Ning Rongrong's arrogant young-lady temper flared up on the spot.
She took a step forward, pointed at Ma Hongjun's nose, and scolded:
"Hey! You dead fatty, keep staring and I'll dig your eyeballs out! With your demeanor, you're the Dean's disciple? I'd say you're worse than a chicken-stealing thief at the village entrance!"
Zhu Zhuqing wore a blank expression, spitting out only a single word:
"Scram."
Xiao Wu poked her head out from behind Lin Xuan, spat with a face full of disgust, and said:
"Running out early in the morning to disgust people, looking like a steamed bun risen with baking soda, stop trying to buddy up here!"
Berated from pillar to post in turn by the three girls, Ma Hongjun not only didn't get angry or back down, but instead laughed even harder.
"Yo, your tempers are all quite punchy, I just like ones with some kick."
Ma Hongjun patted his round belly, his soul power undulating slightly around his body, and said:
"In Shrek Academy, just having a sharp tongue is useless; strength is the hard truth. Today, the senior will teach you what rules are."
Tang San took two steps forward, preparing to release his Blue Silver Grass to force Ma Hongjun back.
Yet Xiao Wu had already failed to hold back.
She grabbed Lin Xuan's arm and shook it hard.
"Lin Xuan! Give me a buff! If I don't beat this dead fatty into a pig's head today, I'll write my name backward!"
"Alright."
Lin Xuan raised his right hand, his index and middle fingers pressed together.
Beneath his feet, two yellow and one purple soul rings slowly rose upward.
At the same time, two pale-yellow pieces of talisman paper rapidly condensed and formed at his fingertips.
On the talisman paper in his left hand, layers upon layers of locked-flame patterns instantly formed, emitting a steady and restrained aura. It was precisely the advanced version of the Fire-Repelling Talisman, the Fire-Suppressing Talisman.
On the talisman paper in his right hand, double-layered fire-ring patterns circulated at high speed, and the crimson soul power emitted a wave of warmth. It was precisely the advanced version of the Fire-Controlling Talisman, the Blazing Fire Talisman.
Ma Hongjun's evil fire possessed extremely strong adhesive and burning properties.
Even though Xiao Wu was of a higher grade, close-quarters hand-to-hand combat would easily leave her contaminated by fire poison. With the Fire-Suppressing Talisman protecting her body, she could completely immune herself against the opponent's flame erosion.
Lin Xuan flicked his wrist, and the two talisman papers turned into streaks of light, plunging straight into Xiao Wu's body.
A faint, flickering light-red halo emerged from Xiao Wu's body surface, then quickly faded away.
Immediately after, two yellow and one purple soul rings similarly rose beneath Xiao Wu's feet.
The soul power fluctuation of rank thirty-three instantly swept across the entire clearing.
Ma Hongjun's previously smiling and bantering expression completely froze.
"Two... two Soul Elders?"
Ma Hongjun's brain went buzz.
He was barely over eleven years old, a rank twenty-six Soul Grandmaster, which already counted as possessing extraordinary talent among his peers. Dean Flender praised him every day as a genius.
As a result, these two new students in front of him who looked about the same age as him actually turned out to be three-ring Soul Elders all along!
Before Ma Hongjun could snap out of his shock, Xiao Wu's third soul ring had already lit up.
"Third Soul Skill, Teleportation!"
A pink light flashed.
Xiao Wu's figure vanished from the spot out of thin air.
The next moment, she appeared directly half a meter to the side of Ma Hongjun.
Ma Hongjun let out a cry of alarm, instinctively wanting to urge his first soul skill, Phoenix Fireline. Just as his mouth opened wide, Xiao Wu's second soul ring abruptly flickered.
"Second Soul Skill, Charm!"
Ma Hongjun's brain went completely blank for an instant, the circulation of soul power within his body was abruptly interrupted for a split second, and he stood stupidly in place, unable to move.
It was precisely this momentary stagnation that allowed Xiao Wu to close in and cut inside.
Her flexible body traced an arc in midair, and her slender legs precisely locked Ma Hongjun's thick neck like iron hoops.
"First Soul Skill, Waist Bow!"
Accompanied by the formidable amplification brought by the Blazing Fire Talisman, Xiao Wu let out a delicate cry, and her slender waist abruptly exerted force.
Ma Hongjun's fat body was swung around forcefully in midair, and the entire person flew backward uncontrollably, shooting straight up into the air.
"Get down here for me!"
Utilizing the reaction force of the Waist Bow, Xiao Wu leaped to a higher spot, stomped her feet against Ma Hongjun's chest, and kicked his entire person fiercely downward toward the ground.
Immediately following that, Xiao Wu's figure continuously changed postures in midair.
Explosive Eight-Stage Fall!
Accompanied by continuous, unbroken sounds of the air being torn apart, Ma Hongjun's bulky body was treated like a sandbag in the air, smashed fiercely onto the ground one time after another.
Every single time he was slammed down, the ground trembled along with it, accompanied by the crisp sounds of dislocating bones.
"Aiyo! Stop hitting me! It hurts, hurts, hurts!"
"Teacher, save me! Murder!"
The sporadic evil fires bursting from Ma Hongjun's body were thoroughly neutralized by the power of the Fire-Suppressing Talisman the moment they came into contact with Xiao Wu's skin, failing to even scorch a single bit of her clothing hem.
Xiao Wu's final aerial downward chopping kick landed solidly on Ma Hongjun's belly.
Ma Hongjun's entire body curled up like a giant prawn, sliding five or six meters away along the ground before crashing headfirst into the fence post nearby and going completely limp.
From beginning to end, the entire battle took no more than ten seconds back and forth.
Ma Hongjun hadn't even managed to fully release his Martial Soul before he was lying on the ground black and blue, groaning continuously, with bloody nose and mud smeared all over his face.
Ning Rongrong clapped her hands on the sidelines and shouted, jumping up and down:
"Well fought! Xiao Wu is too amazing!"
Zhu Zhuqing withdrew the hand pressed against her waist, looked at Ma Hongjun lying on the ground, and let out a cold snort.
Tang San stood to the side, withdrawing the posture he had originally prepared to make a move.
He turned his head to look at the unhurried and composed Lin Xuan, then looked at Xiao Wu, who hadn't even caught her breath evenly yet.
Those two talismans Lin Xuan had flicked out just now—one provided an extremely high strength enchantment, while the other completely sealed off Ma Hongjun's flame damage.
The targeted nature and instantaneity of such supporting methods were simply unfathomable. Could this possibly be Lin Xuan's new Self-Created Soul Skill?
Xiao Wu patted the dust off her hands and hopped back to Lin Xuan's side.
"How was it? Was my combo just now handsome or not?"
"Quite neat."
Lin Xuan fished out a clean cloth handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her, saying:
"Wipe your sweat."
Ning Rongrong hurried over in a few steps, circled around Xiao Wu, and her whole face was written with curiosity.
"Xiao Wu, after you slapped those two talismans on yourself just now, not a single spark of fire even landed on your body! The fire on that dead fatty's body looked quite formidable, how come it was completely useless against you?"
Xiao Wu took the handkerchief to wipe her forehead and triumphantly raised her chin:
"Of course, the talismans Lin Xuan gives are super powerful."
Ning Rongrong abruptly turned her head, her two hands grabbing directly onto Lin Xuan's sleeve.
"Lin Xuan! What on earth was that soul skill you used just now? Not only can it amplify strength, but it can actually ward off fire?"
"Teach it to me, won't you? Or sell me a few talismans, I can afford however many Gold Soul Coins it takes!"
Lin Xuan pulled his sleeve out of Ning Rongrong's grip.
"Miss Ning, Martial Soul traits are never passed down to outsiders, nor are they sold."
"You!"
Ning Rongrong puffed up her cheeks, and was about to continue entangling him.
From far away, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded, accompanied by a rough, boisterous roar.
"What are you howling about on the playground early in the morning? Who dares to cause trouble on my turf!"
Zhao Wuji's figure strode over from the end of the village path, followed closely behind by Dai Mubai, whose complexion didn't look too good.
Before you continue