Although Xiao Wu was quite taken with Lin Chuan's face, she really could not help stealing a few extra looks.
After all, there was simply no faulting Lin Chuan's looks. He was almost outrageously handsome.
But good looks were one thing. Hearing those words, her little face instantly puffed up in anger, her cheeks bulging like a little squirrel's.
The reason was simple.
Lin Chuan actually wanted to be the boss?
Back in the Star Dou Great Forest, Xiao Wu had always been the big sister in charge. Her word was law, and she cut quite an imposing figure.
She might look like a little girl now, but back in the forest, even tough characters like the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape had been her underlings, trailing after her and calling her big sister.
That prestige, that standing, was no empty boast.
Now that she had come to human society, she naturally hoped to be the big sister in charge here too.
This was not just a matter of face, but a matter of principle.
If she became someone else's underling, how would that befit her status as a transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?
A dignified transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast like her, serving as some human boy's underling?
Was that remotely acceptable?
If word of this got out, she would die of embarrassment. How would she ever show her face among Soul Beasts again?
With that thought, Xiao Wu stepped forward and thrust out her little chest, trying her best to look more imposing.
She looked at Lin Chuan a short distance away and said fiercely:
"You want to be the boss? No way!"
"But if you can beat me, then I suppose I could let you have the position."
"But if you can't beat me, you'll have to listen to me from now on. Whatever I say goes. Sister Xiao Wu will have your back, got it?"
Seeing her like this, Lin Chuan smiled helplessly.
To be honest, Xiao Wu was currently just a tiny little girl, short and slight. Yet she insisted on imitating an adult and putting on this dignified air, chest out, head high, and face solemn. It actually looked rather comical.
Still, comical as it was, it was also very cute, enough to make anyone smile.
Lin Chuan shrugged, not taking her too seriously, and replied with a smile:
"Of course. Let strength do the talking. That's fair."
"But let's make this clear first. If you lose, you'll have to listen to me properly. Listen to your boss. Whatever I say, you'll have to obey."
"And of course, as long as you behave, I can buy you more carrots. As many as you can eat."
The moment he said that, Xiao Wu, who had been looking so fierce and solemn, instantly brightened, little stars seeming to twinkle in her eyes.
Carrots?
How did this guy know I loved carrots most?
Something's wrong. Something's wrong.
He's obviously trying to tempt me!
He wants to buy me off with carrots and make me give up being the boss.
No, no, I absolutely can't fall for it. My Dao heart has to stay firm. I can't let these little favors shake me.
But...
Carrots are so delicious...
And from what he's saying, it sounds like he could buy more whenever they run out, as many as I want.
Wouldn't that mean I'd have an endless supply of carrots?
Wang Sheng keenly sensed that something was off about the atmosphere.
Carefully weighing his words, he cautiously asked:
"Sister Xiao Wu, are we... still going through with this fight? Or are you really planning to let this newcomer be the boss?"
Those words instantly brought Xiao Wu back to her senses.
She looked at Lin Chuan and said coldly through gritted teeth:
"You brat, you've got some nerve! You actually think you can test my limits with a carrot? My Dao heart is firm as a rock in everything I do. How could I be bought off so easily by tricks like yours?"
"Enough nonsense. Let's fight! If you really have the ability to beat me fair and square, what's wrong with letting you take the boss's seat?"
With that, Xiao Wu gave him no further chance to react.
She sprang into motion, charging straight at Lin Chuan as swiftly as racing thunder.
The instant that sharp gust of wind reached Lin Chuan, she used her momentum to whip up her right leg, sweeping it savagely toward his head with the force of a thousand jun and no fancy flourishes.
That sweeping kick went straight for a vital spot, leaving no margin whatsoever.
Facing this seemingly assured strike, Lin Chuan's expression remained as calm as still water. Not even the slightest ripple stirred in the depths of his eyes.
Xiao Wu was indeed a transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. That depth of foundation was genuine, and her roots were extraordinary.
She naturally had experience fighting enemies in battle as well.
However, her foundation was what it was, and her strength was ultimately still a little too weak.
Judging by the current timeline, her Soul Power Level could only be around eleven at the very most.
But what about Lin Chuan?
Because his First Soul Ring was at the world-shaking hundred-thousand-year level, his level had long since broken past ordinary limits and reached fifteen outright.
With such a vast difference in their levels, subduing her would be as easy as turning his hand over. There was no suspense whatsoever.
Thus, the instant Xiao Wu's fierce right-leg sweep was about to strike his head, Lin Chuan showed not a trace of panic. He merely raised his right hand and closed his fingers firmly around her ankle, leaving her unable to move it at all.
Feeling her right ankle caught in an unyielding grip, Xiao Wu's expression changed abruptly.
She instinctively tried to break free, only to discover that the strength in his fingers was utterly unreasonable.
At that moment, an absurd suspicion even arose in her heart.
Could this boy be a transformed Soul Beast, just like me?
After all, judging by his age, he was only a little over six. Where could a six-year-old boy have gotten such terrifying strength?
"Stop wasting your effort. I really can't be bothered to fight."
"How about this? Why don't you just admit defeat and accept me as the boss?"
Watching Xiao Wu continue to struggle, Lin Chuan's lips curved slightly, a hint of teasing in his expression.
As soon as he finished speaking, the auspicious Qi hidden within his body surged outward without reservation, like water bursting through a dam.
Lin Chuan truly did not want to fight. There was simply no need.
Ultimately, he was a Qilin, and his bloodline was so noble that even the Emperor Auspicious Beast in the Star Dou Great Forest stood a head beneath him.
He really did want to see whether Xiao Wu would still dare raise her fists at him once she learned of his identity as an Auspicious Beast.
The expression on that little face would surely be quite a sight.
That was precisely why he was concealing nothing now, allowing his auspicious presence to pour out freely.
Hearing those outrageous words, Xiao Wu's heart instantly blazed with anger.
Admit defeat?
Absolutely impossible.
She opened her mouth, about to retort.
But at that very instant, she abruptly sensed that something was wrong.
A presence belonging to an Emperor Auspicious Beast spread from Lin Chuan without the slightest warning.
In a single instant, the boiling anger in her eyes vanished completely, replaced by utter clarity.
Immediately afterward, a look of shock that she could not conceal appeared on her face.