Soul Fighting

"I... I surrender. Thank you for showing mercy, miss." Lin Mu swallowed hard. He had known he might lose, but he had never imagined it would be so decisive. In just one move, he had been defeated without a shred of suspense. Only now did he truly realize how vast the gap was between him and a top genius.

"Unbelievable! Our Soft Boned Enchanting Rabbit has defeated Lin Mu in a single move! Let's congratulate her on her first victory!" After a moment of stunned silence, Doudou made the announcement excitedly.

"Soft Boned Enchanting Rabbit! Soft Boned Enchanting Rabbit!"

The spectators erupted in cheers. In a world where strength reigned supreme, their worship of the strong knew no bounds.

"Whoa, is Sister Xiao Wu really that strong? She beat a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor in one move! Even with a few more years, I couldn't reach her level. Did she really enter the academy at the same time as me?" Ma Hongjun sounded as though his whole view of life had been shaken.

Seeing that his disciple's resolve seemed close to shattering, Flender hurried to reassure him. "Why compare yourself to them? There have probably been only a handful of people like them in the continent's entire history. You reached rank twenty-one in Soul Power at eleven. That already puts you ahead of ninety-nine percent of the continent."

Flender was right. As far as Qin Muchu knew, Ning Fengzhi, the master of the continent's second-ranked sect, had many sons, yet not one had broken through rank twenty before the age of twelve. Granted, they were all support-type Soul Masters, but Ma Hongjun had reached rank twenty-one at only eleven. Talent like that was truly rare in the world.

Xiao Wu returned to the group after winning her Soul Fighting match. She tossed her head proudly, her Scorpion Braid swaying behind her, her face all but saying, Hurry up and praise me. "Well? I was amazing, wasn't I?"

Qin Muchu couldn't resist reaching out to tap her little nose. "Amazing. Our Sister Xiao Wu is the most amazing of all."

"Hehe, that's more like it." Satisfied, Xiao Wu spun happily on the spot.

Watching Qin Muchu and Xiao Wu flaunt their affection as though no one else was there, the other four bachelors looked on with envy.

One Soul Fighting match after another came to an end, and soon it was Qin Muchu's turn. Amid everyone's cheers, he stepped onto the arena and looked at his opponent.

She was a purple-haired woman wearing a purple eye mask that left only her large, bright eyes visible. Her face looked innocent, and she was unexpectedly petite: though in her twenties, she stood only about 1.4 meters tall.

An Ke'er's heart sank when she saw the mask on the man opposite her. She had seen one like it before. The girl in the first Soul Fighting match had worn the same kind, and her formidable strength had left a deep impression. If this opponent was as strong as that girl, this match would be difficult.

"Both sides, summon your Martial Souls."

As soon as Doudou spoke, the Dancing Shadow Sword appeared in Qin Muchu's hand. Two white, one yellow, and one purple Soul Ring revolved around him. An Ke'er was considerably slower to summon hers, though almost no one noticed.

An Ke'er's Martial Soul was a Spiked Club. Looking at her tiny frame shouldering that enormous weapon, Qin Muchu had to suppress a laugh. The contrast was almost too much.

As Qin Muchu studied her, An Ke'er studied him in turn. At the sight of his Soul Rings, she blurted out in astonishment, "Two white, one yellow, and one purple?"

She wasn't the only one. The spectators fell silent for a moment. A white Second Soul Ring? They had never even heard of such a thing, let alone seen it. And with that Soul Ring Configuration, he had somehow cultivated to Soul Ancestor? What kind of joke was this?

Qin Muchu didn't care what they thought. Seeing the innocent-looking little woman staring at him in a daze, he prompted her, "Miss, are we still fighting?"

An Ke'er came back to her senses. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?" she said with a strange look. "Do you still want to fight me?" Her Soul Ring Configuration was two yellow and two purple.

Qin Muchu raised his sword. "Underestimating your opponent comes at a price. First Soul Skill: Ten Thousand Transformations, One Edge!" A crescent-shaped blade of energy shot straight toward An Ke'er. He added no other Soul Skill effects. After all, her Soul Power was lower than his; adding anything else might put her life in danger.

An Ke'er didn't panic when Qin Muchu attacked first. Gripping the Spiked Club with both hands, she swung it hard at the blade of energy. "First Soul Skill: Force of a Thousand Jun!"

Confidence filled her eyes. How strong could a Soul Skill from a Ten-Year Soul Ring be? But the instant her Spiked Club struck the blade of energy, her expression changed. A tremendous force rebounded through the weapon. She could not keep her grip, and the Spiked Club flew from her hands toward her forehead.

In her panic, she did what most girls would have done: she squeezed her eyes shut and screamed.

She thought her skull was about to be smashed, but the pain she expected never came. As she wondered why, a warm voice touched with youthful softness sounded beside her ear. "Miss, how long are you going to keep your eyes closed?"

She opened her eyes and saw that the sword in the young man's hand had grown enormous, perhaps thirty meters long. Its tip hovered right before her throat.

She glanced to the side and saw her Spiked Club lying a short distance away. Realizing what had happened, she blushed. "Th-thank you. I surrender."

"Hey, my dear Miss Host, aren't you going to announce the result?" Qin Muchu asked with a smile, turning to the stunned Doudou.

Doudou snapped out of it and announced excitedly, "Unbelievable! After Soft Boned Enchanting Rabbit, we've seen another Soul Fighting match won in a single move! Let's congratulate Dancing Shadows in the Moonlight on his victory!"

As cheers burst through the arena, Qin Muchu returned to the Shrek Academy group.

"Little Chu, well done! Hahahaha!" Flender clapped Qin Muchu on the shoulder and laughed heartily, already wondering how many Gold Soul Coins he would win this time.

"Brother Qin, that was unbelievably cool! One slash sent her weapon flying, and then that giant sword knocked it away from her head and saved her life! That girl's probably fallen for you already! Brother Qin, you're my idol!" Ma Hongjun said, his face full of admiration.

Suddenly, pain shot through his ear. Xiao Wu had seized it and was glaring at him fiercely. "Fatty, what did you say? I didn't hear you. Say it again."

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Easy, Sister Xiao Wu! My ear's going to come off! I was wrong, I was wrong! That woman can't compare to you. Even if she falls for Brother Qin, you're definitely the only one in his heart!"

"Hmph. That's more like it." Xiao Wu let go of Ma Hongjun's ear and stole a glance at Qin Muchu, her cheeks faintly pink.