Plant the Staff and Pole-Vault

"Can we talk this out, classmate? I won't hold you responsible for ambushing me out of nowhere, okay?"

Chen Ping pursed his lips. If he kept talking tough, he would probably end up collecting his compensation from a hospital bed.

As he spoke, Chen Ping's other hand was already reaching for his communicator.

Granted, summoning Xuan Zi to deal with two Soul Grandmasters would be embarrassing beyond all measure.

But Chen Ping figured staying out of the infirmary at the start of the school year was probably more important than saving face.

Wu Feng might not have been the sharpest girl, but she immediately spotted Chen Ping's intention to call for backup.

Wu Feng suddenly stepped forward, and the first soul ring beneath her feet lit up, activating her soul skill, Dragon's Fire.

A thick layer of red flames emerged from her body, enveloping the area within a foot of her.

Now every strike she threw carried the scorching heat of Dragon's Fire, forcing Chen Ping to retreat again and again. He had no time at all to retrieve his Communication Soul Tool.

Even so, Chen Ping's crisis was far from over.

At the same time, Ning Tian, who stood some distance away, extended her right hand and called out clearly, "Seven treasures turn, and glazed tiles emerge."

She spun gracefully in place, and dazzling seven-colored light burst from her body.

Where that rainbow light gathered, a seven-colored pagoda over a foot tall appeared in Ning Tian's right palm.

The pagoda shimmered with flowing colors, seemingly studded with countless gems.

Before Ning Tian had even finished speaking, the sight of that exquisitely magnificent little pagoda told Chen Ping exactly who these two were.

Weren't these the two girls from the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect in Freshman Class Nine in the original story?

For Chen Ping, the only silver lining he could find in this miserable situation...

Was perhaps that a low-level support-type Soul Master from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect assisting another low-level Soul Master posed far less of a threat than two low-level Battle Soul Masters attacking together.

At least, Chen Ping could not think of any way to beat two Battle Soul Masters with only a single soul ring to his name.

"Seven Treasures Have Names, the first is speed."

Just as Ning Tian's two hundred-year soul rings rose from beneath her feet and settled around her martial soul, and she began chanting her incantation, Chen Ping's eyes suddenly widened.

"Hey, Teacher Li! Over here!"

Chen Ping's shout made even Wu Feng freeze for a moment, and she instinctively turned to look.

Ning Tian nearly lost her grip on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. The beam of enhancement light she released veered slightly off course and shot toward the sky, apparently destined to miss Wu Feng.

Seizing the opportunity, Chen Ping planted the Touch Dragon Staff upright in the ground and poured soul power into it, extending it to over three meters. He rode the rising staff up to that same height.

Then, as though pole-vaulting, he sailed over Wu Feng's head and cleanly intercepted Ning Tian's misdirected speed boost.

As Chen Ping passed over Wu Feng's head, caught the enhancement light, and landed, Wu Feng was still scanning behind herself for the nonexistent Teacher Li he had called out to.

The enhancement light radiating from Chen Ping and his descent from above alone were enough to make Wu Feng's eyes widen, her face practically overflowing with embarrassment and anger.

At first, Wu Feng might only have attacked Chen Ping out of an instinctive overreaction because she was too nervous.

But once Chen Ping stepped over her head, this became a purely personal grudge.

"You bastard! I'm only 160 centimeters tall! Now I won't grow any taller!"

Wu Feng's eyes looked ready to spit fire.

But a closer look would have revealed that the rims of her eyes also seemed to be turning a little red.

Chen Ping was no longer so afraid of Wu Feng's speed. Ning Tian's speed-enhancement light had directly boosted his original speed by twenty percent.

He now evaded Wu Feng's attacks with noticeably greater ease.

"Seven Treasures Have Names, the first is speed!"

Seeing things take a turn for the worse, Ning Tian once again directed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda to release a beam of enhancement light, hoping to erase the difference in their speeds.

But Ning Tian had forgotten one thing: Chen Ping was now faster than Wu Feng!

"Mine!"

Just as Wu Feng thought she could receive her young mistress's speed boost, rise up like a liberated serf singing in triumph, and regain the upper hand over Chen Ping-perhaps even give him a savage beating...

Chen Ping's infuriating cry of "Mine!" plunged her straight into an ice cellar.

The next instant, Chen Ping planted his staff and pole-vaulted again. Without another word, he leaped over her head and snatched Ning Tian's speed boost once more, giving Wu Feng no chance whatsoever to turn the tables.

After Chen Ping stepped over her head twice in a row, Wu Feng truly could not take it anymore. She was already contemplating a lifetime of being short.

"You're asking to die! Second soul skill, Dragon's Wrath!"

Wu Feng shouted, glaring hatefully at Chen Ping as she lit up her second soul ring.

The Dragon's Fire rising from her body abruptly turned dark red, and the scales covering half her body suddenly grew thicker and heavier.

Red light blazed in her eyes, and her left hand transformed completely into a dragon claw.

But Dragon's Wrath greatly enhanced her attack and defense, not her speed.

What good would blindly activating that skill do when she could not even touch Chen Ping?

Chen Ping was no longer in a hurry to call for backup. Until the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's enhancement wore off, he was confident he could keep Wu Feng from touching him.

"Have you had enough?"

Chen Ping suddenly jabbed his staff into the hollow of Wu Feng's waist, making her double over and nearly knocking the breath out of her.

"You were the ones who ambushed me without any warning, and you still won't quit?"

Chen Ping watched Wu Feng with some wariness.

Her defense really was high with Dragon's Wrath active.

Even that jab with my staff hadn't left a red mark on her skin.

"That's nonsense! You've been following us this whole way."

"We're heading toward the girls' dormitory! All the classrooms up ahead are locked. What else could you possibly be going there for?"

Wu Feng clutched her waist, her breathing coming in short bursts, but she still glared hatefully at Chen Ping.

"Who told you the fucking girls' dormitory was up ahead? Shrek doesn't even have a girls' dormitory. The dorms are coed."

Chen Ping had started out brimming with righteous conviction, but the more he spoke, the more something felt wrong.

The girls' dormitory?

Hadn't he just heard those words somewhere?

"You're talking nonsense! How could Shrek's dormitories possibly be coed? Do you think Shrek Academy's administrators just sit around eating for free?"

Ning Tian stepped forward as well, standing beside Wu Feng and challenging Chen Ping's claim.

"I'm talking nonsense... fine. Fine!"

Chen Ping had wanted to give some more thought to where the misunderstanding lay, but Ning Tian's words angered him too.

"Fine, then. You two had better remember exactly what you just said. Let me spell it out for you."

"There's a white-bearded old man lying right outside the entrance to what you call the girls' dormitory right now. If you've got the guts, go beat him up too."

"He's lying right outside the girls' dormitory. Even your toes could guess he's an old lecher. How about you give him a beating?"