An Unfair Challenge

Notting City.

A carriage entered through the city gate and made its way to the entrance of the Junior Soul Master Academy, where it came to a stop.

The master held the feverish, unconscious Tang San and said to Yang Ming,

"I'll take Little San to the infirmary for further treatment first."

"Alright." Yang Ming nodded. "If I have time, I'll go visit my third brother."

They parted ways at the entrance.

It was currently morning class time, and the academy was exceptionally quiet. Birds chirped from the branches as the breeze rustled the leaves.

Yang Ming walked through the quiet campus without seeing many people. He returned all the way to Dorm Seven, and as expected, there was no one inside. It looked empty and deserted.

After he had waited for quite a while, a piercing bell signaling the end of class rang out from outside the dormitory.

Classes at Notting Junior Soul Master Academy did not last very long. After classes ended at noon, there was still half an hour of rest before the cafeteria began serving food.

Yang Ming lay on his bed, originally intending to wait and go eat with his roommates. But after waiting and waiting, no one returned. Rubbing his empty stomach, he had no choice but to leave the dormitory alone.

To get from the dormitory to the cafeteria, he had to cross a large training field.

Along the way, Yang Ming saw crowds of people emerging from the teaching building. Faintly, he heard several upperclassmen talking among themselves about work-study students. It sounded as though something had happened.

Thinking of how his roommates had yet to return, Yang Ming's gaze sharpened. After listening carefully, he caught their conversation.

"Those work-study students from the countryside are hilarious. Who knows what gave them the nerve to challenge Xiao Boss from the sixth grade? I'd say the infirmary is about to get a few new patients."

"Hehe, exactly. Xiao Boss is one of the few sixth-year students in our academy who has reached the Spirit Master realm. Those country bumpkins will probably all end up as Xiao Boss's lackeys, obediently working for him."

"Shh! Keep your voices down! Look over there—isn't that the Moonlit Swordsman everyone's been talking about among the girls lately? I heard he's the real boss of those work-study students. If he hears what you just said, you'd better watch out."

Following that student's finger, the other two students saw Yang Ming walking toward them.

The incident where Yang Ming had humiliated a senior student on the second floor of the cafeteria had long since spread among the upperclassmen. Rumor also had it that he was a peerless genius who had awakened Dual Martial Souls and possessed Innate Full Soul Power. He had even beaten up Su Yuntao from Spirit Hall.

Seeing Yang Ming approach, the students' expressions changed repeatedly, and they turned to leave.

However, Yang Ming noticed their intention to flee and immediately activated Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. The senior students only saw a blur before Yang Ming seemed to shrink the earth beneath his feet, appearing in front of them in an instant and blocking their path.

Just as the senior students were both shocked and frightened, Yang Ming smiled at them, his teeth gleaming.

"Could you tell me where Xiao Boss and those work-study students are right now, seniors?"

To their surprise, Yang Ming's tone was gentle, without the aggressive air described in the rumors. This put them somewhat at ease, and they answered directly,

"They're fighting in the woods by the academy's back hill."

"Thanks."

With those words, Yang Ming vanished from where he stood.

The senior students were briefly stunned. After looking around, they discovered that Yang Ming was already more than two hundred meters away, racing toward the back hill at tremendous speed.

"This Yang Ming really is an extraordinary fellow!"

The senior students looked at one another and smiled bitterly. After studying for so long, they were actually inferior to a junior who had only just enrolled. They could hardly show their faces, and they left dejectedly.

The academy's so-called back hill was not inside Notting Junior Soul Master Academy, but a small hill outside its back gate.

The woods were lush and green, filled with the sounds of birds and insects, while a gentle breeze drifted through.

Yet beneath the woods' current tranquility, undercurrents surged, and the tension was palpable.

All the work-study students stood behind Xiao Wu, glaring angrily at the other side.

Facing Xiao Wu and the others was a group of upperclassmen, more than twenty in total.

The leader wore the white uniform of Notting Junior Soul Master Academy. He was tall and straight-backed. Although his face was still childish, he already had somewhat of an adult's bearing. He stood half a head taller than Xiao Wu and was rather handsome—the sort who could make girls scream.

The young man folded his arms across his chest, a faint smile playing around his lips, his face full of contempt and disdain.

"Little girl, you're Sister Xiao Wu, the boss of those trash? I have to say, you've got quite a unique little face. I'm very interested in you. I wouldn't mind keeping you as one of my pet rabbits. Hehehe."

As he spoke, a smile that all men understood spread across his face.

Xiao Wu naturally saw the Voracity hidden deep in his eyes. It disgusted her, and anger made her chest rise and fall. Her pretty face flushed crimson as she snapped,

"Xiao Boss, if you've got the guts, stop talking nonsense and fight me one-on-one! If you lose, then obediently become my lackey!"

"Me, afraid?" Xiao Boss pointed at himself with one hand and sneered. "What a joke!"

"I don't even put weaklings like you in my eyes. Don't you know who Xiao Boss is? In this little patch of Notting City, I could walk sideways and no one would dare stop me, much less inside the academy!"

The work-study students behind Xiao Wu looked furious, but none of them refuted him.

Because Xiao Boss truly had the right to say such things.

Seeing how useless the lackeys behind her were, Xiao Wu stamped her foot in anger and shouted,

"Enough nonsense. Let's begin. You tell me—how are we fighting?"

Looking at Xiao Wu's flushed little face, Xiao Boss smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits. His gaze wandered over her body, revealing a hint of lecherous intent.

"I've always been fair and just. How about this? I won't bully you little brats. You only have ten people, right? Then we'll send out only ten as well. We'll take turns fighting. Whoever wins stays on, until everyone on one side has been defeated."

This proposal seemed fair, but it was actually unfair.

On the work-study students' side, only Xiao Wu and Wang Sheng could fight. The rest were complete pushovers.

On Xiao Boss's side, however, they were all upperclassmen, and none of them were weak. In a succession of battles, the advantage would only lie with them.

Wang Sheng saw through Xiao Boss's little scheme. His lips moved as he wanted to warn Sister Xiao Wu not to be careless.

But before Wang Sheng could speak, Xiao Wu accepted the challenge first.

"Fine, it's settled. Let's see how we beat you all flat."

Xiao Boss gave a wicked smile and raised his chin slightly.

"That may not be the case."

(First update)