Night fell.
Inside the Soto Great Soul Arena, voices rose in a deafening clamor.
After registering, Lin Feng returned to the rest area with his newly issued Iron Soul Badge.
Although he had already reached rank forty, he had yet to obtain his fourth Soul Ring. After his Martial Soul was verified, he was still assigned to the Soul Elder division.
Standing beside him, Flender reminded him, "Your opponents here won't hold back just because you're young. Be careful once you're onstage."
"Don't worry, Dean."
Lin Feng put away his badge and looked up at the Soul Fighting platform where a match was underway.
Before long, it was his turn.
"Next match, Lin Feng versus Zhao Yan!"
Lin Feng stepped onto the platform. A burly young man stood opposite him.
"Zhao Yan, rank thirty-seven. Martial Soul: Iron Armored Rhinoceros."
The young man glanced at his face, somewhat surprised, but did not lower his guard because of it.
Anyone assigned here had to be at least a Soul Elder.
"Lin Feng, rank forty. Martial Soul: Soul Devouring Spider Emperor."
"Rank forty?"
Zhao Yan's gaze sharpened. Three Soul Rings, two yellow and one purple, appeared beneath his feet. Gray armor plates quickly covered his body, and a short horn grew from his forehead.
Lin Feng completed his Martial Soul Possession at the same time.
Yellow, purple, purple!
Three Soul Rings rose, immediately drawing cries of astonishment from all around.
Zhao Yan's expression grew grave as well. Only when the referee announced the start did he suddenly stamp forward and charge at Lin Feng!
His first Soul Ring lit up, and the gray armor plates on his body thickened.
Lin Feng did not meet him head-on. He sidestepped the charge and raised his right arm, unfurling an emerald-green web straight toward him.
With a low roar, Zhao Yan crashed into the web and thrust both arms outward.
The tough spider silk stretched taut. As his second Soul Ring flashed, his muscles bulged again, and he forcibly tore an opening.
Yet Lin Feng had already circled around to his side.
A sharp spider leg stabbed toward his shoulder, and Zhao Yan hurriedly raised an arm to block.
Clang!
The spider leg scraped across his armor plates with an ear-piercing screech.
Zhao Yan turned with the motion, his other hand shooting toward Lin Feng's shoulder.
Lin Feng's third Soul Ring lit up. Emerald-green armor rapidly covered his body, and he raised an arm to brace against Zhao Yan's palm without retreating a step.
The two forces collided, and Zhao Yan's expression instantly changed.
He had assumed his opponent specialized in control and that closing in would give him an advantage. He had not expected this boy's strength to be no less formidable!
Before he could change his move, another of Lin Feng's spider legs stabbed up from below, slicing open a wound along the seam of his shoulder armor.
First Soul Skill, Death Feast!
A stream of Soul Power flowed along the spider leg into Lin Feng's body.
Alarmed, Zhao Yan abruptly lit up his third Soul Ring and swung his arms, forcibly driving Lin Feng back.
But Lin Feng retreated only two steps.
The Spider Emperor phantom behind him opened its mouthparts, its devouring force continuing to envelop Zhao Yan.
The distance had not exceeded three meters. The lock remained!
Only then did Zhao Yan realize that, despite having broken contact, the Soul Power inside him was still draining away.
He hurriedly tried to retreat, but the web he had torn through earlier entangled his ankle.
That instant of delay was enough for Lin Feng to close in again and press a spider leg against the side of his neck.
"Still want to fight?"
Zhao Yan glanced at the blade gleaming green and finally unclenched his fists.
"I surrender."
Lin Feng immediately stopped devouring and withdrew his Martial Soul.
The referee announced the result, and cheers rose all around.
Zhao Yan touched his shoulder. Finding that the wound was not deep, he nodded to Lin Feng before leaving the platform.
In the stands, Tang San frowned slightly.
Not only was Lin Feng's Soul Power far above his own, but his offense, control, and defense also had no obvious weaknesses.
Especially that skill that devoured Soul Power.
Once caught, the longer the fight dragged on, the worse things would become.
If he were the one facing it, how should he respond?
Tang San glanced at his wrist, thinking of the hidden weapons concealed in his sleeves, yet he still felt little confidence.
"Brother, what are you thinking about?" Xiao Wu asked beside him.
"Nothing. I just think his Soul Skills are difficult to deal with."
Tang San looked away, silently committing to memory the distance between Lin Feng and his opponent when he used his devouring ability. Since close combat put him at a disadvantage, he would first have to find a way to determine the range of that suction force.
Flender, on the other hand, grew more satisfied the longer he watched.
This boy certainly had a temper, but his abilities were every bit as real. No matter how poor the academy was, they had to find a way to keep a student like him.
After returning to the rest area, Lin Feng said little and simply sat down to wait for the others to finish their matches.
Only as the night deepened did they leave the Soul Fighting Arena one after another.
Flender had other business and stayed in the city, leaving Dai Mubai to lead the others back to the academy.
Along the way, Dai Mubai tried several times to speak to Zhu Zhuqing, only to receive cold responses.
By the time they reached the academy gates, his expression had become extremely ugly.
"You're finally back."
Ning Rongrong sat on a rock beside the entrance, with Oscar standing next to her.
At the sight of Dai Mubai, her eyes shifted, and she smiled. "What, hit a wall with Zhu Zhuqing again?"
Dai Mubai stopped in his tracks.
"Ning Rongrong, watch your mouth."
"I didn't say anything wrong."
Ning Rongrong jumped off the rock and was about to continue, but a surge of Soul Power suddenly erupted from Dai Mubai.
Caught off guard, she staggered backward.
A strand of spider silk suddenly wound around her waist and pulled her aside.
Lin Feng withdrew the silk and stood between them.
Dai Mubai's raised hand froze in midair. When he saw who it was, his expression immediately stiffened.
"Lin Feng, this is between her and me!"
"A few words of argument, and you're going to attack?"
Lin Feng glanced at the hand he had yet to lower and said flatly, "What, didn't you spend enough time lying down yesterday? Want to lie down again today?"
Dai Mubai's face flushed red.
Although the injury to his shoulder had healed, he still remembered perfectly the feeling of being pinned to the ground and having his Soul Power drained yesterday.
Besides, tonight he had witnessed Lin Feng's methods once again.
Tang San stepped forward.
"We're all classmates. Let's not fight again."
Dai Mubai stared at Lin Feng for a moment before finally lowering his hand, turning, and walking into the academy.
"Why are you leaving!"
Still somewhat indignant, Ning Rongrong was about to chase after him when Lin Feng stopped her.
"You should say less, too."
"He attacked first!"
"So you're going after him to get hit again?"
Ning Rongrong faltered, then grabbed Lin Feng's sleeve.
"Help me teach him a lesson. I'll pay you. How much do you want?"
Lin Feng pulled his sleeve free.
"No."
"Why? Can't you beat him?"
"Just because I can beat him, I have to do what you say?"
Looking at her, Lin Feng continued, "He was wrong to attack, but you weren't exactly speaking nicely just now either. Stopping him doesn't mean I'm going to fight for you."
Ning Rongrong opened her mouth but could not find anything to say for a moment.
Lin Feng did not continue lecturing her and headed straight for his quarters.
Only after closing the door did he release his Martial Soul, and the green spider landed on the table.
Lin Feng lifted the restriction on their mental communication and briefly recounted the conflict.
"You really do manage to clash with people wherever you go," Bibi Dong's voice rang out in his mind.
"I couldn't just watch him attack her."
Lin Feng poured himself a cup of water and said casually, "It's only been two days since I enrolled, and there's already been plenty of trouble."
After a moment of silence, Bibi Dong said slowly, "Once Xiaogang arrives, there should be some changes to the academy's teaching. He really does have his own methods in that regard."
Lin Feng's hand paused around the cup.
It seemed she still had not changed her mind.
"Then let's wait and see."
Lin Feng set down the cup and did not argue further.
Once Yu Xiaogang actually arrived here, there would be no need for him to repeat certain things.