Passing the others, Qi Ling walked up to Xiao Da and said, "You're Xiao Da? You're the one who said you wanted Xiao Wu as your pet?"
Xiao Da looked at Qi Ling, whose head only reached his chest. For some reason, despite being older than him, Xiao Da felt a peculiar presence from the other boy that pressed down on him until he could barely breathe.
"Hmph! That's right. That was our wager. If you lose, you have to honor the bet!" Xiao Da said, forcing himself to remain calm.
Qi Ling looked at Xiao Da, his murderous gaze sending chills through Xiao Da's heart.
Just as Xiao Da was about to buckle, Qi Ling suddenly laughed. "Heh, interesting. Tell me, how do you want to fight?"
"Hmph! The rules are simple. We'll fight in successive bouts, with each side sending out ten people. Each person..."
"Ugh, forget it, forget it. What a pain!" Qi Ling said impatiently. "One at a time? How long would that take? I don't have time to play with you!"
"Let's keep it simple. However many people you've got, come at me together! As long as you can take me down, you win!"
Xiao Da froze, then looked at Xiao Wu. She nodded and said, "That's right. Whatever he says goes for me too!"
Xiao Wu trusted Qi Ling completely. Although he was the same age as her, for some reason, being around him gave her a sense of security, as though there was nothing he couldn't do.
More importantly, when Qi Ling had sparred with her before, he had crushed her effortlessly! Xiao Wu certainly didn't believe Xiao Da and his group were stronger than her.
"Hmph! You don't know your own limits. You're just a new first-year, yet you dare boast about challenging all of us?"
"You're just asking to die," Xiao Da said contemptuously.
"You've got it wrong. I'm not challenging all of you. All of you are challenging me!" Qi Ling said with a soft laugh.
"And your challenge isn't to defeat me. It's to survive-in my hands!"
Qi Ling's arrogant words immediately provoked fierce resentment from Xiao Da's group. After all, he was only a first-year who had never shown his face before. In their eyes, he might not even be as strong as Xiao Wu.
"Stop boasting! If you want to fight, come on! You think we're afraid of you?"
"Damn it, teach this kid a thing or two! Show him we're not to be messed with!"
"You little brat! When we beat you to tears, you can regret it all you want!"
For a moment, everyone in Xiao Da's group summoned their Martial Souls. Four of them even had Soul Rings attached, revealing their status as One-Ring Soul Masters.
With so many people undergoing Martial Soul Possession at once, even if they were only a bunch of children, the sight was impressive enough.
Boss Xiao looked at his subordinates and felt his confidence return.
"Well, brat? If you want to surrender, now's your chance, before I get too angry!"
Xiao Da summoned his Martial Soul as well. Possessed by his wolf Beast Martial Soul, he looked a little more imposing.
"Surrender? Why would I surrender?" Qi Ling said, his smile unchanged. "You don't actually think this is enough to beat me, do you? Surely not? Surely not?"
"Watch closely. This isn't how you use a Martial Soul!" Qi Ling extended his right hand with a smile. "Martial Soul Possession: Divine Dragon Emperor!"
The soul mark on Qi Ling's right hand lit up again, and the imposing, majestic phantom of a divine dragon appeared above him!
This time, his first Soul Ring lit up as well, granting the divine dragon even greater power.
The divine dragon in the air seemed to open its mouth in a soundless dragon's cry, releasing an overwhelming presence!
Everyone caught within that presence involuntarily retreated three steps. Some even fell straight onto their bottoms.
Then, as the divine dragon plunged down into Qi Ling's body, a terrifying presence immediately poured from him. It was as though he were the supreme sovereign of heaven and earth, making others afraid to look directly at him.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
While everyone was still reeling from the power of Qi Ling's Martial Soul, he suddenly vanished from where he stood. Three crisp smacks followed, and he was already in the midst of Xiao Da's group.
With one slap apiece, Qi Ling sent the three One-Ring Soul Masters other than Xiao Da tumbling to the ground, their cheeks swelling enormously.
Their Martial Soul Possession ended along with it. A single slap from Qi Ling had stripped them of all ability to resist.
This was no longer merely a gap in strength. It was an utterly one-sided crushing!
Even though they were Soul Masters too, these people had no ability to fight back against Qi Ling. They couldn't react at all.
Everyone on Boss Xiao's side instantly fell silent as crows and sparrows, staring blankly at the three people on the ground who kept screaming in pain.
Three of their experts hadn't even lasted a single exchange before being taken down just like that? Were they dreaming?
"I'll count to three. After that, anyone still standing here-"
Qi Ling swept his gaze over everyone. "Will be killed without mercy!"
"One-two-"
Coming to their senses, they looked at one another, then suddenly all fled in panic, shouting as they ran, "Help! Help! He's killing people!"
They were only a bunch of children, after all. They were happy to jeer and join the excitement, but once they realized they were in danger, they couldn't care less about organization or discipline. They ran as fast as their legs would carry them.
"You... you!" Xiao Da was dumbfounded. Now, only he and Qi Ling remained standing there. His sizable group had vanished like smoke in an instant.
As he watched Qi Ling walk slowly toward him, Xiao Da felt as though he were looking at the god of death!
He certainly didn't think he could beat someone who could knock down three Soul Masters in an instant.
"What did you say you'd do if you won? My hearing isn't very good. I didn't quite catch it."
Qi Ling asked with a gentle smile, but in Xiao Da's eyes, he was more terrifying than a demon from hell!
"I... I..." Xiao Da stammered, unable to get the words out. He wanted to beg for mercy, but couldn't bring himself to say it.
Seeing that Xiao Da wasn't speaking, Qi Ling turned and called, "Wang Sheng! How bad are your injuries? Can you still move?"
"Boss! I'm fine!" Sporting a black eye, Wang Sheng hurried over. Boss Qi's display had been so satisfying that he, too, was excited.
"Boss! What do you want me to do?"
"Go slap him a hundred times for me!" Qi Ling pointed at Xiao Da. "Let him learn that some things shouldn't be said carelessly."
"Understood!" Wang Sheng answered, then approached Xiao Da with a ferocious look.
"Y-you... what are you going to do? I'm a noble! My father is..." In his panic, Xiao Da brought up his noble status, hoping to use it as a shield.
"I don't care what kind of noble you are. Even if you were the king of heaven himself, you'd still get beaten today!" Qi Ling declared domineeringly. "Wang Sheng, do it!"
"Right!" Wang Sheng excitedly raised his hand and delivered a hefty slap!
After taking that slap, Xiao Da wanted to fight back, but couldn't lift a hand!
Qi Ling's eyes were fixed on him. For some reason, whenever Qi Ling looked at him, he lost all strength to resist.
Meanwhile, Wang Sheng slapped him with ever-growing enthusiasm. Xiao Da had bullied him plenty of times, and now that he had seized this chance, he certainly wasn't going to let him off easily.