Shocked by Tang Hao! Taking First Place? You Can Go Farther Than Me!

(If there are any age-related inconsistencies in the previous chapters, please point them out! Thank you, dear readers!!!)

After her soul ring's age increased, Chen Qingling instantly lost all interest in the Soul Master Duel. She could not wait to obtain her Second Soul Ring.

"Sister Qingling! Sister Qingling!"

"Ah?!"

The repeated calls pulled Chen Qingling back from her thoughts. "What is it, Xiao Wu?"

Xiao Wu pouted, looking utterly aggrieved. "Sister Qingling, what were you thinking about? You were so absorbed that it took me quite a while to get your attention."

Chen Qingling stroked the rabbit ears on Xiao Wu's forehead. "What? Are you upset?"

Having her most sensitive rabbit ears touched sent a jolt through Xiao Wu's body, making her go limp as a blush spread across her pretty face.

"Sister Qingling... could you not touch my rabbit ears?"

"Why did your face suddenly turn red?"

Chen Qingling looked at Xiao Wu, then at her rabbit ears, only realizing it afterward.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot that your martial soul is the Soft Bone Rabbit..."

"No, wait. You haven't even used Martial Soul Possession. Aren't these rabbit ears just decorations?"

Xiao Wu gritted her teeth. There were far too many people around, so she definitely could not explain it here.

"Sister Qingling... I'm fine. Maybe it's just hot because there are so many people."

"That's good." Chen Qingling foolishly did not think much of it.

Elsewhere, Tang Hao, concealed in the shadows, wore a shocked expression and could not recover for a long time.

"Just who is her father?"

"He actually has a method to increase a soul ring's age? One inconspicuous pill increased it by five hundred years. That's simply unbelievable."

The more Tang Hao saw, the more curious he became about Chen Qingling's background.

She clearly had such an exceptional background, so why had she come to this remote borderland?

Tang Hao wracked his brains but still could not figure it out. He could not understand it at all.

In such a tiny borderland, there were actually two people with terrifying backgrounds and Innate Full Soul Power. How shocking would that be if word got out?

Tang Hao's expression turned solemn, and he came to terms with Tang San's loss to Chen Qingling.

With an unfathomable peerless expert behind her, capable of Teleporting Items, all sorts of tricks emerged one after another.

Chen Qingling was not inferior to his son Tang San in the slightest. If anything, she was even better.

"Ah, what a pity. Xiao San's relationship with her is too poor. Otherwise, he could have followed the clues and probed the depths of her father."

Tang Hao was truly curious about just how powerful Chen Qingling's father was.

He seriously suspected that her father was a peerless expert who had withdrawn from worldly affairs.

At Notting Academy, the annual Soul Master Duel continued.

Soon, it was Xiao Wu's turn to take the stage.

"Xiao Wu, good luck. Don't lose. See you in the finals."

"Don't worry, Sister Qingling. Just watch. I definitely won't lose."

Xiao Wu patted her slightly puffed-out chest, brimming with confidence.

Other than Chen Qingling, whom she could not defeat, she was confident she could beat every other student in the academy.

No, there was also Tang San, who liked to disregard Martial Morality. If she was not careful, she might still lose to him.

Of course, if he did not use Hidden Weapons, Xiao Wu was confident she could defeat him completely.

After all, she was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. She had at least that much confidence.

Xiao Wu's duel began. With thunderous force, she crushed her opponent and easily claimed victory, drawing cheers and excited shouts from beneath the stage.

As Xiao Wu stepped down, Tang San eagerly played the Boiled Sheep and handed her a towel.

"Xiao Wu, wipe your hands. That person dirtied them just now."

Xiao Wu coldly glanced at Tang San without saying a word, brushed past him, and went to Chen Qingling.

She accepted the towel Chen Qingling offered her.

"Hehehe, Sister Qingling, you're the best to me."

Seeing Xiao Wu reject him yet accept Qingling's towel, Tang San was furious, but he quickly adjusted his mindset.

They were both girls. It was normal. It was no big deal.

Next, it was Chen Qingling's turn to take the stage, and Xiao Wu cheered her on.

"Sister Qingling! Go!"

Chen Qingling gave a soft acknowledgment and strode onto the stage, using Martial Soul Possession.

Her brilliantly colored wings paired with her pure, delicate face, blending two distinct kinds of beauty into something breathtakingly gorgeous.

The cheering students beneath the stage gradually fell silent, all watching with pleasure.

Until someone spoke up. "So beautiful."

All the students present nodded in agreement. She was too beautiful, so beautiful she hardly seemed human.

Such a woman belonged only in heaven; how rarely could one encounter her in the mortal world?

By coincidence, Chen Qingling's opponent was Liu Long, whom she had met once before.

Looking at Chen Qingling hovering in the air, Liu Long swallowed.

Even his boss treated her with utmost politeness, so there was no suspense in this duel.

Before Chen Qingling could make a move, Liu Long raised both hands. "I surrender."

Chen Qingling: ??!

Wait!

We haven't even fought yet!

And you're already surrendering?

I came on stage just to hear you surrender?

Chen Qingling was numb.

She had already lost all interest in the Soul Master Duel, and this only made it feel even more boring.

If everyone surrendered the moment they saw her, what was the point of her participating?!

For the first time, Chen Qingling felt as if life held no meaning. "How boring."

She turned and walked off the stage, returning to Xiao Wu's side.

Liu Long looked embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his head. It seemed he had made Chen Qingling unhappy.

His boss was probably going to give him a verbal scolding.

Liu Long gave an awkward laugh as he looked at the referee. "Um... can I take back what I just said?"

The referee raised an eyebrow. "Get off."

"Ah, yes, yes, yes." Liu Long slunk off the stage. He could not afford to offend anyone here.

Time passed in the blink of an eye, and the Soul Master Duel lasted for three days.

Relying on her formidable strength, Chen Qingling defeated the level twenty-three senior Wang Dong across ranks and claimed first place in this competition.

"Thank you for letting me win, Senior Wang Dong." Chen Qingling's forehead was covered in fragrant sweat, and her face shone with a smile.

That match had been the first truly fierce battle of her life, and she had fought to her heart's content.

"Don't mention it, don't mention it. This time, I finally wasn't first in the Soul Master Duel. Good, good."

"I can leave without regrets now."

"Leave?!" Chen Qingling frowned. "Senior Wang Dong, are you leaving the academy?"

Wang Dong lifted his head to gaze at the azure sky. "Yes. I have to leave eventually. I've remained at the academy for an extra year."

"No matter how attached or reluctant I am, it's time to go."

"Junior Qingling, everyone has their own path to finish. With your talent, you'll be able to go farther than I did."

"It's time for me to go."

Chen Qingling nodded slightly and watched Wang Dong leave.

He was the first proper male acquaintance she had met.

At that moment, Wang Sheng came over, clicking his tongue. "Sister Qingling, Senior Wang Dong used to be a legendary figure at Notting Academy."

"Oh? How so?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.

"His talent wasn't good. His Innate Soul Power was only level two, yet he relied on perseverance to reach where he is today. He came from a poor family."

"At first, the noble students in the academy completely looked down on him. They said, 'You think ten years of hard study can compare with three generations of our family's efforts?'"

"Later, he kept cultivating diligently and brought glory to the academy, winning everyone over with his great perseverance."