This Villain Boss Played It Safe

The more the bald man talked, the more worked up he became, until he couldn't help slapping Sixth again.

Sixth pulled a miserable face after being hit. "Boss, get excited all you want, but don't hit me! If you really have to, slap the table to let off some steam. That works too!"

The bald man gave Sixth a contemptuous look. Did he think he was stupid? Wouldn't slapping the table hurt his hand?

Seeing how distracted his brothers were, the bald man said sternly, "Don't say I didn't warn you. If any of you dares set your sights on him, don't blame me for forgetting our brotherhood."

Seeing the vicious look in the bald man's eyes, the men around him hastily replied:

"We'll do whatever you say, Boss!"

The bald man's mood brightened considerably at how sensible his underlings were.

"If we want to keep living this comfortably, we need to have a discerning eye and know who we can offend and who we can't!"

"Let me, Ding Qiang, put it bluntly: we bully those below us and fawn over those above us. That's the only way we can stay safe. You need to understand that keeping your own life is what really matters!"

"Besides, with me, Ding Qiang, as a Soul Grandmaster and you lot as One-Ring Soul Masters, we still count as local big shots here. People show us a little respect!"

After saying that, he slapped Sixth again.

"And you, Sixth! We're bad men, we're bandits, but we're not perverts. Rein in that creepy look of yours from now on. If you start flicking your tongue around again, just see if I don't hit you."

Sixth thought, My life is so miserable!

After a spell of silence, they resumed drinking and searched for another target.

The next morning, Li Mingzhu was woken by the sunlight streaming through the window.

He opened his eyes and looked at the beams overhead. This was the most comfortable night's sleep he'd had in days.

Last night, he'd thought someone would make a move against him, but no one had come even by midnight!

Li Mingzhu wondered whether the people watching him were planning to ambush him.

He couldn't be bothered to worry about it. When soldiers came, he'd meet them with a general; when floods came, he'd dam them with earth. His immediate priority was to fill his growling stomach.

Li Mingzhu lingered over breakfast, but still saw no sign of an ambush. Had he sensed things wrong yesterday?

How could Li Mingzhu have known?

This villain boss played it safe!

Since there was no ambush, Li Mingzhu couldn't be bothered to stir up trouble. He couldn't exactly run up to those men from yesterday and say, "You directed malice at me, so I'm going to kill you."

He wasn't from Shrek, after all, looking for trouble where there was none!

He then left the tavern and headed toward Nuoding Academy. His seven days were nearly up, after all. If he failed to return in time, Dean Lin might cry himself to death!

Before long, the Soul Hunting Forest grew smaller and smaller behind Li Mingzhu.

Li Mingzhu glanced back at the Soul Hunting Forest. There had to be something good in that spatial secret realm. Once he was stronger, he would definitely return and explore it thoroughly.

Level fourteen Soul Power really was stronger. Even his traveling speed was faster than before.

After using his Soul Power to travel for so long, Li Mingzhu felt he would be able to break through to level fifteen before much longer.

Following the familiar road, Li Mingzhu finally breathed a sigh of relief as the familiar sight of Nuoding City came into view.

He would reach Nuoding Academy soon. Out here, he had to worry about danger and be cautious at every turn, leaving his nerves stretched taut for days on end.

His safety was assured inside Nuoding Academy, and he wouldn't have to worry about being killed. With the dean, a Soul Ancestor, holding the fort, no one in Nuoding City dared come looking for trouble.

Before long, Li Mingzhu reached Nuoding Academy and headed straight for the dean's office.

At that moment, Dean Lin was fretting in his office. That Li boy still hasn't come back after all this time. Could he have run off with my four thousand Gold Soul Coins?

Dean Lin couldn't really be blamed for overthinking things. After all, Li Mingzhu had left Nuoding City less than ten minutes after receiving the money.

Hearing a knock at the door, Dean Lin called out for the visitor to come in.

A few days earlier, every knock on his office door had filled him with excitement. How desperately he'd hoped the person knocking would be Li Mingzhu, whom he'd been thinking about day and night.

Unfortunately, the greater his hopes, the greater his disappointment. Li Mingzhu simply hadn't returned.

By now, he didn't even notice when Li Mingzhu entered and walked up beside him.

"Hehe, Dean, I'm back from my leave!"

Hearing Li Mingzhu's voice, Dean Lin thought he'd misheard, until he looked up and saw Li Mingzhu with his own eyes.

"Ha ha ha!"

"Li Mingzhu, you're finally back!" Dean Lin stood up excitedly.

He walked over to Li Mingzhu, took him warmly by the arm, and asked with a smile, "Mingzhu, have you finished taking care of everything?"

The dean's enthusiasm frightened Li Mingzhu so much that goosebumps rose all over him.

He worked at loosening the dean's tight grip. "Dean, it's all done. Let go of me first. You're so enthusiastic that you're scaring me a little."

Seeing the unease in Li Mingzhu's eyes, Dean Lin was somewhat puzzled. He assumed Li Mingzhu was worried the academy would reprimand him.

So he loosened his grip and patted Li Mingzhu's shoulder.

"Mingzhu, don't worry about taking a few days off. When I take you to obtain a Soul Ring in a few days, you'll have to request leave again anyway."

Thinking the dean was showing concern for him, Li Mingzhu nodded.

Then he looked at Dean Lin and said, "Dean, I obtained my first Soul Ring along the way while I was on leave."

Hearing this, Dean Lin was frantic inside. He regretted not bringing up Soul Hunting with Li Mingzhu sooner. What if Li Mingzhu had absorbed a ten-year Soul Ring instead of getting the optimal configuration?

He looked at Li Mingzhu and asked, choosing his words carefully, "Mingzhu, how old is the Soul Ring you obtained?"

At the question, Li Mingzhu summoned both of his Martial Souls at once, though he kept the Ancient Void Dragon hidden within space.

Within the circle of light at his feet, a yellow Soul Ring slowly rose.

Dean Lin had been feeling somewhat disappointed, but the sight of that brilliant yellow Soul Ring rising dispelled every trace of his dejection.

He didn't know what sort of Soul Beast suited Li Mingzhu's Body Martial Soul either. Even if he'd helped with Soul Hunting, he would only have considered animal-type Soul Beasts, hoping to obtain a versatile enhancement Soul Skill for Li Mingzhu.

Looking at the vividly colored yellow Soul Ring, Dean Lin could only sense that it was brimming with energy and had reached the age limit for a first ring. After all, he'd never seen what color a Soul Ring over nine hundred years old would be when absorbed by a One-Ring Soul Master.

Dean Lin asked excitedly, "Mingzhu, what is your first Soul Skill like?" (Note that both Martial Souls were released, but the Ancient Void Dragon Martial Soul was hidden. Outsiders could only see the Soul Ring rising from beneath his feet, so there was no need to worry about exposure.)

Li Mingzhu rubbed the tip of his nose and smiled at the dean. "My first Soul Skill is an enhancement Soul Skill.

"It's called Power of the Empty Nether. It increases all attributes by twenty percent and gives my attacks a piercing effect." (This was the first Soul Skill the protagonist made up for his Body Martial Soul.)

After hearing Li Mingzhu's words, Dean Lin opened his mouth, looking as though he could hardly believe it.

He murmured, "A divine skill. It's a divine skill!

"Mingzhu, you're a real monster! The effects of your Soul Skill are truly second to none. Even my second Soul Ring isn't as powerful as yours.

"Once your Body Martial Soul possesses you, not only do all your attributes increase substantially, but with that piercing effect, wouldn't every punch and kick you throw have a piercing effect too?"

Li Mingzhu scratched his head sheepishly. "Dean Lin, that does seem to be the case."