Xue Ke arrived and a wager was set

"Mingyan, what are you doing?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a girl of about fourteen or fifteen years old walk in quickly. She was dressed in a light blue palace dress, with a beautiful face and a hint of anxiety in her eyes.

Xue Ke, princess of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe's younger sister.

"Ke'er?" Xue Mingyan frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for the Moonlight Pavilion's graduation ceremony." Xue Ke walked closer, her gaze lingering on Ning Chengyi's face for a moment before quickly shifting to Xue Mingyan. "Cousin, it's a perfectly good ceremony, what are you doing making a scene?"

"I'm making a scene?" Xue Mingyan sneered. "Can't I even ask a question on behalf of the Xue Family?"

"You're questioning on behalf of the Xue Family?" Xue Ke's voice wasn't loud, but the force in her tone was even stronger than her brother Xue Qinghe's. "Your grandfather's lineage has been running rampant in Heaven Dou City for years, and my father has turned a blind eye. But you, you come to the Moonlight Pavilion to cause trouble, and in front of so many people. Aren't you ashamed?"

Xue Mingyan, embarrassed by being publicly reprimanded by a girl several years his junior, retorted, "Ke'er, don't think I won't dare just because you're a princess..."

"What do you dare?" Xue Ke looked at him. "You dare touch a single hair on my head? My brother is sitting right over there. You try touching him!"

Xue Mingyan subconsciously looked in the direction of Xue Qinghe.

Xue Qinghe was holding a teacup when she raised the rim of the cup towards him and smiled.

That smile was incredibly warm, but it made the hairs on the back of Xue Mingyan's neck stand on end.

He's been running rampant in Heaven Dou City for so many years, who doesn't know what Xue Qinghe's smile means?

"... Fine." Xue Mingyan stammered for a long time before squeezing out a single word, turning his gaze to Ning Chengyi, "You've got guts, kid. What kind of skill is it to rely on a woman to get ahead? Aren't you Soul Elder? Aren't you supposed to show off at graduation? I'll fight you. If you win, I'll publicly admit my mistake and avoid you from now on. If you lose..."

He paused, then a malicious smile spread across his face, "Get out of the Moonlight Pavilion, and don't let me see you in Heaven Dou City again."

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

Soul Elder vs. Soul Elder?

Although Xue Mingyan is a playboy, his talent is indeed remarkable to have reached the Soul Elder at such a young age.

Moreover, how could the Soul Ring Configuration he acquired from childhood, built up with family resources, be the same as that of Ning Chengyi, who came from a humble background?

Tang Yuehua frowned slightly, about to speak, Ning Chengyi spoke first.

"OK."

There was a moment of silence in the waterside pavilion.

Xue Qinghe put down his teacup and leaned forward slightly.

She Long saw that the amused smile in his young master's eyes had finally vanished, replaced by a sharp scrutiny.

Tang Yuehua turned to look at Ning Chengyi, her eyes showing a hint of disapproval.

Ning Chengyi smiled at her and whispered something. Tang Yuehua stared at him for a couple of moments, but in the end, she didn't stop him. Instead, she took a step back and took out a silver piece from her sleeve, holding it between her fingers.

Xue Ke stood to the side, stamping her feet in frustration.

She has visited Moonlight Pavilion quite a few times in the past two and a half years. Every time she comes, she finds an excuse to get close to Ning Chengyi, but that guy is either engrossed in practicing the piano or talking to Tang Yuehua in the music room. He has never even glanced at her.

Today, she stepped in to stop Xue Mingyan, partly because she disapproved of her cousin's behavior, and partly... she couldn't quite explain it herself.

Ning Chengyi walked to the terrace outside the waterside pavilion, stretched his wrists, and glanced back at Xue Mingyan: "Come on."

Xue Mingyan grinned maliciously, strode after him, and his Soul Power suddenly exploded.

Three Soul Ring, two yellow and one purple, rose beneath his feet. The moment his Martial Soul Possession, his muscles bulged, and thick gray armor plates appeared on his arms, making him resemble a humanoid rhinoceros.

Huyan Li?

No, the Martial Soul is the Mysterious Armor Rhinoceros, which is somewhat similar to the Elephant Armor Sect, but it focuses more on defense and impact.

"Three moves." Xue Mingyan held up three fingers. "Within three moves, I'll throw you into the lake."

Ning Chengyi didn't speak, Desolation-Suppressing God-Breaking Spear appeared out of thin air in his palm.

The gun gleamed with Youyou light under the early summer sun. A purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring rose from beneath its feet, followed by Second Soul Ring that glowed with a purplish tinge in its blackness, and finally Third Soul Ring —a deep, dark black Soul Ring.

Three-Ring Soul Elder.

But his First Soul Ring was purple.

Many of the discerning individuals present had already changed their expressions.

Xue Mingyan was also stunned for a moment, then became even angrier. "Unorthodox methods! Absorbing your First Soul Ring for a thousand years, let's see how long you can last!"

He stomped heavily on his foot, his Soul Ring lit up, and he activated his First Soul Skill. He charged towards Ning Chengyi like a raging rhinoceros.

The force of that impact was at least two thousand jin (approximately 1,000 kg), and combined with the weight of the Mysterious Armor Rhinoceros Martial Soul itself, a direct hit from that point would shatter bones into dust.

Ning Chengyi, using the momentum of the gun to deflect Xue Mingyan's charge.

Xue Mingyan lost control of his momentum and almost rushed off the terrace. He barely managed to stop at the edge of the waterside pavilion, and when he turned around, his face was even more grim.

"Why are you running away!"

His Second Soul Skill activated, causing the Mysterious Armor Rhinoceros plates to expand rapidly, covering his entire body, instantly multiplying his defensive power several times over.

The Third Soul Skill followed immediately, the ground beneath his feet exploded, and he was like a cannonball, blasting towards Ning Chengyi again, this time faster and with greater force.

Ning Chengyi did not dodge.

He stood still, planted his spear into the ground, formed hand seals, and his Third Soul Ring shone brightly with black light.

"Spirit Rhinoceros Illuminating Reflection."

A phantom fox shadow flashed past behind him, Ning Chengyi's Soul Power surged at an unprecedented speed, his perception instantly expanding to its limit.

Xue Mingyan's trajectory, speed, and weaknesses became crystal clear to him in an instant.

He slightly turned his body, and suddenly swept the gun horizontally.

"The First Soul Skill, Mystic Edge, Leveling Mountains."

The weight of the 1,500-pound gun, combined with Ning Chengyi's own strength, slammed head-on into the path of Xue Mingyan's charge.

Xue Mingyan's pupils contracted; he felt the force of the gun, far exceeding his expectations.

But it was too late to stop; they could only grit their teeth and endure.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, Xue Mingyan was sent flying sideways, rolling four or five times on the waterside pavilion floor before crashing into two tables and finally coming to a stop.

He pushed himself up from the ground, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, a large dent in his chest armor, and his Soul Power circulation somewhat sluggish.

Ning Chengyi did not pursue.

He stood still, his spear held horizontally in front of him, looking at Xue Mingyan.

"Shall we continue?"

Xue Mingyan gritted his teeth, about to explode, when Xue Qinghe finally spoke.

"Alright."

Two words, spoken softly, but Xue Mingyan froze on the spot.

He turned to look at Xue Qinghe, who stood up, walked to the waterside pavilion, and glanced at everyone present before finally settling on Xue Mingyan.

"Mingyan, go back and tell your grandfather that I said this... Heaven Dou City isn't his backyard, and neither is Moonlight Pavilion. If he's not happy about it, let him come find me."

Xue Mingyan's lips trembled twice, but he didn't dare to say another word and slunk away with his followers.

As they exited Moonlight Pavilion, She Long caught a glimpse of the boy turning back and glaring fiercely at Ning Chengyi.

Ning Chengyi put away his spear, dusted off his clothes, and shrugged at Tang Yuehua: "Now look what's happened, the graduation ceremony has turned into a fight scene."

Tang Yuehua rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't help but smile.

Xue Ke stood to the side, twisting her handkerchief in her hands. She glanced at Ning Chengyi several times before finally managing to stammer, "You... you're not hurt, are you?"

"No." Ning Chengyi nodded to her, his tone very polite. "Thank you for your help, Princess."

Xue Ke blushed slightly. "No need to thank me, I just can't stand him..."

"Hmm." Ning Chengyi responded and turned to talk to Tang Yuehua, discussing whether the graduation ceremony should continue.

Xue Ke stood still, twisting the handkerchief in her hand even tighter.

In the span of half an hour, she found three excuses to approach Ning Chengyi conversation, but each time she could only exchange three sentences before he either turned to talk to Tang Yuehua or went to bow to Xue Qinghe, without giving her a second glance.

Xue Qinghe took in the whole scene, took a sip of his tea, and chuckled softly.

"Interesting."