The low voice made all three turn almost simultaneously. Their classmate from the Soul Master class, Xu Tianyi, was standing behind them.
He pressed his lips tightly together, his fists clenched white, and forced himself to meet Kong Xuan's gaze.
Xu Wei leaned toward Kong Xuan and asked quietly, "Brother Xuan, should we let him join?"
Before Kong Xuan could answer, his younger sister Kong Ling unexpectedly stepped forward and asked, "Your reason!"
Since school started, aside from their morning classes, they had had little contact with Xu Tianyi during their other training.
But Kong Ling could tell that Xu Tianyi seemed to have always harbored hostility toward her brother. That defeat back then probably still rankled.
So, looking at Xu Tianyi, who wanted to join them now, Kong Ling asked this question outright.
If Xu Tianyi could not give a reasonable explanation, she would not agree.
Kong Xuan said nothing, seemingly approving of his sister's actions.
He looked at Xu Tianyi, curious about his answer as well.
Xu Tianyi's Adam's apple bobbed. Hailed as a genius since childhood, when had he ever needed to explain himself?
But facing Kong Ling, the talent he took such pride in gave him no confidence, because she was an even greater genius than he was.
"I want to try again!"
He raised his chin, a stubborn flame seeming to ignite in his eyes.
"Even though I know I'm no match for you, I still want another fight, even if I can only last a little longer!"
Xu Tianyi's gaze passed over Kong Ling in front of him and settled on Kong Xuan's face.
Ever since his defeat at Kong Xuan's hands, scenes of that battle kept surfacing in Xu Tianyi's mind. The spear tip pressed against his throat was like a nightmare he could not shake, leaving him unable to fully immerse himself even in cultivation.
He knew he had to make a change. He had to face the terror head-on.
Only after three full days of mentally preparing himself had Xu Tianyi finally mustered the courage to say, "Count me in!"
What Kong Xuan saw in his eyes was not hostility, but fighting spirit!
He turned around, picked up the pen on the table, and filled in all four names on the application form. "Teacher, everyone's here!"
The teacher handling registration stamped the application form, then took out a metal card and placed it on the table.
"Soul Fighting Arena 173. You only have three hours to use it."
"Thank you, Teacher."
Kong Xuan picked up the card from the table and said to the others, "Let's go!"
Kong Ling and Xu Wei followed him toward the Soul Fighting Zone.
Xu Tianyi, left at the back, stared blankly as the three walked a good distance ahead. Only when the registration teacher spoke did he snap out of it.
"Student, hurry up and catch up!"
Xu Tianyi glanced at the teacher, his gaze sweeping over the application form on the table. His name was right there on it.
A hint of a smile rose involuntarily onto his face, and Xu Tianyi hurried to catch up with Kong Xuan and the other two ahead.
The registration teacher watched them leave and chuckled.
From their brief exchange just now, she had already imagined all the grudges and entanglements between these children.
But now, it seemed the outcome was a good one.
It made her reminisce about her own youth. She, too, had once had a group of companions like this.
Only now, most of them had already drifted apart.
Soul Fighting Arena 173 was also a small arena, only fifty meters in diameter.
But for one- and two-ring Soul Masters like them, it was more than enough.
Kong Xuan turned to look at the three behind him. Before he could speak, Xu Tianyi said, brimming with fighting spirit, "I hope you'll go all out this time and let me feel the true gap between us..."
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Xu Wei interrupted Xu Tianyi's challenge to Kong Xuan outright. "I was the one who invited Brother Xuan. If anyone's fighting him, I go first!"
Xu Tianyi frowned at that and glanced at Xu Wei, whose cultivation was lower than his own. "With your cultivation, you can't even take a single thrust from him. Don't waste time!"
Facing Kong Xuan and Kong Ling, Xu Tianyi truly could not act proud.
Xu Wei's rank-sixteen Soul Power put him near the top of their class, but Xu Tianyi still thought little of him.
Xu Wei's face reddened slightly, but his gaze grew even more stubborn. "Isn't your Soul Power just one rank higher than mine? By the time I'm nine, my Soul Power will definitely be above rank seventeen. What have you got to be proud of!"
Although Xu Wei usually acted frivolous, his talent was not necessarily inferior to Xu Tianyi's. After all, his innate Soul Power had also been rank nine.
The atmosphere instantly froze. Looking at the two, Kong Xuan suddenly said, "I think you two might as well fight each other first."
"Him?!"
Xu Tianyi scoffed, seemingly not taking him seriously in the slightest.
The results of their earlier physical assessment had all been public. Xu Wei was inferior to him in both Soul Power and physical fitness, so Xu Tianyi's arrogance was not without basis.
Kong Xuan's expression hardened, his tone turning slightly cold. "If you're unwilling, you can leave right now!"
Xu Wei was his roommate and kept calling him "Brother Xuan." He was someone Kong Xuan acknowledged.
If Xu Tianyi kept this attitude, Kong Xuan felt there was no need to have any further dealings with him.
Even if his strength and talent were both good, someone like this was not worth paying attention to.
Seeing Kong Xuan stand up for him warmed Xu Wei's heart, but he wanted even more to prove himself through his own strength!
He narrowed his eyes at Xu Tianyi and said coldly, "Do you dare fight me?"
Realizing that his arrogance had displeased Kong Xuan, Xu Tianyi took a deep breath and nodded at Xu Wei. "Why wouldn't I!"
The two then walked down from the spectator stands around the edge. A battle was about to begin.
Watching the two take their positions in the Soul Fighting Arena, Kong Ling asked, "Brother, who do you think will win?"
Rather than answering directly, Kong Xuan asked, "What do you think?"
"Hmm?" Kong Ling looked thoughtful, then said, "Although Xu Tianyi is annoyingly arrogant, aside from us, there probably isn't anyone in the class who can match him."
Clearly, Kong Ling favored Xu Tianyi's chances.
In fact, not long ago, Kong Xuan would have given the same answer. But things were different now.
In the Soul Fighting Arena, Xu Wei put away his flippant demeanor, his expression turning serious.
Since Xu Wei had never shown them, and Kong Xuan had never deliberately inquired, he actually still did not know what Xu Wei's Martial Soul and Soul Skills were.
But from what he knew of Xu Wei, if he dared to fight Xu Tianyi, he certainly had not accepted the challenge on impulse. He had to have some confidence.
Xu Tianyi, on the other hand, looked dismissive of his opponent. He might well suffer for it.
At that thought, Kong Xuan gave a mysterious smile. "I actually favor my roommate."
Kong Ling's eyes lit up as though something had occurred to her. "Then, Brother, want to make a bet with me?"
"What are we betting on?"
"Which of those two will win."
"Then what are the stakes?"
Kong Ling propped her elbows on the railing around the Soul Fighting Arena, cradled her delicate chin in both hands, and turned to look at her brother.
A breeze lifted the strands of hair by her forehead. She blinked her large, limpid eyes and said, "The stakes are..."