Ants don't know how to speak properly

Xu Tianyuan held the blade between two fingers and gave it a gentle shake, his tone utterly flat.

"Although it was slow, and the force wasn't as great as I'd imagined."

"For an ant like you, it was actually pretty good."

As his words fell, Xu Tianyuan fully activated Muscle Mode.

The clothes on his upper body instantly shredded, and a terrifying aura erupted from within him, as though a sun had ignited inside his chest.

Scorching waves of air spread outward, making even the air in the courtyard warp slightly.

He looked down at Ma Rulong, arrogance radiating from every inch of him.

It was an arrogance carved into his very bones.

As though he had been born to stand above everyone else.

To look down on them from on high.

"I'll only slap you once, and I'll control my strength."

"If you don't die, you get to live today."

With that, Xu Tianyuan raised his other hand high and aimed at Ma Rulong's cheek, swinging a seemingly weightless slap at him.

Smack!

The slap landed squarely on Ma Rulong's face.

It looked effortless, but when it struck Ma Rulong, it felt as though a mountain had smashed into him head-on.

Ma Rulong instantly went flying, spinning so fast in midair that even he couldn't count how many times he turned.

Finally, he crashed through a wall and slammed into the bushes in the villa district.

With a crash, shattered bricks scattered across the ground, and a large patch of bushes was flattened.

"Cough, cough!"

Ma Rulong coughed up mouthful after mouthful of blood, his aura fading. He looked as though he had only half his life left.

If he hadn't been wearing mechanical battle armor that also covered his head, that single slap probably would have smashed his entire head to pieces.

Xu Tianyuan stood where he was without giving him another glance.

"Since you took it and didn't die, I'll let you off."

True to his word, Xu Tianyuan didn't press his advantage. Instead, he turned toward the others.

Meng Hongchen, Mi Jia, Xiao Xiafeng, Chen Fei, and Lin Xi simply stood there dumbly, still unable to process what had happened.

They had just watched Ma Rulong get slapped flying, watched a wall collapse, and watched a genius ranked among the academy's top three tumble into the bushes like a dead dog.

The whole thing had taken less than five seconds.

"You... what kind of monster are you?!"

Mi Jia took a step back, trembling all over, already thinking of retreat.

His voice shook uncontrollably, as did both his legs. He looked ready to turn tail and run at any moment.

"A monster?"

Xu Tianyuan extended a finger and pointed toward the distant sky. "No, no, no. I am a being who stands above all living creatures."

"Before me, even monsters have no choice but to bow their heads and submit."

As he spoke, a dazzling fireball condensed at his fingertip.

The fireball was only the size of a fist, yet it shone with a blinding, pure golden-white light. Tiny tongues of flame constantly leaped and curled across its surface, like a sun compressed to its absolute limit.

It was none other than Cruel Sun.

"I gave Ma Rulong a chance just now. Now I'll give you a chance as well."

"If you can withstand this attack, I won't hold your trespassing against you."

At those words, Meng Hongchen and the others shuddered in fear, their fighting spirit all but extinguished.

They couldn't help it.

The fireball at Xu Tianyuan's fingertip was far too terrifying.

Even from several meters away, the heat it radiated made them feel as though they were about to melt.

The air had been roasted hot. Every breath they drew was scorching, and even their eyebrows felt as though they were being singed.

They didn't dare imagine what would happen if that fireball struck them.

They would probably melt on the spot, wouldn't they?

Without even a speck of ash left.

"Xu Tianyuan, please don't do anything rash! We haven't done anything!"

Meng Hongchen hurriedly explained, her voice on the verge of tears.

She was genuinely panicking now.

She had originally tagged along just to watch the fun.

And find out what kind of person Xu Tianyuan really was while she was at it.

But Ma Rulong had attacked the moment he arrived. Now look what had happened: she hadn't gotten to watch any fun, and she was about to lose her life.

"We only came to invite you to compete in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament and take Xiao Hongchen's place! We really weren't trying to cause you trouble!"

That wasn't a lie.

After Xu Tianyuan had beaten Xiao Hongchen so badly that his resolve shattered, he had spent the past three months locking himself in his room every day. He didn't even attend training anymore, and he had slacked off on his cultivation as well.

According to the original plan, Xiao Hongchen should have broken through to Soul King on the eve of the tournament, becoming the youngest Soul King of his generation at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and leading the team to sweep aside every opponent in their path.

Yet now, he was still stuck at rank forty-nine. He hadn't even reached rank fifty.

That alone would have been tolerable.

After all, whatever they lacked in strength, they could make up for with soul tools.

If there was one thing the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy never lacked, it was soul tools.

With the support of various soul tools, even if Xiao Hongchen hadn't become a Soul King, the academy's overall strength wouldn't have suffered much. They could still have run rampant through the tournament.

But his resolve had shattered.

Lately, Xiao Hongchen kept his door shut every day and refused to let anyone in.

Meng Hongchen had visited and been cursed out.

Ma Rulong had visited and been driven out.

Mi Jia had visited and spoken outside the door for ten minutes, without getting the slightest response from within.

Even Jing Hongchen had been turned away at the door.

The old man had gone there in person and called outside the door for ages. The only response he received was a hoarse, "Don't stand outside. Go away, go away!"

With no other choice, they could only select another student to join the team and compete in this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament.

They had originally had quite a few options.

Ji Juechen, known as the Sword Maniac, for instance.

That fellow held a sword all day, ignored everyone, and cultivated as though his life meant nothing. His sword intent stood in a class of its own within the academy.

Or Nana.

There was also someone named Jing Ziyan, who was likewise counted among the academy's leading geniuses.

However, since Xu Tianyuan had beaten Xiao Hongchen senseless, his strength undoubtedly surpassed Xiao Hongchen's, making him the best choice to bolster the team's strength. After weighing it over and over, Jing Hongchen had decided to let Xu Tianyuan give it a try.

Unfortunately, Ma Rulong's temper was far too explosive. The moment he stepped inside, he started swearing, pointing right at Xu Tianyuan's nose and threatening violence, bringing about this tragedy.

Thinking of this, Meng Hongchen was overcome with regret.

Ma Rulong, you pig-brained idiot! We asked you to invite him, not serve your head up on a platter!

"Compete in the tournament?"

Xu Tianyuan was rather surprised.

He hadn't expected a slacker like himself, who spent every day basking in the courtyard, to be invited to compete in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament.

He had thought his schedule from here on out would consist of an endless loop of sunbathing, eating, and sleeping, right up until Xu Tianran came courting death.

"Sure enough, ants don't know how to speak properly."

Xu Tianyuan shook his head, a trace of distaste in his voice. "If you'd gotten to the point sooner, I might have listened seriously. But starting off by swearing and threatening violence really pissed me off."