Skywater Academy Team

The young healer beside him leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Captain, what exactly happened?"

The medical captain stood up, brushed the dust from his knees, and looked up at the little one on the arena who was lowering his head to pat orange juice off his penguin suit. He spoke slowly. "It means that punch was terrifyingly precise. It landed exactly at the threshold needed to send him flying, without exceeding it by even the slightest bit."

He paused, then added, "A level twenty-five Iron-Arm Bear soul master has an exceptionally strong physique. For a six-year-old child to achieve that with pure physical strength—and control the force so precisely..."

Everyone nearby who heard him fell silent.

If Jiang Lan had wanted to kill him, Zhao Tiezhu would have been carried to the morgue by now.

The host had clearly seen plenty of major events before. He hurriedly smoothed things over through the amplifying Soul Tool. "It seems our young contestant is not only extraordinarily gifted, but also showed mercy! Such martial virtue is truly admirable!"

Another burst of enthusiastic cheers rose from the audience. The bald, burly man shouted the loudest. "Little Guga! Are you fighting the next match or not? I'm betting everything I have on you winning!"

Jiang Lan glanced back at him and said seriously, "I'll fight tomorrow. I'm hungry."

The entire venue burst into laughter again, but this time there was no mockery in it. It was all goodwill, affectionate laughter.

A six-year-old child had punched a level twenty-five soul master flying, then said he was hungry.

Anyone else saying that would have sounded like they were showing off, but when it came from this chubby little dumpling in a penguin suit, for some reason it felt especially sincere.

The host bent down and handed Jiang Lan a small cloth pouch containing ten Gold Soul Coins. "This is the prize money for winning your first match. Keep it safe and don't lose it."

Jiang Lan took the pouch. It felt heavy in his hand, and the Gold Soul Coins inside clinked crisply against one another.

This was the first money he had ever earned himself. His eyes shone like two little stars as he tossed the pouch up and down in his hand, then solemnly stuffed it into the pocket on the belly of his penguin onesie.

"Doro, I have money now!" Jiang Lan patted his bulging pocket, his tone full of pride.

Doro came up to Jiang Lan. "Jiang Lan, let's go buy something delicious!"

"Let's go! I'll treat you to something tasty!" Jiang Lan grandly waved his hand, the sleeves of his penguin suit flapping with loud smacks.

Doro let out a cheer. Her two short little legs moved rapidly across the stone pavement as she ran ahead of Jiang Lan, then ran back and circled around him several times.

One human and one soul left the Soul Arena and asked for directions all the way along Vast Sea City's busiest main street, searching for the snack street.

Jiang Lan had a sweet mouth. He called a fish-selling auntie by the roadside "big sister," and she was so delighted that she not only pointed out the way, but also insisted on giving him two grilled yellow croakers.

Jiang Lan thanked her, handed one fish to Doro, and held the other in his mouth as he walked and gnawed on it.

The snack street was by the docks in the south of the city. Before they even reached the entrance, the fragrances of all kinds of food drifted over on the sea breeze.

Jiang Lan's nose was much sharper than an ordinary person's. He started swallowing before they had even crossed half the street, his pace unconsciously quickening until he was outright jogging.

The moment he rushed into the snack street, Jiang Lan's eyes could hardly keep up with all the different delicious foods in sight.

Jiang Lan and Doro immediately went on a buying spree and bought all sorts of tasty things.

Just as one human and one soul were immersed in the happiness brought by good food, a cry of surprise rang out.

"What an adorable child!"

Jiang Lan and Doro raised their heads in confusion and looked toward the voice.

They saw a young girl, followed by six others.

The girl had fluffy, curly, medium-length aqua-blue hair hanging loosely around her shoulders. Her skin was fair and lustrous, and her youthful oval face still carried a hint of childishness. Her ice-blue eyes were lively and bright, their gaze vibrant and playful.

Blue star-shaped chain earrings hung beside her ears. She wore Skywater Academy's blue-and-white ice-patterned battle dress, with a star-patterned garter wrapped around one thigh. Her figure was slender and light.

The girl crouched down, little stars practically shining from her eyes as she looked at Jiang Lan and Doro. "Can I pet you two?"

Jiang Lan still had half a grilled squid in his mouth, his cheeks puffed up full. He froze for a moment upon hearing that, then mumbled, "Guga?"

He swallowed the squid, looked the blue-haired girl up and down, then glanced at the six girls behind her wearing the same blue-and-white battle dresses. Finally, he pointed at himself.

"Do you want to pet me, or Doro?"

"Both!" The blue-haired girl clasped her hands together, her ice-blue eyes glowing brightly. "What kind of clothes are you wearing? Are you a penguin? They look so soft and cute! And this little white puffball beside you, did you tie that bow on its head? What does it eat? Does it bite?"

There were so many questions that they came like a rapid-fire barrage. Before Jiang Lan could answer, Doro had already been frightened by her enthusiasm and shrunk behind Jiang Lan, revealing only half her bun-shaped head and a pair of wary purple beady eyes.

"Her name is Doro. She doesn't bite people. She eats oranges." Jiang Lan answered each question seriously, then patted his round belly. "This is a penguin onesie. Mama Bo Saixi made it for me."

"Bo Saixi?" A tall female student behind the blue-haired girl frowned and exchanged a glance with her companion.

Why did that name sound familiar? Yet she could not remember where she had heard it.

The blue-haired girl paid no attention to the name at all. All her attention was on Doro.

She cautiously stretched out one finger and lightly poked Doro's round belly. Doro's body bounced like jelly, letting out a soft and sweet, "Doro~"

That sound practically blew the blue-haired girl's mind. She covered her face and let out a suppressed squeal, so happy that she nearly spun in circles on the spot.

"So cute! Was she calling my name just now? She was saying hello to me, right?"

"She said Doro is just Doro, not your name." Jiang Lan solemnly translated for Doro, then tilted his head and asked, "Who are you?"

Only then did the blue-haired girl realize that she had not introduced herself yet. She hurriedly stood up, patted nonexistent dust from her battle dress, cleared her throat, and struck a dignified pose.

But the dignified pose lasted less than two seconds before it fell apart. Doro poked her head out from behind Jiang Lan and glanced at her, and she could not help crouching down again to poke Doro's cheek.

"My name is Shui Yue'er. I'm a student of Skywater Academy, and they're students of Skywater Academy too..." Shui Yue'er briefly introduced them to Jiang Lan and Doro.

Jiang Lan nodded after hearing the introductions, indicating that he understood, while recalling the plot related to them.

Although the girls of the Skywater Academy Team were supporting characters, neither their popularity nor their strength was lacking.

In particular, Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er's Martial Soul Fusion Skill had been Tang San's most formidable opponent.