Silver Chariot Sheds Its Armor

"What are you talking about, boss?" Oscar asked, panting.

"Nothing. It's just that Silver Chariot seems to have grown stronger," Jodio replied with a casual wave.

When Jodio first acquired Silver Chariot, it had only its basic abilities. It couldn't shed its armor. It had always relied on raw stats, so the lack of even that special ability had given Jodio plenty of headaches. But that no longer mattered. Its stats still fell short, but its abilities were now complete. It could perform most of what it had shown in the story.

"Let's celebrate after our run. My treat," Jodio said with a grin as he started running again. This was a real breakthrough. He had to celebrate properly.

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

"Barbecue!" Jodio laughed, leaning back in a classic pose as he looked over his shoulder. Barbecue was cheap, filling, and hard to get tired of. Even with all three of them eating, the bill would barely reach ten copper coins. That would do.

"Jodio! Oscar! Ma Hongjun!"

Dean Flender's voice rang out from afar. The three stopped running at once and headed toward him. When Flender called them over during training, it usually meant something was up. Most often, it was special training; occasionally, it was a surprise quiz.

"You've reached level fifteen?" Flender asked, looking at Jodio with pride. He was six, nearly seven, and already level fifteen—a genius among geniuses. At this rate, he was almost certain to approach level thirty-five before he turned twelve. And Jodio was diligent, too, training as hard as anyone.

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

"Don't bother. Zhao Wuji, that bastard, snatched all the chicken soup you brought last time. Just enjoy your meal out," Flender said helplessly. Ma Hongjun was his own disciple, but he had to admit he was fonder of sweet-talking Jodio. Ah, the joys of someone else's kid.

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

"Don't waste your money. Save it up." Flender patted Jodio's golden-green hair.

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

"Matches?" Oscar asked blankly.

"You can watch for now. Once Jodio and Hongjun have competed for a while, you can choose which one you want as your teammate. The Great Soul Arena has one-on-one, two-on-two, and team matches, but with only three students... Well, we'll see if any new ones arrive next year," Flender said with a sigh.

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

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

"I'm serious. Our cultivation levels are still fairly close now, but what about later? You can't enter a team match if you're in different major cultivation realms," Jodio explained.

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

"When you stop asking that and simply accept that you deserve to team up with me, you'll have the makings of an emperor too," Jodio replied with a shake of his head and a smile.

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

"Yeah!"

"Boss! We adore you!"

Suotuo City remained bustling after nightfall. Lights shone all along the streets, and many shops were still open for business. Breathing in the city air, Jodio felt that familiar rush of everyday life again. It made him feel as though he was living among civilization once more.

The village had plenty of people, but it still felt lonely. Jodio liked a crowd. He liked being where people gathered. He was a man born to become an emperor, and an emperor without ministers or subjects would be a sorry sight indeed.

"Boss, let's go to Bearded Man Barbecue!" Ma Hongjun said, rubbing his hands together excitedly. Of the three, Jodio was the most frugal. Most days, he ate and drank only what the academy provided. His biggest expenses were books, holiday gifts for the teachers, or the occasional meal out for the three of them. He had the most money of them all.

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

"Oh, she keeps calling me her successful boy and her precious baby. You know how it is, boss. Women love a strong man~" Ma Hongjun replied, pretending not to care.

"Don't talk about your mother like that. Show some respect. Generally speaking, there's only one person in the whole world willing to accept you unconditionally, and that's your mother," Jodio reminded him calmly, folding his arms.

"Yes, boss! You're right!" Ma Hongjun snapped to attention and saluted.

"Well, it's enough to respect her in your heart. I know a guy who calls his mother an old hag all the time, but he'd give his life for her," Jodio added with a grin. He hooked an arm around Ma Hongjun's head again and teased him.

"Really? Of course Brother Jodio's friends are amazing too!" Ma Hongjun said, delighted.

"What about your father?" Jodio asked Oscar, ending his teasing of Ma Hongjun.

"Still chasing women like always. Every time, he complains that the money I send home isn't enough. It's so frustrating!" Oscar lamented.

"Don't worry about him. You're your family's hope, so take care of yourself first," Jodio advised, resisting the urge to criticize Oscar's family. Oscar's father seemed to be a womanizer. Jodio had no idea which fanfiction had come up with that detail, but the man was a real piece of work. In the three months Jodio had known Oscar, every letter from the old bastard had gone on about "expanding the family" and "giving Oscar a bunch of younger brothers and sisters who can fight and protect him," all while pleading poverty. Seriously. That was a creep if ever there was one.

Bearded Man Barbecue was one of Suotuo City's specialties. The shop was famous because its owner had a magnificent beard that made him look like Guan Yu. His insanely spicy devil-hot skewers were the best, too. Ma Hongjun loved spicy food, so he had used every trick he could think of to lure the other two here and eat hot peppers on someone else's dime.

"Table for three! Boss! Start us off with thirty insanely spicy barbecue skewers!" Ma Hongjun shouted as soon as he entered. Then he rushed over, pulled out a chair for Jodio, and respectfully invited him to sit. Oscar realized with dismay that he was a step too late again. Damn that fat bastard. Ever since he'd gotten his soul ring, he'd been getting faster and faster. No fat guy had any business moving like that.

"Coming right up! Just a moment, you three!" the owner called cheerfully. He threaded marinated meat and peppers onto skewers, alternating between them, then laid them one by one across the grill. The sharp, spicy aroma instantly filled the shop and set mouths watering.

"Well, boss? Was I right or what?" Ma Hongjun asked proudly.

"It's great," Jodio agreed as he sat down. He couldn't handle spice all that well, but surely a skewer or two would be fine. No! Jodio, how can you be such a coward? You're an emperor! You've got to eat ten damn skewers! Or at least nine! No, you have to break the record!

"Heh. Just like a lapdog."

The jarring remark cut through Jodio's thoughts. It came from two people at a nearby table, who were sneering at Ma Hongjun. Judging by where one of them was looking, he was mocking Ma Hongjun for pulling out Jodio's chair. What a busybody. What business was it of his?

"Boss..." Oscar shot Jodio a discreet look.

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

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

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

"Huh? Are you out of your mind, kid? Do you know who you're talking to?"

The man rose drunkenly from his chair. Of course Jodio knew who he was talking to. Just a level-twenty-three Soul Grandmaster. Weak. Pathetically weak. Jodio wouldn't even need a plan for someone like him. He could overpower him with sheer stats.

"Boor. Boss told you to come pull out our chairs. Didn't you hear him?" Ma Hongjun and Oscar suddenly wore steely expressions, dramatic shadows falling across their faces. One struck a Funny Valentine pose, the other a Giorno pose. It wasn't that they'd lost their heads. They'd been watching Boss Jodio's habits for ages. Anyone Boss Jodio dared to provoke was bound to be weaker than him, and anyone weaker than him was only a little stronger than the two of them. Oh, there was going to be blood tonight!

"You little brats, I'm gonna beat the—"

Stone Free burst into view behind Jodio. Its left fist shot out as its threads extended, slamming into the Soul Grandmaster's face. Then came another heavy punch, its right fist crashing into him with force. The threads crossed and drew tight around the man's neck, strangling him in a move straight out of Jolyne's punishment of that crooked lawyer!

"You goddamn bastard! I hardly ever get to eat out! I was finally in a good mood and came out to relax, and you ruined it all!" Jodio stormed over. Stone Free grabbed the man by the collar as Jodio cursed at him.

"What I hate most is bastards like you who can't keep their mouths shut! Couldn't you even tell the three of us are soul masters?! It's all because of you random spectators who pop up looking for a fight! You've really set me off! You think I wanted 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 in a restaurant is boorish?!" Jodio roared.

"Boss, stop! If you don't, you'll strangle him to death!" Ma Hongjun and Oscar shouted nervously, grabbing Jodio from either side and pulling his hands away. They hadn't expected him to get this worked up. For the past three months, their boss had seemed so good-natured. At most, he'd beaten up a few village punks or city thugs.

"Oh, wow. He couldn't take much." Only then did Jodio realize the guy had been choked until he was foaming at the mouth without even getting a chance to release his martial soul. Were those threads really that tough? Well, ordinary rope could do the same thing.

"Fighting is bad. Don't follow my example. I'm a lost cause, but you two still need to become cultured people, understand?" Jodio told them earnestly. He looked like a parent caught sneaking a sausage outside just as his kid came out of school, forced to wipe his mouth and put on a serious face to deliver a lecture.

"Right. Fighting is bad, but strangling people is fine," Ma Hongjun said with a grin.

"Looks like you need extra training tonight, kid."