Silver Chariot's Armor Ejection

"Boss, what are you talking about?" Oscar asked, panting.

"Nothing. It's just that Silver Chariot's abilities seem to have improved." Jodio waved a hand, looking perfectly relaxed.

When Jodio had first gained Silver Chariot, it had only its basic abilities. Armor Ejection hadn't been an option. It already relied entirely on raw stats, so the lack of even that one special ability had given him a headache. But that no longer mattered. Its stats still weren't up to par, but its abilities were now complete. It could perform most of the feats it had shown in the story.

"Let's celebrate after our run. My treat." Jodio picked up his pace again with a grin. This was a qualitative leap. Of course they had to celebrate properly.

"What are we eating, Boss?" Ma Hongjun asked, suddenly full of energy.

"Barbecue!" Jodio laughed, looking back and bending backward in a classic pose. Barbecue was cheap, filling, and hard to get tired of. Even with all three of them eating their fill, the bill would barely reach ten copper coins.

"Jodio! Oscar! Ma Hongjun!"

Headmaster Flender's voice suddenly rang out from afar. The three immediately stopped running and changed direction. If Flender called them over during training, he usually had something in mind. Most of the time it was special training, though occasionally it was a pop quiz.

"Reached level fifteen?" Flender asked Jodio with a gratified look. At six, nearly seven, Jodio was already level fifteen—a genius among geniuses by any standard. At this rate, he was practically guaranteed to approach level thirty-five before turning twelve. And he was diligent, too, training harder than anyone could ask.

"Yes, Teacher. I'm planning to eat out tonight. Would you like me to bring you something?" Jodio asked politely.

"Bring me what? Zhao Wuji, that bastard, stole all the chicken soup you brought last time. Don't bother. Just enjoy your meal." Flender sounded helpless. Ma Hongjun was his own disciple, but he still had a softer spot for sweet-talking Jodio. Ah, the wonders of someone else's child.

"Then I'll bring something for all the teachers," Jodio said with a smile.

"Don't waste your money. Save it." Flender ruffled Jodio's green-gold hair.

"Try to save ten Gold Soul Coins over the next year and a half. Then you'll begin the second stage of training. I'll take you to the Great Soul Arena and sign you up for matches. You'll need at least a silver badge to graduate, so do your best," Flender said with a smile.

"Matches?" Oscar asked blankly.

"You can watch for now. After Jodio and Hongjun have competed for a while, you can choose one of them as your teammate. The Great Soul Arena has three formats: one-on-one, two-on-two, and team battles. With only three students, it's a little... Well, we'll see if anyone new enrolls next year." Flender sighed.

"I want to team up with Boss Jo!" Oscar and Ma Hongjun said in unison.

"Then why don't you two team up?" Jodio said, spreading his hands.

"I'm serious. Our cultivation levels are close enough now, but what about later? You can't enter a two-person Soul Master match if you're in different major rank brackets," Jodio explained.

"Boss, why are you so confident?" Ma Hongjun asked, puzzled.

"When you stop asking that and simply accept it—when you believe you're worthy of teaming up with me too—you'll have the bearing of an Emperor," Jodio replied with a shake of his head and a smile.

"Back to running! We're eating well tonight!"

"Yeah!"

"Wah! Boss! We adore you!"

Suotuo City was still bustling after nightfall. Lights shone along the streets, and many shops remained open. Breathing in the city air, Jodio once again felt the warmth of everyday life all around him. It made him feel as though he lived in civilization again.

There were plenty of people in the village, but it still felt lonely. Jodio loved a crowd and preferred being where people gathered. He was a man born to become an Emperor. An Emperor without ministers or subjects would be a sorry sight.

"Boss, let's go to Bearded Man Barbecue!" Ma Hongjun said, rubbing his hands eagerly. Of the three, Jodio was the most frugal during training. Most of the time, he ate only what the academy provided. His biggest expenses were books, holiday gifts for the teachers, and the occasional meal out for the other two. He was easily the richest of them.

"How's your mother doing?" Jodio asked Ma Hongjun.

"Oh, you know. She keeps calling me her promising boy and her precious baby. Boss, you know how women are. They just love strong men~" Ma Hongjun replied, pretending not to care.

"Don't talk about your mother like that. Have some respect. Generally speaking, there's only one person in the world willing to accept you unconditionally, and that's your mother." Jodio folded his arms as he spoke.

"Yes! You're right, Boss!" Ma Hongjun immediately stood at attention and saluted.

"Well, respecting her in your heart is enough. I knew a guy who called his mother an old hag all the time but would've given his life for her." Jodio grinned and hooked an arm around Ma Hongjun's head again.

"Really? Even Older Brother Jo's friends are incredible!" Ma Hongjun said in delight.

"And your father?" Jodio stopped teasing Ma Hongjun and turned to Oscar.

"As woman-crazy as ever. Every time he writes, he complains the money I send home isn't enough. What a headache!" Oscar lamented.

"Don't worry about it. You're your family's hope. Take care of yourself first," Jodio advised, holding back the urge to criticize Oscar's family. Oscar's father seemed to be a womanizer. Jodio had no idea which fanfic that detail came from, but the man was quite a piece of work. In the three months Jodio had known Oscar, every letter from that old bastard had gone on about "expanding the family" and "giving Oscar a bunch of younger brothers and sisters with combat abilities to protect him," before pleading poverty. Honestly. Now that was a truly pathetic man.

Bearded Man Barbecue was one of Suotuo City's local specialties. The shop was famous because its owner had a magnificent beard much like Guan Yu's, and its insanely spicy skewers were the best around. Ma Hongjun loved spicy food, so he had schemed to lure the other two here again and eat all the chilies he wanted on Jodio's dime.

"Table for three! Boss, start us off with thirty extra-spicy meat skewers!" Ma Hongjun shouted as soon as he entered. Then he rushed over to pull out Jodio's chair and welcome him to his seat. Oscar realized with dismay that he was a step too late again. Damn that fatso. He'd been getting faster and faster since obtaining his Spirit Ring. No one built like him should have been able to move that quickly.

"Coming right up! Give me a moment, you three!" the owner replied cheerfully with a wave. He threaded alternating pieces of chili and marinated fresh meat onto the skewers, then laid them on the grill one by one. The spicy aroma instantly filled the shop and whetted everyone's appetite.

"Well, Boss? Was I right or what?" Ma Hongjun said proudly.

"It does smell great." Jodio sat down and nodded. He wasn't particularly good with spicy food, but surely one or two skewers would be fine. No! Jodio, how can you be so timid? You're an Emperor! You've got to eat ten damn skewers—or even nine! No, you have to break the record!

"Heh. Just like a lapdog."

The discordant remark interrupted Jodio's thoughts. It came from two people at a nearby table, who were sneering at Ma Hongjun. From where the speaker was looking, he seemed to be mocking Ma Hongjun for pulling out Jodio's chair. What a busybody. What business was it of his?

"Boss..." Oscar discreetly shot Jodio a questioning look.

"Come over here and pull out their chairs for them," Jodio said calmly, folding his arms.

"Who are you talking to?" the man at the next table asked in disbelief.

"Don't make me say it a third time," Jodio replied, still calm.

"Huh? Have you lost your mind, kid? Do you know who you're talking to?"

The man rose unsteadily from his chair, reeking of alcohol. Of course Jodio knew who he was talking to. Just a level twenty-three Soul Grandmaster. Weak. So weak. Jodio wouldn't even need a plan against someone like him. He could overpower him with raw stats alone.

"You lowlife! My boss told you to come pull out our chairs. Didn't you hear him?" Araki-style shading and looks of grim resolve suddenly appeared on Ma Hongjun's and Oscar's faces. One struck a Funny Valentine pose, the other a Part Five JoJo pose. It wasn't that they had no sense of their limits. They had spent long enough watching Boss Jo to know his habits. Under normal circumstances, anyone Boss Jo dared to provoke was bound to be weaker than him. And if they were weaker than Boss Jo, they were only a little stronger than the two of them. Raaah! There would be blood in the streets tonight!

"You little shits, I'm gonna beat—"

Stone Free burst into view behind Jodio. Its left fist shot forward on an extending strand and slammed into the Soul Grandmaster's face. Another heavy blow followed as its right fist smashed into him too. Then the strands crossed and tightened around the man's neck, choking him in the same classic move Jolyne had used to punish that crooked lawyer!

"You goddamn bastard! I hardly ever get to eat out! I finally came out to relax in a good mood, and you ruined the whole damn thing!" Jodio stormed over as Stone Free seized the man by the collar.

"What I hate most is bastards like you who can't keep your mouths shut! Couldn't you even tell the three of us are Soul Masters?! It's all you random battle-crazy spectators popping up everywhere! You've made me completely lose my temper! You think I want to fight in here? Do you have any idea how much trouble this could cause the owner? How many customers might leave? Don't you know fighting inside a restaurant is a lowlife thing to do?!" Jodio roared.

"Boss, stop! If you don't, you'll strangle him to death!" Ma Hongjun and Oscar grabbed Jodio's arms from either side and pulled, shouting in alarm. Neither had expected him to get so worked up. He had seemed pretty decent over the last three months. At worst, he'd beaten up a few village hooligans or city thugs.

"Oh, damn. He can't take a hit." Only then did Jodio realize the guy had never even managed to release his Martial Soul before Jodio choked him until he foamed at the mouth. Were those strands really that tough? Well, ordinary rope was probably just as strong.

"Look, fighting is bad. Don't learn from me. I'm a lost cause, but you two still need to become cultured men. Understand?" Jodio told them earnestly. He looked like a parent who had secretly finished a sausage outside, only to turn around and find his child leaving school. All he could do was wipe his mouth and put on a solemn face to deliver a lecture.

"Right. Fighting is bad. Strangling people is fine, though," Ma Hongjun said with a grin.

"Looks like someone needs extra training tonight."