A One-Sided Beating

At the entrance to the Spirit Hall, Lin Yang turned around and watched Xiao Wu's expression shift from subdued to lively in an instant.

"Yay! I got a Gold Soul Coin! I can buy so many carrots."

Xiao Wu gazed at the Gold Soul Coin in her hand, her eyes shining.

"Xiao Wu, that was awfully quick."

Tang San walked out behind her, still studying the badge in his hand.

"Don't you find places like the Spirit Hall uncomfortable? One look at that old man and you can tell he's no good."

Xiao Wu rolled her eyes, then went back to admiring the Gold Soul Coin in her hand with great relish.

"Really? I thought he was pretty nice."

Tang San scratched his head and turned toward Lin Yang.

"By the way, why did you turn him down?"

After Xiao Wu's assessment, Master Li had invited them to join the Spirit Hall again.

Tang San had explained that he was already Grandmaster's disciple and firmly declined.

As for Xiao Wu, there was no need to ask. She hadn't even said another word.

But Lin Yang, who had seemed the most likely to join, had also refused outright. Tang San couldn't quite understand that.

"No particular reason. I just don't want to."

Lin Yang glanced around, then withdrew his gaze a moment later and walked ahead.

"Let's go."

Tang San nodded and followed, while Xiao Wu skipped along behind them, looking delighted.

Just before they reached the academy, Lin Yang stopped.

"What's wrong?" Tang San stopped as well.

"You two go on ahead. I just remembered there's something I haven't taken care of."

Tang San gave him a searching look but didn't press him.

"All right. Xiao Wu, let's head back."

With that, he took Xiao Wu along and left.

Lin Yang turned around, his Sharingan silently activating.

Through the Sharingan, he could see cyan motes in the air that were invisible to the naked eye. They were traces of soul power.

Traces of soul power were common, but they usually gathered only around Soul Masters.

These motes were scattered, forming a clear trail like footprints.

He followed the trail of soul power all the way to a secluded alley.

The place seemed abandoned by the world. Not a ray of sunlight reached it; although it was daytime, the alley lay shrouded in gloom.

His Sharingan glowed faintly red in the darkness, like a demon's eyes, unsettling to behold.

To his eyes, the alley was as clear as daylight. He fixed his gaze on a corner deeper inside.

A man in a black robe stood leaning against the wall there. Seeing that he had been discovered, he charged at Lin Yang without a word.

Lin Yang instinctively tried to cast a genjutsu, but the man seemed prepared and avoided looking into his eyes entirely.

Cyan light flashed over the man's body. His hand transformed into a sharp wolf claw and slashed toward Lin Yang, whistling through the air.

Lin Yang shifted slightly sideways, using his smaller build to evade the claw, and drove a vicious kick into the man's abdomen.

Thud! The dull sound of flesh striking flesh echoed through the alley.

The man's attack was forcibly interrupted, and the kick sent him staggering several meters back.

He reacted quickly, regained his balance, and charged again.

Lin Yang tried the same move, but just before his kick connected, the man dodged sideways.

The man swung his other wolf claw at him. Lin Yang immediately flattened one hand and chopped at his wrist.

The man sucked in a sharp breath and instinctively looked down, meeting Lin Yang's eyes.

The tomoe slowly spun. The man's body stiffened, and he was about to fall under the genjutsu's control.

But a second later, the man suddenly lashed out. Although Lin Yang reacted in time, he still took a solid kick and stumbled back several steps.

Panting, the man touched a pendant at his neck with lingering fear. A crack had appeared across it.

He steadied his breathing a little and spoke for the first time.

"You're pretty good. But we're only just getting started."

"Shadow Mist!"

A Yellow Soul Ring appeared, and the man's body abruptly blurred into several afterimages.

Lin Yang narrowed his eyes, his gaze flicking left and right as he kept the figure firmly in his sights.

Using speed against me? Does he think my eyes can't keep up?

His hands rapidly formed hand seals as soul power gathered, and his cheeks inflated like air sacs.

A moment later, a fist-sized fireball shot from his mouth.

Startled, the man hurriedly changed direction, dodging out of the fireball's path.

Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, Lin Yang spat out seven or eight more fireballs in succession, cutting off every avenue of escape.

Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu.

Explosions rang out through the alley as the fireballs struck the ground. The man twisted and darted about, evading one fireball after another.

But the alley was too narrow, leaving little room to maneuver. Eventually, he had nowhere left to dodge, and two fireballs were already upon him.

His expression hardened. Cyan light wound around both claws as he swung them fiercely.

The next instant, the flames of the explosion briefly lit up the alley.

As the smoke and dust cleared, a large section of the sleeves of his robe was gone. Embers still glowed along the edges, and another piece fell away when the wind blew.

His hands had returned to their original form. Several patches of skin were scorched black, and his hands trembled slightly.

He had only just caught his breath when an enormous fireball filled his vision.

In desperation, he threw himself into an awkward roll, barely avoiding it.

The blast hurled him away. He rolled across the ground several times before finally stopping against a wall.

He spat out a mouthful of blood. Just as he tried to get up, a pair of feet appeared before him. Panic flashed across his face, and he hurriedly spoke.

"Don't! Stop hitting me! I surrender! I came to talk to you about something."

Lin Yang looked down at him in silence for a moment.

He stepped back, his face expressionless, but the hand he had kept behind his back was trembling slightly.

Although he had long since prepared himself to kill, he had still hesitated for a moment when it came time to act. That brief hesitation had allowed the man to utter the words that saved his life.

The man, who had just climbed to his feet, knew none of this. He gave a light cough.

"My name is Zhang Yue. I'm a rank eighteen Battle Soul Master, affiliated with the Spirit Hall."

When Lin Yang showed no reaction, he quickly continued.

"I only meant to test your abilities. I never expected you to be so formidable that I wouldn't even have a chance to fight back."

"Get to the point."

Lin Yang interrupted him, silently repeating the words Spirit Hall to himself.

The moment he had seen the soul power markers, he had known someone from the Spirit Hall had come. But the man had attacked as soon as they met, leading to everything that followed.

"Master Li sent me. He asked me to tell you that you don't have to join the Spirit Hall openly."

With his speech cut short, Zhang Yue stopped wasting words and explained why he had come.

"You can still enjoy the Spirit Hall's resources. In return, when the Spirit Hall needs you, we hope you'll lend a hand."

Lin Yang opened his mouth to speak, but Zhang Yue raised a hand to stop him.

"This isn't compulsory. If it conflicts with where you stand, you can refuse. We only ask that you don't become our enemy."

"Of course, there will also be rewards for fulfilling our requests."

Grimacing in pain, Zhang Yue took a silver token and a necklace from inside his robe.

"What do you think?"