neat, high brown ponytail swung a vibrant arc behind her head, a few wisps of stray hair brushing past. She wore a well-fitted red and black training uniform, the tightly bound waist outlining lines that were not yet fully developed but already appeared fierce. Most eye-catching of all was the long spear casually propped across her shoulder.

The spear was entirely red, with a two-foot-long tassel hanging from the end that swayed gently with her pace like a dancing flame. The spear shaft was not crude, appearing rather exquisite instead, yet under the sunlight, the cold glare flashing from the spear tip made one dare not underestimate it.

The girl wore little expression on her face, her eyes clear like a bottomless pool of water, carrying a trace of undisguised haughtiness and scrutiny as she swept over the noisy crowd around her.

"Tch," Xie Xie smacked his lips and muttered in a low voice, "this girl looks pretty arrogant, like a moving powder keg. Stay away, careful she blows up."

Tang Wulin did not take up the thread. He keenly noticed that after the girl swept her gaze in a circle, it actually landed precisely on the two of them—the two male squatters.

The next second, the girl's pace shifted slightly, walking straight toward this most unremarkable corner of the school gates.

"Holy shit, she's coming toward us!" Xie Xie instantly switched from a lazy state to a cautious posture, springing up with a carp leap and striking the pose he considered most handsome. "Could it be that this young master's charm can finally no longer be concealed?"

Tang Wulin patted the dust off his backside and slowly stood up as well. He was not as flamboyant as Xie Xie, but the Bloodline Power within his body had already begun to circulate on its own—this was a subconscious defensive instinct when facing an unknown person.

The girl stopped three steps away from them. The long spear on her shoulder lowered slightly with her movement, the spear tip slanting toward the ground as it emitted a faint humming sound.

She looked Tang Wulin up and down, her gaze lingering for a fraction of a second on his slightly sturdy arms forged from years of training, then shifted to Xie Xie, and finally settled back on Tang Wulin.

"Here," her voice was crisp, carrying a peculiar rhythm like sparks striking metal, "is the registration office for Eastsea Academy?"

Her accent was somewhat strange, not resembling standard Federation Common Tongue, but rather sounding like the cadence of some dialect region with heavily stressed enunciation.

Tang Wulin nodded. "Yes. Are you here to register?"

The girl did not answer immediately, instead giving the long spear propped on her shoulder a gentle twist. This twist looked casual, but Tang Wulin's pupils contracted slightly—such fast speed! The spear shadow drew a perfect arc in the air, and the spear butt heavily grounded with a dull thud, causing the surrounding air to seemingly tremble.

"My name is Yun Ying." She was concise and to the point, then raised her chin and pointed at the form in Tang Wulin's hand. "I want one too."

"Oh, sure." Tang Wulin reacted quickly, drawing a blank form from his carry-on bag and handing it over. "Just fill it out and hand it directly to that window over there."

Yun Ying took the form and, without even looking at it, casually shoved it into the side pocket of her training uniform. Her gaze landed on Tang Wulin once more, this time even more directly.

"You, practiced?" She asked Tang Wulin, but her eyes were fixed on that hand he had just lowered.

Tang Wulin felt a slight stir in his heart. "Kind of, practiced forging for a few years."

"Forging?" A tiny arc seemed to curve at the corner of Yun Ying's mouth, as if she had heard something interesting. "Close combat?"

"Sort of."

"Perfect." Yun Ying was succinct, then made a movement that left both Tang Wulin and Xie Xie dumbfounded.

With a flick of her wrist, that exquisite long spear became like something with a life of its own, spinning out a gorgeous spear blossom in her hands before resting steadily horizontally across her chest, the spear tip pointing far toward Tang Wulin.

"I've seen the two of you squatting here for quite a while," Yun Ying's gaze grew sharp, heat even faintly rising around her body. "Since both of you do close combat, how about a spar?"

"Huh?" Xie Xie let out a strange cry. "We're just jumping straight into it? Beauty, although I know this young master is handsome and dashing, there's no need to be so direct, right?"

Yun Ying completely ignored Xie Xie, only staring tightly at Tang Wulin. The aura around her suddenly changed; that haughtiness vanished, replaced by an oppressiveness close to being tangible.

Tang Wulin's brows furrowed even tighter. He could sense that the young girl before him possessed strength that was definitely far from simple. That oppressive feeling condensed purely from strength and mental willpower was certainly not something an ordinary person could possess.

"Right now?" Tang Wulin asked in a deep voice.

"Right now." Yun Ying answered cleanly and decisively, the long spear in her hands trembling slightly and emitting a low buzz. "Let me see if there's anyone here who can take a strike from me."

Before her words faded, her figure shifted slightly, and refusing to wait for Tang Wulin's agreement, she made the first move!

Without the anticipated fierce and rapid thrust, Yun Ying's first step landed while her figure eerily deviated half a foot to the left. The long spear in her hands accordingly drew an extremely tricky angle, the spear tail whipping toward Tang Wulin's flank silently like a venomous snake!

This strike was fast, accurate, and sinister!

It completely defied the opening posture of conventional spear techniques!

Tang Wulin's pupils contracted sharply, his physical instincts outpacing his brain's thoughts. He pulled his left foot back half a step, sank his center of gravity, and crossed his right arm at his side, golden dragon scales instantly covering his lower arm.

"Bang!"

A dull thud rang out.

Yun Ying's spear tail lashed against Tang Wulin's forearm, emitting the sound of clashing gold and stone. A massive force surged over, numbing Tang Wulin's arm and rendering his footing unstable as he retreated two steps before steadying himself.

"Oh?" Yun Ying let out a soft exclamation, seeming somewhat surprised that Tang Wulin could block the opening move of this Moon Severer. Yet she did not pause in the slightest, her offense rolling in like a tide.

Shaking the long spear, the red-shafted spear left trails of afterimages in the air as it directly thrust, swept, and smashed downward. Every single move was ruthlessly vicious without any flashy beginner moves—they were entirely lethal techniques.

Tang Wulin was forced into continuous retreat by this tempest-like assault, relying entirely on the physical fitness enhanced by the Golden Dragon King scales to struggle and hold on. Several times he wanted to counterattack, only to be blocked back by Yun Ying's eerie spear pathways.

"Holy shit! Holy shit! Boss, are you going to be okay?! Don't get beaten to death!" Xie Xie watched from the side with his heart in his throat; the show he originally wanted to watch had turned into a life-or-death race against time, and he even prepared himself to rush in and help at any moment.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A succession of impact sounds resounded across the school gates, and the surrounding students and parents were all attracted by the commotion, gathering around one after another.

"Who are they? Fighting even before school starts?"

"That girl with the spear is so fierce!"

"This isn't a spar, this is simply a one-sided beating!"

Discussions buzzed among the crowd.

Tang Wulin's pressure grew heavier and heavier. Not only was Yun Ying's spear technique exquisite, but her strength was also climbing at an astonishing speed. In the later stage, every single one of her spear strikes carried the sound of tearing air, and vaguely, one could even see a faint, indistinct crimson-red airflow winding around the spear tip.

"Star Chaser!"

Yun Ying gave a crisp cry, and the long spear erupted with unprecedented radiance, the spear shadow instantly splitting into dozens and completely enveloping Tang Wulin. This was the unadulterated release of strength without any technique to speak of, yet it was filled with a destructive aura!

Tang Wulin's face turned pale. He knew that if he didn't fight back now, he was going to lose major face here today.

"Roar—"

A low dragon roar burst from Tang Wulin's throat. Holding nothing back, golden light flashed across his right hand, and the Blue Silver Grass martial soul was instantly released, countless vines breaking through the soil in an attempt to entangle Yun Ying's legs. Simultaneously, his left hand popped out the Golden Dragon Claw, carrying a shrieking sound that tore the air as it fiercely clawed toward the center of that all-encompassing spear shadows without fearing death!

"Clang—!"

Right at that moment, an ice-cold sword Qi sliced through the air, precisely cutting in between the two of them.

"Enough."

A cold voice sounded.

A white figure appeared out of nowhere between the two of them, the three-foot azure blade in hand radiating chilling frost as it forcibly separated them.

The head teacher of the new year's class five at Eastsea Academy, a Soul Emperor-class powerhouse, Wu Changkong.

Wu Changkong expressionlessly looked at the two people still locked in contention. "This is the school gate, not a fighting stage. If you want to spar, I'll arrange it during the entrance test."

Yun Ying panted heavily, the battle intent in her eyes gradually subsiding. She took a deep look at Tang Wulin and pulled back her long spear. The layer of crimson airflow on the spear tip also dissipated accordingly.

Tang Wulin also put away his martial soul, the golden dragon scales on his arm fading to reveal purple-black bruises underneath. He looked at Yun Ying with inward shock. This girl's strength probably already reached the three-ring Soul Elder level! Moreover, her spear technique was eerie, ruthless, and filled with a killing aura, definitely not something an ordinary academy could teach.

"Yun Ying, right?" Wu Changkong looked toward the girl. "The registration form."

Yun Ying pulled that crumpled form out of her pocket and handed it over.

Wu Changkong glanced over it, his brows furrowing imperceptibly, but he didn't say anything extra.

Taking the registration form, he turned and walked away.

Yun Ying put away her long spear, and as she passed by Tang Wulin, her steps paused for a moment before she dropped a sentence: "You're not bad, continue next time."

Then, she strode toward the small store.

Until her figure disappeared inside the academy gates, the surrounding onlookers gradually dispersed.

Xie Xie sidled up to Tang Wulin, looked at the bruises on his arm, and gasped sharply. "Boss, are you alright? That broad is way too fierce! Even your Golden Dragon Claw couldn't break her defense!"

Tang Wulin moved his arm, his eyes flashing with a peculiar light.

"It's not a question of defense..." he muttered. "Her strength seemed to come from the spear. And that red airflow... What was that?"

He raised his head and looked deep into the academy, where Yun Ying's figure had just vanished.

"Still, next time... I won't let you take advantage so easily."