I, Hu Liena, Known as Little Daji

Soul Power meditation training was notoriously tedious.

Ao Li'ao had asked around. Among the first-years, being able to meditate continuously for an hour every night was already considered impressive.

He could currently only keep it up for fifty minutes, while three people in their dorm could meditate continuously for over an hour.

Other than Xu Huxiao, who could last two hours.

The second was Xie Yue, who had come from the countryside. Xie Yue's record was one hour and twenty minutes.

The third was a skinny, frail weirdo who constantly wore a black half-face mask—Zhang Lianqing. Her meditation record was one hour and ten minutes.

"Man, living in the same dorm as you three freaks often makes me feel like I don't belong," Ao Li'ao lamented.

"No, there is only one freak in this dorm, and that's Huxiao. Haven't you noticed that he meditates for two hours in the morning and at noon too?" When it came to cultivation, Xie Yue could not help adding his thoughts.

Watching Xu Huxiao's cultivation talent also put tremendous pressure on him.

"What? Huxiao meditates in the mornings and at noon too? I thought he was taking naps..." Ao Li'ao was speechless.

"Heh." Xie Yue did not want to speak to this innocent child.

"Cultivation is a pleasure. How could it feel tiring?" Xu Huxiao asked in confusion.

"..."

"..."

As soon as Xu Huxiao said that, the dorm fell briefly silent.

"I can't take this anymore. Listen to that—does that sound like something a human would say?"

"Freak." Even Zhang Lianqing, who was usually quiet, could not help cursing.

Faced with their complaints, Xu Huxiao did not bother arguing with these little brats. They had never experienced the terror of life-and-death situations, so naturally they could not understand how wonderful it felt to gradually grow stronger.

However, upon hearing the normally taciturn Zhang Lianqing complain, Xu Huxiao gave her another look—not because he cared about her complaint.

But because...

This guy was a girl!

On the first night after entering the dorm, Xu Huxiao had discovered that Zhang Lianqing was actually a girl disguised as a boy!

As for how he had found out, naturally, he had seen it with his own eyes.

No, that was not quite accurate. It was not that he had peeped at any physical characteristics. More precisely, the Eye of Omniscience had shown him the information.

[Human]: Ye Lianqing

[Age]: Six

[Martial Soul]: Bamboo Leaf Green Snake

[Level]: 12

[Soul Skill]: One Yellow—Snake Concealment Sting

[Inner Thoughts]: I used my family's unique disguise technique. No one should be able to tell that I'm a girl disguised as a boy, right? Grandpa, Dad, I hope your spirits in heaven will bless Lianqing and let her succeed in taking revenge...

She had even changed her surname. It seemed there was some unspeakable story behind it.

It was not merely the judgment from her Inner Monologue. Zhang Lianqing also had a series of behaviors that seemed rather unusual in a boys' dorm.

For example, even in sweltering weather, she wrapped herself up tightly and never went shirtless. Her clothes and blankets always carried a faint fragrance. He had also heard that she never used the school's public restrooms.

Of course, these little details could not prove anything, since Xu Huxiao himself had a few such habits.

Being clean and having a slight germophobia was perfectly normal.

But combined with the phrase "girl disguised as a boy" in her Inner Monologue, these insignificant details became evidence.

Still, it did not matter even if she was a girl. They were all still young, after all.

"No, Huxiao, Xie Yue, tomorrow I'm getting up early to run with you too. I can't let you freaks work hard behind my back."

Ao Li'ao had just lain down, but he immediately sat back up and spoke fiercely.

Ao Li'ao had innate Soul Power at rank nine. Three days ago, he had broken through rank ten and obtained his first Soul Ring. He was now rank twelve.

Xie Yue, meanwhile, had obtained his first Soul Ring with Gale one week after school began. He was now rank thirteen.

Xu Huxiao was currently rank fourteen. However, the total amount of Soul Power in his rank fourteen was not something those two could compare to—it was nearly equivalent to the total Soul Power of a rank-thirty Soul Elder.

"Do as you please. What about Lianqing?" Xie Yue asked.

Xie Yue was the dorm leader. He felt responsible for maintaining the relationship between his roommates. He had long noticed Zhang Lianqing's somewhat withdrawn personality, so he wanted to involve her in everything.

"I... won't go. You guys go ahead." Asked again, Zhang Lianqing was somewhat at a loss. She was still not used to fitting into a group.

One week later.

Early in the morning, the red sun had only just revealed itself at the distant horizon when quite a few students were already training on their own at Spirit Hall Academy's field.

After finishing their run, Hu Liena and Bao Jingjing were stretching and resting beside the track. Although they were not dormmates, they had become acquainted through Yun Ji.

A friend's friend naturally became a friend as well.

As the two chatted and laughed, a sleazy voice interrupted them.

"Yo, isn't this Jingjing? Come on, your Xiao-ge is hungry. Take out your abalone and let your brothers play with it."

The ones who had arrived were Xiao Ji, with streaks of purple in his hair; Xue Long, who was a head taller than him and both tall and muscular; and a group of ill-intentioned older male students.

Bao Jingjing stood up and pulled Hu Liena behind her. Staring at them vigilantly, she said, "Go away. I don't know you."

"Don't know us? Play with us and you'll know us, right, brothers? Hahaha!"

Xiao Ji stepped forward and raised his hand to touch Bao Jingjing's face. But just as his hand drew close, another hand shot out from behind Bao Jingjing and slapped away his grubby paw.

"We won't play with you. Get lost!"

Hu Liena was the one who had acted. She raised her head and looked at the person before her with disgust in her eyes.

"Oh? You've got quite some strength. It doesn't matter if you won't play with us. Xue Long, tell them why we're here." Xiao Ji withdrew his crooked smile and gave the order.

Xue Long folded his arms across his chest. Soul Power surged forth as his body rapidly swelled and grew taller, his skin turning grayish-white and callused. His pupils became dark yellow beast eyes, and a rhinoceros horn emerged from his forehead.

Dragon Horn Rhinoceros, Martial Soul Possession!

Two yellow soul rings rose and fell around Xue Long. One week had passed, and he had officially advanced to become a two-ring Soul Grandmaster!

He had activated his Martial Soul right from the start, and Xue Long looked imposing as he said, "From today onward, all the cleaning duties for our group of brothers will be handled by you two. And every month, you'll hand over ten Gold Soul Coins. If you can't do it, don't even think about attending class today. Understand?"

"Let me tell you something else. Spirit Hall Academy may be strict in its management, but it has always encouraged internal conflicts among students. Here, the strong are respected."

"Do you remember the academy motto? 'Equality for everyone is the greatest inequality.'"

"So, you have no choice."

After saying that, the group of students behind Xiao Ji surrounded Hu Liena and Bao Jingjing.

Clearly, they were not joking around.

"You! You people! You're bullying us!" Bao Jingjing said, clenching her fists.

"Brother Huxiao will teach you a lesson!"

A smile curled across Xiao Ji's lips. "Say whatever you like. In the world of Soul Masters, fists are the only hard truth. Brothers, take them to the south side of the academy and watch over them while they clean."

"Hehe, that blond brat Xu Huxiao—I was waiting for him to show up."

After saying that, four older students stepped forward, preparing to make their move.

"Get lost!"

Hu Liena stepped forward. Her first Soul Ring lit up, and with a wave of her hand, she sent an arcing pink wave of light toward the four older students.

Red-Tailed Sky Fox, first soul skill, Charm Light Wave!

Hu Liena had already completed Martial Soul Possession. A fiery red fox tail swayed behind her, her body grew slightly taller, and a pair of adorable fox ears popped out from the top of her head.

Her Charm Light Wave was half a crowd-control soul skill, one she had only recently obtained.

Generally speaking, crowd-control skills for Control-Type Soul Masters only appeared after rank fifty.

But those were powerful instantaneous control skills with a wide range.

Hu Liena's Charm Light Wave merely sent out a pink wave with a one-second stun effect with a wave of her hand. Its range was limited to three meters in front of her, and it could be dodged.

In terms of effect, it was far inferior to a true crowd-control soul skill.

Even so, for a Control-Type Soul Master, it could still be considered an exceptional soul skill.

The four older students advancing toward them clearly had not expected these two lower-year students to resist. Caught unprepared, they were all struck by the pink wave.

They were stunned for one second.

"Jingjing, go first! Find Huxiao and my brother! I'll hold them back!"

Within that second, Hu Liena shoved Bao Jingjing out of their encirclement. Then, as the others recovered, her first yellow Soul Ring lit up once more.

Charm Light Wave!

Seizing the moment before they had fully regained their senses, another arcing pink wave struck them. The four older students were stunned for another second.

In those brief two seconds, Bao Jingjing had already escaped the encirclement. She knew this was an opportunity Hu Liena had fought hard to create, so she did not say anything and immediately ran toward the edge of the field.

But including Xue Long, Xiao Ji had brought eight people in total.

Four had been stunned. Xiao Ji and Xue Long stood behind those four, while the other three were outside the range, so none of them had been affected by the charm.

Seeing Bao Jingjing trying to flee, Xiao Ji immediately ordered the remaining three to stop her.

Seeing that Bao Jingjing had not escaped successfully, Hu Liena felt helpless. Using Charm Light Wave twice in a row had already consumed half her Soul Power. Her remaining Soul Power was only enough for two more waves.

But every additional second she could stall was a second gained. She and Bao Jingjing had not come to the field alone—Orleans and Yun Ji had gone to buy breakfast.

If she held on for one more second, perhaps the two would return. As long as Orleans arrived, there would be nothing to fear.

Because Orleans was not only the big sister of their dorm, but also the big sister of the entire first year.

She had great influence.

With that thought in mind, just as the previous second of stun ended, Hu Liena accurately released another Charm Light Wave. The four entered a stunned state once more.

After using her first soul skill three times in succession, Hu Liena's face had turned somewhat pale, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Watching this scene from the field stands, Gale revealed a look of surprise.

Chain control!

This little girl named Hu Liena had actually mastered the chain-control techniques of a Control-Type Soul Master in just over a week!

That was rare, because to achieve chain control with a soul skill that had such a short control duration required extremely precise timing.

Gale had not expected to see it in a first-year student. His surprise turned into delight, and he prepared to descend from the stands to stop the conflict.

Although the academy tacitly allowed such conflicts, giving extra protection to geniuses was also something the academy had always required.

If he had not seen this girl's chain-control technique today, Gale would not have intervened.

That was Spirit Hall Academy.

Just as Gale was about to descend from the stands, having only taken two steps down, he stopped again.

Because another change had appeared in the conflict below on the field.

Seeing that conspicuous head of blond hair, Gale narrowed his eyes and murmured:

"Good kid, playing the hero to save a beauty too. Looks like I won't need to intervene. Perfect, I can watch a good show. Once it's over, I'll go down and give them a lesson."