Subduing a Prodigy with One Hand [Thanks to Eating Slugs Raw in Big Bites for the Monthly Vote]

Huh?

What was going on?

Hu Liena quickly noticed something unusual by the roadside. The female Soul Masters had all stopped in their tracks, staring straight ahead.

Following their gazes, she caught sight of a blue-haired figure. Her pink lips parted slightly, as though she had seen something unbelievable.

"Nana, look at this. It's pretty interesting."

Yan held up the origami bird he had just bought from a little shop, trying to attract Hu Liena's attention, only to discover that she would not even glance at him. After he called out several times without receiving a response, Xie Yue, standing beside him, could no longer bear to watch.

"Stop calling her. Nana's looking at a handsome guy."

"Oh, come on, that's impossible. Quit joking, Xie Yue. How could Nana be that shallow?"

Yan casually patted his shoulder, assuming he was only teasing him, but his body honestly turned to look ahead.

An extraordinarily beautiful young man was walking slowly toward them. Although Yan was also stunned by his looks, like poles repelled, and seeing the Nana he liked bewitched by another man lit a flame called jealousy in his heart.

"Tch, he's just a pretty boy. Looking like that, he's probably some rich lady's plaything. A man has to let his strength do the talking."

With that, he ostentatiously raised his arm, revealing the contours of his bulging muscles to show off in front of Hu Liena.

Ye Yan nearly laughed in anger at his mockery. Who the hell do you think you are? With Hu Liena, you're the Golden Generation. Without Hu Liena, you're the Garbage Generation. You only reach Soul Douluo by the grand finale. Utterly fucking useless.

Spirit Hall belonged to the Qian Family, and its young mistress, Qian Renxue, was his first wife. That meant Spirit Hall belonged to him too. In other words, this brat ate his food and used his resources, yet still dared to bark wildly in his face.

"Well, if it isn't Yan, Spirit Hall Academy's famous lapdog. What's wrong? Did being ignored by your goddess make you cry? That's only natural. Just look at that pathetic face of yours. No girl would ever fall for you."

Yan flew into a towering blaze of rage-literally, because he summoned his Martial Soul, the Flame Lord. Three shining rings rose beneath his feet, two yellow and one purple.

"Pah! You're pretty cocky for a pretty boy! And don't go saying I'm bullying you. I'm only thirteen this year. Do you dare face me in a duel between Soul Masters? The loser kneels and kowtows three times to the winner!"

If the aura of the middle-aged man behind Ye Yan had not been as unfathomable as an abyss, someone with Yan's explosive temper would never have wasted words on him.

"Sure, no problem. I wanted to see what this so-called Golden Generation was made of anyway. If you're all show and... uh, useless trash without even the looks, heh, you won't want to find out what happens."

Ye Yan agreed immediately. He had yet to spar with a Soul Master at his own level. Although his Soul Rings exceeded all normal limits, so did his Soul Bones.

Ah, no, I mean I lack combat experience. All I can rely on right now are teleportation, invincibility, Intangibility, ultimate moves, endurance, invisibility, crowd control, supreme single-target attacks, and area attacks to barely keep myself safe. (ˆつ⩊⊂ˆ)੭

The lovestruck Hu Liena finally came to her senses. Hearing their wager, she looked at Ye Yan worriedly.

"Handsome, Yan's Martial Soul, the Flame Lord, is a top-tier fire-and-earth Beast Martial Soul. It boasts extreme heat, powerful attacks, and strong defenses. Are you... confident?"

"Thank you for the warning, beautiful and kind Miss Hu Liena. Please don't worry. My Martial Soul is no worse than his, and I have just a tiny little trump card too~"

The little fox is a good person~

Ye Yan gave her a grateful smile, then held his thumb and forefinger before his eyes, leaving a fingertip-sized universe between them.

"Mm~"

The corners of Hu Liena's lips lifted slightly, and a mysterious glimmer flashed through her narrow, foxlike eyes. She was no country bumpkin like Yan. As Bibi Dong's cherished disciple, she naturally recognized every Titled Douluo in Spirit Hall.

How could a man accompanied by Snake Lance Douluo possibly be ordinary? Now there would be a good show to watch.

Seeing this, Yan assumed Hu Liena was showing concern for Ye Yan. His face turned black as charcoal, and he led him to the nearby Training Arena.

They took their positions forty meters apart. Seeing that his opponent still had not activated his Martial Soul, Yan grew irritated.

"Hey, pretty boy, are you scared? What kind of Soul Master doesn't even dare reveal his Martial Soul?"

"Heh, then I'll grant your wish!"

Since he was already on his own turf, Ye Yan finally no longer needed to hold back. He could display his Soul Rings however he pleased.

He raised his right hand high. Blue Silver Emperor vines descended alongside an enormous scarlet ring, closely followed by two black Soul Rings, one lighter and one darker. His surging aura made even the sky change color, with roiling dark clouds swirling into a vortex.

The tremendous surge of Soul Power forced Yan back several steps. His eyes widened at the Soul Rings Ye Yan had revealed, and he nearly went mad.

"No... that's impossible! They're fake, they must be fake! Hahaha! You must have a Soul Skill that disguises your Soul Rings, and you're trying to trick me! I won't fall for it!

Second Soul Skill: Granite Rock!"

Hard armor formed from ocher Soul Power covered his entire body. With a furious roar, he charged at Ye Yan, crossing the dozens of meters between them in an instant.

"Hellish Magma Charge!"

The ground instantly became a sea of fire. Churning magma erupted from beneath it and blasted toward Ye Yan.

But in Ye Yan's eyes, he moved as slowly as a crawling turtle. A single teleportation brought Ye Yan into the air. Looking down at Yan, he clenched his right hand and swung his fist fiercely.

Crack!

The armor Yan had formed was scarcely tougher than porcelain beneath Ye Yan's fist. Yan felt a heart-gouging pain in his back, and his body curled like a giant shrimp as he smashed into the ground.

As the great cloud of dust thrown up by the impact dispersed, a deep crater stood revealed in the ground, with dense cracks spreading outward like a spiderweb.

At its center, Yan lay utterly motionless apart from the faint rise and fall of his chest.

"Yan!"

Only after seeing his good friend beaten into a dead dog did Xie Yue snap out of his shock at Ye Yan's hundred-thousand-year first Soul Ring. He hurried over to check Yan's injuries.

Just as he was about to help Yan up, Ye Yan stopped him. You want to leave without even honoring the wager? Where would you find such a sweet deal?

Looking at Yan, who lay there like a dead dog, Ye Yan felt not a ripple in his heart. He had dared to leap out and make a scene without the strength to back it up, so he had brought this upon himself. Ye Yan reached down, grabbed his hair, and slammed his head hard against the ground.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

After three dull impacts, Yan's forehead had caved inward. Xie Yue watched, furious but not daring to speak. He had just witnessed Ye Yan's strength firsthand. Failing to know his place would only send him down the same path as his good friend.

"All right. From now on, he is no longer a member of the Golden Generation. His resources and privileges will all be reduced to the lowest tier. No one is permitted to plead his case. Anyone who does will share his punishment."

As for whether he might betray Spirit Hall and defect to another faction in the future, that was impossible!

Not because he was particularly loyal, but because Ye Yan never intended to let him live. Once he won Bibi Dong over, he would have the final say in Spirit Hall. Even if he killed Yan openly, no one would dare object.