I'm Not Singling Anyone Out-I'm Saying Everyone Here Is Trash!

The group arrived at the sparring room.

Its arena looked much like the one at the Great Soul Arena.

But it was more thoughtfully designed, with extra safeguards.

Even if someone in the ring coughed up blood, it would not spray onto the spectators. A soul device barrier kept it contained.

"Who's first?" Ning Chengyi asked from the ring, pointing at the Heavenly Apex Class students.

His tone was utterly indifferent.

He looked at them as if they were a pack of clowns.

"I'll do it!"

"Me! I've been sick of this guy for ages!"

"If I don't beat him until he cries for his parents, I'll take his surname."

The Soul Grandmasters glanced at Ye Heng, then spoke up one after another, burning with indignation.

"Forget it. Come at me together and save me some time."

Watching the students argue over who would go first, Ning Chengyi gave a cold, defiant smile and spoke with undisguised arrogance.

"And don't misunderstand me. I'm not singling out Ye Heng. I'm saying everyone here—all you Heavenly Apex Class students—are... trash!"

Ning Chengyi deliberately drew out the pause. He even raised his voice on the word "trash" to make sure they heard it.

For a moment, the sparring room fell so quiet a pin could have dropped.

He had gone too far. His words were a slap in the face to every member of the Heavenly Apex Class.

"I'm up!"

A student built like an iron tower stepped out of the Heavenly Apex Class.

Faces flushed with fury all around him. Everyone looked ready to burst.

"Big guy, teach him a lesson. Show him there's always someone stronger."

"If you win, I'll agree to what you asked."

A girl in a Lolita-style outfit stood among the students. She watched the big guy step forward and spoke with a resentful huff.

At once, he looked fired up. He cracked his knuckles, and the aura around him grew stronger with every step.

He listened to Ye Heng, but he was no lackey.

Right now, he had stepped forward for his own pride.

At the sight of him, several of Ye Heng's followers settled in to watch the show.

The big guy was known as the strongest Soul Grandmaster in their class.

The runner-up was the student with spiky hair.

Usually, the big guy kept a low profile. If Ning Chengyi had not provoked him today, he would never have stepped forward.

Now the girl he had liked for so long had made him an offer. Once he entered the ring, there was no telling how far he would go.

After the Lolita-dressed girl spoke, several other girls chimed in.

"He beat one guy with spiky hair and thinks he can push us around?"

"Does he think he's Ye Heng? Who gave him the right to judge us?"

"Big guy, beat him bloody! If there's trouble, we'll all speak up for you."

They shouted over one another, loud and overbearing. They were used to being the ones who bullied others. When had they ever been humiliated in public like this?

Su Yao stood to one side, her graceful figure drawing the eye. The usual gentleness in her gaze was gone, replaced by open affection.

She had seen every facet of Ning Chengyi's talent that week. If anything, she thought he was not arrogant enough.

He ought to be even bolder. Looking down on these self-important Heavenly Apex Class prodigies—that was how a strong person should carry himself!

"Enough talk. All of you, come at me!" Ning Chengyi scratched his ear, plainly impatient.

Su Yao's smile deepened.

She watched the defiant young man in the ring without blinking, growing ever more curious about his past.

The big student laughed in anger. Soul power surged around him, and his imposing aura spread through the room.

"You think you're above everyone? I'll crush that arrogance of yours myself!"

He leaped into the ring, bearing down on Ning Chengyi with the pressure of a level-twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster.

"All looks and no substance. Forget him—take a look at me instead!" Ning Chengyi said, turning toward the girl in the Lolita-style outfit.

"You're dead!" The big guy's eyes went bloodshot. He finally had a chance to win the girl's favor, and this bastard had the nerve to flirt with her in front of everyone. It was unforgivable.

His face twisted with fury. His soul power roiled as he charged at Ning Chengyi with all the force that had made him unbeatable among his peers.

Two yellow soul rings rose and circled beneath him. "Mighty Brute Bear, Martial Soul!" he growled, and his arms transformed in an instant.

"First Soul Skill: Savage Bear Charge!"

"Brute."

Ning Chengyi gave his assessment as he watched the big guy barrel toward him.

"Desolation-Suppressing God-Breaking Spear!"

But for all his mockery, Ning Chengyi did not let his guard down. These students had to have some ability to be this troublesome. The moment the big guy saw the spear appear, his second soul ring flashed.

"Second Soul Skill: Savage Bear Fist!"

A terrifying punch drove straight toward Ning Chengyi's vital point. Confidence filled the big guy's eyes. He believed this one blow would end the fight.

Thud!

Ning Chengyi shifted his right foot outward. A deep violet radiance blazed beneath him, instantly outshining the yellow soul rings.

The moment that violet light entered their eyes, everyone froze as though something had lodged in their throats. Those who had shouted the loudest stared wide-eyed, too stunned to speak. Even the air seemed to stop moving.

"A purple... purple soul ring?! A Thousand-Year Soul Ring?!"

"His first soul ring is a thousand-year ring? How... how is that possible? Am I seeing things?"

"Quick, slap me. Tell me I'm seeing things!"

Smack!

The person beside the girl grinned and obligingly slapped her hard.

She barely felt the pain. The sight before her was all too real.

The Heavenly Apex Class students' minds went blank. Their pupils contracted, and shock filled their eyes.

They considered themselves extraordinary talents, among the few prodigies in Heaven Dou. Yet most of their first soul rings had only reached the four-hundred-and-twenty-three-year limit.

Only a handful of the stronger students in the class had first soul rings approaching seven hundred years.

They had never heard of anyone whose first soul ring was a purple thousand-year ring.

The girls who had been showing off looked even more shaken. Their bodies trembled, disbelief written across their delicate faces. Under the purple ring's light, their haughty manner vanished.

Su Yao, meanwhile, smiled openly, her eyes full of pride and affection.

"First Soul Skill: Mystic Edge, Leveling Mountains!"

The big guy bore down on him. When only seven meters separated them, Ning Chengyi finally moved. His soul skill erupted, bathing the ring in purple light!

Boom!

In less than half a breath, they met. Ning Chengyi's spear swept out like an autumn gale stripping leaves from the trees and slammed into the big guy. Yet the big guy neither dodged nor blocked. Confidence still shone in his eyes.

"What can a mere Soul Master do, even with a thousand-year ring?!"

A moment later, he knew how wrong he was.

The terrifying force of more than fifteen hundred pounds struck him. His expression shifted from disbelief to utter despair!

He knew he had underestimated his opponent.

"Pfft!"

Boom!

Crack!

The three sounds came almost at once.

He flew backward like a kite with its string cut, blood spraying from his mouth. He slammed down beyond the ring, the impact jarring every bone and tendon in his body.

"You..."

Before he could finish, his vision went black. His eyes rolled back, and he passed out on the spot, unable to fight any longer.

The sudden turn left every student staring in disbelief.

It had all happened in no more than three seconds.

The big guy lay beyond the ring like a dead pig, badly injured. No one could tell how serious his condition was.

Below the ring, the others stood frozen, cold all over and shaken to the core.

"He... he took him out in one hit!"

"How? How is that possible?!"

"He's a monster!"

Ning Chengyi had shattered their contempt with sheer strength.

In its place came bone-deep shock and awe. No one dared voice another objection.

"Those of you with support abilities, treat him and take him to the infirmary."

Su Yao glanced at the fallen student and gave the order calmly.

He had wanted to play the hero and show off in front of the girl he liked, despite lacking the strength. What a brute.

"You lot, go together."

Ye Heng's face had gone frighteningly dark. He knew how strong the big guy was. Even he would have needed to fight hard to win, yet Ning Chengyi had taken him down with one move!

The surprise had played a part, but Ye Heng knew he could never have done it so easily.

The students who had fought to go first fell silent.

Not one stepped forward. "What are you waiting for? Go!" Ye Heng snapped, his pride stung. "He said you could take him on together."

At his words, seven students entered the ring.

Soul rings of different colors flashed across it like the lights in a bar.

"All at once? Interesting!"

Ning Chengyi grinned and tightened his grip on the spear.

"Seven of you? Then I'll take on all seven!"

Killing intent flickered in his eyes. His blood seemed to boil, and soul power surged through him.

"Together! Take him down!"

The moment they attacked, Ning Chengyi moved with a monkey's agility. Spear in hand, he parried strikes from every direction before sweeping it out in a fierce arc!

This was the improved Mystic Edge, Leveling Mountains!

It could defend as well as attack!

Boom!

What happened next looked like something out of a kung fu film. His spear lifted one attacker, then swung left and right, clearing everyone in his path!

When the last student hit the ground, the room fell even quieter than before.

Their minds felt hollow. Fear and shock were all they could feel. Everything they thought they knew had been smashed apart today.

For a long while, no one said a word.

Only after several seconds did cries of astonishment break out across the room.

"I'll fight you!"

Ye Heng's face was dark with fury. He glared at Ning Chengyi, who stood in the ring wearing that same careless, contemptuous smile.

"I told you there would be only one voice in this class," Ning Chengyi said, looking down at Ye Heng. "Mine!"

Ye Heng summoned his soul power. His soul rings began to emerge beneath him, and he stepped forward, ready to enter the ring himself.

Just then, a cool, clear woman's voice cut through the room with unmistakable authority.

"This week's sparring is over. If you want to fight, come back next week."

Ye Heng stopped short and turned toward Su Yao, confusion in his eyes.

Su Yao ignored him. She walked up to Ning Chengyi and brushed at his clothes as though dusting them off, leaving the Heavenly Apex Class students stunned once more.

"Take the injured away. Anyone who isn't satisfied can try again next week. There are still several Soul Elders in the class who haven't fought."

Su Yao looked toward the other Soul Elders among the students, excluding Ye Heng.

They stared down, shock in their eyes, none daring to look up at Ning Chengyi in the ring.

Each was asking himself whether he possessed that kind of strength.

"I'll be waiting for you." With that, Ning Chengyi left the sparring room. He had accomplished what he came for today; there was no reason to stay.